lax culture from an insider
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Anonymous
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Lacrosse is kinda tricky a recruiting process.
My son played on a club team, attended one of the Maryland privates. While he received several interest from mid major programs such as a LeHigh, Furman, High Point, Bucknell, Penn State, Holy Cross, none of these schools offered more than $2,000 - $4,000. Some offered just to pay for his books. My son ended up going to a D3 program - committed the summer going into his senior year and even better qualified for an academic scholarship where the tuition was nearly cut in half. Don't be fooled by D3. If your son can qualify for an academic scholarship it' becomes a sweet deal. |
Anonymous
I have better things to do with my time than count leagues and teams. Over broadly, USLacrosse states they have about 750K members, so round that up to a million to make it a sensible guess. Many millions of kids play football. Great athletes who are great football players get full college scholarships in football regardless of whether they stand out at Gonzaga or at South Lakes HS to name just one random public school. Lacrosse players who get shielded and groomed at expensive private schools get meal plan equivalent scholarships if they are very lucky...because so few colleges offer scholarships and many of the 70+ D1 schools are unfunded and several are only partially funded. When you read that a kid is verbally committed to Bucknell or to Boston U as a 9th grader, and take into consideration both schools have fewer than 7 scholarships in the program, where do you think the rainbow is ending with more than a pot of tin? |
Anonymous
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As the prior poster noted, the only real value a college lacrosse coach has to your family is help in the admissions process. The real jackpot is being a good enough student to qualify for merit based academic scholarship money...which are far more generous amounts than lacrosse GIA athletic money.
There are two types of lacrosse recruits high level D1 coaches want. First are the lights out athletic talent kids who you make needed academic exceptions for and also dump most of your scholarship budget into. That is 1-2 kids a year. For the remaining 9-15 recruits in a class the coaches need to identify strong lacrosse players who are either (1) full pay families with an average or below student kid craving a D1 lacrosse roster spot, or (2) a strong lacrosse player who can also qualify for merit money. The second is the gold standard for non-lacrosse reasons. Kids who are too students are less likely to cause trouble, be poor students in college and also reflect well as "brochure kids" (read: team GPA). ADs at colleges trying to be both tops in sports an serve being selective schools only care about 3 things from any non-revenue sport team: winning, high academic success with full graduation rates and no troubles. |
Anonymous
| And you know this because you are a coach? |
Anonymous
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its common sense.
the D3 schools can offer merit based academic scholarships, sometimes up to 50% off tuition. My son was able to get an academic scholarship and play lacrosse at a NESCAC school. |
Anonymous
I know this because a good friend and former college classmate is the commissioner of the SEC conference, and another good friend is an AD at an ACC member. For men's lacrosse that means absolutely nothing because no SEC schools have men's lacrosse teams. It seems that the information oasis for parents having delusions of big scholarship money and big time sports via college lacrosse are gathering most of that data from other lacrosse parents and the club guys selling you dreams. In reality, right now the economics of D1 college lacrosse are half a step ahead of club athletics at most colleges. The direct operating budget for UVA lacrosse is about $940,000 right now. The endowed operating budget for men's rugby is $485,000. Men's rugby is club. The main difference is the lack of partial scholarships offered and a lower travel budget. No other material difference. |
Anonymous
Gross over generalization ... as I know many kids who not only excel at lacrosse, but other sports as well. For example, if you dig into the rosters of many D1 programs, they're littered with football players who achieved accolades (e.g. all met, all state, etc). By any measure, they were very good. Just one example off the top of my head - Sergio Perkovic. In the DMV there are plenty of committed kids who also start on their varsity squads. Coaches want well rounded athletes. |
Anonymous
| If you're a junior or a senior 5'7 and 130 lbs dripping wet and sign up, you're in the varsity at any IAC football team. The only thing you are arguing is that prep schoolers do other prep school sports. |
Anonymous
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I don't think there is anyone on an IAC varsity football team at 135 lbs.
Gonzaga Dad's showing their insecurity yet again. We get it - the WCAC is the best football conference in the DMV area. The schools live and breath football and recruit heavily for football - its laughable how often you see Gonzaga and DeMatha scouts at middle school football games or youth practices. |
Anonymous
Especially in light of the fact that it's not like you can play lacrosse professionally and make good money after college, even if you're the best D1 player out there. |
Anonymous
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agree.
D3 is where its at. You have to wonder about kids going to a private school and deciding to go to High Point or Furman to play lacrosse. |
Anonymous
| +1 |
Anonymous
Landon. |
Anonymous
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Landon has no kids on the Furman or High Point rosters nor are there any kids committed to play there.
Pretty sure Gonzaga has 1- 3 in their program committed to High Point or Furman. Kudos to their kids. Why so many people on this forum make it their business on where one wants to go to college is beyond me. |
Anonymous
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+1
Not everyone aspires to go to a "name school" because of parental pressure and end up being miserable. Some people like to find the school that fits best. |