2028 Boys Lacrosse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of one of the kids who left ML to DCE. The total body count in the move was 9 (as mentioned above, 2 also went to NL). The total roster was 18 or 19. There were numerous reasons why the kids left:

1. Cost -- ML is the most expensive club as far as I know. Parents were getting fed up with the ROI. We were entering tournaments that were just stupid (Vail and Orlando over new years). ML28s had a high propensity to only enter tournaments that had a positive impact on the bottom line of the ML organization. There are many great tournaments in the DMV and we would be heading off to CT or some other location because it was an NL affiliated gathering, for example. Also, even if you were a member of the everyday regional team, families were charged an additional $450.00 for EVERY national tournament. Given our "national" team was 85+% our regional team this got to the point of absurdity. This was an issue, but not "the" issue.

2. Coaching Style -- Players on ML 28 have literally zero freedom to make real time decisions. Everything...and I do mean everything... is directed from the coach to the players in real time. I'm sure all of you have heard CM screaming from the sidelines like a lunatic. Well, try being a kid getting pounded by a pole hearing your name being said in vain because you didn't perform exactly the way it was commanded and, of course, the threat of being pulled from the field if you make a mistake (unless you are of course his kid, which means mistakes don't matter). You are immediately pulled from the field, benched and berated. Some kids/parents are okay with this, some are not.

2b. It was the coach's way, always. He didn't want to hear from the kids or parents. This summer was an absolute disaster for the ML28s. We didn't win a single tournament. The previous year we won NLF with the same group of players. That's not sore loser-talk. That's the truth. Even when the coach got into some trouble in Vail and was kicked out of the tournament and couldn't coach a game or 2 and missed games at Naptown there was no explanation given to the parents as to why/where/or what the heck was going on. We are just suppose to eat it, I guess. But his behavior this summer was clearly the straw that broke the camel's back because several outspoken allies had repeatedly tried to tell him he needs to talk to the parents....there are a lot of problems brewing, etc etc. Nothing.

3. Playing Time. This is always an issue for teams, but wasn't a huge issue on ML28s because the roster was small. However, the coach likes fly ins. While the fly-in banter about ML28 is pretty overblown (we usually only had 1 to 3 players at any given national tournament), they did get a lot of time on the field even though they were of the same caliber of the existing players. CM really likes the next big thing and he gives them a long leash. Existing players, not so much. This is a universal problem within club lacrosse, but the majority of the parents called his bluff on it and he lost bigtime.

ML28s had a pretty good parent ground and most of the kids remain friends. I can tell you with a high degree of conviction that the kids who stayed are not very happy that they did, and I am expecting a few more of the remaining players to head for greener pastures this spring. How do I know? The parents told me. I don't know how the ML28s are going to be this year, and to be honest, I don't really care. I do know that every kid and parent who left for DCE and NL are relieved to not be in the ML pressure-cooker. As for their current roster size...they have several flyin players listed on that roster and there are near zero percent odds they will play for ML again given the meltdown this summer because they witnessed it too.

Heard bits and pieces of this from various parents who moved but didn't want to pry too much and have never seen everything laid out like this. Definitely makes sense to move, life's too short to put up with that sort of experience and it's definitely not worth paying thousands of dollars for that. Hope you and your kid enjoy the new team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of one of the kids who left ML to DCE. The total body count in the move was 9 (as mentioned above, 2 also went to NL). The total roster was 18 or 19. There were numerous reasons why the kids left:

1. Cost -- ML is the most expensive club as far as I know. Parents were getting fed up with the ROI. We were entering tournaments that were just stupid (Vail and Orlando over new years). ML28s had a high propensity to only enter tournaments that had a positive impact on the bottom line of the ML organization. There are many great tournaments in the DMV and we would be heading off to CT or some other location because it was an NL affiliated gathering, for example. Also, even if you were a member of the everyday regional team, families were charged an additional $450.00 for EVERY national tournament. Given our "national" team was 85+% our regional team this got to the point of absurdity. This was an issue, but not "the" issue.

2. Coaching Style -- Players on ML 28 have literally zero freedom to make real time decisions. Everything...and I do mean everything... is directed from the coach to the players in real time. I'm sure all of you have heard CM screaming from the sidelines like a lunatic. Well, try being a kid getting pounded by a pole hearing your name being said in vain because you didn't perform exactly the way it was commanded and, of course, the threat of being pulled from the field if you make a mistake (unless you are of course his kid, which means mistakes don't matter). You are immediately pulled from the field, benched and berated. Some kids/parents are okay with this, some are not.

2b. It was the coach's way, always. He didn't want to hear from the kids or parents. This summer was an absolute disaster for the ML28s. We didn't win a single tournament. The previous year we won NLF with the same group of players. That's not sore loser-talk. That's the truth. Even when the coach got into some trouble in Vail and was kicked out of the tournament and couldn't coach a game or 2 and missed games at Naptown there was no explanation given to the parents as to why/where/or what the heck was going on. We are just suppose to eat it, I guess. But his behavior this summer was clearly the straw that broke the camel's back because several outspoken allies had repeatedly tried to tell him he needs to talk to the parents....there are a lot of problems brewing, etc etc. Nothing.

3. Playing Time. This is always an issue for teams, but wasn't a huge issue on ML28s because the roster was small. However, the coach likes fly ins. While the fly-in banter about ML28 is pretty overblown (we usually only had 1 to 3 players at any given national tournament), they did get a lot of time on the field even though they were of the same caliber of the existing players. CM really likes the next big thing and he gives them a long leash. Existing players, not so much. This is a universal problem within club lacrosse, but the majority of the parents called his bluff on it and he lost bigtime.

ML28s had a pretty good parent ground and most of the kids remain friends. I can tell you with a high degree of conviction that the kids who stayed are not very happy that they did, and I am expecting a few more of the remaining players to head for greener pastures this spring. How do I know? The parents told me. I don't know how the ML28s are going to be this year, and to be honest, I don't really care. I do know that every kid and parent who left for DCE and NL are relieved to not be in the ML pressure-cooker. As for their current roster size...they have several flyin players listed on that roster and there are near zero percent odds they will play for ML again given the meltdown this summer because they witnessed it too.

Heard bits and pieces of this from various parents who moved but didn't want to pry too much and have never seen everything laid out like this. Definitely makes sense to move, life's too short to put up with that sort of experience and it's definitely not worth paying thousands of dollars for that. Hope you and your kid enjoy the new team.

I am sorry you and your family had to deal with this and thank you for the explanation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of one of the kids who left ML to DCE. The total body count in the move was 9 (as mentioned above, 2 also went to NL). The total roster was 18 or 19. There were numerous reasons why the kids left:

1. Cost -- ML is the most expensive club as far as I know. Parents were getting fed up with the ROI. We were entering tournaments that were just stupid (Vail and Orlando over new years). ML28s had a high propensity to only enter tournaments that had a positive impact on the bottom line of the ML organization. There are many great tournaments in the DMV and we would be heading off to CT or some other location because it was an NL affiliated gathering, for example. Also, even if you were a member of the everyday regional team, families were charged an additional $450.00 for EVERY national tournament. Given our "national" team was 85+% our regional team this got to the point of absurdity. This was an issue, but not "the" issue.

2. Coaching Style -- Players on ML 28 have literally zero freedom to make real time decisions. Everything...and I do mean everything... is directed from the coach to the players in real time. I'm sure all of you have heard CM screaming from the sidelines like a lunatic. Well, try being a kid getting pounded by a pole hearing your name being said in vain because you didn't perform exactly the way it was commanded and, of course, the threat of being pulled from the field if you make a mistake (unless you are of course his kid, which means mistakes don't matter). You are immediately pulled from the field, benched and berated. Some kids/parents are okay with this, some are not.

2b. It was the coach's way, always. He didn't want to hear from the kids or parents. This summer was an absolute disaster for the ML28s. We didn't win a single tournament. The previous year we won NLF with the same group of players. That's not sore loser-talk. That's the truth. Even when the coach got into some trouble in Vail and was kicked out of the tournament and couldn't coach a game or 2 and missed games at Naptown there was no explanation given to the parents as to why/where/or what the heck was going on. We are just suppose to eat it, I guess. But his behavior this summer was clearly the straw that broke the camel's back because several outspoken allies had repeatedly tried to tell him he needs to talk to the parents....there are a lot of problems brewing, etc etc. Nothing.

3. Playing Time. This is always an issue for teams, but wasn't a huge issue on ML28s because the roster was small. However, the coach likes fly ins. While the fly-in banter about ML28 is pretty overblown (we usually only had 1 to 3 players at any given national tournament), they did get a lot of time on the field even though they were of the same caliber of the existing players. CM really likes the next big thing and he gives them a long leash. Existing players, not so much. This is a universal problem within club lacrosse, but the majority of the parents called his bluff on it and he lost bigtime.

ML28s had a pretty good parent ground and most of the kids remain friends. I can tell you with a high degree of conviction that the kids who stayed are not very happy that they did, and I am expecting a few more of the remaining players to head for greener pastures this spring. How do I know? The parents told me. I don't know how the ML28s are going to be this year, and to be honest, I don't really care. I do know that every kid and parent who left for DCE and NL are relieved to not be in the ML pressure-cooker. As for their current roster size...they have several flyin players listed on that roster and there are near zero percent odds they will play for ML again given the meltdown this summer because they witnessed it too.

I agree with the analysis above. Playing time, coaching and (to a lesser extent) cost creatied dissatisfaction on the team. But I don’t think that was what ultimately blew up the team. I track three issues that were the ultimate culprit.

1.DCE- DCE really marketed themselves to the disgruntled parents. They had private “work outs” withe kids And long conversations with parents promising superior coaching, recruiting and local tournaments.

2. Parents- CM really offended several parents this motivated them to recruit defectors.

3. Key defections- once certain key players decided to leave the team it became untenable to stay on. I think this was definitely true for the 2 players who went to NL. How can you stay on a team that is less than half the strength it was in the spring/summer.

There’s no doubt CM brought this on himself. Hopefully the two new coaches can right the ship and the remaining team can have a good experience.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a kid on the ML 28 team?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of one of the kids who left ML to DCE. The total body count in the move was 9 (as mentioned above, 2 also went to NL). The total roster was 18 or 19. There were numerous reasons why the kids left:

1. Cost -- ML is the most expensive club as far as I know. Parents were getting fed up with the ROI. We were entering tournaments that were just stupid (Vail and Orlando over new years). ML28s had a high propensity to only enter tournaments that had a positive impact on the bottom line of the ML organization. There are many great tournaments in the DMV and we would be heading off to CT or some other location because it was an NL affiliated gathering, for example. Also, even if you were a member of the everyday regional team, families were charged an additional $450.00 for EVERY national tournament. Given our "national" team was 85+% our regional team this got to the point of absurdity. This was an issue, but not "the" issue.

2. Coaching Style -- Players on ML 28 have literally zero freedom to make real time decisions. Everything...and I do mean everything... is directed from the coach to the players in real time. I'm sure all of you have heard CM screaming from the sidelines like a lunatic. Well, try being a kid getting pounded by a pole hearing your name being said in vain because you didn't perform exactly the way it was commanded and, of course, the threat of being pulled from the field if you make a mistake (unless you are of course his kid, which means mistakes don't matter). You are immediately pulled from the field, benched and berated. Some kids/parents are okay with this, some are not.

2b. It was the coach's way, always. He didn't want to hear from the kids or parents. This summer was an absolute disaster for the ML28s. We didn't win a single tournament. The previous year we won NLF with the same group of players. That's not sore loser-talk. That's the truth. Even when the coach got into some trouble in Vail and was kicked out of the tournament and couldn't coach a game or 2 and missed games at Naptown there was no explanation given to the parents as to why/where/or what the heck was going on. We are just suppose to eat it, I guess. But his behavior this summer was clearly the straw that broke the camel's back because several outspoken allies had repeatedly tried to tell him he needs to talk to the parents....there are a lot of problems brewing, etc etc. Nothing.

3. Playing Time. This is always an issue for teams, but wasn't a huge issue on ML28s because the roster was small. However, the coach likes fly ins. While the fly-in banter about ML28 is pretty overblown (we usually only had 1 to 3 players at any given national tournament), they did get a lot of time on the field even though they were of the same caliber of the existing players. CM really likes the next big thing and he gives them a long leash. Existing players, not so much. This is a universal problem within club lacrosse, but the majority of the parents called his bluff on it and he lost bigtime.

ML28s had a pretty good parent ground and most of the kids remain friends. I can tell you with a high degree of conviction that the kids who stayed are not very happy that they did, and I am expecting a few more of the remaining players to head for greener pastures this spring. How do I know? The parents told me. I don't know how the ML28s are going to be this year, and to be honest, I don't really care. I do know that every kid and parent who left for DCE and NL are relieved to not be in the ML pressure-cooker. As for their current roster size...they have several flyin players listed on that roster and there are near zero percent odds they will play for ML again given the meltdown this summer because they witnessed it too.

as someone who had a front row seat to all of this for the last 5 years—this is a GENTLE description of the turmoil and the coach’s behavior that drove it from the top down. I won’t delve to the specifics, the list would take 3 pages on this blog to air out… we ate crow for years, knowing that the guy is a lunatic, but the boys all really liked each other, as did the parents. And the team was good. But to say it was toxic is a gross understatement. The hubris displayed was almost comical— well, he was served a full plate of humble pie, while his lunch was eaten by DCE and NL.

[Anonymous]

Funny thing is that for two decades ML was a top 5 National program. The decline came when the owner was a dad coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny thing is that for two decades ML was a top 5 National program. The decline came when the owner was a dad coach.

Facts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of one of the kids who left ML to DCE. The total body count in the move was 9 (as mentioned above, 2 also went to NL). The total roster was 18 or 19. There were numerous reasons why the kids left:

1. Cost -- ML is the most expensive club as far as I know. Parents were getting fed up with the ROI. We were entering tournaments that were just stupid (Vail and Orlando over new years). ML28s had a high propensity to only enter tournaments that had a positive impact on the bottom line of the ML organization. There are many great tournaments in the DMV and we would be heading off to CT or some other location because it was an NL affiliated gathering, for example. Also, even if you were a member of the everyday regional team, families were charged an additional $450.00 for EVERY national tournament. Given our "national" team was 85+% our regional team this got to the point of absurdity. This was an issue, but not "the" issue.

2. Coaching Style -- Players on ML 28 have literally zero freedom to make real time decisions. Everything...and I do mean everything... is directed from the coach to the players in real time. I'm sure all of you have heard CM screaming from the sidelines like a lunatic. Well, try being a kid getting pounded by a pole hearing your name being said in vain because you didn't perform exactly the way it was commanded and, of course, the threat of being pulled from the field if you make a mistake (unless you are of course his kid, which means mistakes don't matter). You are immediately pulled from the field, benched and berated. Some kids/parents are okay with this, some are not.

2b. It was the coach's way, always. He didn't want to hear from the kids or parents. This summer was an absolute disaster for the ML28s. We didn't win a single tournament. The previous year we won NLF with the same group of players. That's not sore loser-talk. That's the truth. Even when the coach got into some trouble in Vail and was kicked out of the tournament and couldn't coach a game or 2 and missed games at Naptown there was no explanation given to the parents as to why/where/or what the heck was going on. We are just suppose to eat it, I guess. But his behavior this summer was clearly the straw that broke the camel's back because several outspoken allies had repeatedly tried to tell him he needs to talk to the parents....there are a lot of problems brewing, etc etc. Nothing.

3. Playing Time. This is always an issue for teams, but wasn't a huge issue on ML28s because the roster was small. However, the coach likes fly ins. While the fly-in banter about ML28 is pretty overblown (we usually only had 1 to 3 players at any given national tournament), they did get a lot of time on the field even though they were of the same caliber of the existing players. CM really likes the next big thing and he gives them a long leash. Existing players, not so much. This is a universal problem within club lacrosse, but the majority of the parents called his bluff on it and he lost bigtime.

ML28s had a pretty good parent ground and most of the kids remain friends. I can tell you with a high degree of conviction that the kids who stayed are not very happy that they did, and I am expecting a few more of the remaining players to head for greener pastures this spring. How do I know? The parents told me. I don't know how the ML28s are going to be this year, and to be honest, I don't really care. I do know that every kid and parent who left for DCE and NL are relieved to not be in the ML pressure-cooker. As for their current roster size...they have several flyin players listed on that roster and there are near zero percent odds they will play for ML again given the meltdown this summer because they witnessed it too.

as someone who had a front row seat to all of this for the last 5 years—this is a GENTLE description of the turmoil and the coach’s behavior that drove it from the top down. I won’t delve to the specifics, the list would take 3 pages on this blog to air out… we ate crow for years, knowing that the guy is a lunatic, but the boys all really liked each other, as did the parents. And the team was good. But to say it was toxic is a gross understatement. The hubris displayed was almost comical— well, he was served a full plate of humble pie, while his lunch was eaten by DCE and NL.

For those of us who stayed on the team - I hope we didn’t make a disastrous mistake. The new coaches are pretty good but only time will tell if cm can keep his mits off the team. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem like any other places to go if it doesn’t work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of one of the kids who left ML to DCE. The total body count in the move was 9 (as mentioned above, 2 also went to NL). The total roster was 18 or 19. There were numerous reasons why the kids left:

1. Cost -- ML is the most expensive club as far as I know. Parents were getting fed up with the ROI. We were entering tournaments that were just stupid (Vail and Orlando over new years). ML28s had a high propensity to only enter tournaments that had a positive impact on the bottom line of the ML organization. There are many great tournaments in the DMV and we would be heading off to CT or some other location because it was an NL affiliated gathering, for example. Also, even if you were a member of the everyday regional team, families were charged an additional $450.00 for EVERY national tournament. Given our "national" team was 85+% our regional team this got to the point of absurdity. This was an issue, but not "the" issue.

2. Coaching Style -- Players on ML 28 have literally zero freedom to make real time decisions. Everything...and I do mean everything... is directed from the coach to the players in real time. I'm sure all of you have heard CM screaming from the sidelines like a lunatic. Well, try being a kid getting pounded by a pole hearing your name being said in vain because you didn't perform exactly the way it was commanded and, of course, the threat of being pulled from the field if you make a mistake (unless you are of course his kid, which means mistakes don't matter). You are immediately pulled from the field, benched and berated. Some kids/parents are okay with this, some are not.

2b. It was the coach's way, always. He didn't want to hear from the kids or parents. This summer was an absolute disaster for the ML28s. We didn't win a single tournament. The previous year we won NLF with the same group of players. That's not sore loser-talk. That's the truth. Even when the coach got into some trouble in Vail and was kicked out of the tournament and couldn't coach a game or 2 and missed games at Naptown there was no explanation given to the parents as to why/where/or what the heck was going on. We are just suppose to eat it, I guess. But his behavior this summer was clearly the straw that broke the camel's back because several outspoken allies had repeatedly tried to tell him he needs to talk to the parents....there are a lot of problems brewing, etc etc. Nothing.

3. Playing Time. This is always an issue for teams, but wasn't a huge issue on ML28s because the roster was small. However, the coach likes fly ins. While the fly-in banter about ML28 is pretty overblown (we usually only had 1 to 3 players at any given national tournament), they did get a lot of time on the field even though they were of the same caliber of the existing players. CM really likes the next big thing and he gives them a long leash. Existing players, not so much. This is a universal problem within club lacrosse, but the majority of the parents called his bluff on it and he lost bigtime.

ML28s had a pretty good parent ground and most of the kids remain friends. I can tell you with a high degree of conviction that the kids who stayed are not very happy that they did, and I am expecting a few more of the remaining players to head for greener pastures this spring. How do I know? The parents told me. I don't know how the ML28s are going to be this year, and to be honest, I don't really care. I do know that every kid and parent who left for DCE and NL are relieved to not be in the ML pressure-cooker. As for their current roster size...they have several flyin players listed on that roster and there are near zero percent odds they will play for ML again given the meltdown this summer because they witnessed it too.

as someone who had a front row seat to all of this for the last 5 years—this is a GENTLE description of the turmoil and the coach’s behavior that drove it from the top down. I won’t delve to the specifics, the list would take 3 pages on this blog to air out… we ate crow for years, knowing that the guy is a lunatic, but the boys all really liked each other, as did the parents. And the team was good. But to say it was toxic is a gross understatement. The hubris displayed was almost comical— well, he was served a full plate of humble pie, while his lunch was eaten by DCE and NL.

For those of us who stayed on the team - I hope we didn’t make a disastrous mistake. The new coaches are pretty good but only time will tell if cm can keep his mits off the team. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem like any other places to go if it doesn’t work out.

He will not keep his mitts off the team, he has to protect his kid.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations on exiting the cult. Life will only get better from here

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2021 class was also exceptional so really. 3 year run of excellence that will probably never be reached again given how quickly the sport is growing in FL TX and CA.

I would say the run was from 2019-2022 for the DMV run of excellence. Club teams and HS teams were all over the Top 5 in the country, depending on Spring or Summer. Totally agree that the talent is down since then, broadly speaking. Of course there are still some super studs in the area, but as a whole, down. And more recently, the national results of those same Club and HS teams tell you that.

Baseless. Like the comment “man, when I went to school there, it was such a cool llace. Now it’s a bunch of nerds.”

The DMV has arguably the best talent in the country. Their Nike All Star teams have dominated the last 3-4 years, winning multiple age groups/classes each year. The game is way, way faster and more technical now around here than it was just 8-10 years ago. Kids are bigger and faster too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2021 class was also exceptional so really. 3 year run of excellence that will probably never be reached again given how quickly the sport is growing in FL TX and CA.

I would say the run was from 2019-2022 for the DMV run of excellence. Club teams and HS teams were all over the Top 5 in the country, depending on Spring or Summer. Totally agree that the talent is down since then, broadly speaking. Of course there are still some super studs in the area, but as a whole, down. And more recently, the national results of those same Club and HS teams tell you that.

Baseless. Like the comment “man, when I went to school there, it was such a cool llace. Now it’s a bunch of nerds.”

The DMV has arguably the best talent in the country. Their Nike All Star teams have dominated the last 3-4 years, winning multiple age groups/classes each year. The game is way, way faster and more technical now around here than it was just 8-10 years ago. Kids are bigger and faster too.

Just saw this on Back of the Cage.....

DCE28 parent here. We just received notice that CM from Madlax is trying to block us (and only the 28s) from playing NAL this fall. Guess he's replaying the NLF model he has used on Next Level for years. If your kid plays for an NAL member club, you should light them up for blocking a team that wants to compete. Pretty weak sauce taking out your failures as an owner and coach on a group of 8th graders....but I guess we should have assumed this would happen given the fact several players on the new 28 DCE team is made up of old MLers who saw the light.

Thought I would just put that out there for the salty BOTC community to digest. It's weird he is focusing on DCE, though, given a sizeable percentage of existing ML players -- across several age groups -- are playing for MOJOs this Fall. The guy can't even control what happens in his own house as it is collapsing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2021 class was also exceptional so really. 3 year run of excellence that will probably never be reached again given how quickly the sport is growing in FL TX and CA.

I would say the run was from 2019-2022 for the DMV run of excellence. Club teams and HS teams were all over the Top 5 in the country, depending on Spring or Summer. Totally agree that the talent is down since then, broadly speaking. Of course there are still some super studs in the area, but as a whole, down. And more recently, the national results of those same Club and HS teams tell you that.

Baseless. Like the comment “man, when I went to school there, it was such a cool llace. Now it’s a bunch of nerds.”

The DMV has arguably the best talent in the country. Their Nike All Star teams have dominated the last 3-4 years, winning multiple age groups/classes each year. The game is way, way faster and more technical now around here than it was just 8-10 years ago. Kids are bigger and faster too.

Just saw this on Back of the Cage.....

DCE28 parent here. We just received notice that CM from Madlax is trying to block us (and only the 28s) from playing NAL this fall. Guess he's replaying the NLF model he has used on Next Level for years. If your kid plays for an NAL member club, you should light them up for blocking a team that wants to compete. Pretty weak sauce taking out your failures as an owner and coach on a group of 8th graders....but I guess we should have assumed this would happen given the fact several players on the new 28 DCE team is made up of old MLers who saw the light.

Thought I would just put that out there for the salty BOTC community to digest. It's weird he is focusing on DCE, though, given a sizeable percentage of existing ML players -- across several age groups -- are playing for MOJOs this Fall. The guy can't even control what happens in his own house as it is collapsing.

Lolol! The 28 class is such a mess. Crazy parents crazy coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:2021 class was also exceptional so really. 3 year run of excellence that will probably never be reached again given how quickly the sport is growing in FL TX and CA.

I would say the run was from 2019-2022 for the DMV run of excellence. Club teams and HS teams were all over the Top 5 in the country, depending on Spring or Summer. Totally agree that the talent is down since then, broadly speaking. Of course there are still some super studs in the area, but as a whole, down. And more recently, the national results of those same Club and HS teams tell you that.

Baseless. Like the comment “man, when I went to school there, it was such a cool llace. Now it’s a bunch of nerds.”

The DMV has arguably the best talent in the country. Their Nike All Star teams have dominated the last 3-4 years, winning multiple age groups/classes each year. The game is way, way faster and more technical now around here than it was just 8-10 years ago. Kids are bigger and faster too.

Just saw this on Back of the Cage.....

DCE28 parent here. We just received notice that CM from Madlax is trying to block us (and only the 28s) from playing NAL this fall. Guess he's replaying the NLF model he has used on Next Level for years. If your kid plays for an NAL member club, you should light them up for blocking a team that wants to compete. Pretty weak sauce taking out your failures as an owner and coach on a group of 8th graders....but I guess we should have assumed this would happen given the fact several players on the new 28 DCE team is made up of old MLers who saw the light.

Thought I would just put that out there for the salty BOTC community to digest. It's weird he is focusing on DCE, though, given a sizeable percentage of existing ML players -- across several age groups -- are playing for MOJOs this Fall. The guy can't even control what happens in his own house as it is collapsing.

Lolol! The 28 class is such a mess. Crazy parents crazy coaches.

No argument.... I am guessing the closer to HS, the crazier the parents/coaches get...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of one of the kids who left ML to DCE. The total body count in the move was 9 (as mentioned above, 2 also went to NL). The total roster was 18 or 19. There were numerous reasons why the kids left:

1. Cost -- ML is the most expensive club as far as I know. Parents were getting fed up with the ROI. We were entering tournaments that were just stupid (Vail and Orlando over new years). ML28s had a high propensity to only enter tournaments that had a positive impact on the bottom line of the ML organization. There are many great tournaments in the DMV and we would be heading off to CT or some other location because it was an NL affiliated gathering, for example. Also, even if you were a member of the everyday regional team, families were charged an additional $450.00 for EVERY national tournament. Given our "national" team was 85+% our regional team this got to the point of absurdity. This was an issue, but not "the" issue.

2. Coaching Style -- Players on ML 28 have literally zero freedom to make real time decisions. Everything...and I do mean everything... is directed from the coach to the players in real time. I'm sure all of you have heard CM screaming from the sidelines like a lunatic. Well, try being a kid getting pounded by a pole hearing your name being said in vain because you didn't perform exactly the way it was commanded and, of course, the threat of being pulled from the field if you make a mistake (unless you are of course his kid, which means mistakes don't matter). You are immediately pulled from the field, benched and berated. Some kids/parents are okay with this, some are not.

2b. It was the coach's way, always. He didn't want to hear from the kids or parents. This summer was an absolute disaster for the ML28s. We didn't win a single tournament. The previous year we won NLF with the same group of players. That's not sore loser-talk. That's the truth. Even when the coach got into some trouble in Vail and was kicked out of the tournament and couldn't coach a game or 2 and missed games at Naptown there was no explanation given to the parents as to why/where/or what the heck was going on. We are just suppose to eat it, I guess. But his behavior this summer was clearly the straw that broke the camel's back because several outspoken allies had repeatedly tried to tell him he needs to talk to the parents....there are a lot of problems brewing, etc etc. Nothing.

3. Playing Time. This is always an issue for teams, but wasn't a huge issue on ML28s because the roster was small. However, the coach likes fly ins. While the fly-in banter about ML28 is pretty overblown (we usually only had 1 to 3 players at any given national tournament), they did get a lot of time on the field even though they were of the same caliber of the existing players. CM really likes the next big thing and he gives them a long leash. Existing players, not so much. This is a universal problem within club lacrosse, but the majority of the parents called his bluff on it and he lost bigtime.

ML28s had a pretty good parent ground and most of the kids remain friends. I can tell you with a high degree of conviction that the kids who stayed are not very happy that they did, and I am expecting a few more of the remaining players to head for greener pastures this spring. How do I know? The parents told me. I don't know how the ML28s are going to be this year, and to be honest, I don't really care. I do know that every kid and parent who left for DCE and NL are relieved to not be in the ML pressure-cooker. As for their current roster size...they have several flyin players listed on that roster and there are near zero percent odds they will play for ML again given the meltdown this summer because they witnessed it too.

What are you teaching your children when you knowingly would put up with Cabell's bad behavior. It's okay to be mistreated as long as we win? I like the parents so deal with it kid? Can't wait to see how your kids turn out.