April 10, 2015
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior defenseman JP Burnside has been a huge contributor during his final season with Penn State men's lacrosse. He may be a standout player on the field, but Burnside's biggest contributions to the team are what he does when the game clock isn't running.
Since a young age, Burnside felt at home on a lacrosse field. After moving to Garden City, New York, in fifth grade, Burnside's friends encouraged him to try the sport.
"Garden City is a very lacrosse-rich town," said Burnside. "All the kids I became friends with when I moved there told me to try it, and that's how it all started."
After being named an All-American his senior year at Garden City High School, Burnside decided to continue his lacrosse journey at Penn State. Head coach Jeff Tambroni has had the opportunity to coach Burnside during all his years at Penn State. Tambroni has seen first hand the growth that Burnside has experienced both as a player and as a young man.
"I think JP has grown up a lot in many ways," said Tambroni. "He has certainly taken a more, I would say, professional attack at being a student-athlete. At first he was always pretty talented on the field but I'm not sure if he realized the impact that his personality, his behavior, and his work ethic was going to affect others around him. I think the older he got, the more he realized, and the more mature he became."
Coach Tambroni has been able to count on Burnside for always being a leader by example and always giving full commitment to everything he does.
This season, Burnside has been a constant presence in front of the Penn State net, having started every game so far in the 2015 campaign. Burnside's role as a senior and as a leader has been to be vocal on the field, but that doesn't mean he didn't have things to work on before the season started.
"I think he's had to grow more this year into a communicator and realize that guys aren't always going to be able to do what he does just because he's doing it," said Tambroni. "He had to learn to get other guys who are younger on the same page as him."
Although his senior season is winding down, when asked to reflect on his time at Penn State, Burnside had many memories that stood out in his mind.
"[My favorite memory was] when we watched the selection show my sophomore year and we found out we'd be hosting a tournament game," said Burnside. "There have been a lot of great memories but that one was just been a time where everyone was screaming and yelling and hugging. It was pretty awesome."
Burnside's journey with Penn State lacrosse has been an unforgettable one. Having grown close with his teammates and class over the years, Burnside is looking forward to finishing off the last few games of his senior season on a high note.
"You get to hang out with these guys every single day," said Burnside. "From being in the locker room, to out at night, to here at practice. You've got some of your best friends here and you get to hang out with them for four or five hours a day, you've got to love it."
This weekend Penn State (3-7, 0-2) will again be on the road, this time facing Johns Hopkins (4-6, 1-1), a team rich in lacrosse tradition. Burnside and his fellow seniors, all members of the founding class of Big Ten lacrosse, will battle it out on the field for a much-needed win for the Nittany Lions. Burnside knows his role and knows how important these last few games are to himself and his teammates.
"I try to be very passionate and emotional," said Burnside. "I try to be loud [on the field] if the team makes a good play. And then I try to make plays as well. We've been talking a lot about `well done is better than well said' so I'm just trying to be a guy who's making plays out there and just trying to be loud and get everyone excited and motivate my team."
Penn State will face Johns Hopkins this Saturday at 6 p.m. in Baltimore. The game will air on ESPNU.