lax culture from an insider

[Anonymous]

15:27

I agree with you. But lacrosse is a typically a sport with a lot of money affiliated with it. THe majority of LAXERS who play at Prep, Landon, Gonzaga, Saint Stephens, St Albans for the most part (not all) come from families with money.

Some of these parents are clearly living through kids and will do anything imagineable to have their son be the 8th grade super star and if it means reclassifying as an 8th grader, paying big $$$ to work out with a private or personal trainer, they will because they have the means to do so.

Parents aren't chasing a $5,000 lacrosse scholarship (this is the average D1 lacrosse scholarship by the way) to play at school XYZ. They are hoping to use lacrosse to get their son into a school he or she may not have been able to get into in the first place.

Because college coaches have pushed up the early recruiting process soo early, what do you expect parents to do? Sit around on the sidelines and miss out on their son in getting recruiting? Early recruiting is here to stay becuase in reality the NCAA really doesnt care about D1 Mens lacrosse.

[Anonymous]

Lots of blame on one side. The coaches at these schools are the ones accelrating the recruitment. The kids (and the parents) are just delaign with the reality.

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/il-s-biggest-15-early-recruiting-changes-the-game/16479


Whatever. Talk to the NCAA coaches themselves and they paint a picture of pushy club ball guys and parents. Talk to the parents and it certainly isn't them, it's...just...that...they...have an, ummm, remarkably gifted lacrosse savant who needs to commit before all the spots go away. If we are going to visit upon reality, I'd say the coaches recruiting this way who don't win will be fired and recycled quickly and will lose credibility in their early pushes and that a good many of those 14 year old lacrosse savants will be recycled with the kids who develop as older HS class players who outworked them and developed. I took to heart what Coach Lovejoy said on his way out of this scene at NextLevel...that he did ALL of the things to prove he earned a scholarship in the classroom and on the field through junior year, and these kids...well, they have not done any of the things to have earned it. Maybe they will work hard and show they deserve it, maybe not. In the end a lot are going to be dealing with the anxiety of the idiot coach who recruits 8th graders getting fired, and looking around for another program to roll the dice on a kid who rested on laurels for 3+ years of his high school career.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Lots of blame on one side. The coaches at these schools are the ones accelrating the recruitment. The kids (and the parents) are just delaign with the reality.

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/il-s-biggest-15-early-recruiting-changes-the-game/16479

Whatever. Talk to the NCAA coaches themselves and they paint a picture of pushy club ball guys and parents. Talk to the parents and it certainly isn't them, it's...just...that...they...have an, ummm, remarkably gifted lacrosse savant who needs to commit before all the spots go away. If we are going to visit upon reality, I'd say the coaches recruiting this way who don't win will be fired and recycled quickly and will lose credibility in their early pushes and that a good many of those 14 year old lacrosse savants will be recycled with the kids who develop as older HS class players who outworked them and developed. I took to heart what Coach Lovejoy said on his way out of this scene at NextLevel...that he did ALL of the things to prove he earned a scholarship in the classroom and on the field through junior year, and these kids...well, they have not done any of the things to have earned it. Maybe they will work hard and show they deserve it, maybe not. In the end a lot are going to be dealing with the anxiety of the idiot coach who recruits 8th graders getting fired, and looking around for another program to roll the dice on a kid who rested on laurels for 3+ years of his high school career.

The UVA coach has been there 23 years. Not sure I see him getting fired anytime soon.

[Anonymous]

the UVA coach is going to step down after this season. Its a pretty well known fact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the UVA coach is going to step down after this season. Its a pretty well known fact.

UVa coach has a four year contract expiring in 2016. It is well known he will not be getting renewed at UVa and may retire at the end of this coming season. He has lost the respect of the AD and the Administration. Abysmal player behaviour, lowest team GPA of any sport and declining performance. Early recruiting became an act of desperation and it didn't work.

[Anonymous]

they had to keep Starsia around because the university was being sued by Love's family and didn't want any liability for not standing by coach, but that is settled and he is out this time around. There are plenty of UNC alums trying to get rid of Breschi. And UNC has the academic fraud mess to deal with. The chances a 2016 or 2017 or 2018 plays a game at UVa under Starsia is zero, and pretty low under Breschi at UNC. That leaves Hopkins as the big early recruiting program left.

[Anonymous]

I took to heart what Coach Lovejoy said on his way out of this scene at NextLevel...that he did ALL of the things to prove he earned a scholarship in the classroom and on the field through junior year, and these kids...well, they have not done any of the things to have earned it. Maybe they will work hard and show they deserve it, maybe not

You know Lovejoy was a 20 year old senior by the time he graduated Deerfield.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:26

"Not referencing this kid at all. This is a comment to pretty much all the other Landon, et al lacrosse kids who are 16 y.o. freshmen. Landon, GP, PVI are just three examples of everything that is wrong with the sport of lacrosse."

Can you elaborate what you mean here?

Seems odd you dont even reference Gonzaga and since the majority of kids from Mater Dei these days are going to Gonzaga, I have to bet they are at least 35% of their freshman class who are currently 16 year old freshman or will turn 16 prior to June 1st.

You are absolutely correct. Landon, Prep and PVI were listed as examples. Gonzaga is easily another one. This is pretty insipid stuff. Back in the day -- and let's call that day more than 2-3 years ago -- recruits had to show they had the right stuff in the classroom and in their sport until rising senior year. A spot was earned. Now 8th graders who have not done anything to earn it are getting spots. As a parent who went there and did that in a division 1 sport, I find that offensive. If my son told me he wanted to do 8th grade over to profile better for sports recruiting, I'd say not and tell him to stop acting like a sissy. Greatnesss is on the other side of hard work and persistence, selling something else to your kid is a cop out.

Lots of blame on one side. The coaches at these schools are the ones accelrating the recruitment. The kids (and the parents) are just delaign with the reality.

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/il-s-biggest-15-early-recruiting-changes-the-game/16479

Any evidence that this alleged "red shirting" hurts the kids? or doesn't it just annoy other parents. Get over the ENVY

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I took to heart what Coach Lovejoy said on his way out of this scene at NextLevel...that he did ALL of the things to prove he earned a scholarship in the classroom and on the field through junior year, and these kids...well, they have not done any of the things to have earned it. Maybe they will work hard and show they deserve it, maybe not

You know Lovejoy was a 20 year old senior by the time he graduated Deerfield.

I was Matt's teammate at UVa and he was 23 when we graduated. And I am pretty sure he was at UVa for 5 years. Nice try a'hole.

[Anonymous]

Any evidence that this alleged "red shirting" hurts the kids? or doesn't it just annoy other parents. Get over the ENVY[/quote

"Red shirting" hurts the fair aged kids. It is asking a lot for a 14 year old to run varsity as a 9th grader. It is unsound to ask them to compete against 19 year olds and against 16 year old 9th grade classmates for spots on the roster or the field, saying nothing of this parent's concern for safety of my kids if they are 14 running with 19 year olds in a contact sport.

And yes, that does annoy me. A lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:26

"Not referencing this kid at all. This is a comment to pretty much all the other Landon, et al lacrosse kids who are 16 y.o. freshmen. Landon, GP, PVI are just three examples of everything that is wrong with the sport of lacrosse."

Can you elaborate what you mean here?

Seems odd you dont even reference Gonzaga and since the majority of kids from Mater Dei these days are going to Gonzaga, I have to bet they are at least 35% of their freshman class who are currently 16 year old freshman or will turn 16 prior to June 1st.

You are absolutely correct. Landon, Prep and PVI were listed as examples. Gonzaga is easily another one. This is pretty insipid stuff. Back in the day -- and let's call that day more than 2-3 years ago -- recruits had to show they had the right stuff in the classroom and in their sport until rising senior year. A spot was earned. Now 8th graders who have not done anything to earn it are getting spots. As a parent who went there and did that in a division 1 sport, I find that offensive. If my son told me he wanted to do 8th grade over to profile better for sports recruiting, I'd say not and tell him to stop acting like a sissy. Greatnesss is on the other side of hard work and persistence, selling something else to your kid is a cop out.

Lots of blame on one side. The coaches at these schools are the ones accelrating the recruitment. The kids (and the parents) are just delaign with the reality.

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/il-s-biggest-15-early-recruiting-changes-the-game/16479

Any evidence that this alleged "red shirting" hurts the kids? or doesn't it just annoy other parents. Get over the ENVY

Myland, we are not jealous of you. Myland, we are not jealous of you. Myland, we are not jealous of you.
Myland, thank you for being a VLC Dad. Myland, thank you for being a VLC Dad. Myland, thank you for being a VLC Dad.

Sincerely,
MadLax parents

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:26

"Not referencing this kid at all. This is a comment to pretty much all the other Landon, et al lacrosse kids who are 16 y.o. freshmen. Landon, GP, PVI are just three examples of everything that is wrong with the sport of lacrosse."

Can you elaborate what you mean here?

Seems odd you dont even reference Gonzaga and since the majority of kids from Mater Dei these days are going to Gonzaga, I have to bet they are at least 35% of their freshman class who are currently 16 year old freshman or will turn 16 prior to June 1st.

You are absolutely correct. Landon, Prep and PVI were listed as examples. Gonzaga is easily another one. This is pretty insipid stuff. Back in the day -- and let's call that day more than 2-3 years ago -- recruits had to show they had the right stuff in the classroom and in their sport until rising senior year. A spot was earned. Now 8th graders who have not done anything to earn it are getting spots. As a parent who went there and did that in a division 1 sport, I find that offensive. If my son told me he wanted to do 8th grade over to profile better for sports recruiting, I'd say not and tell him to stop acting like a sissy. Greatnesss is on the other side of hard work and persistence, selling something else to your kid is a cop out.

Lots of blame on one side. The coaches at these schools are the ones accelrating the recruitment. The kids (and the parents) are just delaign with the reality.

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/il-s-biggest-15-early-recruiting-changes-the-game/16479

Any evidence that this alleged "red shirting" hurts the kids? or doesn't it just annoy other parents. Get over the ENVY

Myland, we are not jealous of you. Myland, we are not jealous of you. Myland, we are not jealous of you.
Myland, thank you for being a VLC Dad. Myland, thank you for being a VLC Dad. Myland, thank you for being a VLC Dad.

Sincerely,
MadLax parents

This obsession with denigrating VLC at every juncture is sad.

For the record, the only two kids for Madlax 2017 who have committed to playing college lacrosse are former 2016 kids who repeated a grade. There are other kids on that Madlax team (and others) who are kids who repeated a grade.

Be careful about throwing stones when you live in a glass house.

[Anonymous]

That read a lot closer to denigrating a person and not a club, neither of which I am a real big fan of. And yes, let's be careful about living in glass houses. VLC has a couple of talented kids too in that grade but not a dozen or two. VLC had a great 2015 team, and after that was a pretty marginal 2016 team. The 2017 team has some committed kids, but after the couple top players they are to second tier D1 programs / schools or service academies which is a different thing. The local bragging thing between MadLax and VLC is pretty amusing to an outsider. Neither program has elite HS teams right now, and only MadLax is strong across the youth ages and there they have a lot of company among other strong youth programs. And BTW, there are more current D1 commits who are ex-MadLax and VLC players with Blackwolf, 3d and FCA now than there are MadLax and VLC current commits in 2016 and in 2017.

Now, don't you have some VLC team mom duties to get back to or is another chat room a callin'?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any evidence that this alleged "red shirting" hurts the kids? or doesn't it just annoy other parents. Get over the ENVY[/quote

"Red shirting" hurts the fair aged kids. It is asking a lot for a 14 year old to run varsity as a 9th grader. It is unsound to ask them to compete against 19 year olds and against 16 year old 9th grade classmates for spots on the roster or the field, saying nothing of this parent's concern for safety of my kids if they are 14 running with 19 year olds in a contact sport.

And yes, that does annoy me. A lot.

Is that just you as a protective mommy or is there evidence of injuries to freshmen causes be red shirt seniors? Boys grow at all ages and rates - at some schools there are weight limits, but I don't think it is fair to conclude that the older boys are always the biggest and best. Heck, that kid from Landon is the youngest recruit ever and he's nearly 6 feet tall.

[Anonymous]

My son injured his back from a hit he took playing varsity last year as a 14 year old freshman. I saw the risks involved during the high school season when they played IAC or WCAC teams. That is the only data important to me. It is shameful to see 19 year old seniors on the field with natural 9th graders. It would make a lot of people unhappy, but they may need to mandate freshmen to play JV to avoid the risks since nothing else will be done about it.