By:Andrew Coen
Cohen, who recently graduated from Hewlett High School, is an attackman who was also recruited by Notre Dame and Syracuse. He hadn't planned on attending a local college, but the tragedy that befell his family and the Five Towns last Aug 12 changed all that.
A year ago, Adam Cohen and two of his 2002 Hewlett High classmates, Jordan Satin and Jonah Richman, drowned in an upstate river while trying to save their friend David Altschuler. The drownings occurred in Elizabethtown, near Minerva, where the four were counselors at Camp Baco.
"I'm basically playing out my brother's dream," said Max Cohen. "His death had a lot do with me deciding to play in college."
After a year of suffering through the family tragedy as well as an injury that caused him to miss almost his entire senior year of lacrosse at Hewlett, Cohen has signed a letter of intent to play at Hofstra. "After everything that happened, I thought it would be best for me to stay close to home," said Cohen, who will live in a dorm at Hofstra.
Before his brother's sudden death, Cohen was unsure about whether to play lacrosse in college, but he decided to do so because Adam would have wanted him to, he said.
In addition to being close to home, Cohen was also attracted by the prospect of playing for an NCAA Division I team led by a top-notch coach, John Danowski. "I can't ask for a better coach," said Cohen. "He's been fully there for everything that has happened to me."
Fielding a young team last season, 30 of whose 39 players had one year or less of Division I experience, Hofstra finished with a disappointing 4-10 record. But before 2004, Hofstra made it to the NCAA playoffs six out of eight years and was consistently ranked among the nation's top 10 teams.
Cohen roared into his senior year at Hewlett after a junior season in which he scored 35 goals and recorded 35 assists, earning him All-County honors. However, his road to college play hit a detour when, two days before Hewlett's first game, he suffered an ankle injury in practice and was expected to miss his entire senior season. However, Cohen worked hard rehabbing the ankle, and was able to make it back for Hewlett's last three games and take part in the school's first-ever playoff win.
"[Missing most of the season] was painful, but I stayed involved with the team and rooted them on throughout the season," said Cohen, who warmed up the goalies before each practice and helped coach the attackmen in order to keep busy during his convalescence.
He gives much of the credit for his successful high school career and his jump to the college level to Hewlett head coach Chris Passuello. "My coach is like a brother to me," he said. "He is the reason why I am where I am."
Said Passuello, "When you consider the fact that he went through a family tragedy ... and then another tough situation by getting injured just as he was excited to play his senior season, most kids would have quit. But Max worked very hard to stay involved with his teammates and come back for the end of the season, which says a lot about his character.
"The kids on the team were upset when Max got hurt, not because we lost our best player but because they knew how much this lacrosse season meant to him," Passuello said. "By him staying around, it was good for him and good for the team, because it really gave them a lift."
Cohen's efforts at the end of the season earned him All-County honors for the second year in a row and the New York State American Spirit Award for coming back from his injury, as well as for what he went through while dealing with the death of his brother. "He definitely showed his toughness, coming back the way he did after both a family tragedy and then physical injury," said Passuello.
Heading to a college with a lacrosse tradition and many talented players, Cohen said he does not expect to get playing time until his sophomore or junior season. He hasn't decided on a major, but may consider law.
"I think Max has got the talent and intensity to play anywhere, as long as he stays focused and doesn't get frustrated with the increased level of play," said Passuello.
Cohen's upcoming college lacrosse career has given his family a morale boost after the tragedy it was dealt a year ago. "[Max's] strength has given us a reason to go on," said Cohen's mother, Jody.
However Cohen performs at Hofstra, his brother will never be far from his thoughts.
