The Liam Banks lacrosse experiment began rather innocently in the backyard of his family's Long Island home.

It was there where an eager 7-year-old Banks was introduced to the sport by his five older brothers. The experiment continued through childhood, when his father, John, coached in the youth lacrosse program in Setauket, N.Y., and it took shape at Ward Melville High (East Setauket, N.Y.), where Banks shattered the state single-season scoring record his senior year (1998) with 69 goals and 103 assists.

But while the experiment is far from over, it is, by all indications, a stunning success.

	Born to the sport of lacrosse, Liam Banks is fulfilling his potential at Syracuse.

The hypothesis was simple. If you take a sports-loving youngster from a family that lives for lacrosse (two of his older brothers, John and Kevin, played at Johns Hopkins University and Hobart College, respectively) and raise him in a town that is obsessed with lax, that kid will one day become a college star.

Note the words "one day."

"It's definitely a step up from the high school level. You really have to earn your spots," says Banks, who starred for the United States men's lacrosse team last summer at the World University Games in Australia following his freshman season at Syracuse University. "[The adjustment] went slower than I would have hoped."

Things sped up on May 29. That's when the 20-year-old attackman scored six goals and added an assist against Princeton University to lead the Orangemen (15-1) to their sixth NCAA national championship. Banks, who finished his season as an honorable mention All-American with 39 goals, 27 assists and a team-leading .470 shot percentage, came within one tally of tying the record for most goals in a NCAA championship game.

As a freshman last spring, Banks played a key role in SU's march to the NCAA finals, which it lost to the University of Virginia. Although he didn't get much playing time early in the season, Banks became a major piece of the Orange attack down the stretch. He netted two goals in a first-round win over Princeton and two more in the semifinals against Loyola. He totaled a season-high three points in the loss to Virginia.

Ward Melville High boys' lacrosse coach Joe Cuozzo, who describes Banks as a "lacrosse rat," has no doubts that his former star will do more than just contribute to the Syracuse lax program during the final two-plus years of his collegiate career. Although the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Banks is not blessed with great size, he has amazing field awareness that is a result of his immersion in the sport.

"He started at such an early age," says Cuozzo, who won his 600th career game at Ward Melville May 13, in front of a crowd of fans that included Banks, who returned home for the game. "He's always had a great field awareness. He anticipates well and he's a very intelligent player on the field. He knows the game very well."