Tom Schreiber has been building his name as one of the best players in the world since graduating from Princeton in 2014.
He’s made an impact in the field game in both the MLL and PLL, and he won the 2018 World Lacrosse world championship gold medal with a game-winning shot. His resume looks like that of a Hall of Famer, and he’s only 28.
Schreiber spoke with Paul Carcaterra for Season 3, Episode 12 of “Overtime.” Here are the biggest takeaways.
The Doug Schreiber Influence
Tom Schreiber was born into a lacrosse household. His father, Doug, a two-time All-American at Maryland and a member of the gold-medal winning 1974 U.S. team, was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Schreiber never felt the pressure of following his father’s accomplishments, but he learned a lot from the man who’d help shape his life. As he continues to learn more about being an adult, he has more admiration for his father’s mentorship.
“I’m super thankful for all of his guidance and his dedication,” he said. “I see more and more how much of his life and how much of my mom’s life have been dedicated to my sister and I growing up, let alone sports. They were so in tune to be parents and put us first. The older I get, the more I realize that.”
He didn’t win at Princeton, but he learned plenty
Schreiber was one of the best players to step foot on campus at Princeton — and that’s saying a lot of the All-American. However, the Tigers made just one NCAA tournament appearance in his four years.
With a historic program like Princeton, a run of missing the NCAA tournament was tough to process, especially with a talent like Schreiber on the team. He still thinks about the lack of success the Tigers had.
“It’s hard not to put some blame on myself, and at the end of the day, I do to an extent, why we weren’t more successful,” he said. “We did have a lot of pieces. It has been difficult to think through that, and I put a lot of that on myself. There will be someday where I look back on my career and I’ll worry about how I stack up against people, but I’m not that concerned.”
Schreiber tries to look at what he did get out of his Princeton experience — a top-notch education, more skills to prepare him for pro lacrosse and meeting his future wife.
No Michael Sowers Hate
Schreiber has felt the criticism for his lack of NCAA tournament appearances, and he doesn’t want current college star Michael Sowers to endure the same thing. Sowers, who starred for Princeton for four season before reportedly transferring to Duke, is Princeton’s all-time leading scorer.
During his reign, the Tigers never made the NCAA tournament. Schreiber won’t let that hang on Sowers’ legacy.
“I can’t tolerate any Michael Sowers slander in any respect,” Schreiber said. “He has eight points a game and is uncoverable. I don’t think he could do anything more than he currently is.”
John Danowski’s Wisdom Helped Him Win Gold
Lacrosse fans across the world saw Schreiber’s buzzer-beating game-winner that gave the U.S. national team the gold medal in the 2018 world championship game. His first attempt at goal during that sequence is often forgotten.
With five seconds left, Schreiber received a feed from Rob Pannell and missed on his shot at goal. He wasn’t sure he’d get another chance, but he remembered the wise words of head coach John Danowski.
“I’ll always remember hearing Coach Danowski in my head with that casual, bubbly way that he says things like, ‘Don’t worry about it. Next play. Go get the next one,’” Schreiber said.
Those words gave him the confidence to try again, this time getting the feed from Pannell and finishing as the clock expired to send the 2018 national team into the history books.
Schreiber Wants to be a Leader
Now 28, Schreiber will have younger players looking up to him for advice and encouragement. He knows the feeling well, having sought mentorship from professional veterans like Dan Dawson and Kyle Harrison.
As he grows older and continues playing, Schreiber wants to guide the way for the next generation.
“I look at a Dan Dawson in Toronto and all the things he accomplished as a player,” Schreiber said. “The first thing I’ll think about how great of a teammate and leader he is. Kyle Harrison — I don’t care if he won a Tewaaraton and is one of the best midfielders ever — I care about how that guy has treated me the past couple years and how I can be like him.”