BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Boys 2017 Fall 2014/Summer 2015

Where are you getting this data from? Or is this a purely anecdotal statement?

I personally know more than half of the D commits. And all are age appropriate. 2 that I don't know personally are in fact reclassified. (The Long Island D commits are age appropriate as well)

Where is the "good percentage" then? Please elaborate.

Wow, what a great/thoughtful response. Exactly what this site should be about rather the non-stop bashing and trashing that goes on.

Good advice given up there and the order of significance is spot on also.
Just went through it as well and agree about the parking debacle!!

Jake reed going into 9th grade wasn't as attended by D1 coaches as it was for rising sophs this summer.

Philly showcase is the true early indicator. Get into the fab40 all star game and your coach's phone will be ringing off of the hook.

The part about writing letters to coaches is a gray area. Some coaches may read them and most are ambivalent about them. The scouts are out there. They have particular needs and rolls to fill that all end up with great players but their MO of obtaining them and contacting varies greatly.

I was actually told by one very high level D1 coach that he deletes all emails requesting that he come to such and such tournaments to watch s and so player. These guys are and have been analyzing your kid's team already if it's an elite team and are culling out the kids they have an interest in.

Now that the "horror" of recruiting 9th graders has been somewhat desensitized; I imagine that this next group of 9th graders will be even more aggressively pursued.

Beg borrow and or steal and get into the showcases mentioned. Not only your club coach can make recommendations for these (HS, private coaches and friends who know directors....). It can become a "who you know " situation so get on it ASAP.

Bottom line is: if the kid has talent; they will find him sooner or later. There are a lot of spots to fill so don't get overwhelmed. Enjoy watching the games and keep it fun for your kid. They generate their own amount of tension through the process so try not to add to it. Just keep him in the game mentally and enjoy the experience together.

My two cents:

As a parent of a 2017 who just went through this summer with the added stress of "getting looked at" I have come to a few conclusions, they may be right or maybe wrong but they are all IMHO:

It seems that a good portion of the kids that are getting recruited are kids that have some connection to the schools they are committing to. IE, parents are alums, sibling attends, etc. Nothing wrong with this of course but it is a factor.

The whole thing seems to be a bit overhyped. As of now there are roughly 100 2017 commits. Id like to see the data on the amount of 2016 kids committed at the same time last year, but I would guess its not far off.

Lot of waste of time money grabs out there. Lot of "prospect days" and "clinics" and "camps" that profess to be showcases. We all know what the real showcases are and unless your son is specifically requested at a college prospect day, save your time and money.

I think the question in my mind is not "can" my son commit, but "should" my son commit. I dont know about most of your 2017's, but mine cant make up his mind what he wants for breakfast, nevermind what college he wants to go to. I think this speaks to where you think your son is at, if you think hes ready to make that sort of life changing decision, then so be it.

My son was at a very well attended college recruiting showcase camp over the summer where he made the all star team. The director of the camp spoke to all the all star kids and told them, and I quote "just relax, go out and have fun, the fact is that 70 percent of college lacrosse players get recruited going into their senior years" I think that speaks for itself.

In closing, to me unless your kid has some connection to the university, or hes a freak of nature, or older and more mature, or he has a great day at a showcase and draws attention, these next two years should be about getting better, getting on the radar of the schools hes interested in and getting ready to make the most important decision of his life.

To all those parents whose 2017 son has committed I say congratulations and best of luck, and to the rest of us wallowing in uncertainty and stress I say enjoy the ride, these are the best times of your life with your son, treasure every minute of it, because before you know it'll be all over.

DeCommitting is the next logical trend (on players and coaches sides)....

It will be the natural corrective action to this impossible process of predicting ideal college fits between player vs. program, student vs. university academic standards...

the whole early verbal committment was originally a recruiting tactic to land the next Lebron of Lacrosse... If there are only 5 of the 100 early commits found in the Lebron catagory, everyone (in this forum) who payed attention, would be shocked...

So what happens with the Ivys? Since they wait until the kids have a year of grades and possibly an SAT under their belt, do kids that really want to go Ivy just sit and turn down other colleges? I can only imagine the stress of having offers from ND and VA, but wanting to see if the IVY of your choice is interested. Do the Ivy coaches talk to the kids prior, and give an indication if they are interested in the kids? I know there have been a lot of recent transfers and one or two kids that have decommitted to a school in favor of another, but I would hate to think that decommitting would become a trend. Any idea how this works?

Oh to have such problems! Life is about choices and these would be some that 99.9% of kids and their parents would kill to have. Very important to keep perspective.....and if UVA v ND v Ivy is the biggest problem in your son's life I can only say relax, count your blessings and be happy.

So what happens with the Ivys? Since they wait until the kids have a year of grades and possibly an SAT under their belt, do kids that really want to go Ivy just sit and turn down other colleges? I can only imagine the stress of having offers from ND and VA, but wanting to see if the IVY of your choice is interested. Do the Ivy coaches talk to the kids prior, and give an indication if they are interested in the kids? I know there have been a lot of recent transfers and one or two kids that have decommitted to a school in favor of another, but I would hate to think that decommitting would become a trend. Any idea how this works?

Decommittimg is going to start happening more and more, on both ends. Kids and colleges should NOT be making these decisions before the end of their Junior/start of their Senior year. I would be curious to see how many of the real early commits end up being happy with their school of choice!

No school will de-commit. Think about it, if said school de-commits a kid for a better player, why would any top player ever commit to that school again for the foreseeable future? Injury or bad grades, off field issues it can happen, just talent wise? Doubtful. Interestingly, the schools who commit so early are taking all the risk. The kid can do whatever he wants. Many schools are now continuing to recruit committed kids. I believe, over time we will see a pull back on this very early committing.

It is very unlikely that a school will de-commit. More likely, if they see someone else they like better, they will just continue to add to the class list and let the players react. For example, a list of 15 players for the 2017 class at a particular school would tell me that maybe someone may not see some playing time. The players will figure it out and act on their own.

going to be a lot of unhappy kids on the sidelines, but, they are getting a UNC education...take the good with the bad

NCAA Investigation
or maybe you are taking the bad with the bad

NCAA Investigation
or maybe you are taking the bad with the bad

These are some really thoughtful comments, thanks. My son is still in the recruiting process and I think his coach who has a lot of lacrosse credibility said, if you are good enough, the coaches will find a spot and money for you. If not, D3 and have fun...don't stop working. We also know one family whose kid finished his first year on the bench at UVa. I trust what they tell our family, which is coaches will blow up recruiting classes. 15 NLI's in December means that the coaches don't see it for a few early commits...they didn't grow, improve, etc. The scholarship money gets re-shuffled every year. Anyone who believes otherwise is misled. A coach can promise you 50% today and re-evaluate and make 5% later if the kid drops on the depth chart. It can be rough to be a former HS star at a UVa getting $500 a year out of politeness until you decide to accept the bench, quit or transfer. That is a reality few kids will be prepared for, and a reality no proud lacrosse Dads will be ready to accept either. Dial up the college soph kid who just bolted UNC for Towson sometime like my son did...humble pie for lots of IL ranked kids who don't play a lot or at all because they didn't develop. Almost an early commit curse now.

Scholarships are year to year. Can always be changed. Stop believing everything the coac tells you. They are re-evaluated on a yearly basis.

I agree, this early commit stuff is going to be a curse in the long run, trust me, if a kid is a junior or senior and they are a star (even though they were nothing in 8th/9th grade) they will surely end up on a great team and beat out early commits that fizzled out! No one knows what will happen until you get on campus and prove yourself.

That might just be one of the dumbest comments yet, "Stop believing what your coach tells you??" Every program works a little different, you need to listen carefully. I know what was told to my son, you may have a different agreement, but my son's scholarship will not change as long as he follows the rules, attend practice, etc.

Dumb statement?? Are you serious? You don't think the coach is going to tell you exactly what YOU want to hear. Your sons scholarship is renewed on a yearly basis. If the coach feels someone else is deserving, that kid will get the money. You are delusional if you think because the coach told you so your sons scholarship is safe. That is not the way it works. No matter what the coach says. Just asking: what if the kid gets there and is in way over his head lax wise, do you really think the coach is going to keep his scholarship intact? No he won't.

Another smithtown east boy commits to yale. Program on fire!

A Turtle?