And the common theme is every kid pretty much plays for a private school. This is not a problem on Long Island. It’s also never going away until club ball is gone.
The 2003 kid already committed to Princeton and is graduating from HS this year. He’s taking a year off so they are considering him a 23. Probably not a bad decision so he can get more play time once at Princeton instead of being penalized from the Covid delays and 5th year!
Many times an Ivy or top program will tell a kid to delay graduating or to do a post grad year because there is no spot for them given the current roster. As a 2021 he would not be attending Princeton, would not be a top player and would mix in with hundreds of other kids trying to get those few top d1 spots. Holding back turns a good to average athlete when playing proper age into a superstar.
So, this definitely makes it unfair advantages to those that can actually afford this type of scenario! Rich kids definitely get unfair advantages and opportunities in this sport. Once again… this starts from the younger ages as well. holdbacks do have advantages that seem a bit unfair and elitist. Sad but true