BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Boys 2019-9th Grade Fall 2015 Summer 2016

It sounds like this parent did indeed seriously explore all of the opportunities (one offer) and made a decision not to accept the offer that was made. Level headed and thoughtful decision making should be encouraged, not attacked. You appear to be a sour grapes parent who wishes they were in the position this guy is in. Kudos to the parent who is not jumping at a fractional lax scholarship for a 14 or 15 year old kid.

This also applies to D1/D2 student athletes not receiving athletic scholarships, and all D3 signees as well - it's a letter of intent.

Okay please help me understand the new rule that is proposed. Is it now the coach wont be able to talk to any student athlete on their campus if they are younger than a Jr.

Why wont the coaches still want to see the Freshman and Soph play, I think this puts the top programs at a premium now. They will still talk to the Club Coach, no? I don't know not sure if it really helps. if I was a coach I want to see and gather my cast of characters before anyone else. The problem in the first place.

I would think that coaches may still look at the freshman and sophomores but it will also allow the late bloomers in terms of puberty or skill to stand out, as a coach will see the playing field leveled over the years, as opposed to seeing the older, bigger reclassed kids standing out among younger, less developed kids. It is also good for the kids that are consistent over time as opposed to the ones that dominate because they hit puberty first. I don't think this is going to hurt clubs at all, rather, kids will stay and play longer with their club, for more years. I do think it will hurt showcases, as they will lose some of the younger market, which is a good thing for the sport.

What will happen to the freshman that already committed? Will the coaches have to cease all communications with them, essentially nulling the agreement? Or will they say, I'll talk to you in a couple years? Seems awkward?

I have no idea about the timeline, but I'd gather, this isn't going to happen over night and may impact 2020 and younger more than 2019. What's great, if your kid is really talented, coaches will still want them in Junior year. The truly skilled kids win if this ruling takes affect. It will give kids time to mature a bit and know what type of coach, school and region might interest them. It's a win for the coaches too, because they won't have to commit kids based on their middle school play and a few months of academics in HS.

I agree with pretty much all of this - but I also doubt this happens with just lax coaches on board...will need to be across the board NCAA ruling to have any teeth.
The coaches do "win" here if it happens because the % of recruiting that is guess work and projections goes down (but is never eliminated).
Also, in a weird way, I could see the clubs and club coaches actually having more influence here - need to play for longer with the best clubs = more money.
For parents and kids, this just compresses the insanity and stress into a short window at the start of junior year. If folks think it is tough for Fr/So to focus on school with this going on...wait till the start of junior year when the real chaos commences....but it will have to start sometime and I do think, on balance, junior year is much better for all

amazed to see a handful of 2019 kids all re classify to 2020 . are they all in 8th grade again or just going to take a PG year .

Exactly! Did the previous poster even read his post? When did he say that he didn't seriously look into offers? He said he went to the prospect days and got one offer out of three, and his son decided not to take it. Should he have accepted the first one he received at 14? I won't let my son commit to the first one who shows interest either as a 9th grader, who would?? Did he say he had a 25% offer? Did he say he received a 50% offer? Did he say he's a stud? Where exactly did you get all of these words you are putting into his mouth? You're clearly insane - LOL...

Maryland now has 12 Freshman commits. Talk about taking a huge gamble!!!

Pushing all-in...now at 13!

13

the rules are changing as we speak.

That is a great question; how do they get away with it without starting the actual grade already. if you are going to reclass stay in the year you belong. Connecticut already has this measure floating around the state senate

But they are not alone, have you seen any of those 2018 that show up under the cloak of 2019.

I love when everyone says Reclassed....When I went to school it was called "Left back "

THEY ARE ONE OFF OF THEIR TOTAL PER YEAR OF RECRUITING CLASS SIZE IS MARYLAND DONE WITH THE CLASS OF 19'

Why are you amazed - its half of what this board talks about?

You have to admit it's funny, that a school like Maryland has their class of 2020 all set before any of these kids have even played in a high school game in spring 2016.

I am going to bet Tillman is altering his approach behind the scenes... I can imagine that coaches are all aware that changing verbal commitments will become exponentially more common as we move forward. Tillman is probably just hoarding 19's he likes with the assumption that 50% of this class will change by NLI day senior year.

...and why would you ask on this site? do you think someone has that data?

Tillman better hope he is not "done" with his recruiting. With apologies to a number of those on his list, i dont think thats a natty champ-caliber class (or even final-4 caliber). Compare that to Tillman's CY2014 (Rambo et al) for example, and it looks like a team better positioned to maybe have one-loss in the Big10, not make it to final 4.

The only school that (IMHO) has accumulated legit memorial day weekend-caliber talent from 2019 thus far is JHU.

And I dont even have a dog in the hunt w/r/t UMB or JHU, as my 2019 hasn't had even any contact with either UMD or JHU, (and I dont think would want to attend either of those schools, for different reasons, even if they had come calling)....we've just seen most of those kids over the past 9 months and know who has stood out and who hasnt. So for a program to be "done" with their 2019s at this point with that slate is a bit astonishing.

I would bet a lot of coaches will do this - but they aren't "hoarding" anything...not binding for years anyway...all this does is raise the profile of good kids so the admitted poachers (see ND) can get their lists together..

I'm going to go ahead an make sure everyone reads this a second time, because it's crazy. Someone who posts on this board thinks that as these boys all prepare for the spring of their Freshman year that you can tell what will or will not be a championship caliber class as many as EIGHT years from now?

Based on what you have seen on the 5th and 6th grade fields who has the best chance of winning a NYS championship in 6 years?

Guys, there are no rules. Edge Lacrosse plays all of there teams down an age group with the explanation that all of the kids will do a PG. BS? Of course, but there are no rules and no one cares.

How many are actually 13? I would bet most are older 15 year old freshman, with some 16 year olds as well.

Sorry, let me rephrase it better (since we are actually kind of arguing the same side of the case).......there arent many kids on the summer/fall tour the past 9 months that you can look at and say "yea, that kid is a lock to be an major impact player in college". From what i saw, the only school that has more than MAYBE 1 or 2 of them right now is JHU. And I would think if you were filling up your 2019 class right now, it better be with kids who are locks. Doesnt mean that the other kids wont end up developing into impact players (maybe all 12 of the current UMD 2019s will end up being studs...they all have the POTENTIAL to do so), but for any coach to look at these 14 yr olds (ok, maybe most are 15 or 16 even) and say with any certainty that they can predict who who will be an impact player in college, I personally think is kidding oneself.

I understand what you are saying. All summer and fall I stood on the sidelines watching these top clubs and I have seen the majority of the early commits play in person and for the most part I just don't understand how college coaches are making some of the decisions that they are.

Don't misunderstand, all of these early commits are talented, but how you can sit in a lawn chair and project where every player will be 4 years from now is beyond me.

my son is a 2018 and what a difference a year has made in his overall lacrosse ability and physical ability. A year ago I would not have considered going for the top to middle D1 programs but after the year of growth and maturity he had it's definitely something he is considering. He has been to a number of D1 prospect days and has shown very well. If he was a year younger he might not have shown well at all. I think these coaches are caught up in finding the next superstar and making sure that they have them signed before anyone else. I have seen it a lot this past year, where players that were bigger and just as good as my son are now looking up to him and he is dominating them on the field. This rush to sign young players has resulted in parody in D1 lacrosse. Remember the end all is not lacrosse but the education and job you get after college. Another thing is many D1 players from 10-20 years ago probably wouldn't be going D1 with the number of talented players playing lacrosse now.

The kid from Mesa P.G. that is going to Virginia is one of the only kids I've seen that is a lock to be good at the collegiate level. Kid is off the charts. And he's not a bigger faster kid, just ridiculously good.

Believe it or not the only ones gambling here are the kids and families that decided to verbal there so early. Maryland, like the other powerhouses will verbal as many kids as they can, knowing that they will lose some kids. Many of the kids they verbal are just offered spots on the team for freshman year with no financial commitment, and no guarantee that they will be on the team after that. Unless your kid is an absolute monster and you know for sure that he will get a shot at playing at the next level, anyone that verbals their kid to a place like Maryland so early is out of their minds. Its not a good enough academic school to throw caution to the wind with the hopes of a great education.

umm the way understood it, being left back meant you didnt have the grades to move on to the next grade or there was something physically or mentally wrong. Although no one wants to hear it there are legitimate reasons for a kid to reclass. Now some people take it to the extreme and abuse the system but for some families reclassing is a good and solid option and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Case in point, my son was a 2017, however his birthday was very late November 1999. He has played competitive lacrosse at a high level in the 2017 age group his whole life and our town program is considered a powerhouse. However, in my estimation the best thing for him was to reclass and attend a prep school to get him ready academically and athletically for the next level. Since he reclassed he committed to a mid D1 and his grades have never been better, so for us it was definitely the right move. Now the flip side of that is the people that held their kid back in kindergarten, had their kid reclass in 8th grade and plan on having their kid do a PG year so that when they start college they will be 20 years old, which I know for a fact goes on.

UNC and Ohio State both have commits that will be impact players in college. Several of the kids they took early were standouts at showcases and tournaments; players capable of single handedly changing the outcome of games. I do not understand some of the recent commits at other schools. Most of those players look like all of the other good players, especially at midfield. The coaches must have a crystal ball when it comes to projecting how those kids will develop.

How would you know what kids are impact kids .. I heard JHU and Michigan have the top impact kids..so it's anyone's guess..get real..anyone who commits this early is making a mistake in my opinion unless you are already 17 and have a better idea

Im not sure. If you watched two of thebig osu commits in a game against a real team (like maybe laxachusetts on Sunday, not one of the the "I'm a midfielder with a split dodge so I look awesome" showcase game), you would have seen while they are beasts right now, unless they continue to grow even more or drastically improve, they are by no means guaranteed to be d1 stars. Now, if they do continue to grow and develop they may end up to be studs. But other kids have 4 years to catch them before any of the kids set foot on a college field.

Speaking of Laxachusetts, how many of the kids on that team were born before 9/1/00? That team got a lot bigger, in size and number, between last summer and this fall.

why did the Brine National Lacrosse tournament thread get taken off of the site?

The tryouts are over.

Google some of the "all star" players, you will see they were once 2018. I don't think they keep it a secret.

I would guess maybe half? I know their two big A used to be 2018s.

Its too bad so many clubs are going to this model. I always laugh when a 2019 commit announcement links to a highlight video for a 2018.

Those reclasses better hurry up and commit though, because the physical advantage they have disappears pretty quickly as the kids move into their sophomore year.