BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NEW JERSEY LACROSSE NEW JERSEY FORUM Top Boy's Club Teams in New Jersey

LE 2023 first kids to commit will be 3 of their poles, face off kid, and their only consistent scorer. That’s 5 early. Maybe the goalies?? Others will commit but those are the big ones that will be advertised.

I thought that some of those poles are football kids, didn't one already commit for football.

O wise one, what about TriState, BBL, and Blue Star

I think that it is a one club per day thing to keep us all in suspense...afterwards, maybe the old crystal ball can give us some insight on the class of 2024

.[/quote]

I think that most agree on this forum that through 2022, LE has a great teams, it's the following classes that have seen the drop in performance., but what you are failing to recognize is that kids from Tri State, BBL, Riot, Bluestar, etc. are getting recruited by the same schools. I assure you, whether your kids makes LE or not, when your kid gets to high school, you will understand that LE is not the holy grail of NJ lacrosse. I would also encourage you to find out how many kids on the LE teams have reclassed, and wait until to you see how they treat the on-age kids when a reclass comes along at the same position (even those 2024/2025 studs that they added this year).[/quote]

I do see what your saying, but also think that it is unfair to act like they treat their players poorly. That is just simply not true.[/quote]

Agreed, if you are one of their top players, but I know quite a few kids that have lost their spots to reclasses leaving them in a jam trying to find a new club in high school. That being said, and in all fairness, the real difference is that the other NJ clubs listed can at least put a kid on their "B" team, which for some, is the equivalent of getting cut from the club. Either way, any of the top kids that come from LE, Tri State, BBL, Riot or Bluestar are going to get recruited by good schools, they all play in tournaments that offer exposure to college coaches, Bottom line, LE has a very good track record, but there is a lot more to a club than a list of recruits, if the club is not making you a better player year-after-year, then it seems like a lost opportunity. It's easy for a team to get better by adding and subtracting players, it is a much greater accomplishment for a club to develop a kid and get him recruited.[/quote]

Unfortunately, this argument is based around the assumption that all kids start at the same level and can be developed with limitless potential. In reality, the highest level a player reaches is more dependent on their natural abilities, work ethic, and athleticism than what happens at club practice.

Given identical players at the youth level, would any of these clubs really outshine the others down the road? Maybe a little bit but not drastically. heck if someone has twins, try it out and let us know! /s

What actually happens is clubs attract the top talent at different points in their careers. For whatever reason, BBL and Tri State attract talent at much earlier ages. Maybe its the culture, or WSYL participation, or parents wanting to stay close to home, or where their friends are playing. LE tends to attract the talent later on. Failing to bring kids in at younger ages makes this a self-fulfilling prophecy. They cut lesser players to make room for more talented ones. Thats the reality of life and college sports.

Do clubs aid in the player development process? Yes. Is there some magic formula that makes one method superior to all others? No. Don’t fall into the trap of using a club as a scapegoat for a lack of individual responsibility.

This post couldn’t be further from the truth. It is very clear you have no idea what your talking about as the 2025 team has 1 reclass. I repeat , 1…….

Typical LE hater.

2024 team loaded up as well.

Time will tell.

There is not a single thing that is disorganized on the LE admin level. You sound like a disgruntled parent of a kid that isn’t good enough and probably was cut. Your kids just not that good. Sorry Charlie.

You must be new so I’ll give you a fair warning. My kid is currently in the program and has been for 4 years. I’m an insider and not afraid to say it’s been a mess from an admin perspective. But they are good at recruiting so we put up with it. I know a lot of parents who don’t. Up to you.

I know 3 reclasses on 2025. Not a hater, just the way it is. Expect 4-5 more soon. And good luck clinging to false hope.

Not a LE hater, I could honestly care less, but you seem to be one of the few people on this forum that does not understand how LE works, especially if you are looking at things from 2025, I assure you that the team will change quite a bit in the next year or two...again, not posting as a hater, just passing along what has happened with the 2023 team, and the sad part is that all that tinkering with the 2023s has not made the team any better...and don't give me the "sorry your kid got cut" reply, its just reconfirms your ignorance.

Not a LE hater, I could honestly care less, but you seem to be one of the few people on this forum that does not understand how LE works, especially if you are looking at things from 2025, I assure you that the team will change quite a bit in the next year or two...again, not posting as a hater, just passing along what has happened with the 2023 team, and the sad part is that all that tinkering with the 2023s has not made the team any better...and don't give me the "sorry your kid got cut" reply, its just reconfirms your ignorance.[/quote]
You do care, you spent time responding.
What tinkering are you talking about? Two years ago they added a few Delbarton kids, lost one kid to wrestling.. I think he already has a few Big 10 D1 offers. This year they might add one kid after losing two to reclassing. (still not sure the reclass 2023 is true)
2025? no one knows what that team will end up being. As of right now, the only solid 2025 team in NJ is BBL. How about we let the kids develop.
2023 offers, we have no idea what those kids want. They could lose a pole and a couple of middies to football offers. They have a few 1400+ SAT kids who might say peace out I'll hire you all in 10 years.
My ignorance.. responding to someone whose son will never understand the value of getting cut because dad runs behind him and tells him it wasn't his fault.

You do care, you spent time responding.
What tinkering are you talking about? Two years ago they added a few Delbarton kids, lost one kid to wrestling.. I think he already has a few Big 10 D1 offers. This year they might add one kid after losing two to reclassing. (still not sure the reclass 2023 is true)
2025? no one knows what that team will end up being. As of right now, the only solid 2025 team in NJ is BBL. How about we let the kids develop.
2023 offers, we have no idea what those kids want. They could lose a pole and a couple of middies to football offers. They have a few 1400+ SAT kids who might say peace out I'll hire you all in 10 years.
My ignorance.. responding to someone whose son will never understand the value of getting cut because dad runs behind him and tells him it wasn't his fault.[/quote]

Yes, that's me, cuddling my kid on the sideline...yelling wheels!! and drinking out my red solo cup....nobody takes you or you opinion seriously when you make the off-hand meaningless comments....good luck shopping for teams for your kid, I'm sure that he is a rockstar

Yes, that's me, cuddling my kid on the sideline...yelling wheels!! and drinking out my red solo cup....nobody takes you or you opinion seriously when you make the off-hand meaningless comments....good luck shopping for teams for your kid, I'm sure that he is a rockstar[/quote]

LE 2025 lost to bbl by a goal, and controlled the entire game. With the Jersey Express kids that they have added, I wouldn’t be surprised if LE 2025 becomes the top team in NJ next year. Tri state 2025 is weak. BBL 2025 will be solid.

Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But after the 2023 & 2024s roll through I expect that college coaches won’t look at LE the same. Big drop in talent. There are probably some good kids but they’ll be looking elsewhere.

This is an incredibly baseless and short-sighted claim. Why would a college coach throwaway a decade+ long relationship because they don’t find a player for a year or two? If a club doesn’t have a player that fits a school’s particular need that year, it doesn’t mean they don’t look at the next crop of players. This happens everywhere, to every club. Are college coaches refusing to look at players from the Crabs because they aren’t the undisputed king of Maryland anymore? Goodness no.

College-club relationships are far more likely to be ruined by a director pushing players to schools that aren’t a good fit. Assuming the LE director is provides an honest evaluation and doesn’t claim every kid should be ACC bound, they’ll survive a downturn.

Yes, that's me, cuddling my kid on the sideline...yelling wheels!! and drinking out my red solo cup....nobody takes you or you opinion seriously when you make the off-hand meaningless comments....good luck shopping for teams for your kid, I'm sure that he is a rockstar[/quote]
You didn't answer the question. what tinkering?

LE 2025 lost to bbl by a goal, and controlled the entire game. With the Jersey Express kids that they have added, I wouldn’t be surprised if LE 2025 becomes the top team in NJ next year. Tri state 2025 is weak. BBL 2025 will be solid.[/quote]

Wait what, LE 2025 got the best players of who?

Leading Edge is a good program but they look at your skill and what high school you are going to as well. Most of your practice reps are not at LE so your SCHOOL matters. They want sure things. If you look at their commits the school lacrosse program is a direct relationship to recruitment.

I still believe a great athlete that plays more than 1 sport at top 25 NJ lacrosse high school has a very good shot to be recruited in their rising Junior September, or Junior /Senior year. Look at the 2021 and 2022s getting offers this summer from D1 to D3 schools. Even LE has Washington Lee and Monmouth commits.

Even LE kids have to narrow the list and go to ID days at the colleges to get exposure so you have to market yourself at all clubs.

If you are a blue chip athlete go to Leading Edge or Prime Time but that is 5 studs at most a year.

The 23 faceoff LE guy is not the best in NJ. Bosco's Simone is a 23 and he smoked Engelke on Pingry 15 of 18 faceoffs.

Just be truly aware of your kid's ability and it will workout. There is nothing wrong with a great high school lacrosse experience or a D3 school with a great education. This sport has a dead end so get the educational and life experiences out of it first. My son's coach was D1 and drafted but with covid the season never happened and the leagues merged. Career over.

Speaking of LE -Tim Roy new head coach at Chatham.

Why detest on Monmouth? I just don't understand what some people don't get. The smaller schools, with less BIG NAME recognition are all catching up to the pack. Monmouth was 8-3 and ended up being ranked 18th and made the NCAA's. Yes it was in a smaller conference. A few posts ago it was pointed out some of the schools LE committed their kids at. Just to name a few Bucknell, 2-6 #51, Hopkins, 4-9 #40, Colgate 3-7 #46, Holy Cross 2-4 #62, and Villanova who at 7-5 #25 had a good season but slightly less than Monmouth. Kudos to LE as these are good schools but my point is on the schools and lax not LE. There are so many good high school lacrosse kids playing at a high level now, parity is beginning to set in across the board. UDEL, High Point, Hobart, UMASS, Jacksonville are all schools that are competitive now. I know it changes yearly but the old days of looking down on small schools is something from the past. If your getting a business degree you can go anywhere. If your going for engineering go to the smart schools.

I am thinking education. I would rather my son go to a great D3 school over a D1 that is not a great school. Very few kids go ACC in NJ and not all from LE. If your are good coaches will find you.

I think that you both make interesting points. I tend to agree that I would rather send my kid to a top D3 school over many of the D1 schools, but everybody's situation is different, whether academically or financially. For some, schools such as UDEL, HIgh Point, Jacksonville (random list based on the prior post) may hit the mark academically and provide a place to play for a kid that does not have the grades for some of the better D3 schools. That being said, if a kids academics are really strong, and the financials work, the best academic school, whether D1 or D3 is the best choice without question. Every year, you will see some very good players from NJ go to schools that are below their playing level, and for the most part, this is due to academics. On the flip side, sometimes you see a kid over-achieve from a skill perspective because they can boost the academic profile of a college team. Either way, there is no one-size fits all for college lacrosse, everybody has their own ambitions and priorities.

I am just jumping onto this but there is nothing wrong with any of the schools the poster listed. The secondary posts make sense as well. I will use UDEL as the random example also. If my son got recruited by UDEL and we believe he could play there by junior year, I would send him there over a D3 school that is more known for education. Ultimately it would be his choice but there is nothing wrong with getting a college degree from UDEL.

Interesting. I guess desperate times call for desperate measures at LE. They've been losing the talent battle to other clubs with HS connections. Maybe this will help them right the ship. It is ironic though, considering he has always said he just doesn't care about NJ high school lacrosse.

Exactly. Lacrosse allows the D1 non ACC or Big 10 college experience or D3 lacrosse plus a better educational experience. I just choose academics and career afterwards because lacrosse is a dead end for 99.9% after college.But I get the D1 pull. Of course I am not saying I would not love ACC, Big 10, Utah, Denver, Patriot league of course but after that D1 or D3 is a matter of what life is after college as much as the lacrosse experience. I also could not agree more with a kid getting into D1 non power school with the help of lacrosse when academics or SAT scores are marginal.

I am not surprised. Part of the fall of Leading edge is they need players from great high schools. With Roy and the LE coach/founder RFH they are coaching 2 of the top 10 schools in NJ. Yes LE is good but they are good because they get a couple great players and the rest are players from top high schools. Stack your team with kids from top 10 lax high schools with 3 studs each year in NJ and you will look like you are so smart. You get more reps with your high school team than you do your club team. Why is Tri State good in high school? All their non BBL and LE kids play on the tristate teams. That playing together all year round helps a ton.

That is why LE asks what your school you are in even in youth program and obviously in high school. BBL does not ask that question. LE stacks the deck in their favor because their B players are fundamentally sound from top schools/towns.

However, those LE B players will get the same offers that Tri State, Blue Star, Steps or BBL players will get if they play on a top 10 to 20 lax high school team.

Why detest on Monmouth? I just don't understand what some people don't get. The smaller schools, with less BIG NAME recognition are all catching up to the pack. Monmouth was 8-3 and ended up being ranked 18th and made the NCAA's. Yes it was in a smaller conference. A few posts ago it was pointed out some of the schools LE committed their kids at. Just to name a few Bucknell, 2-6 #51, Hopkins, 4-9 #40, Colgate 3-7 #46, Holy Cross 2-4 #62, and Villanova who at 7-5 #25 had a good season but slightly less than Monmouth. Kudos to LE as these are good schools but my point is on the schools and lax not LE. There are so many good high school lacrosse kids playing at a high level now, parity is beginning to set in across the board. UDEL, High Point, Hobart, UMASS, Jacksonville are all schools that are competitive now. I know it changes yearly but the old days of looking down on small schools is something from the past. If your getting a business degree you can go anywhere. If your going for engineering go to the smart schools.[/quote]

It's not that Monmouth is a bad school, it's fine. I think the issue is that many kids/parents want to use lacrosse to get their kid into a better school than they otherwise would. Monmouth has about an 80% acceptance rate, so if you are a decent student you can get in there no problem without lacrosse. Same goes for all of the other schools you named. Some people don't look at it this way and that's fine too.

What an awful take. You have no idea.

That’s a great way to kill a program. I give it 2 years max.

I agree, stated a bunch of different things that made no sense, must be a high school kid.

Chris runs the show not Tim

If this article is accurate the first 40 to 50 2023s go fast this week and then further evaluation needed on the rest of class. Fall tournaments will be important for a lot of 23s


https://www.insidelacrosse.com/arti...-top-recruiters-view-class-of-2023/58380

I was referring to Chatham.

September 1 is a couple days away. It will be interesting to see how the 23 class of NJ pans out with its recruiting class!

Right the ship? This comment shows you have no idea what you are talking about.

1. The 22 class is almost all completely committed with an insane list of schools. 23 class will have a bunch as well very early . 24 team has reloaded its roster, and the 2025 team is probably now the best in the state after adding 5 of jersey expresses top 6 players. (All of which tri state, bbl , etc.. tried to get)
2. Just because someone is taking over a high-school job doesn’t mean the kids are going to play for LE.
3. What’s so desperate about someone taking a top 10 in NJ coaching job?

Just sounds like you are another LE back of the cage hater.

This discussion is getting boring. So much concern about being the best team in NJ, who cares. As far as any team is concerned, their record speaks for itself, so whether one speculates that a team is good, or whether a team added "top" players is irrelevant until the team proves itself. Get some quality wins against top teams and then this discussion carries more weight.

Agreed to much about one subject. This forum is not just about Leading Edge recruiting and BBL's tune that it is a better club and better at LAX than everyone else. Here is the deal and hopefully people can find other things to talk about like fall ball starting in a few weeks.

5-7 years ago LE used to commit almost 25 kids a year to D1. Just look at their website. Like someone mentioned earlier, parity is setting in with the big 3 NJ clubs and they are all pretty equal now. There are a lot of talented kids in NJ now. They are scattered amongst many clubs. LE, BBL, Tri State, Blue Star, NJ Riot, Patriot, South Shore and Mad Dog just to name the big ones, have placed kids at every single college ever mentioned in this blog!!!!!! Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Hopkins, NC, Richmond, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines (kidding no Marines), UMASS, Hobart, Villanova, I can keep going but I hope you get the point. Go on their web pages and the info is right there! Almost every darn school at some point!!

My second point is none of our NJ teams are really that good. They sometimes make it to the semi's of some tournaments but not often. BBL 2024 probably had the best chance to be above average but they lost 3 full time starters so that might hurt. Mad Dog 2025 had a chance to be special but BBL and LE are probably going to pass them. 2024 has some kids each on the big three that are really good so we will see what they do this summer. But again, they are all scattered about. All the 2023 teams are weak, weak weak, LE, BBL, Tri State and everyone else! The kids are all scattered and not one team is impressive AT ALL! 22's are basically done, I hope all the clubs update their commits web pages to show who is committed if they are not afraid to do so.

There is no reason to leave your club for any team. If you are good enough your director and staff will get you somewhere.

No team in NJ is special in terms of skill or gameplay.

No team in NJ does anything better recruiting wise. There are kids at or have been at all of the D1 schools from almost EVERY major CLUB in NJ!

I feel much better now 😜

What fall tournaments everyone going to?

How dare you? Anyway, nice writeup. Fall tournaments are not out yet but it would be good to discuss here how NJ teams do in them, especially if they happen to play each other.

We don’t have fall tournament info or any schedule yet for my sons team. Ugh!

Meanwhile my daughters I have info through November complete schedule.

3 NJ kids were invited to Midnight Madness. TriState, LE & Riot.