Joe Walters grew up a fan of Syracuse, but never got recruited to play lacrosse there. He came to this university without high expectations, but has turned out to be one of the best Terps ever.
Joe Walters used to be a stargazer. Now, he’s simply a star.
On Tuesday, Walters wasn’t wearing the No. 1 Under Armour jersey, which he’s made so famous. Instead, he donned a blue Irondequoit High School T-shirt with yellow lettering and a No. 22 in the middle.
But even without what has become his trademark, Walters still bears the confidence of his on-field self, whether standing in front of a television camera or speaking without fear about the Terps’ journey in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
During the past four seasons, Walters has dazzled Terrapin men’s lacrosse fans with his scoring and play-making ability. He’s stunned those who didn’t know of his talent and surprised even those who expected it all along.
Still, he remains the humble player who shot on an empty net growing up in western New York. Now, he bears a heavy burden of pressure for scoring, for winning and for, well, being Joe Walters.
After breaking the program’s career goals record and with the points record on the horizon, he has only one tournament left to cement his legacy. That legacy may very well be as the greatest player to ever step foot on a lacrosse field as a Terp.
“I would hope to be the best player to ever play here,” Walters said. “I never would have thought that. But where I stand now, that’s what I want people to think of me.”
Sophomore Max Ritz said Walters’ legacy, no matter how it is defined, is a great one.
“I would hope it would be as the best player to ever come through here. You can’t accomplish more as a player,” Ritz said. “I would hope his legacy is more than just points and goals but the way he plays and the way he carries himself.”
But Walters began writing what became his storybook in tenuous pencil, hoping, dreaming and working for greatness at a young age.
“I’ve spent my whole life, since third grade, shooting all the time, playing lacrosse all the time,” Walters said. “There’s no one out there that’s played more lacrosse than me.”
Whether that’s true or not, the 21-year-old senior attackman may have watched more games than any other Terp or any other college player.
From his Rochester home, Walters said he watched every Syracuse lacrosse game as a child. It’s no surprise he fell in love with the team and the sport, as Syracuse won five national championships during his childhood, from 1988-1995.
Walters made the trek with family and friends to Byrd Stadium during some of those years when the final four was held in College Park. Watching his Syracuse team win the national title was part of the spectacle, but it also gave Walters a familiarity with the stadium where he’d go on to score 42 goals.
But Walters didn’t even graduate as Irondequoit’s all-time leading scorer – finishing behind former Terp Andrew Whipple – and was not recruited to play in Syracuse orange.
“Being a Syracuse fan my whole life, that was a dream, but I never did get recruited,” Walters said. “So I can’t say I wish I went there because I didn’t get the looks.”
Along came Dave Cottle, who was in his first season as Terp coach when Walters was a high school senior. A scholarship offer and commitment later, the ink has dried and the rest is history.
Humility is one thing, but Walters isn’t blind to his own strength and skills. Although he didn’t expect to be a top player at the college level, Walters quietly mentioned he didn’t think he was a bad player coming out of high school, either.
But success came blazingly fast. Walters, who didn’t expect to see a lot of playing time, started all 16 games his freshman season and was named ACC Rookie of the Year with 33 goals.
Expectations that didn’t exist as a high school recruit mounted on Walters, and he flourished under the pressure, scoring 46 goals as a sophomore before seeing a reduction in output his junior year.
Pressure has defined Walters, whether it’s a source of motivation, like his sophomore campaign, or something that makes that little ball just a bit harder to put in the net.
“It is tough. The last few weeks have been a lot of pressure on me, just on myself and with people,” Walters said. “I do embrace the pressure though, I enjoy it, but at the same time it can be a weight on your shoulders.”
Cutting through the hype and the expectations is something Walters is used to. Something that hasn’t been quite as common is a scoreless game. He doesn’t have many bad games, but his 0-for-10 shooting day in the Terps’ ACC championship game against Virginia is one that sticks with him.
“I know that, coming out of those games [against Virginia], I didn’t play my best lacrosse,” he said. “I do think about them, it’ll be on my mind when I play them again and ill be forced to play a little harder, play a little better.”
Today, Walters stands as a candidate for college lacrosse’s highest individual honor, the Tewaaraton Trophy, and as the top goal-scorer in Terp program history. But Walters isn’t the only one who believes he belongs on the short list of top players who put on a Terp uniform.
“He’s the greatest goal scorer Maryland has ever had,” junior Michael Phipps said. “I’m probably biased ’cause I play with him, and I don’t know about the guys long ago. But I’ve never seen anyone who can put the ball in the net the way Joe does.”
Cottle, the coach who recruited him, signed him and gave him the chance, said Walters is probably one of the premier shooters in the history of the program.
In a month, no matter how the Terps fare in the tournament and no matter how many goals he ends up with, Walters won’t have another opportunity to stun the Byrd Stadium faithful or admire goals on the scoreboard while wearing the red and white No. 1 jersey.
As for that jersey, Walters received it in a frame Saturday, but Cottle said he’d welcome someone else wanting the pressure and the challenge of wearing the No. 1 on his back.
“I hadn’t really given it much thought,” Cottle said. “But, yes, I would say that somebody might want No. 1 down the road, and I’m sure Joe would like somebody to wear his number.”
Walters may eventually turn his college success into just one chapter of his storybook in the lacrosse world. He said he wants to become an icon and help cultivate the sport, playing in a pro league and continuing to improve his game.
But there’s still one aspect of his Terp career in which the ink is still wet. The Terps have not advanced past the semifinal round in the NCAA tournament since 1998 and have not won a national championship since 1975.
Two ACC tournament titles and a myriad of individual awards and accolades are nice, but four more wins and a celebration in Philadelphia on Memorial Day would truly be what would cement Walters’ legacy.
“If I, personally, want to be viewed as one of the best players or the best player,” Walters said, “leading a team to the championship will definitely be important.”
On April 15, in front of a standing-room only crowd and an ESPNU television audience, Walters had possibly the greatest game of his career. Under the bright lights of Homewood Field, he scored six goals and added two assists to lead the Terps over archrival Johns Hopkins.
After the win, Walters was approached by a young girl who offered him a $5 bill to sign.
“Is that all I’m worth?” he asked.
“That’s all I have,” the girl said before Walters signed the bill.
Walters’ true value may not be known until after he plays his final game in a Terp uniform. But one thing is for sure: Ever since his first game in Byrd Stadium, Walters has made an indelible impact on the Terp program that very few expected.
Not even Joe Walters.
Contact reporter Stephen Whyno at whynodbk@gmail.com.
