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I'm really tired of reading about holdbacks and whether or not MIAA or LI rules.
Is this the year EA claims the InterAc or does THS and MP duke it out in the end?
Does Radnor continue with their dominance or does Lemieux figure something out like he always does? Rest of central league doesn't appear to have much to show.
Salesianum, ANC and Lasalle all have loaded rosters and transfers.
What say you Philly peeps?!
I need some lunch time fun... No doubt it will be Haverford and MP as the top 2 in the area. Malvern lost so much talent but I am sure they have enough in the pipeline, and some kids off the radar currently will step up and dominate to keep them in the Top 2. Haverford is loaded and probably the favorite, but should be a tight top 2. EA has some nice top end talent, but nowhere near the depth of MP and the Fords. ANC is doing a nice job of building and using boarding to help. Boarding isn't as much a slam dunk as some claim as Westtown thought they could build and board (as well as constantly saying your son could be the next Hakim Hicks) and instead can't even get average local talent let alone top level boarders. New marketing strategy fail about as good as pushing Dukes reset 3.0.
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I'm really tired of reading about holdbacks and whether or not MIAA or LI rules.
Is this the year EA claims the InterAc or does THS and MP duke it out in the end?
Does Radnor continue with their dominance or does Lemieux figure something out like he always does? Rest of central league doesn't appear to have much to show.
Salesianum, ANC and Lasalle all have loaded rosters and transfers.
What say you Philly peeps?!
I need some lunch time fun... No doubt it will be Haverford and MP as the top 2 in the area. Malvern lost so much talent but I am sure they have enough in the pipeline, and some kids off the radar currently will step up and dominate to keep them in the Top 2. Haverford is loaded and probably the favorite, but should be a tight top 2. EA has some nice top end talent, but nowhere near the depth of MP and the Fords. ANC is doing a nice job of building and using boarding to help. Boarding isn't as much a slam dunk as some claim as Westtown thought they could build and board (as well as constantly saying your son could be the next Hakim Hicks) and instead can't even get average local talent let alone top level boarders. All great teams!
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Wait your bored on the MD and LI boards but want to discuss EA and MP? No thanks "You're" welcome...guess you're not a grammar guy either.
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Malvern lost some top players in the country this year but they still have plenty of talent. I would agree that Haverford is the favorite. I think this is LaSalle's year in AAA. Allentown Central Catholic looks like they will be the team to beat in AA but don't count out WC Rustin....some great playmakers. Watch out for SCH in the InterAc. The aid floodgates for opened for next year as they are adding some strong transfers and a loaded incoming freshman class. they won't be up with Malvern and Haverford, but will surpass EA.
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Malvern lost some top players in the country this year but they still have plenty of talent. I would agree that Haverford is the favorite. I think this is LaSalle's year in AAA. Allentown Central Catholic looks like they will be the team to beat in AA but don't count out WC Rustin....some great playmakers. Watch out for SCH in the InterAc. The aid floodgates for opened for next year as they are adding some strong transfers and a loaded incoming freshman class. they won't be up with Malvern and Haverford, but will surpass EA. Agreed. Doc knows what he's doing there! 24 class had some nice transfers. In a year or two they won't be overlooked.
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So BL sold the academy concept. Paid thousands to coaches to hang on, that money train ran out. Hooked up with Dukes , sold that for a short time and now sell it all to Phantoms. I give it a year maybe .
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So BL sold the academy concept. Paid thousands to coaches to hang on, that money train ran out. Hooked up with Dukes , sold that for a short time and now sell it all to Phantoms. I give it a year maybe . Be honest there 2023 and 2024 team beat your team.
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Malvern lost some top players in the country this year but they still have plenty of talent. I would agree that Haverford is the favorite. I think this is LaSalle's year in AAA. Allentown Central Catholic looks like they will be the team to beat in AA but don't count out WC Rustin....some great playmakers. Watch out for SCH in the InterAc. The aid floodgates for opened for next year as they are adding some strong transfers and a loaded incoming freshman class. they won't be up with Malvern and Haverford, but will surpass EA. EA has a spectacular FOGO that can be a real difference maker with possession as the rest of their team isn't on par with Haverford or Malvern this year. Very Lehigh"esque." Not the overall talent of most teams but always get possession.
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So BL sold the academy concept. Paid thousands to coaches to hang on, that money train ran out. Hooked up with Dukes , sold that for a short time and now sell it all to Phantoms. I give it a year maybe . Be honest there 2023 and 2024 team beat your team. All the coaches are staying. Premier National team is not changing. So, not sure what the issue is other than the teams will be managed by people that manage teams, not by someone doing it on the side with a full time job.
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So how many BL teams will be in the area? Are the Brotherly Love Delaware a new club or the old BL that was in southeast PA?
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So BL sold the academy concept. Paid thousands to coaches to hang on, that money train ran out. Hooked up with Dukes , sold that for a short time and now sell it all to Phantoms. I give it a year maybe . Be honest there 2023 and 2024 team beat your team. All the coaches are staying. Premier National team is not changing. So, not sure what the issue is other than the teams will be managed by people that manage teams, not by someone doing it on the side with a full time job. Defensive much.....OP is only talking about BL 2024 and 2023.
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So how many BL teams will be in the area? Are the Brotherly Love Delaware a new club or the old BL that was in southeast PA? Delaware will be new teams
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Oh so the coaches of the Pa teams will coach the Delaware teams. Thanks for clearing that up. Now if I live in Delaware but play on the Pa teams do I still pay the $60 tryout fee?
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Malvern lost some top players in the country this year but they still have plenty of talent. I would agree that Haverford is the favorite. I think this is LaSalle's year in AAA. Allentown Central Catholic looks like they will be the team to beat in AA but don't count out WC Rustin....some great playmakers. Watch out for SCH in the InterAc. The aid floodgates for opened for next year as they are adding some strong transfers and a loaded incoming freshman class. they won't be up with Malvern and Haverford, but will surpass EA. EA has a spectacular FOGO that can be a real difference maker with possession as the rest of their team isn't on par with Haverford or Malvern this year. Very Lehigh"esque." Not the overall talent of most teams but always get possession. I can't see much changing this spring in the interac: 1 HS (too deep, too talented) 2 MP (ditto) 3 EA (best of the rest) 4 GA (virtually all starters returning but...) 5 SCH (0-10 league record last year, have to be better) 6 PC (finished 5 last year but graduated key players from that team)
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Malvern lost some top players in the country this year but they still have plenty of talent. I would agree that Haverford is the favorite. I think this is LaSalle's year in AAA. Allentown Central Catholic looks like they will be the team to beat in AA but don't count out WC Rustin....some great playmakers. Watch out for SCH in the InterAc. The aid floodgates for opened for next year as they are adding some strong transfers and a loaded incoming freshman class. they won't be up with Malvern and Haverford, but will surpass EA. EA has a spectacular FOGO that can be a real difference maker with possession as the rest of their team isn't on par with Haverford or Malvern this year. Very Lehigh"esque." Not the overall talent of most teams but always get possession. I can't see much changing this spring in the interac: 1 HS (too deep, too talented) 2 MP (ditto) 3 EA (best of the rest) 4 GA (virtually all starters returning but...) 5 SCH (0-10 league record last year, have to be better) 6 PC (finished 5 last year but graduated key players from that team) Seems about right. EA and SCH are good for an upset. They just don't have the depth to make it all the way. Is Garnet Valley the favorite in PIAA? Not counting Lasalle....
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So BL sold the academy concept. Paid thousands to coaches to hang on, that money train ran out. Hooked up with Dukes , sold that for a short time and now sell it all to Phantoms. I give it a year maybe . Who is this company buying all the LC's. NXT, Brotherly Love. what is their end game? Control the tournaments?
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So BL sold the academy concept. Paid thousands to coaches to hang on, that money train ran out. Hooked up with Dukes , sold that for a short time and now sell it all to Phantoms. I give it a year maybe . Who is this company buying all the LC's. NXT, Brotherly Love. what is their end game? Control the tournaments? PE backed. Scaling out across all kinds of youth sports.
Last edited by JesLax1; . Reason: Harsh statements not permitted
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So BL sold the academy concept. Paid thousands to coaches to hang on, that money train ran out. Hooked up with Dukes , sold that for a short time and now sell it all to Phantoms. I give it a year maybe . Who is this company buying all the LC's. NXT, Brotherly Love. what is their end game? Control the tournaments? PE backed. Scaling out across all kinds of youth sports. Youth sports are closest thing to recession proof as you can get. Parents will refi their homes before they deny their kid an opportunity to play club lax.
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Malvern lost some top players in the country this year but they still have plenty of talent. I would agree that Haverford is the favorite. I think this is LaSalle's year in AAA. Allentown Central Catholic looks like they will be the team to beat in AA but don't count out WC Rustin....some great playmakers. Watch out for SCH in the InterAc. The aid floodgates for opened for next year as they are adding some strong transfers and a loaded incoming freshman class. they won't be up with Malvern and Haverford, but will surpass EA. EA has a spectacular FOGO that can be a real difference maker with possession as the rest of their team isn't on par with Haverford or Malvern this year. Very Lehigh"esque." Not the overall talent of most teams but always get possession. I can't see much changing this spring in the interac: 1 HS (too deep, too talented) 2 MP (ditto) 3 EA (best of the rest) 4 GA (virtually all starters returning but...) 5 SCH (0-10 league record last year, have to be better) 6 PC (finished 5 last year but graduated key players from that team) Seems about right. EA and SCH are good for an upset. They just don't have the depth to make it all the way. Is Garnet Valley the favorite in PIAA? Not counting Lasalle.... Garnet is stacked again, hopefully for them it doesn't come down to coaching or it will be a familiar result.... As for MP seems like they are taking a huge step backwards loads of talent gone and not a lot offensively to replace it.
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Malvern lost some top players in the country this year but they still have plenty of talent. I would agree that Haverford is the favorite. I think this is LaSalle's year in AAA. Allentown Central Catholic looks like they will be the team to beat in AA but don't count out WC Rustin....some great playmakers. Watch out for SCH in the InterAc. The aid floodgates for opened for next year as they are adding some strong transfers and a loaded incoming freshman class. they won't be up with Malvern and Haverford, but will surpass EA. EA has a spectacular FOGO that can be a real difference maker with possession as the rest of their team isn't on par with Haverford or Malvern this year. Very Lehigh"esque." Not the overall talent of most teams but always get possession. I can't see much changing this spring in the interac: 1 HS (too deep, too talented) 2 MP (ditto) 3 EA (best of the rest) 4 GA (virtually all starters returning but...) 5 SCH (0-10 league record last year, have to be better) 6 PC (finished 5 last year but graduated key players from that team) Seems about right. EA and SCH are good for an upset. They just don't have the depth to make it all the way. Is Garnet Valley the favorite in PIAA? Not counting Lasalle.... Garnet is stacked again, hopefully for them it doesn't come down to coaching or it will be a familiar result.... As for MP seems like they are taking a huge step backwards loads of talent gone and not a lot offensively to replace it. Why not count LaSalle? They are in PIAA
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Boys Recruiting Thoughts and Help for the Masses
I posted this in the Northeast “Boys High School Lacrosse” forum but it was suggested I post this in some of the other regions. None of this gospel; just thoughts and opinion and trying to help out parents who may have been as clueless as me in the beginning
I apologize ahead of time as this is a VERY VERY long post so I left a TL;DR summary at the top. There are also likely errors in this so I welcome any corrections. I also suspect these thoughts may hold true for the girl’s game but I don’t know anything about girl’s recruiting. Yes, I have too much time on my hands now the kids have moved on.
I am posting this as anonymous – I’m not notIntelligent (haha). This may generate a lot of thoughts, positive or negative but the point is to get a discussion going because I find there is very little actual recruiting help on these forums. I am sure many of the replies will be “bitter parent” “Ok Rebel Parent” or “team91 parent” or “Stunad” or “legacy dad” or “your kid graduated, why are you still on these forums you creeper”, etc. This is just one person’s opinion as someone who has gone through it (kid was a middie, on-age who ended up in a good D3 school) but had some D1 looks / offers so maybe this can be used to help others (or maybe I’m a coach……..). If you feel the need to comment, try to post something constructive. If you don’t like the post; scroll on by.
You may agree with 0%, 50% or 90% of it. It is important to note that these are just generalizations on a Bell Curve; there are always exceptions to the rules: there are some who got recruited way above their pay class and there also talented people who fell far in recruitment. This should apply to most but there are definitely outliers where people have forged their own paths. Tell us your stories!
For those whom this is TL;DR
1) Talent and connections trump everything, which leads into… 2) … being realistic about your kid’s ability as many parents cannot be “objective” 3) Be cognizant of how much you are projecting your own hopes and dreams onto your kid – don’t be that parent. 4) Some of you feel like you are running on a “Hamster Wheel” when it comes to recruiting. Find out what “Hamster Wheel” you want to be on – don’t be afraid to change wheels midstream 5) Have “fun” – but to be perfectly honest, if you are at the level where you are hoping to be recruited, I am not going to sit here and say having fun is the only thing that matters because that is BS. That being said, having fun is still important whether it be lacrosse, long road trips with your kids, having a meal with them, visiting colleges – all are fun. 6) Whatever college or trade school you kid ends up in, it will be perfectly OK in the end 7) Don’t believe what everyone tells you (including me). What may have worked for someone else may not work for you as I can guarantee you kid is so very different from everyone else. 8) Lacrosse is finite – don’t make short term decisions with long term consequences. It is Ok to sacrifice saying “my kid got into a low D1 school with poor academics” just for the sake of being D1. It will be better in the long run to apply to a better academic D1 school that has club, the MCLA’s or better academic D3 schools
Soooo, moving on these are the factors that I think of importance (from most to least) to get recruited:
1) Talent – trumps all – if your kid is already a superstar, most of this does not apply to you. If he/she don’t have as much talent, try to be realistic about their high level D1 / D3 dreams. Be very realistic about how your own child grades out. You may think they are superstar but if they haven’t competed on the national stage where the competition is the best, you cannot really know how good your kid is, even if everyone tells you they are the best. Be as objective as possible; rate your kid on a 100 point scale. Most players who are 93+ have a decent chance at a high D1/D3 school. Anything below that, it is going to be more difficult to get into the top schools and don’t punch way above you kid’s weight class when it comes to recruiting as it will lead to disappointment. However, there really is a lock for every key and if your kid really wants to play lacrosse, there are 400+ schools out there to play at. If you don’t have connections or talent, you will have to market the garbage out of yourself – go to showcases, prospect days, make good videos, email (the appropriate amount), sign up for recruiting services. But honestly, most of those all have minimal impact unless you have the connections but it’s all you got at that point. 2) Connections (High / Prep School or Club) – my kid went to several prospect days for schools as well as sent several emails to schools and he never heard a peep from any of them until a coach reached out on his behalf. I truly believe that this is the most important beyond talent. Coaches at all levels are getting hundreds of videos and thousands of email. They simply do not have the time to review them all or even open them. Having a coach call or email, allows you to jump to the top of the food chain (think Chutes and Ladders). 3) Grades – how could I leave this out in the original post! If you don’t have the grades, you aren’t getting into an elite school. Sports will help somewhat but you do have to have some sort of baseline decent grades. 4) Your kid’s High School prestige – there is line somewhere that separates the elite schools for lacrosse from the run-of-the-mill lacrosse high schools. If you are below that line, unless there is an individual connection, your chances of an elite D1/D3 school are slim to none without that connection. That being said, your high school play is still very important for recruiting for the other D1/D2/D3 schools because it is your high school coach that knows you best. 5) Your kid’s Club – same facts hold true as it does (#3) high school. I often get asked what club team should I chose. Do not balk at driving distance as a barrier. Sometimes you will have to drive far to get to a better club. To be honest, I would choose the best, highest ranked club because they play in the best tournaments (NAL, NLF, Crabfeast and Naptown, Great8) and try and get on their A squad at as young an age as possible. That way the club knows your child over time and will go to bat for you eventually. In addition, if you don’t make the top team, it gives you a chance to: work your way up to the A team or look for another club that may suit you better. That brings up the topic of A vs B. In reality, most B teams are not sending players to top D1/D3 schools (some are but that is not the norm). If being at a top lax school is not your goal then A vs B doesn’t matter as much because plenty of B players play college lacrosse. My kid was on a team that did not think much about his game. He was at a small local club and so he made the jump to a national club. He started on their C team and worked his way up to started on the top team so it is possible. Finally, understand these clubs are in the MONEY MAKING business as most are for-profit. They will sell you a bridge to nowhere as long as they get your tuition checks. Here is how I break them down: a. Some are outright frauds. They don’t care and they just want your money b. Some put together some half -hearted attempts at recruiting – they go through the motions but are not really making phone calls on your kids behalf c. Others really only promote their best players. These are also fraudulent as they put all their time and effort into marketing their best players only, while the rest remain tution check to support those best players. d. Finally, there are some truly excellent programs who will do their best to place a kid anywhere whether it be the best D1 program to the worst D3 program. e. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention National teams and National tournaments – on paper, it is a very good idea but part of me says there is a money grab aspect. You can even see multiple clubs joining together to make national team (eg CLCA). I think it is the next evolution and I would not be surprised if National tournaments become the norm with local tournaments still existing but becoming second fiddle. Coaches will tell you they will help you with recruiting but the reality is they do not want to put their name out there to back you if there is a lacrosse:talent mismatch. So if your Johnny rates as an 80, don’t ask your coach to get you into Syracuse because they won’t do it. It is a shame that some clubs promise you the world but don’t help you even though are paying $2000-4000 for your club; for them to not help you is just fraudulent. How to tell if a club is real or not? Look at their website. A good one would post a list of ALL their commits, not just the ones who get into top D1 schools which usually means they had a favorite player. Look at their social media. Are all of their posts only about 1-5 of their top kids? Finally, word of mouth – talk to the older kids and kids who have moved through the program; not the superstars but the average ones who had college lax dreams. 6) Prospect Days – this is the best way to get in front of a school on an individual basis. However, many of these are pure money grabs. We have been to several where no one was filming, coaches had no paper or they were not writing anything down. Clearly no evaluation was going on. It does allow you to get in front of the coaches and look at the campus. But I am somewhat cynical because if you were not already on their radar, a coach didn’t send you, or you were not invited, it is unlikely to be helpful. 7) Showcases- There are so many showcases out there. Many of them are money grabs and really garbage showcases. How do you know what is a good showcase? I wish I knew the answer to that but I can say that if the showcase has a good list of head coaches then it is going to be pretty good. If the communication is pretty good, then that is also a good sign. I will throw it out there and say good ones are Showtime, The Players Series, Spotlight, ECD, Lacrosse Masters, Main Stage, NXT Fall, The Show, Juniors Open, Main Stage. Then there are the average showcases (3D, adrenaline, my lacrosse tournaments, Elite 100, Elite 180, GFW, Q4, Victory, Maryland Showcase). UA and National All Star Games are very good but very political. 1%, FiveStar and Apex are very heavily marketed but have found them to be more glitz than substance. What is important to know is nobody is going to be “discovered” at most of these so do not think your kid is going to show up and “kill it” and get recruited by Duke. Coaches usually have a list of players they are there to see and if the kid does well, then they reach out. Finally, no one cares about wins and losses at showcase so don’t be that parent. 8) Recruiting video – coaches are getting hundreds of video so they may never even open your video or emails. That being said, video is still 100% necessary in this day and age of recruiting. If they do open it, you want your intro to be brief and you want to front load your 5-star highlights. Some say don’t use music; my feeling is they can always mute it. Try to film your own video even though it is a pain in the arse. Much of the paid tournament videos offered are expensive and very poor quality. It is a pain in the butt to film your own highlight video but you will have a much higher quality video that is zoomed in appropriately. Iphone and imovie work perfectly fine or invest in a cheap HD camcorder. Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen: inappropriate offensive music, not zooming in on your child, including highlights that aren’t highlights, not highlighting /circling your player in the video (you know your kid so it’s easy to pick out for you but most coaches, it’s pretty hard to pick up to the player in that 4 second clip). Some say, don’t make it longer than 2 minutes; my feeling is most coaches aren’t watching past 1 minute (if they open it) and if you give a 6 minute highlight video they can always just shut it off. 9) Position – kids are specializing more and more (SSDM, FOGO, LSM and goalies). If you are really good at your position, you stand a very good chance. If you are mediocre, you better show that you can do other things. At the Prospect Days, I have noticed more and more defenders and less middies which stinks for defense, that stinks because I think that is also the hardest position to get recruited at. Goalies always fill first so get in early. If you are not looking high level, none of this is as important 10) Recruiting profiles (NCSA, SportsRecruit, ConnectLax, CaptainU) – these are likely only helpful for the mid-lower Tier D1, D2, D3 schools. The top schools will not or do not use these services – they do everything through connections.
Additional comments, myths and facts?
1. I am assuming that most people “try to punch up” with their recruiting (ie they will try and overachieve with their lacrosse ambitions) so be patient, be realistic and don’t be disappointed. There is a “lock for every key” as there are over 400 lacrosse colleges. If you really want to play lacrosse, you will find a school. 2. Re-class – there is so much detest on this forum about re-classed players. Unfortunately, it is here to stay until colleges and clubs change their mind (USA Lacrosse has zero ability or desire to change this). Colleges and clubs don’t want to change because they want the most mature and physically gifted players so they could care less that your kid is on-age. Some kids re-class for legit reasons (maturity, academics). But some also re-class to try and get into a better school. IMHO, re-classing is destroying the sport but it’s here to stay. It is completely unfair but totally within the rules. Why on earth would someone re-class for lacrosse reasons only is beyond me. I can’t imagine how dominant my kid would have been if he was going against kids 1 -3 years younger. 3. Lacrosse players are not getting a full scholarship: Full scholarships are uncommon and most will only get a very small amount of money 4. Lacrosse is finite: I think lacrosse carries on forever whether it be a playing in beer league, coaching, raising your own kid, etc. But in terms of a career, very few people go on to make a living out of playing lacrosse. Lacrosse has a finite end and for some it ends after high school; some after college. Don’t make short term decision with long term consequences 5. Commit vs Preferred-Walk-on vs Walk-on – I know very little about this. All I can say is that if you are a preferred walk-on you are on the team but you don’t always travel. If you tryout and walk-on (not preferred), there are generally very little chances or spots at the high collegiate level but probably plenty at the lower caliber schools 6. Prep vs Private vs Catholic – depends what part of the country you live. Not all preps are lacrosse powerhouses nor are all catholic schools. There are a few public schools that carry a lot of weight but chances are your high school does not; you will know 7. PG – from what I have been told, do not PG unless it is arranged ahead of time with a college who specifically said you should PG. There are plenty of PG’s who PG but do so without a college talking to them. There are even PG schools out there. They still eventually get into lacrosse schools but it usually is not a step up to playing for Duke / Virginia / Syracuse / Yale etc. That being said, some need to PG for academic and maturity reasons. 8. How often should I email a coach – I believe coaches are getting hundreds of emails. Chances are, they are not going to read or even open your email (at least at the high D1 or high D3 level). That being said – maybe once a month and always have some sort of update whether it being lacrosse or academic. 9. Don’t be that lacrosse dad or mom. Honestly, be quiet. Don’t coach your son on the field. Don’t yell “wheels” “ward” “offsides” and ride the refs. Coaches do actually notice this. They don’t care so much at the collegiate level because they can limit the parent’s sphere of influence but somewhere in the back of their mind, they are wondering if the apple doesn’t fall from the tree when they are recruiting. No one cares that you were once a superstar or failed athlete. Everyone can see you are projecting who you once were or wanted to be onto your child 10. The Grass is Not Always Greener (See Clubs above) – it’s OK to be a club hopper – we jumped clubs and it worked out for the better but it doesn’t always. Just make sure you are doing it because there are faults with the club and not faults with you or your kid. Most parents cannot tell the difference sadly. If you do go club hopping, make sure you latch on to one before high school because making the change after high school is very difficult 11. The New England region and Long Island used to be center of the lacrosse universe. That is no longer the case. I believe it is currently the MidAtlantic (re-class) but areas such as the South (Fl, GA, TX), Midwest (Il, MI) and West (CA, CO) are producing amazing players along with New England and LI still being very good 12. D1 vs D2 vs D3 a. D1 – I think a lot of kids can play D1 as there are some D1 schools that are not as competitive out there and would be happy to take all sorts of talent. The only thing I would advise is don’t go D1 for the sake of going D1. D1 is also a full time job so they have to juggle academics with their lacrosse. b. D2 – they do offer scholarships. Some are great schools and great lacrosse programs but academically I have found they are not as good as some of the D1 and D3 schools c. D3 – I do not believe they offer sport scholarships but will offer other scholarships. Even though D1 is a full time job, D3 is also very busy especially in the spring. The main difference is the 20 hours in the fall that D1 has that D3 does not but D3 still practices in the fall. D3 probably has the largest cohort of schools from incredibly competitive to very mediocre. d. MCLA – do not overlook these schools. Some are top academic institutions (Stanford, Rice, GaTech, etc) e. Club lacrosse – also do not overlook this. Totally OK.
Timeline – don’t get sad if all your friends commit on 9/1 of their junior year. D3 doesn’t make offers until later and sometimes D1 makes commitments as late as December of your senior year. Patience, young grasshopper.
D1 - You cannot be contacted by anyone for recruiting until September 1 of your junior year. That being said, they can reach out to you with camps and prospect days but not personally. Now obviously kids who verbally commit on 9/1 must have had some contacts with the colleges but most of it is through high school / clubs
D2 – June 15 after the sophomore year
D3 – I believe they can talk at any time but some of the NESCACs adopt D1 rules. D3 offers do not go out until June (or July?) 1 after their junior year
Choosing a school: it will be a multitude of factors but this is what I think plays into it (in no order)
1) Academics – imho, don’t sacrifice this for lacrosse, but that being said, you will probably be fine at any school depending on what you make out of it 2) D1 vs D2 vs D3 – similar to above – don’t get caught up on the D1 Hamster Wheel – plenty of good options out there 3) Starter vs bench – some kids just want to be part of a process; some need to be the superstar. Find out where your kid is and if you are realistic, it may open doors and don’t shoot for the stars, it may open up a lot of schools. 4) Conference they play in and level of competition 5) Money – it matters. There are some very rich people on these forums who don’t realize that. That being said, most are not getting full sports scholarships. 6) Coaches and their coaching philosophy – this has to be the right fit 7) Lacrosse is finite – don’t choose a school because of a lacrosse
Well I am sure I left a lot out. Let the detest begin (haha). But seriously, try and help out your fellow lax members with something constructive. Everyone enjoy the ride though. It was great for me, my wife and all our kids.
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There are no such things as D3 offers. We need to stop the ridiculousness of kids "accepting" D3 roster spots and saying they are any type of offer as it leads to confusion, accusations and a lot of unnecessary drama. There is no such thing as a guaranteed roster spot (grades, behavior etc can always affect a roster spot regardless of level). I love that some kids can use lax to get into a school that they may not attend otherwise, but there is no offer when it comes to D3. If you get accepted and come to the school, you do not have to play lax, you received no money to do so. D3 is a wonderful opportunity for so many kids, but please stop referring to D3 "offers."
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Why not count LaSalle? They are in PIAA Because it is ridiculous LaSalle is in the PIAA. They have the resources and recruiting efforts of the Inter-Ac schools which 99% of PIAA schools don't.
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There are no such things as D3 offers. We need to stop the ridiculousness of kids "accepting" D3 roster spots and saying they are any type of offer as it leads to confusion, accusations and a lot of unnecessary drama. There is no such thing as a guaranteed roster spot (grades, behavior etc can always affect a roster spot regardless of level). I love that some kids can use lax to get into a school that they may not attend otherwise, but there is no offer when it comes to D3. If you get accepted and come to the school, you do not have to play lax, you received no money to do so. D3 is a wonderful opportunity for so many kids, but please stop referring to D3 "offers." You are incorrect on this. Although there is no NLI - no contract binding an athlete to the school there certainly are "offers". I have had multiple athletes receive offers from D3 schools along with knowing their financial aide ahead of time. D3 is grant money from the school and the coach certainly can play a hand on how much an athlete can receive. D3 coaches will certainly hold roster spots for incoming freshmen - its why when a player decides they want D3 and they contact a coach about playing for a certain school the coach will say - "I am sorry I am done recruiting for the 2023 year now". D3 does not offer the same bells and whistles of an official NCAA visit but you certainly can be recruited and get help with financial from a D3 school.
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You are incorrect on this. Although there is no NLI - no contract binding an athlete to the school there certainly are "offers". I have had multiple athletes receive offers from D3 schools along with knowing their financial aide ahead of time. D3 is grant money from the school and the coach certainly can play a hand on how much an athlete can receive. D3 coaches will certainly hold roster spots for incoming freshmen - its why when a player decides they want D3 and they contact a coach about playing for a certain school the coach will say - "I am sorry I am done recruiting for the 2023 year now". D3 does not offer the same bells and whistles of an official NCAA visit but you certainly can be recruited and get help with financial from a D3 school. There are no offers for athletics in Division 3 (if you feel the need to tell people your son got a D3 offer then you are doing him a disservice and are part of the problem as he's probably a great kid and doesn't need misinformation to prove that). As a D3 coach, I work closely with admissions, financial aid and scholarship groups. Admissions is fairly cut and dry scenario where I get slots for student athletes who fit a range of SAT, GPA and other qualifications. Financial aid is 100% out of my hands as that is very objective. Non-financial aid is where coaches have some influence as you are brining a kid into the school who has a skill that others do not. Our institution is mid tier academically within our conference so I can't get the 700 SAT kid who doesn't qualify for a D1 athletic scholarships, but I also don't need the 1300 kid as my reach/slotted athlete. Our staff tirelessly recruits within the confines of what is allowed. If anyone claims there is no recruiting in D3 you are not only wrong but offensive as we spend a ton of time recruiting. I am not sure what coach told you they were "done recruiting for 2023..." but that is untrue from whoever told you that. Some of my best players are kids who lost D1 offers late in the process or decided in spring of senior year, that they wanted a better balance in their life and preferred D3. It is true I may be out of admission slots, but I never stop recruiting. Also, there is no need to "hold a roster spot" as we do not have roster limits. I know this is all anonymous, but I apologize if this comes across as a personal attack to whoever posted above. The lax community is an incredible and growing world which I want to thrive especially at the D3 level. Unfortunately misperceptions and mischaracterizations of programs like mine can hinder the beautiful world of lax so I just want to set the record straight.
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You are incorrect on this. Although there is no NLI - no contract binding an athlete to the school there certainly are "offers". I have had multiple athletes receive offers from D3 schools along with knowing their financial aide ahead of time. D3 is grant money from the school and the coach certainly can play a hand on how much an athlete can receive. D3 coaches will certainly hold roster spots for incoming freshmen - its why when a player decides they want D3 and they contact a coach about playing for a certain school the coach will say - "I am sorry I am done recruiting for the 2023 year now". D3 does not offer the same bells and whistles of an official NCAA visit but you certainly can be recruited and get help with financial from a D3 school. There are no offers for athletics in Division 3 (if you feel the need to tell people your son got a D3 offer then you are doing him a disservice and are part of the problem as he's probably a great kid and doesn't need misinformation to prove that). As a D3 coach, I work closely with admissions, financial aid and scholarship groups. Admissions is fairly cut and dry scenario where I get slots for student athletes who fit a range of SAT, GPA and other qualifications. Financial aid is 100% out of my hands as that is very objective. Non-financial aid is where coaches have some influence as you are brining a kid into the school who has a skill that others do not. Our institution is mid tier academically within our conference so I can't get the 700 SAT kid who doesn't qualify for a D1 athletic scholarships, but I also don't need the 1300 kid as my reach/slotted athlete. Our staff tirelessly recruits within the confines of what is allowed. If anyone claims there is no recruiting in D3 you are not only wrong but offensive as we spend a ton of time recruiting. I am not sure what coach told you they were "done recruiting for 2023..." but that is untrue from whoever told you that. Some of my best players are kids who lost D1 offers late in the process or decided in spring of senior year, that they wanted a better balance in their life and preferred D3. It is true I may be out of admission slots, but I never stop recruiting. Also, there is no need to "hold a roster spot" as we do not have roster limits. I know this is all anonymous, but I apologize if this comes across as a personal attack to whoever posted above. The lax community is an incredible and growing world which I want to thrive especially at the D3 level. Unfortunately misperceptions and mischaracterizations of programs like mine can hinder the beautiful world of lax so I just want to set the record straight. I wrote the above and I think we are basically saying the same thing - there must have been a misconnect. I used the 2023 as an example. I am a high school coach who helps their players get recruited by D3 all the time. The offer I refer to is the coach calling and saying they would love to have you, the player, on their team. I know it is not a contract offer. I was writing in reference to the post above mine that stated D3 does not recruit or do any form of offers. D3 is great division for all athletes and has a lot to offer over D1 and D2 schools for certain players.
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I would disagree that there are "no offers". There isn't written "sign on the dotted line" offers but there are definitely handshake or verbal or wink-wink offers that happen in D3 all of the time. Otherwise it would be pure chaos on Early Decision day or college acceptance day.
There are verbal commitment offers all the time. What usually occurs after interest has been shown from both parties, the student usually goes through a "pre-read" to make sure they meet the academic requirement. If all parties agree, then the decision is to apply Early Decision as your "commitment" Could either party renege on it? Sure, because it is not binding. I also know kids who got rejected Early Decision due to some disconnect. But it is still an offer; its just a non-binding offer. I agree with the high school coach above who says it is not a contract offer and D3 definitely recruits student athletes. There are a few schools where athletics do not help at all (MIT comes to mind as I am sure there are others) but even they recruit and have prospect days. I think the other person who posted "if you feel the need to tell people your son got a D3 offer then you are doing him a disservice and part of the problem...we need to stop the ridiculousness of kids "accepting" D3 roster spots and saying they are any type of offer as it leads to confusion, accusations and a lot of unnecessary drama" is actually themselves doing a disservice by saying nothing happens verbally until college acceptance is had. But I do agree with the rest of what he had to say about financial aid, scholarships and roster spots etc. But an offer is still an offer (even if non-binding) whether it is done on paper, verbally, carrier pigeon or via smoke signals...
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The majority of D3 programs do not cut any players so offering a roster spot is irrelevant. If you are referring to offering one of their admissions slots then I agree, but disagree MIT doesn't have slots. MIT has spots for all sports (some are combined for multi sport athletes). I am sure that there are programs that have no slotted athletes but all the top academic D3 schools: Williams, Amherst, Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Pomona, Tufts, MIT etc. have slotted athletes.
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Boys Recruiting Thoughts and Help for the Masses
I posted this in the Northeast “Boys High School Lacrosse” forum but it was suggested I post this in some of the other regions. None of this gospel; just thoughts and opinion and trying to help out parents who may have been as clueless as me in the beginning
I apologize ahead of time as this is a VERY VERY long post so I left a TL;DR summary at the top. There are also likely errors in this so I welcome any corrections. I also suspect these thoughts may hold true for the girl’s game but I don’t know anything about girl’s recruiting. Yes, I have too much time on my hands now the kids have moved on.
I am posting this as anonymous – I’m not notIntelligent (haha). This may generate a lot of thoughts, positive or negative but the point is to get a discussion going because I find there is very little actual recruiting help on these forums. I am sure many of the replies will be “bitter parent” “Ok Rebel Parent” or “team91 parent” or “Stunad” or “legacy dad” or “your kid graduated, why are you still on these forums you creeper”, etc. This is just one person’s opinion as someone who has gone through it (kid was a middie, on-age who ended up in a good D3 school) but had some D1 looks / offers so maybe this can be used to help others (or maybe I’m a coach……..). If you feel the need to comment, try to post something constructive. If you don’t like the post; scroll on by.
You may agree with 0%, 50% or 90% of it. It is important to note that these are just generalizations on a Bell Curve; there are always exceptions to the rules: there are some who got recruited way above their pay class and there also talented people who fell far in recruitment. This should apply to most but there are definitely outliers where people have forged their own paths. Tell us your stories!
For those whom this is TL;DR
1) Talent and connections trump everything, which leads into… 2) … being realistic about your kid’s ability as many parents cannot be “objective” 3) Be cognizant of how much you are projecting your own hopes and dreams onto your kid – don’t be that parent. 4) Some of you feel like you are running on a “Hamster Wheel” when it comes to recruiting. Find out what “Hamster Wheel” you want to be on – don’t be afraid to change wheels midstream 5) Have “fun” – but to be perfectly honest, if you are at the level where you are hoping to be recruited, I am not going to sit here and say having fun is the only thing that matters because that is BS. That being said, having fun is still important whether it be lacrosse, long road trips with your kids, having a meal with them, visiting colleges – all are fun. 6) Whatever college or trade school you kid ends up in, it will be perfectly OK in the end 7) Don’t believe what everyone tells you (including me). What may have worked for someone else may not work for you as I can guarantee you kid is so very different from everyone else. 8) Lacrosse is finite – don’t make short term decisions with long term consequences. It is Ok to sacrifice saying “my kid got into a low D1 school with poor academics” just for the sake of being D1. It will be better in the long run to apply to a better academic D1 school that has club, the MCLA’s or better academic D3 schools
Soooo, moving on these are the factors that I think of importance (from most to least) to get recruited:
1) Talent – trumps all – if your kid is already a superstar, most of this does not apply to you. If he/she don’t have as much talent, try to be realistic about their high level D1 / D3 dreams. Be very realistic about how your own child grades out. You may think they are superstar but if they haven’t competed on the national stage where the competition is the best, you cannot really know how good your kid is, even if everyone tells you they are the best. Be as objective as possible; rate your kid on a 100 point scale. Most players who are 93+ have a decent chance at a high D1/D3 school. Anything below that, it is going to be more difficult to get into the top schools and don’t punch way above you kid’s weight class when it comes to recruiting as it will lead to disappointment. However, there really is a lock for every key and if your kid really wants to play lacrosse, there are 400+ schools out there to play at. If you don’t have connections or talent, you will have to market the garbage out of yourself – go to showcases, prospect days, make good videos, email (the appropriate amount), sign up for recruiting services. But honestly, most of those all have minimal impact unless you have the connections but it’s all you got at that point. 2) Connections (High / Prep School or Club) – my kid went to several prospect days for schools as well as sent several emails to schools and he never heard a peep from any of them until a coach reached out on his behalf. I truly believe that this is the most important beyond talent. Coaches at all levels are getting hundreds of videos and thousands of email. They simply do not have the time to review them all or even open them. Having a coach call or email, allows you to jump to the top of the food chain (think Chutes and Ladders). 3) Grades – how could I leave this out in the original post! If you don’t have the grades, you aren’t getting into an elite school. Sports will help somewhat but you do have to have some sort of baseline decent grades. 4) Your kid’s High School prestige – there is line somewhere that separates the elite schools for lacrosse from the run-of-the-mill lacrosse high schools. If you are below that line, unless there is an individual connection, your chances of an elite D1/D3 school are slim to none without that connection. That being said, your high school play is still very important for recruiting for the other D1/D2/D3 schools because it is your high school coach that knows you best. 5) Your kid’s Club – same facts hold true as it does (#3) high school. I often get asked what club team should I chose. Do not balk at driving distance as a barrier. Sometimes you will have to drive far to get to a better club. To be honest, I would choose the best, highest ranked club because they play in the best tournaments (NAL, NLF, Crabfeast and Naptown, Great8) and try and get on their A squad at as young an age as possible. That way the club knows your child over time and will go to bat for you eventually. In addition, if you don’t make the top team, it gives you a chance to: work your way up to the A team or look for another club that may suit you better. That brings up the topic of A vs B. In reality, most B teams are not sending players to top D1/D3 schools (some are but that is not the norm). If being at a top lax school is not your goal then A vs B doesn’t matter as much because plenty of B players play college lacrosse. My kid was on a team that did not think much about his game. He was at a small local club and so he made the jump to a national club. He started on their C team and worked his way up to started on the top team so it is possible. Finally, understand these clubs are in the MONEY MAKING business as most are for-profit. They will sell you a bridge to nowhere as long as they get your tuition checks. Here is how I break them down: a. Some are outright frauds. They don’t care and they just want your money b. Some put together some half -hearted attempts at recruiting – they go through the motions but are not really making phone calls on your kids behalf c. Others really only promote their best players. These are also fraudulent as they put all their time and effort into marketing their best players only, while the rest remain tution check to support those best players. d. Finally, there are some truly excellent programs who will do their best to place a kid anywhere whether it be the best D1 program to the worst D3 program. e. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention National teams and National tournaments – on paper, it is a very good idea but part of me says there is a money grab aspect. You can even see multiple clubs joining together to make national team (eg CLCA). I think it is the next evolution and I would not be surprised if National tournaments become the norm with local tournaments still existing but becoming second fiddle. Coaches will tell you they will help you with recruiting but the reality is they do not want to put their name out there to back you if there is a lacrosse:talent mismatch. So if your Johnny rates as an 80, don’t ask your coach to get you into Syracuse because they won’t do it. It is a shame that some clubs promise you the world but don’t help you even though are paying $2000-4000 for your club; for them to not help you is just fraudulent. How to tell if a club is real or not? Look at their website. A good one would post a list of ALL their commits, not just the ones who get into top D1 schools which usually means they had a favorite player. Look at their social media. Are all of their posts only about 1-5 of their top kids? Finally, word of mouth – talk to the older kids and kids who have moved through the program; not the superstars but the average ones who had college lax dreams. 6) Prospect Days – this is the best way to get in front of a school on an individual basis. However, many of these are pure money grabs. We have been to several where no one was filming, coaches had no paper or they were not writing anything down. Clearly no evaluation was going on. It does allow you to get in front of the coaches and look at the campus. But I am somewhat cynical because if you were not already on their radar, a coach didn’t send you, or you were not invited, it is unlikely to be helpful. 7) Showcases- There are so many showcases out there. Many of them are money grabs and really garbage showcases. How do you know what is a good showcase? I wish I knew the answer to that but I can say that if the showcase has a good list of head coaches then it is going to be pretty good. If the communication is pretty good, then that is also a good sign. I will throw it out there and say good ones are Showtime, The Players Series, Spotlight, ECD, Lacrosse Masters, Main Stage, NXT Fall, The Show, Juniors Open, Main Stage. Then there are the average showcases (3D, adrenaline, my lacrosse tournaments, Elite 100, Elite 180, GFW, Q4, Victory, Maryland Showcase). UA and National All Star Games are very good but very political. 1%, FiveStar and Apex are very heavily marketed but have found them to be more glitz than substance. What is important to know is nobody is going to be “discovered” at most of these so do not think your kid is going to show up and “kill it” and get recruited by Duke. Coaches usually have a list of players they are there to see and if the kid does well, then they reach out. Finally, no one cares about wins and losses at showcase so don’t be that parent. 8) Recruiting video – coaches are getting hundreds of video so they may never even open your video or emails. That being said, video is still 100% necessary in this day and age of recruiting. If they do open it, you want your intro to be brief and you want to front load your 5-star highlights. Some say don’t use music; my feeling is they can always mute it. Try to film your own video even though it is a pain in the arse. Much of the paid tournament videos offered are expensive and very poor quality. It is a pain in the butt to film your own highlight video but you will have a much higher quality video that is zoomed in appropriately. Iphone and imovie work perfectly fine or invest in a cheap HD camcorder. Some of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen: inappropriate offensive music, not zooming in on your child, including highlights that aren’t highlights, not highlighting /circling your player in the video (you know your kid so it’s easy to pick out for you but most coaches, it’s pretty hard to pick up to the player in that 4 second clip). Some say, don’t make it longer than 2 minutes; my feeling is most coaches aren’t watching past 1 minute (if they open it) and if you give a 6 minute highlight video they can always just shut it off. 9) Position – kids are specializing more and more (SSDM, FOGO, LSM and goalies). If you are really good at your position, you stand a very good chance. If you are mediocre, you better show that you can do other things. At the Prospect Days, I have noticed more and more defenders and less middies which stinks for defense, that stinks because I think that is also the hardest position to get recruited at. Goalies always fill first so get in early. If you are not looking high level, none of this is as important 10) Recruiting profiles (NCSA, SportsRecruit, ConnectLax, CaptainU) – these are likely only helpful for the mid-lower Tier D1, D2, D3 schools. The top schools will not or do not use these services – they do everything through connections.
Additional comments, myths and facts?
1. I am assuming that most people “try to punch up” with their recruiting (ie they will try and overachieve with their lacrosse ambitions) so be patient, be realistic and don’t be disappointed. There is a “lock for every key” as there are over 400 lacrosse colleges. If you really want to play lacrosse, you will find a school. 2. Re-class – there is so much detest on this forum about re-classed players. Unfortunately, it is here to stay until colleges and clubs change their mind (USA Lacrosse has zero ability or desire to change this). Colleges and clubs don’t want to change because they want the most mature and physically gifted players so they could care less that your kid is on-age. Some kids re-class for legit reasons (maturity, academics). But some also re-class to try and get into a better school. IMHO, re-classing is destroying the sport but it’s here to stay. It is completely unfair but totally within the rules. Why on earth would someone re-class for lacrosse reasons only is beyond me. I can’t imagine how dominant my kid would have been if he was going against kids 1 -3 years younger. 3. Lacrosse players are not getting a full scholarship: Full scholarships are uncommon and most will only get a very small amount of money 4. Lacrosse is finite: I think lacrosse carries on forever whether it be a playing in beer league, coaching, raising your own kid, etc. But in terms of a career, very few people go on to make a living out of playing lacrosse. Lacrosse has a finite end and for some it ends after high school; some after college. Don’t make short term decision with long term consequences 5. Commit vs Preferred-Walk-on vs Walk-on – I know very little about this. All I can say is that if you are a preferred walk-on you are on the team but you don’t always travel. If you tryout and walk-on (not preferred), there are generally very little chances or spots at the high collegiate level but probably plenty at the lower caliber schools 6. Prep vs Private vs Catholic – depends what part of the country you live. Not all preps are lacrosse powerhouses nor are all catholic schools. There are a few public schools that carry a lot of weight but chances are your high school does not; you will know 7. PG – from what I have been told, do not PG unless it is arranged ahead of time with a college who specifically said you should PG. There are plenty of PG’s who PG but do so without a college talking to them. There are even PG schools out there. They still eventually get into lacrosse schools but it usually is not a step up to playing for Duke / Virginia / Syracuse / Yale etc. That being said, some need to PG for academic and maturity reasons. 8. How often should I email a coach – I believe coaches are getting hundreds of emails. Chances are, they are not going to read or even open your email (at least at the high D1 or high D3 level). That being said – maybe once a month and always have some sort of update whether it being lacrosse or academic. 9. Don’t be that lacrosse dad or mom. Honestly, be quiet. Don’t coach your son on the field. Don’t yell “wheels” “ward” “offsides” and ride the refs. Coaches do actually notice this. They don’t care so much at the collegiate level because they can limit the parent’s sphere of influence but somewhere in the back of their mind, they are wondering if the apple doesn’t fall from the tree when they are recruiting. No one cares that you were once a superstar or failed athlete. Everyone can see you are projecting who you once were or wanted to be onto your child 10. The Grass is Not Always Greener (See Clubs above) – it’s OK to be a club hopper – we jumped clubs and it worked out for the better but it doesn’t always. Just make sure you are doing it because there are faults with the club and not faults with you or your kid. Most parents cannot tell the difference sadly. If you do go club hopping, make sure you latch on to one before high school because making the change after high school is very difficult 11. The New England region and Long Island used to be center of the lacrosse universe. That is no longer the case. I believe it is currently the MidAtlantic (re-class) but areas such as the South (Fl, GA, TX), Midwest (Il, MI) and West (CA, CO) are producing amazing players along with New England and LI still being very good 12. D1 vs D2 vs D3 a. D1 – I think a lot of kids can play D1 as there are some D1 schools that are not as competitive out there and would be happy to take all sorts of talent. The only thing I would advise is don’t go D1 for the sake of going D1. D1 is also a full time job so they have to juggle academics with their lacrosse. b. D2 – they do offer scholarships. Some are great schools and great lacrosse programs but academically I have found they are not as good as some of the D1 and D3 schools c. D3 – I do not believe they offer sport scholarships but will offer other scholarships. Even though D1 is a full time job, D3 is also very busy especially in the spring. The main difference is the 20 hours in the fall that D1 has that D3 does not but D3 still practices in the fall. D3 probably has the largest cohort of schools from incredibly competitive to very mediocre. d. MCLA – do not overlook these schools. Some are top academic institutions (Stanford, Rice, GaTech, etc) e. Club lacrosse – also do not overlook this. Totally OK.
Timeline – don’t get sad if all your friends commit on 9/1 of their junior year. D3 doesn’t make offers until later and sometimes D1 makes commitments as late as December of your senior year. Patience, young grasshopper.
D1 - You cannot be contacted by anyone for recruiting until September 1 of your junior year. That being said, they can reach out to you with camps and prospect days but not personally. Now obviously kids who verbally commit on 9/1 must have had some contacts with the colleges but most of it is through high school / clubs
D2 – June 15 after the sophomore year
D3 – I believe they can talk at any time but some of the NESCACs adopt D1 rules. D3 offers do not go out until June (or July?) 1 after their junior year
Choosing a school: it will be a multitude of factors but this is what I think plays into it (in no order)
1) Academics – imho, don’t sacrifice this for lacrosse, but that being said, you will probably be fine at any school depending on what you make out of it 2) D1 vs D2 vs D3 – similar to above – don’t get caught up on the D1 Hamster Wheel – plenty of good options out there 3) Starter vs bench – some kids just want to be part of a process; some need to be the superstar. Find out where your kid is and if you are realistic, it may open doors and don’t shoot for the stars, it may open up a lot of schools. 4) Conference they play in and level of competition 5) Money – it matters. There are some very rich people on these forums who don’t realize that. That being said, most are not getting full sports scholarships. 6) Coaches and their coaching philosophy – this has to be the right fit 7) Lacrosse is finite – don’t choose a school because of a lacrosse
Well I am sure I left a lot out. Let the detest begin (haha). But seriously, try and help out your fellow lax members with something constructive. Everyone enjoy the ride though. It was great for me, my wife and all our kids. Great post. Thanks for sharing. You mentioned that you don't know much about girls recruiting so i thought I'd add my 2 cents, having been with it across both girls and boys. Agree with everything with a couple builds for girls 1) High School means much less for girls and much more for boys. I had a 21 commit to an ACC school and no coach every asked for or looked at a second of high school film. The school we committed to spoke to her high school coach for less than 2 minutes asking basic work ethic questions. 2) Club hopping is more much frowned upon. Moving once is ok. Moving twice and you will need to explain why 3) Talent is much more consolidated on the girls side. There are a few events that nearly every top player in the country attend. (Lax for the Cure, Live Love Lax). You are missing out if you aren't there. 4) There is much more "unofficial" communication between coaches and club recruiting directors on the girls side. We knew exactly who would be calling and offering on 9/1. Also much more aggressive promotion of prospect days. 5) The girls process moved much faster, especially for top 25 schools. By mid-October, most top 20 schools were done recruiting with the exception of PWOs who aren't getting any $$. Also, scholarship $$ for boys are much more evenly split than for girls.
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I would probably have your kid go transgender and you’ll probably get more scholarship money. It’s worked in swimming why not lacrosse
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I would probably have your kid go transgender and you’ll probably get more scholarship money. It’s worked in swimming why not lacrosse Says the guy who couldn't cut it himself as a "man". lost
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I think all D3 schools have “slots” but we have been specifically told that lax doesn’t really help you; you have to get into the school on your own merits for the most part.
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I think all D3 schools have “slots” but we have been specifically told that lax doesn’t really help you; you have to get into the school on your own merits for the most part. Not true. Slotted D3 players don’t need the same GPA and test scores as a typical student. I’m living proof of that! Went to a top 20 D3 school as a “recruited” player with considerably lower numbers than average applicant.
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No I am saying there are a very few schools where lax doesn’t matter. If you are living proof of that; I am asking if you went to MIT because they are one of those school
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No I am saying there are a very few schools where lax doesn’t matter. If you are living proof of that; I am asking if you went to MIT because they are one of those school Go it. Yes, some schools like MIT don’t care but most do.
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No I am saying there are a very few schools where lax doesn’t matter. If you are living proof of that; I am asking if you went to MIT because they are one of those school Go it. Yes, some schools like MIT don’t care but most do. MIT coach support doesn't make a difference in admissions but I appreciate that they tell kids that their support of an applicant does little (at least in my experiences). NESCAC puts recruits in bands and coaches get a particular number of "slots" in each band (perhaps a bit oversimplified): A band is admissible without coach support B band is admissible with coach support C band is blue chip recruit but lower academic profile...teams only get one or two of these kids It's important for families to ask college coaches about results of pre-read process (July following 11th grade)when considering highly-selectives. This is hugely valuable information and can let a recruit know exactly where he stands in eyes of admissions. More recently, pre-reads can also tell a recruit whether he should submit test scores or not which takes the guessing out of it that non student-athletes have to deal with (ivy, nescac, centennial coaches all share this).
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Helpful information. Agree that that the pre-read process is essential. What percentage of kids do you think end up not getting their choice despite passing the pre-read? Also agree that the MIT coaches are very transparent which is a rarity. What other schools does a coaches support not help that much?
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Malvern is the highest ranked team in PA (#14). I'm a little surprised no one else in the Philly area cracked the top 25.....especially Haverford.
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