University of North Carolina Athletics
Bitter's Game A Product Of Family
May 13, 2010 | Men's Lacrosse
May 13, 2010
By Neil Amato
TarHeelBlue.com
Billy Bitter could be cocky about so much, yet when you meet the North Carolina lacrosse team's go-to player, you come away wondering: "That guy is one of best players in the country?"
He scores eight goals (on his first eight shots) last season in a first-round NCAA tournament game - and shrugs it off to being in the right place in the right time, crediting teammates first.
He is asked about his importance to this season's Tar Heels, who open NCAA play Sunday at 5 p.m. against visiting Delaware, and he gushes about the coaching staff. He credits emails from his father - he's saved 300 of them - for making him a candidate for national player of the year.
Bitter, a junior attackman, volunteers at soup kitchens, spends time at the Ronald McDonald House. At the off-campus dwelling he shares with three teammates, "he's one of the only guys who does the dishes," housemate Milton Lyles says.
On the field, Bitter doesn't lead the Tar Heels in goals this season (though he might, had he not missed a game and half because of injuries), but he is the opposition's top target after breaking out with 46 goals and 25 assists as a sophomore.
He's not the traffic-directing, quarterback type, a la Peyton Manning. He has the dancing feet, but the kind that get him somewhere in no time. If lacrosse is basketball on grass, then Billy Bitter is Ty Lawson without the injured toe.
In addition to breaking down the defense, he's also the team DJ, with a hall-of-fame iTunes collection. Bitter is proud of that, happy to talk about it, but not cocky. His tweets aren't public, but his Twitter page background is a photo of a DJ, arms raised and basking in the adoration of a packed house.
Any weaknesses in Bitter's arsenal, as a teammate or roommate?
"He can't cook," Lyles says. "He can order some delivery."
He has delivered for the 12-2 Tar Heels this season, despite the target on his No. 4 jersey. Coach Joe Breschi says Bitter continues to amaze, even though his scoring pace has slowed from a year ago. Bitter was named ACC Player of the Year despite playing six quarters against conference foes before the award was announced.
"It's an emphasis on how much teams are preparing for him," Breschi says. "You can't put into words how valuable a guy like that is. You look at (last weekend's 19-13 win over Ohio State). He didn't score much (one goal), but he generated so much offense. They kind of tried to neutralize him, but I'll take 19 goals any day."
Breschi formerly coached at Ohio State, and he tried to recruit Bitter to the Buckeyes out of the storied program at Manhasset (N.Y.) High. Bitter isn't big (6-0, 170), and he didn't draw major interest initially, which his father, Ward, attributed to an injury in his junior season. So Bitter did a postgraduate year at Deerfield Academy, got older and stronger, and his quickness eventually turned heads.
He always had quick feet. Ward Bitter recalls a personal trainer, who had been an Olympian hurdler, noting Billy's flexibility at an early age.
"His change of direction was different, sort of like a wide receiver," said his father, who played lacrosse at Boston College. "Maybe it's loose ligaments. Whatever it is, it's a gift."
Bitter considers playing the game a gift. He is the fifth of six children in a competitive, athletic family.
"I was lucky," Bitter says. "I always had someone to go out back with and have a catch. We go on vacations and every morning, they're waking me up, going for hikes, running, swimming races. It's nonstop activity. It builds my competitiveness. I'm fortunate to have the family I have."
Though he makes the game look so easy with his moves on the field, Bitter says he still gets nervous. Music, and the words of the coaching staff, gets him feelin' groovy by the opening faceoff.
"I feel like a little bit more pressure's on me these days, but the coaches always make sure I'm nice and calm before each game," he says. "I still feel nervous sometimes before games, but when the whistle blows, it's all gone, and I feel free. I like to have fun when I play."
When Bitter is on, he's tough to stop. Breschi said Bitter's moves are sort of like his iTunes collection: you never know what he's going to come up with next. "His change of direction, how slick he is with the ball - his feet are terrific," Breschi says. "He's done some things I've never seen before."
