One thing really stands out if you look at the Virginia men's lacrosse team's defense when they play No. 1 Syracuse on Saturday. No, it's not the three new faces that surround junior defender Mark Koontz or even the nervous freshman that mans the Cavalier net. Instead, one of the defenders seems just a little bit older and a little bit bigger than your average college lacrosse player.
His name is Steve Burman.
After graduating from Bucknell as a football and lacrosse star last spring, Steve was itching use his final year of NCAA lacrosse eligibility. He did not play lacrosse his freshman year at Bucknell because his football coach wanted him to focus his energies on learning the football system.
Lacrosse "is a unique sport, not many sports are like it," Steve Burman said. "I just missed it. I missed the guys, so I decided to go for it."
As Steve began searching for graduate schools with good lacrosse programs, he focused on the natural choices: Virginia and Maryland. His younger brothers David and Andy play for the Cavaliers and the Terrapins, respectively. He also considered Georgetown because it had the graduate program that best fit his needs, but his desire to reunite with one of his brothers won out.
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When both David and Andy tried to persuade Steve to go to his school, Steve realized that the age difference between the brothers had caused them to grow apart.
"I'm four years older than [David], so I never really hung out with him much," Steve Burman said.
"In high school, we had our own sets of friends, so we didn't really hang out all that much together," David Burman said. "Now, we go out together and with the whole team. We've gotten a lot closer [from this experience]. When we go home now, we want to hang out and go out together. It's just made me realize that I've got to spend as much time with my family as possible."
To sway his brother, David championed Virginia coach Dom Starsia's ability get the best out of his defenders.
"Coach Starsia says he recruits athletes first and lacrosse players second, and I think our defense under him has been a testament to that," David Burman said. "They put confidence in us. We're supposed to just go out and play and not worry about sticking to a system. I've talked to a lot of defenders at other schools, friends from home in different programs, and they say that their coaches are holding them back because they have to stick to a stupid system."
In the end, David's sales pitch was just a little better than Andy's was. Steve decided to pursue a masters degree in education and play lacrosse for Virginia.
"I got lucky," David Burman said. "I won that one."
But choosing between his brothers may have been the easy part. Steve still had to prove that he could stop the elite opposing attackmen Virginia faces every game. He was a star at Bucknell, but how would he fare on one of the top teams in the nation?
"The game is a lot faster now," Steve Burman said. "Practice is more intense at Virginia. At Bucknell, there were a couple of players that could compete, but overall, the quality of players at Virginia is just much better."
He seems to be a fast learner. Steve quickly has stepped up to be one of the anchors on a Cavalier defense that lost three starters: Ryan Curtis, Court Weisleder and Peter Ragosa. He has even asserted himself as a vocal team leader.
"The first day of practice, he wasn't shy about saying anything," David Burman said. "He let us know how precious the time we have here is. He tells us every day how lucky we are to be playing Virginia lacrosse. He brings enthusiasm, and he'll scream and shout - in a good way - to motivate us. He also doesn't have any qualms about telling us or our coaches that something's wrong."
Much has changed since the Burman brothers last played together on the same team. When both attended Landon high school in Bethesda, Md., David rode the bench as a freshman while Steve led the Bear defense as a senior. Steve often gave his younger brother advice to help him become a better player.
Five years later, Steve discovered that things are different. Although he may have wanted to reprise his role as the learned older brother, Steve realized that it is no longer necessary.
"I try [to give David tips], but he's pretty good right now," Steve Burman said. "He's just as good as me, so I don't have to give any pointers anymore."
Instead, David is the one helping Steve adjust to the faster and stronger lacrosse competition that Virginia faces. According to David, Steve's football background gives him a distinct advantage.
Opponents "are scared to come into the crease because there's a linebacker standing there," David Burman said.
Apparently, other teams have quickly learned that that every time they cross into Virginia's defensive zone, Big Brother will be watching.
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