April 10, 2008

QUEENS, N.Y. - As the lacrosse season winds down to its final weeks, senior midfielder Justin O'Donnell from Levittown, N.Y., took some time out of his busy schedule to get Red Storm fans pumped for its ECAC match up at home against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday.

O'Donnell leads the team in points with 14 on 12 goals and two assists. He has been the Red Storm's leading point-scorer in five of the nine games this season.

His 83 career points (67 goals, 16 assists) moves him up from No. 17 to No. 13 on the St. John's all-time scorers list as he ties John Welsh. With four goals against Loyola on March 15, O'Donnell became the 11th Red Storm player to hit 60 goals.

Currently, O'Donnell is No. 99 among 500 players in NCAA Division I in goals per game with 1.33. He earned an ECAC Honor Roll mention for his four-goal performance against then-No. 17 Loyola in the Red Storm's conference home-opener on March 15.

"Justin is an excellent scoring threat with room and time," said head coach Jason Miller. "He has worked much harder in the weight room and at his own physical conditioning. He has unlimited potential, and could be an all-league midfielder."

RedStormSports: What is one word to describe the 2008 lacrosse team and why?
Justin O'Donnell: Determination. We have had a rough season so far, but no one has thrown in the towel and we're still fighting every time we go out there and play.

RSS: You list Anchorman as your favorite movie - what's your favorite Ron Burgandy quote?
O'Donnell:
"Ron: Its quite pungent, stings the nostrils. Brian I'm gonna be honest with you, it smells like pure gasoline.
Brian: They've done studies you know. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time.
Ron: That doesn't make sense."

RSS: What is the best advice you've ever gotten?
O'Donnell: I have gotten great advice from many people over the past couple of years. There's not one person that sticks out. All my coaches, from high school to college, have given me great support and advice.

RSS: What's your favorite quote from Coach Miller?
O'Donnell: "Hard work will always beat talent when talent doesn't want to work hard."

I like this quote because it keeps me focused on not giving up and always knowing there's a chance to win if you play your hardest, no matter how good the other team is.

RSS: What flavor ice pops are your favorite and why?
O'Donnell: I like the Flavor-Ice (the liquid ones). All the flavors are good; they just can't be the bootleg version. I can eat about 25 of them in one sitting.

RSS: What makes Troy Aikman your favorite athlete?
O'Donnell: I grew up watching him, he was really good at football and he won championships. He also played for my favorite team, the Cowboys.

RSS: What is one thing you learned since coming to St. John's?
O'Donnell: I've learned to work hard and stay focused even with all the distractions that are out there. There are days when you don't want to work hard, but you have to fight through it.

RSS: What advice would you give your younger brother Brian about playing a competitive sport in college?
O'Donnell: I'd tell him that nothing gets handed to you, and that if you want something bad enough, you have to be willing to sacrifice all your time to achieve your goals. I know he'll be ready when he goes to college, he's going to be a beast.

RSS: What are your plans for after graduation?
O'Donnell: I'd like to play lacrosse after college. I plan on doing an internship this summer and hopefully building my career from there.

RSS: What are you thoughts on playing Penn State this weekend? What can you do better from last weekend against UMass?
O'Donnell: We need to put it all together for a whole game. We have the talent to do it. Saturday is a great chance for us to get our first win. We just have to step it up and get the job done, no excuses.

Check back with RedStormSports.com next week to meet senior defender Ryan Parker!

To receive updated information on St. John's men's lacrosse or submit questions for the Red Storm Seniors please send an email to Kristin Duffy at stjcommunications@stjohns.edu with the subject "Men's Lacrosse E-mail."