Most freshman athletes will sit on the sideline for a year and learn from the upperclassmen to get acclimated to the life of a collegiate athlete.

Penn State men's lacrosse freshman goalie Drew Adams has proved so far he is unlike most freshman athletes.

Having been thrust into the spotlight right away, Adams has adjusted easily as the focus of the Nittany Lions' roster.

Fortunately for the Lions, Adams enjoys all the attention.

"It's cool. It's one of the reasons I wanted to come here because I thought I'd be able to play right away," Adams said. "It's good because we have a good group of older guys around me. It's really not tough to step up and play here."

But Adams has gotten some help from someone other than his teammates, someone who started for four years when he went to college. Luckily for Adams, it's Penn State men's lacrosse assistant coach Guy Van Arsdale.

Van Arsdale started all four years at Hobart College and led his team to four NCAA Championships between 1980-83. He was named C. Markland Kelly Goalie of the Year three times in a row.

But the coach thinks that his freshman can be even better.

"He's just terrific," Van Arsdale said. "He works very hard, and it shows."

Starting as a freshman can be tough, as he has to juggle sports with academics, while getting used to college life as a whole.

Van Arsdale has been more than willing to help Adams at any time possible, knowing what it is like starting so early.

"I help him all the time," Van Arsdale said. "I went through that myself. I coached Sal LoCascio, a goalie that many consider the greatest lacrosse goalie of all time, and Drew compares to him and may be even be better."

By being compared to a player the caliber of LoCascio, Adams has a lot of pressure on himself in his career. But Van Arsdale does not worry about the freshman.

"His demeanor is one that he never gets too excited and never gets too down," Van Arsdale said. "If he lets a goal by he just forgets about it and gets ready for the next shot."

Adams has attributed his development to not only Van Arsdale and Penn State men's lacrosse coach Glenn Thiel but to his teammates as well.

He managed to adjust easily in his first practice when he saw his high school teammate senior Greg Gurenlian on the field. He also mentioned senior defenseman Keith Benjamin and junior Matt Mulqueen as people who have helped him in his young career so far.

"A lot of seniors have been great," Adams said. "The older guys have been a big help."

In the past, Keith Benjamin has referred to Adams as the backbone of the defense, and the consensus of the team is a complete agreement.

Van Arsdale knows how important Adams is to the team's present and future and was not even concerned when he saw the freshman in his first practice.

"He seemed to be ready right away," Van Arsdale said. "He gets better every time he steps on the field. He's already an elite goaltender.

"I'm not even sure where his ceiling actually is."