For years Michael Phipps used his younger brother for target practice. Lucky for him and the Maryland men’s lacrosse team Brian Phipps was pretty good at defending himself.
“We had a big backyard and all the neighbors would come shoot around. They’d just put me in the goal because I was the youngest, and I always wanted to play with my brother and all his friends,” said Brian.
His desire to be with his older brother helped lead him to Maryland, where as a true freshman, he expected to watch for a season while learning the ropes.
But when senior starter Harry Alford, a preseason honorable mention All-American, and junior backup Jason Carter were both injured before the season had begun, Brian was thrust into the cage.
“I wanted to seize the opportunity and go from there. I guess I got lucky or unlucky, how ever you want to look at it,” said Phipps, whose led the tenth-ranked Terrapins (7-2) to five straight wins and had 15 saves in last weekend’s 14-8 victory over then-No. 12 North Carolina. He currently leads the Atlantic Coast Conference with 105 saves and is second in both save percentage (.629) and saves per game (11.7).
Michael, a senior attackman, isn’t having a bad season either. He was named ACC player of the week after scoring on five of six shots and picking up four assists in two games last week.
“You gotta cherish the moment because this is probably the last time that we’ll ever be on the same field together. It’s kind of cool,” said Michael.
It’s also helped them refine one another’s game. Brian’s been bold enough to offer Michael tips on improving his shot.
“I’ll say, ‘Michael, you’re always shooting here. Switch it up so the goalie doesn’t know you’re coming,’ and hopefully that’s helped him come on strong,” said Brian.
In return, Michael has helped his little brother get over the intimidation that comes with playing behind a senior-laden defense.
Brian Phipps’ success isn’t exactly a surprise — he was rated the nation’s No. 1 rated goalkeeper prospect last season by Inside Lacrosse magazine — it just came much earlier than anticipated.
“I felt like the North Carolina I was really comfortable out there, talking through the defenses, communicating, and I think that helped us play well,” said Brian. “All through the game I really felt like I should be out there, part of the team and knew what I should be doing.”
LAX roots
The Phipps family tree runs deep in College Park. Michael and Brian’s father, Wilson, played on the Terrapins’ last national championship squad in 1975, and their grandfather, Louis, was an All-American in 1949.
Betty Phipps, Michael and Brian’s mother, also played lacrosse at Roanoke College, but she’s never gotten quite comfortable with having a son in goal, where mistakes are always magnified.
“It’s hard for my mom,” said Michael Phipps. “She can’t really watch because its so nerve-wracking to have a son play goalie, but she’s starting to get better with it. He’s doing well so I guess it’s getting easier.”
