From ‘challenge’ to charmer

Virginia coach Dom Starsia says that in all of his years of coaching he’s never had a player “challenge” him as much as Mike Timms. Almost every day, just before practice begins, the UVa defenseman makes a beeline for Starsia and grills him on just about everything, from specific defensive alignments to general coaching philosophies.

“It’s been very refreshing for me,” said Starsia, whose team plays Duke in the semifinals of the ACC tournament on Friday in Chapel Hill, N.C. “I find it completely invigorating because I respect him so much. I have no problem with him wanting to know the answers to why we do some things.”

Timms, one of the top longstick midfielders in the country — this season, he became the first Virginia defensive player to be nominated for the Tewaaraton Trophy — says he appreciates the open lines of communication with his head coach.

“It definitely makes things more comfortable because you can express your opinion,” said Timms. “I think about a lot of the things defensively that he thinks about.

“A lot of times, we disagree a little bit, and it’s good to be able to talk about it.”

Believe it or not, Timms’ thirst for knowledge hasn’t always been there. In fact, until this season, Starsia wondered what was going on in his star’s noggin.

Timms, a hulking 6-foot-5, 229-pounder from Virginia Beach, had always gotten by on his raw athleticism. He was soft-spoken and hard to read.

By his own admission, Timms says he wasn’t as emotionally invested in lacrosse as he could have been.

Having lost both of his parents at a very young age, Timms had never opened up to many people, Starsia included.

However, things began to change early last season when Timms, now a fifth-year senior, asked Starsia to write him a letter of recommendation for Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce.

Starsia said he would do it on one condition — Timms wrote him a letter first.

“I said, ‘I don’t feel like I know you that well, to be honest,’” Starsia recalled. “He was always a little guarded.

“I said, ‘Write me an essay. Tell me who you are.’”

Timms obliged, writing what Starsia called a “very frank two-page essay.” In the essay, Timms talked about the death of his parents — he lost both before the age of 9 — and how the tragedies had made him who he was.

From there, the Timms-Starsia relationship began to evolve.

“I felt like we crossed a little threshold personally,” Starsia said.

“We’ve gotten a little bit closer each year,” Timms added.

Timms, a co-captain, will never be known for his loquaciousness. But he certainly has the respect of his teammates.

“He’s very soft-spoken, but when he talks, everybody listens, to say the least,” said Virginia junior Max Pomper. “When the game’s on the line, we always look to him for instruction and leadership.”

As a freshman, Timms was granted a medical redshirt after injuring his knee. As a sophomore, he was a contributor on Virginia’s NCAA championship team.

In each of the last two years, he has been an honorable mention All-American.

Timms, who will work for a New York-area Bank of America after he completes his graduate degree, laughed when asked how he had changed from the time he first stepped on grounds in 2004.

“Looking back, I find it kind of hard to believe that I was even able to play here early in my career — compared to what I know now and didn’t know then,” he said, smiling. “It’s also been growing up as a person — learning what it takes to be successful on and off the field and the work you have to put in.”

Timms has a career record of 0-6 against Duke. While there’s nothing he would like more than to finally get a win over the Blue Devils, he doesn’t want to stop there.

He says winning an NCAA title now would be much sweeter than the one he was a part of back in 2006.

“Not to take anything away from that [championship team],” he said, “but I’ve put so much more into it this year…I’ve always been one to say that you get out of it what you put into it.

“To me, it’s going to mean more to the guys who sacrifice more. After five years, I’ve definitely sacrificed a lot. It would mean a lot.”