Growing up, Maryland men’s lacrosse midfielder Colin Heacock would look to the crowd at his sports games and find one face.

His grandfather attended almost all of the contests Heacock starred in as a four-year starter on the Boys’ Latin lacrosse field. He also watched his grandson become a standout basketball player for the Lakers, garnering attention from various Division I programs before choosing to play lacrosse for coach John Tillman’s squad.

Though his grandfather wasn’t a coach, he would often offer up some pointers, “even though he may not have known a lot” about the strategies, Heacock said. When they weren’t at sporting events, his grandfather often watched Heacock and his siblings play outside.

“We were always pretty close,” Heacock said. “He always wanted me to be successful.”

Heacock’s grandfather saw his grandson develop throughout his first two years in College Park but died before the 2016 campaign. It’s a year in which Heacock has found that success, emerging as a mainstay on the Maryland frontline and the team’s leading scorer through 10 games.

Colin Heacock poses with his grandfather. (Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics)

“He’s just really determined to try to make himself one of the best players,” Tillman said. “The best player he can be.”

Tillman watched Heacock and defender Mac Pons share the basketball court a few times before the Lakers duo arrived in College Park in 2013. Heacock put on a show, Tillman said, even throwing down a few dunks when he had the opportunity.

The sixth-year coach knew his future player had the prowess to excel in his program, but he anticipated Heacock’s “learning curve would be higher” because he never specialized in one activity.

So looking on from the stands, his grandfather watched as Heacock took on a smaller role for the first time in his athletic career. He saw action in 15 games, managing nine points and 17 shots, but the production paled in comparison to his 48 goals and 26 assists as a Lakers senior.

Instead, Heacock spent his freshman year scrutinizing the team’s veterans to learn their approach to the college game. He converted from playing attack at Boys’ Latin to midfield at Maryland. He worked on his shot, building on the footwork and vision he used on the basketball court.

“It was a thing for me to kind of work for,” Heacock said. “It’s a way for me to follow in their footsteps and see how they’ve actually done what they’ve done here and try to follow in their footsteps and be as successful as they are.

“I kind of enjoyed it, actually.”

Last year, Heacock started to find his groove, starting two of his 19 game appearances. He capped his 21-point season with a goal in the Terps’ national championship loss.

But a few months later, his grandfather was gone.

Heacock worked throughout the offseason to earn a starting role, all while knowing the man he called “probably one of my biggest supporters growing up” wouldn’t be cheering from the stands.

Still, he totaled a team-high 23 goals and started all 10 contests, notching at least two goals in eight of those performances.

“He’s just been tremendous for us in the last couple years,” midfielder Bryan Cole said. “He’s taken his role as a freshman of putting in a certain amount of minutes a game and plugging him in here and there, to now as a junior, he’s taken a step up, and he’s more of a vocal leader.”

Before the season, Heacock decided to dedicate his play to his grandfather this year. He also became the first person in his family to get a tattoo.

Inked across his left bicep is his grandfather’s signature, with his birthday underneath.

“Pretty basic,” Heacock said, “but I just know that he’s always with me.”