The Maestro: Before Considering Retirement, RP3 Has Eyes on Gold Again

The question mark dodge. It’s a maneuver mastered by Rob Pannell throughout his illustrious career. But how much longer will that career last? That’s the question one of the sport’s greatest players is pondering.

“We’ll see. If this summer goes as planned and everything falls in line, it might be sooner than later,” Pannell said. “But at the same time, I don’t think young Rob Pannell would want the old Rob Pannell to be done just yet.”

The 33-year-old Pannell, like the 24-year-old Pannell and the 28-year-old Pannell, will compete for the United States in the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship. The U.S. plays Canada in the tournament opener Wednesday at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. This will be Pannell’s third appearance, putting him in some exclusive company along with current teammate Jesse Bernhardt.

Pannell calls it the highest honor and the ultimate goal, one as a young player growing up in Smithtown, N.Y., he didn’t necessarily envision.

“To do it for the third time is great,” Pannell said. “The cool thing about it has been the different experience each time and the way I’ve approached it, from being one of the youngest guys on the team in 2014 to now being the oldest guy on the team, you get to look at each team and each process differently and certainly handle it differently yourself. I think that’s been the coolest part of it.”

Pannell said the makeup of each team has also been different, from a 2014 squad full of alpha males that lost to Canada in the gold medal game in Denver, to 2018 where there was an emphasis on building team chemistry in Netanya, Israel.

“In 2018, we had a Duke and a Rochester Rattler kind of team at the time in Ned Crotty and Jordan Wolf and Joel White and John Galloway and Matt Danowski,” Pannell said. “Those guys were kind of the core group and we had guys filling around them.”

The 2018 squad avenged that loss to Canada four years earlier, winning gold for the 10th time in dramatic fashion with Pannell feeding Tom Schreiber for the winner before the final buzzer. It was Pannell’s lone point of the game.

Would the 2014 Pannell have shown the same patience and poise?

“I think the younger, hungrier Rob Pannell in 2014 maybe would have been more aggressive throughout the game,” he said. “But in learning from 2014 and understanding the moment and understanding what it takes to win, the patience and maturity definitely was most important.”

“He’s the maestro back there,” said U.S. assistant coach Seth Tierney, the offensive coordinator. “He’s got experience losing a gold medal game and he’s got experience winning a gold medal game. He understands the difference between PLL lacrosse and international lacrosse. We’re hoping he will control not only the steering wheel, but the gas and the brake when needed. He’s here for his knowledge, experience and IQ.”

Pannell and Schreiber — “an alpha and the best player on the field every time he steps on it,” Pannell said — are teammates again. They head up an impressive and diverse group of nine offensive players on this summer’s 23-man roster. That includes Redwoods teammate Charlie Bertrand, Ryan Conrad, Connor Kelly, Kieran McArdle, Brennan O’Neill, Matt Rambo and Michael Sowers.

“It’s me quarterbacking the offense. It’s Tom doing his thing at the midfield. You have a guy like Michael Sowers who can break down anybody, a short stick or long stick. He’s incredibly talented, got to play with him over in Japan,” Pannell said. “And you have guys like Conrad and Kelly and Bertrand who are winners. They have won championships. They know what it takes.

“Kieran McArdle just won with the Waterdogs, and I think Kieran is one of the best pros, one of the best players, our game has seen in a long time. And then of course you have Matt Rambo, who’s had quite a few years with the PLL, but also won championships in college.”

And it’s that collection of winners that has Pannell most excited about the quest for another gold medal in San Diego.

“This is a group of guys that has won championships, knows what it takes to win, but at the same time, is a humble enough group of guys that’s going to put their head down and put in the necessary work to make sure that we’re as successful as we can be,” he said.

Earlier this year, Pannell was part of a group of PLL players who competed against the Japanese men’s national team and did a tour there to help grow the game. He called it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which gave him a new respect for the work Paul and Mike Rabil are doing to expand the PLL brand and also what Sachiyo Yamada is doing with World Crosse.

“It really showed me where this game can go,” he said. “When you get a country like Japan on board, who is so invested and wants to bring lacrosse to that next level, it makes you believe that there are other countries that can do the same and really gets you excited about the future of our sport.”

As a 33-year-old, Pannell has emphasized being smarter about his diet and the recovery side of training.

“But to the mentality and with the effort that I go into my training sessions, it hasn’t changed. If anything, it may have increased,” Pannell said. “So, making sure that I’m in the best shape possible at age 33 is certainly the most important thing, especially going into this summer, where you have the PLL and the world championship and then back to the PLL. It’s just going to be a long summer and I want to make sure that I’m playing at my top level.”

As for the “R” word, Pannell admits he’s considered retirement and has spoken about it with friends and family. But he’s coming off a strong 2022 season with the Redwoods and has five goals and six assists through three games this year. The PLL has garnered more exposure than before with games broadcast on the ESPN family of networks.

“I’m playing on the world team, and I had a great year in the PLL last year, so that makes it tougher,” Pannell said. “And with everything the PLL is doing and making you feel like more of a professional and treating you the best we’ve ever been treated, that makes it more difficult as well.”