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

Got it, support some for-profit lacrosse club that gives nothing back to the community. Amazing how people think that a good local lacrosse club somehow translates into respect for NJ lacrosse.

Then take your kid to PT and stop asking people their options.

Then take your kid to PT and stop asking people their options.

I am not the original poster. There were some very well thought out replies, and I am sure that the poster appreciates that, but simply offering "stay local" as an option is absurd. Just accept the fact that your advice is meaningless and move on.

That is very much debatable. Regardless, one of the commits was actually a JV player for his High School. Coaching staff completely missed on that one.

That defender just committed to UVA

LE kid to Virginia....could be a good year for NJ kids

It really is not debatable. If your son is a top level player that plays for a club that attends high visibility tournaments the club makes no difference (0.0). Also going to a prospect day for a school that has known interest in you is very helpful. The D1 coaches are reaching out not only to the Club recruiting coordinators, they are also reaching out directly to the player's high school coaches, especially the top high school programs. If you are that good you will be recruited by college coaches regardless of club.

You are either a parent that has not gone through the process or a coach from a lower-level team.

I have to agree. The club team our kids play on is way more important than you are making it sound. Having a legitimate track record with recruiting success is nothing to discount.

To your point on High-School. Cornell could have called that one players High-School coach and he would have to talk about how well he played on JV this year?

This is not to say that you have to play for certain clubs to get recruited, period. But it definitely helps if you are in a club with proven history.

This is correct. Best if you play on top ranked hs and club team. Worked for my oldest. LE has best track record. Worked for my older one. And they were better than his hs team. Unfortunately we are not in LI, Upstate, Maryland for high school so club matters. Also had the track record of success with LE. Rolling the dice if no track record at lower hs or club. But its a free country. Do what you want.

Club team/recruiting director matters a great deal. Proven track records and relationships mean the college coach can trust the club coach to give honest feedback and not act like a used-car salesmen.

Scouts can certainly pick out talented players, but they watch thousands of kids for a very short period of time and then try to assess how good they will be in 2+ years. When deciding between two equally talented players, the opinion of a trusted vs untrusted club coach can mean a great deal.

Not the prior poster, but just went through the process. I tend to agree with the points about playing for a club in high visibility tournaments (unless your club has absolutely no business playing in a tournament at that level) and prospect days, but neither are hard and fast rules. As far as the high school coach, there are probably a handful of high school coaches in NJ that a college coach would really rely upon, but in most instances, with a few exceptions, those coaches are also tied to pretty good club programs.

100% correct about the high school coaches.

Blue Star 2024 goalie to Princeton, keep going NJ!! This 2024 class will end up being strong college wise by the end of next summer!!

Pays to be an heir to the J&J fortune.

great job knocking a 16 year old kid.....and I'm sure that Princeton was so concerned about their $26 billion endowment, that they simply had to have this kid...be better

Agree.. what a jealous clown.. great kid and he can play.

Any input from the 2025 level? I know LE is pretty strong, BBL has the student player, Tri State a little less talented then normal but will get better, Blue Star kinda in the middle, Riot the same and not sure about Patriot??? Thoughts as we head into the fall?

I think multi sport high school athletes are geeting more of the early nods this year. The Westfield kid plays hockey as well. The other LE defender was multi sport as well. Yes they recruit lacrosse only players.

The LE 2025 team is apparently loaded this year. BBL best goalie, middle, attackmen and fogo all jumped ship this year. The LSM left the year before. From my understanding that team was already solid before the new additions.

Lol. So the LE team is BBL minus Drago. LE develops lacrosse players. What a joke LE is. North Jersey needs another NLF team. Yes NLF is weaker but this is ridiculous.?

So the post speaking about LE and all their players is from the LE director. He is correct. They were well above average and then when he poached the BBL kids in their recruiting year they became really good, like possibly top 10 good. This is the one year where they are clearly above all the other clubs. Its a shame BBL kids defect their recruiting year. LE will advertise how they committed after playing only one year with them just like the goalie to Harvard this year.

People keep using words like "poached" and "defected". Parents spend a lot of money to get their kids into the best schools, why risk it? If your kid can make the team why wouldn't you move? It's not all BBL. BBL, TriState & Mad Dog did a nice job developing and LE will get them recruited. it's called the Jersey two-step

LOL. Jersey Express please start a team in North Jersey so we have two NLFs. LE steals your players too and then LE will have to do training not just amass an all star team. BBL players will still miss the human double team in Drago. Who are you doubling on LE? LE 25 probably be like Tri State 24 and play well as a team within an offensive system.

People keep using words like "poached" and "defected". Parents spend a lot of money to get their kids into the best schools, why risk it? If your kid can make the team why wouldn't you move? [quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][

You keep trying to defend the fact players are coming to LE for one year...one year!!! The ones who fall for your spin have the right to do so, its their choice...but I think what everyone sees is that you do not develop anyone and people only go to you in hopes of getting recruited....however, you can get recruited at ANY club....you do not get any credit for the goalie kid....he was going anywhere he wanted and people were aware of that at least two years ago....that being said....that 25 LE team is going to be the best one in a while if you can fix your play calling....

People keep using words like "poached" and "defected". Parents spend a lot of money to get their kids into the best schools, why risk it? If your kid can make the team why wouldn't you move?
players and parents use the organization just like organizations use the players and parents. It's a year to year commitment on both sides of the divide. Keep it moving...

Better said if you live in NJ you are doing a disservice to your kid not playing at LE.

I have no connection to any of these clubs, but it makes sense that while your kid is young (grade school, middle school) you play at a club close to where you live and/or where your son's friends play and/or where he can get ample playing time to improve, and more importantly, have fun, and where he is comfortable. But if your kid looks to be one of the 20 or so best in the state at his grad year, come high school, take him to a state-wide all-star team to maximize his exposure to college recruiters, and more importantly, to coaches/directors who pump out D1 kids every year and from whom college coaches will trust their opinions on your kid. LE exists as that club. In a state like NJ, geographically, it is a model that works.

I would say if you can and you are top 20 kid go look at Team 91 Maryland or Long Island Team 91, Prime Time, Eclipse, and 2 Way. They are all better than LE overall and many of them have box training and winter training. 2 Way has the Brunswick high school coaching staff and that is why I added a non-NLF team.

Good Luck on your lacrosse journey

People keep using words like "poached" and "defected". Parents spend a lot of money to get their kids into the best schools, why risk it? If your kid can make the team why wouldn't you move?
Director ^

okay so lots of color on the '25s..... I'm sure there was a fair amount of movement at the younger grades anyone have any thought s on 26's and 27's ???

Unfortunately, ever conversation just devolves into love/detest comments about LE.... that you need to play for LE to get recruited ..there is no life outside of the NLF.. (insert club name here) has the best 24s, 25, 26s, 27s, etc., LE doesn't develop players, they just poach everybody else's best players, BBL can't keep the high school kids....hopefully I just saved everybody some time and effort

Very true. On point post. I just have to add. "Kids a reclass" or "can't win without reclasses"

Very good point. Other than the WSYL, the winning teams are the teams with the oldest kids.
Good coaching and hard work are no longer the winning formula.

without this, we would have to talk to our wives. We all would much rather rip on each other.

People keep using words like "poached" and "defected". Parents spend a lot of money to get their kids into the best schools, why risk it? If your kid can make the team why wouldn't you move?

Agreed. Yes NJ has a monopoly on the NLF in LE but lacrosse season is not that long. Even if you are on LE look to get to a better program. If your kid is that good, LE is not your last stop. Prime Time, Eclipse, Express lately, 2 WAY and Team 91 have great programs at every age and because they have competition from other clubs in high school they do winter and box training. Don't let NJ one stop shopping with LE limit your childs true potential. LE will be like these clubs once we get another NLF in central NJ. LE does not have to work as hard as these other clubs because they have no competion.

You don't have to play in the NLF as we see BBL, Riot, Blue Star, Tri State get recruits. Parents are sold by the NLF mistique. And until NJ has another NLF club shop outside of NJ.

Team 91 has players from Texas and Florida in the summer. Ct and Ny are not that far.

As many have said before, if your kid is a top 20, or even top 50, it really does not matter where they are playing. Tri-State, Blue Star and BBL 2024 kids had no problem committing early to top schools. If those other programs are convenient geographically, or offer something unique that you are interested in (i.e. box) makes sense to consider them as well, but they will offer no recruiting advantage for a top kid. That being said, I know that it is not an option for many, but a top prep school program is better exposure than any of these clubs.

For all the talk of having no development, LE players have found a lot of success in college. Tri-state and blue star have also had a number of all americans over the past couple years.

It’s the easy way to bash a program that your son doesn’t play for because there is no real way to prove it one way or another. Our experience at LE was great and the coaching was top notch.

Very true, and its certainly a nice change when somebody can just discuss their experience with a club without bashing another club. Bottom line, you want a place where your kid continues to develop, if you are getting that from your club, then you are in the right place. We moved our son twice during his youth club years, but only because we felt that in the first instance he had maxed out competition wise with the tournaments they were playing, and the second move was because we felt that the directors and coaches where not focusing on the team, and it was right before high school so it was the perfect time to move. Final stop was the place where they pushed our son developmentally and exposed him to the most challenging schedule, and despite a very stressful recruiting process, we feel that he was in a good place to be recruited ending up at a high-academic D3.