Potential without a ceiling

As a second-grader, Grant Catalino tagged along with older brother Mike to play lacrosse in a group that included boys in the sixth grade.

He held up well against the big boys back then. Now — at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds and quite the big boy himself — the freshman is doing so again for seventh-seeded Maryland.

Catalino has a team-high 25 goals for the Terrapins (9-5), who play Denver (10-6) at Byrd Stadium tomorrow in the first round of the NCAA tournament. And though fellow freshmen Travis Reed and Ryan Young arrived with polished games, Catalino might have more room to grow than anyone on Maryland’s program.

“He’s got the most upside of a freshman coming in here in my time here,” junior midfielder Dan Groot said. “If he gets a little faster, works on his speed, loses a little bit of weight and listens to what coaches tell him, he has the potential to be a first-team All-American for the next three years.”

Groot should know. He grew up not far from Catalino, was aware of the physical attackman’s rocket shot and ability to optimally position himself on the field, and eagerly told teammates what could be expected.

It did not take long for coach Dave Cottle to envision Catalino’s role in the Terps’ offense when he began the recruiting process. A big kid with good hands and an excellent feel for the game would fit well on the revamped attack unit.

But he had another honor in mind as well — jersey No. 1, which took a one-year hiatus in 2007 after Joe Walters’ departure. Walters set school records in points (227) and goals (153) while wearing No. 1. Andrew Whipple was another prominent No. 1, rolling up 190 points (ninth in program history) in the mid-1990s.

Walters and Whipple, like Catalino, are from just outside Rochester, N.Y.

“Cottle asked me if I wanted to have Number 1,” said Catalino, who wore No. 3 his last two years of high school. “That’s when I found out about the tradition of Whipple and Walters. Obviously, I think it’s an honor to wear Number 1, and hopefully I can live up to their tradition.”

He’s off to a good start and is tied for sixth on Maryland’s freshman goal-scoring list. A rapid start — four goals in the opener at Georgetown — gave way to a two-game blip, but Catalino has since scored in 10 straight games.

Still, Cottle believes he could be even better with a bit of prodding and maturity. Cottle said Catalino, like many dominant prep players, had a tendency to take plays off from time to time in high school.

That could be confused with just relying on physical gifts. Catalino quickly learned this spring he couldn’t control a game with his size, although his ability to back down defensemen added a dimension to Maryland’s offense.

“We just have to get him to get to the next competitive level, to really compete all the time,” Cottle said. “If we do that, we have a potential player of the year.”

That might come in time. For now, he is the steadiest scoring option on a streaky offense that struggled throughout April but produced 16 goals in Saturday’s regular-season finale against Yale. Catalino scored four times against the Bulldogs, providing a possible springboard into his first postseason.

“I think it’s huge,” Catalino said. “To follow up a good performance last week with another one, that would make a good statement.”

And it would say yet again that Catalino belongs with the big boys.