Apr. 13, 2015
By Jac Coyne
Full Story

When asked on Sunday morning who he would give the proverbial game ball to after the Pioneers knocked off NYIT in an ECC showdown, LIU Post coach John Jez let out a sigh. "I don't know," he said. "Give it to Mike Cama. He deserves it as much as anybody."

That would make sense if this was 2010.

That was when Cama finished up his brilliant playing career with the Pioneers, ending as the all-time NCAA Division II leader in ground balls (520) along with a career winning percentage of 66.0 (766-for-1,160). He was twice named the specialist of the year in D2 as a FOGO and helped Post win a pair of national championships.

So what's with all the love five years later?

Well, Cama is now a volunteer assistant for the Pioneers in charge of the faceoff guys. He's currently mentoring Dan Jeannotte in the role, and in Saturday key ECC victory over the Bears, Jeannotte won 15-of-22 draws and was instrumental in keeping NYIT from going on any sustained runs.

There's no doubt that a 68 percent winning percentage is outstanding, but why not give the game ball to Jeannotte?

"Danny came in our program as a defenseman and Cama converted him into our top faceoff guy," Jez said. "Cama taught him pretty much everything. [Jeannotte] didn't even faceoff in high school. He has learned everything. The first couple of years he was more of a stalemate guy, but he has been able to progress into actually getting good at it and winning draws."

This isn't Cama's first project. He joined the Post staff midway through last year and was critical in transforming Dom Montovani for the Pioneers' postseason run. Montovani was a sub-.500 draw man for much of the season, but in the brief time under Cama's watch he emerged as a true threat. In LIU Post's quarterfinal game against highly favored Le Moyne, Montovani won 10-of-16 draws versus All-American Kam Bumpus, helping the Pioneers pull the upset.

You can't just pull anybody from the roster to go under the Cama transformation, according to Jez. First, you need a certain body type, and Jeannotte's 5-foot-10, 185-pound frame fit the bill.

Second? Well, Cama's day job is as a New York City cop in the 63rd Precinct, so he's not always a warm bath.

"Cama is a little intense, so he has to find somebody who is pretty focused," Jez said. "We'll deal with some of his training techniques because he's been extraordinary for us and very important. We feel confident that if we have the kid with the right body type and the right desire, Mike will make him a top guy."