They hired a 24 year old lax brio who is likely single , with no kids . Good for him . |
Prep lacrosse is on the upswing because morale is at an all-time high. |
The talent has always been there. |
The talent last year was over hyped.
A bunch of 19 year old seniors who peeked in 9th and 10th grade. The same can be said about Prep's 2024 class. |
So GP posted the HC job on 7/31 but hired Urick’s replacement 6 weeks ago. And sent a letter to parents promising a “nationwide search”.
I’m used to a level of amateurism on the Pike, but this seems to be a new level of it (if true). An MIAA assistant might not be that bad of an idea. He’d certainly be easier to manage, have fewer demands, etc. Very few, if any, GP alums have gone on to be Lax coaches at any level. So that path isn’t available to them. |
Hired a McD assistant several weeks ago. They will hire the McD head coach soon.
A plan with execution. Good for prep. |
If Prep ends up with multiple good coaches on the campus, that's a big win for them.
Close the coaching gap with Landon's army of in-house coaches. |
Landon will be running scared from Prep once the new HC is hired.
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Strange comment. I’m a GP loyalist and no fan of Landon. But I’ve never seen them afraid of anything in any sport. They generally “punch above their weight”. And a strong (er) GP program actually helps Landon in a way by increasing the heat of the “rivalry” that is currently a mere shadow of what it used to be. They’d rather see thousands at the game than the much smaller crowds lately that seem to be 50% middle schoolers playing catch. |
MIAA Homer here:
If GP does hire the current McDonogh head coach (as some insiders on here have indicated), it will be interesting to see how long he stays in seat. McDonogh puts a huge emphasis on athletics, (always has) and operates differently than most of its MIAA counter-parts (they push the envelope when it comes to need-based aid vs athletic scholarships) Hilgartner has clout and influence at McDonogh and he has earned it, he is an excellent coach but McDonogh provides him lots of resources. If he doesn't get his way at Prep (thats if they even hire him), he will be out of there within 4 seasons if Prep doesn't bend to his demands. |
These people making this claim may or may not be “insiders”. And this rumor may or may not be correct. In the past, Prep has done some unusual things in the realm of athletics but that was under a different regime. (The Dwayne Bryant - Roy Hibbert era in basketball) Greatly increasing the resources allocated to Lacrosse (Admissions, FA, coaches salaries, etc.) might meet some significant resistance from others on campus. Including the football program, unless someone is kicking in a bunch of new money. Bringing in a top coach from a really good program sounds like something one of the WCAC schools might do. And the reaction from the other IAC schools to changes is TBD. Prep football has been expelled from the Conference TWICE for being “inconsistent” with the other schools. |
The IAC is falling apart. GP is gonna do what they think is best for the school and moving them towards their goal of being the top boarder and day school in the mid atlantic. |
Where in the world did you get this from "towards their goal of being the top boarder and day school in the Mid-Atlantic."? No one at Prep has ever had this as a goal. What they want to do is to continue to pay the bills for a large and expensive faculty and staff, the Taj Mahal-level facilities and a healthy yearly contribution to the Jesuit Province. To do this, they have to compete with Gonzaga and St John's for Catholic Day students. Both these schools are larger and less expensive and offer generally stronger athletic programs. Lacrosse brings in a handful of frequently full-pay kids each year. All they need to do is to be competitive in the IAC, not dominant. |
The IAC will be gone in 5 years. St Stephen’s has dropped entirely for football. |
SSSAS has also dropped hockey and has de-emphasized sports across the board. Episcopal can't field varsity team and jv teams in a number of sports. Bullis and GP recruit heavily for football and basketball along with GP in baseball and Bullis in track. St. Albans and Landon are clinging to the old model. Landon thought they could get rid of GP but it turns out Landon is looking for a new home in sports. Yes, it is likely GP moves toward an independent schedule once Paro retires. The new boarding facility allows them to increase enrollment, get more full pay foreign and national students and provide more scholarship assistance. |