Living fearlessly made DU’S Baptiste one of the greatest players in NCAA history.
Trevor Baptiste hadn’t yet learned to swim. He jumped in anyway.
The once-in-a-generation University of Denver lacrosse talent was about 3 years old at a neighborhood pool near his hometown of Denville, N.J., when he slipped out of view of his family to get back in the water — in the deep end.
“I would have probably drowned if the lifeguard wasn’t paying attention,” Baptiste said.
In many ways, the panic that followed set the foundation for Baptiste’s athletic fortunes. His parents quickly enrolled him in swim lessons, and by the time Baptiste was a teenager, he trained with the junior Olympic team. More important, as he shifted passions from swimming to football to lacrosse, Baptiste developed a sports identity that fuels him today.
“Learning how to not be afraid of success,” Baptiste said. “In school or on the field, there is always a sense of like, ‘If I give it everything I’ve got, maybe I’ll come up short or maybe I’m not going to get the results that I wanted.’ That can be scary. I think that this place has shown me that results are great and accomplishments are great, but at the same time, it’s all about the journey.”
DU begins NCAA Tournament play at Notre Dame on Sunday, and if the Pioneers battle their way through the 16-team bracket and take home the national championship, their second since 2015, Baptiste will be the catalyst. The senior holds the Division I record for career faceoffs won (1,129) and was selected No. 1 overall in last month’s Major League Lacrosse draft.
But his DU teammates, such as fellow senior Connor Donahue, understand the hype is overshadowed by the human.
When Baptiste isn’t physically overpowering opponents with a stout 5-foot-10, 230-pound frame, he’s walking across campus in sweatpants and flip-flops with headphones tucked in his ears. Teammates call him “the human jukebox” for the amount of song lyrics across all genres he recalls by memory. Baptiste, 21, is hooked on the multiplayer video game Fortnite, speaks in an easy East Coast slang, and earned DU degrees in real estate and finance to prepare for life after sports.
Perhaps Baptiste’s most appreciated quality among those who know him best, though, is failing to boast over his lacrosse gifts. Like when Baptiste earned a spot on Team USA for the 2018 FIL World Lacrosse Championships to be played in July.
“He’s walking through the door like it’s a normal day while myself and our other roommates are freaking out,” Donahue said. “He does a really good job of keeping it all in perspective. He’s one of the most humble guys I know. Sometimes we have to pump his tires, because sometimes I think he can be a little too humble.”
But avoiding the spotlight was impossible from the start for Baptiste. He was a freshman when the Pioneers defeated Maryland for their first-ever national title with Baptiste taking home first-team All-america honors.
“When he came in as a freshman, I think he thought he could be good, but the suddenness of the accolades, success and responsibility did kind of make him say, ‘Woah, is this how the world works?’ ” DU coach Bill Tierney said. “Not a lot of young men could handle that in the way he has, and I’m thankful for the fact that he came as a mature guy.”
Tierney is in his fourth decade coaching college lacrosse and ranks Baptiste among the top two players he’s ever mentored. Life without him next season will be difficult. “He just has an aura about him that’s gonna be really hard to replace,” Tierney said. However, Baptiste still has one last NCAA Tournament run to cement his Pioneers legacy.
“I like to smile when I play and make sure everyone’s happy. That’s what’s most important,” Baptiste said. “This year, I think I lost sight of it with a lot of pressure within the team and outside to reach my potential. If there is a lot of hype or if people are talking, a lot of times you paint a picture of what a good games looks like for you rather than just going out there and giving your best effort.
“We all like to be in big-time moments. … I think we’ve got a great shot at winning it all.”