The national champion Florida basketball team is renowned for its depth, having a multitude of players who can score. Likewise, while they may not be as famous as the Gators’ Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer, the Cornell men’s lacrosse team also has a number of players who can put the ball in the cage at any given time. One of those players is senior Henry Bartlett, who has emerged as one of the top scoring threats for the Red this season.
As a freshman in 2004, the attackman from Huntingdon Valley, Penn., saw action in only five games and did not record a point. The next season, Bartlett scored the first two goals of his career, both of which came on his only two shot attempts of the year. He also added two assists during his sophomore campaign.
“I think in past years, there were some of my teammates that fit the role that was needed better than I could,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett started to play a larger role on the team last season as a junior. He appeared in a career-high 11 games, including one start in a contest against Army. He once again scored two goals on the year, including one in his lone start against the Black Knights.
This season though, Bartlett has been a starter on Cornell’s attack from the beginning, replacing Derek Haswell ’06, who graduated last spring. His transition into the starting lineup has been a smooth one, mainly because of Bartlett’s rapport on the field with fellow attackmen and classmates David Mitchell and Eric Pittard.
“It was a really easy transition,” Bartlett said. “I have played with David Mitchell for four years now, which is a long time, so I know how he plays. Also I played with Eric Pittard in practice every day last year. He is a good teammate and a good friend, so the transition has been very easy.”
In addition, Bartlett has not changed the way he approaches the game.
“I haven’t really changed my mental and physical preparation,” Bartlett said. “I think that being a senior, though, there is that extra incentive, because it is your last chance to help Cornell lacrosse. There is nothing specific though that I have changed. I just try and keep working hard and improve on my weaknesses.”
Bartlett made his mark immediately this season in Cornell’s regular-season opener on Feb. 24 against Binghamton. In that game, he tallied three goals, eclipsing his season total in each of the previous two years. His efforts helped the Red to a 19-4 victory.
As the season has progressed, Bartlett has continued to make his presence felt for Cornell (7-0, 2-0 Ivy). He has started all seven games for the Red and has recorded 13 goals, ranked third on the squad behind Mitchell and Pittard. The attackman also handed out his only assist of the season to Mitchell during a 19-8 victory over Yale on March 24. His 14 points puts him in a tie for fourth on the team, behind Mitchell, Pittard and junior John Glynn. He does admit, though, that he would like to record more assists.
“Something I definitely need to work on is my assists,” Bartlett said. “That is one of my main points of emphasis, to work on that. I want to find my teammates open and find them more to give us more scoring chances.”
This past Saturday, in a 20-5 win at home against Penn, Bartlett recorded his best game of the season. He scored four goals on five shots to help Cornell to the victory. In the game, Bartlett, Mitchell and Pittard combined for 11 goals and six assists. The senior related that the Red offense is starting to click of late, but can always improve.
“I think we are starting to find our roles a little bit more,” Bartlett said. “It depends on how the midfielders play too. It is a six-man game, but we have been working hard. … [We need to get] the whole offense to flow together more, to be able to communicate better and to get the six of us on the same page.”