Rabil continues to shine in MLL

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Drenched in sweat, Paul Rabil lingers on the Harvard Stadium field. It's a balmy mid-July night, and he has spent nearly a half hour talking to attackmen and fellow midfielders after the game trying to figure out what the heck went wrong.

The defending Major League Lacrosse champion Boston Cannons are in an offensive funk and have just dropped their second straight game, a 17-13 decision to the Denver Outlaws. In talking to his teammates, Rabil is passionate and demonstrative, the wheels churning as his hands dart in and out, diagramming in the air. After some time going back and forth, his teammates begin filing out one by one. But Rabil is still standing there, hands on hips and a look of befuddlement on his face.

Sometimes even the greatest in the world can be humbled by the game.

"It's not anything that can't be fixed," Rabil says. "It's something we just have to work through."

He is still processing the loss as he walks to the gate. A swarming crowd of children armed with lacrosse sticks is waiting for its hero. He signs autographs, too many to count.

The loss puts the Cannons' lease on a playoff spot in jeopardy, but Rabil is moving on to the second part of his job. He's not just a player; he's the very face of America's fastest growing sport.

Born and raised in Maryland, Rabil has quickly adopted the Boston sports scene. Perhaps only a smattering of Boston sports fans recognizes his name or face, but Rabil is a legitimate living legend right under the city's nose.

The 26-year-old midfielder led the Cannons to the MLL title a year ago. They'll try to repeat as the league's championship comes to Harvard this weekend in a four-team, two-day tournament. A two-time national champion at Johns Hopkins, the former Tewaaraton Trophy (college lacrosse's equivalent of the Heisman) finalist claimed the MLL's single-season scoring record this season with 72 points.

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Jim Rogash/Getty ImagesPaul Rabil leads the MLL with 72 points this season.

That mark belies what Rabil accomplished this year. He set the record with a personal-best 38 assists, more than doubling his previous season high. Already a two-time MLL MVP and a former Inside Lacrosse Player of the Year, Rabil was named Offensive Player of the Year.

Not only is he the most feared scorer in the game, his game is evolving.

"He's the Michael Jordan, the Wayne Gretzky of our sport," Cannons attackman Kevin Buchanan said. "In college, he was more of a downhill guy, moving down the alley. Now, he's become a feeder, making players around him better. That's what makes the truly great players."

Rabil has taken cues from a couple of prominent Boston sports figures since he arrived as a first overall pick in the 2008 MLL college draft.

His parents hail from the Winston-Salem, N.C., area, so naturally Rabil grew up an avid basketball fan. He was a shooting guard at DeMatha Catholic High School, commonly regarded as one of the nation's top high school basketball programs. Rabil applied his love of basketball to his preparation for this lacrosse season, drawing inspiration by digesting game film of Rajon Rondo. He wanted to get inside of the head of the Celtics point guard and his ability to see the floor.

"It's helped in the way that I've learned to see the field and the way that defenses apply themselves to me," Rabil said. "You look at the way he sees double-teams and knows how to react instinctively. I've always loved the way he plays, and I wanted to apply that to what I do."

Rabil also has the ear of one of his biggest fans in town.

New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick first met Rabil during his sophomore year at an All-America function in Philadelphia. A close friend of Johns Hopkins lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala, Belichick has witnessed Rabil's development firsthand.

"I'd talk to Coach Pietramala, and he'd tell me about this Rabil kid early on," Belichick said. "I'd go watch their practice and their games probably about three, four times a year during Paul's junior and senior years. We'd talk about competition, leadership, things like that. We'd talk about football too."

Rabil is an imposing presence at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds. Although Rabil has never played the sport, Belichick insists he could step in as an NFL safety.

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Scott Barboza/ESPNBoston.comPaul Rabil and Bill Belichick, second and third from left, chat after a Boston Cannons game.

Belichick said Rabil shares a common thread of all great athletes.

"Whether it's Jim Brown or Paul Rabil or Michael Jordan, the mark of all really great players is that they constantly have a bull's-eye on their back," Belichick said. "I would say this, probably nobody puts in more work or works harder than Paul. That's a hard thing to do too. It's only natural for people to take the foot off the gas a little bit when you've encountered success.

"I think that's what all those greats have done. They constantly want to push their limits higher and higher."

When Belichick spoke of Rabil's place among the game's greats, he started down a journey of his own personal history with lacrosse. He went back to his roots, growing up near the United States Naval Academy, speaking of Jimmy Lewis, an attackman who averaged nearly five points per game at Navy from 1964-66. Pietramala's name arose again when talking about the best defensemen. When Belichick got to the middies, he talked about Eamon McEneaney, Frank Urso and a laundry list of all-time greats.

And Rabil.

"Yeah, he's right there in that class," Belichick said.

Rabil is a rare breed of professional lacrosse player in that his occupation is exactly that.

For most current pros, lacrosse entails a few practices during the week and game day on the weekends. The rest of their lives are spent as educators, salesmen, bankers and so on. Pro lacrosse salaries are merely stipends that don't cover cost of living.

Rabil lives in the Baltimore area and commutes to Boston for his Cannons obligations. It's the epicenter of his cottage industry. At the forefront of Warrior lacrosse's marketing campaign, Rabil is about to introduce a new signature line of lacrosse gear, featuring a full complement of pads, cleats, stick head and handle.

The lacrosse industry has become profitable, with scores of youth leagues cropping up every year. But Rabil resonates with the younger generation in much the same way Jordan did in the1990s. Whether it's through 100-plus mph shooting displays during the MLL's All-Star festivities that have become the subject of legend or the face time he puts in at youth lacrosse camps, Rabil embraces the role.

"It's a blessing and it's a lot of fun," Rabil said. "It's very humbling, but it adds fuel to your fire. When you're on national television or you're in ads or a magazine, you want to back that up. You don't want to be out there and be an average player. That's added motivation to me."

He has also used his platform to pursue passion projects outside lacrosse. In his time off, you can often find Rabil DJ'ing at some hot spot on the Inner Harbor. He is immersed into the electronic dance music phenomenon. That interest draws from his workout habits.

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Scott Barboza/ESPNBoston.com Paul Rabil meets a group from Medway Youth Lacrosse before a Cannons game at Harvard.

"It's part of my daily routine," said Rabil, whose website features an introductory video with the thumping beats of Avicii set to highlights. "When I work out and train, it's not always easy. You have to be motivated, and you have to have energy. There are days when you're not feeling that energized, and music can be a big way to fire you up."

He is also using putting his name behind charitable endeavors through his foundation.

Rabil's family has been intimately affected by dyslexia -- his sister had a severe case while Paul and his brother had milder forms. He understands the stigmatizing effect the disorder has on children, and the disability shaped his worldview.

"I think sports really helped me growing up," Rabil said. "Being a part of team sports and working hard on and off the field, I think it helped me deter any of the deficiencies I might have felt as a person. All I knew is that I hard to work harder in the classroom to keep pace and that just motivated me more, and I used that same mindset on the field."

Rabil said he hopes to break down the misconceptions surrounding dyslexia. The foundation's website hosts a list of celebrities, athletes, artists and other luminaries who have dealt with the disorder as a resource to parents and students.

"The first thing we want to do is raise awareness and take down some of the myths about it," he said. "It's encouraging to see so many people starting to come forward with their struggles. You see Tim Tebow and Rex Ryan did that recently. Every one of us who's able to do that can make a difference."

Whether in lacrosse or putting together a mix, Rabil invests his time with purpose.

"He's got a lot of passion for the game and what he does," Cannons coach Steve Duffy said. "He has a lot of passion for the team being successful and everything else he does. It's the passion that drives him, the passion to be the best at whatever he does."

Leading up to the NFL draft, Belichick will usually give Rabil a call to gauge his interest. He'll egg him on, talking about the group of safeties he's looking at for that year's class.

When Belichick starts talking in those terms, the mind runs wild. He has never been averse to bringing in an Aussie rules football player for a tryout as a punter, a wrestler playing on the offensive line or a rugby player trotting out at safety.

So who knows, right? Maybe Rabil, the unquestioned king of lacrosse, will turn as well.

"Oh, yeah, I give it thought every year," Rabil said, stoking excitement. "Except I tell him I'd be better in the slot."

The legend of Paul Rabil is growing by the minute.

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Scott Barboza

Reporter, ESPNBoston.com

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Scott Barboza joined ESPNBoston.com as a high schools editor/reporter in May 2010. He spent the previous three seasons working in the New England Patriots media relations department after a stint at the Taunton Daily Gazette, where he covered everything from Little League baseball to the Boston Red Sox.