Private School Lacrosse Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me just how uninformed people are and how many of their impressions are incorrect.

Consider the tiny coaching staffs of most DIII schools versus the ideas on there about DIII recruiting. Most of these schools have a head coach and maybe one or two assistants. The amount of time they can spend on or with a single protect is very limited because there are an ocean of prospects out there because of the growth of the sport.

They depend on casting a broad net and then hoping to find some interested prospects. Schools will send out hundreds letters to just about anyone they can find on any list they have. Those that return the completed questionnaire become possibilities.

They also depend on a few key contacts they have at certain schools. That might be an alum (Coaching or not coaching) or a head coach they have a history with. The idea here is to find a kid who can play at their level and that would actually consider their school. They may eventually vector in on a few top prospects and call them, send hand-written notes, etc.

Because DIII's don't give scholarships they have no real commitment to a prospect. What they want to do is to get as many kids to apply as they can and then try to sort it out with Admissions.

Agree with most of this post, except for the last sentence. A coach who says he will support a candidate for admission who cannot deliver the goods will not be a coach for long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's amazing to me just how uninformed people are and how many of their impressions are incorrect.

Consider the tiny coaching staffs of most DIII schools versus the ideas on there about DIII recruiting. Most of these schools have a head coach and maybe one or two assistants. The amount of time they can spend on or with a single protect is very limited because there are an ocean of prospects out there because of the growth of the sport.

They depend on casting a broad net and then hoping to find some interested prospects. Schools will send out hundreds letters to just about anyone they can find on any list they have. Those that return the completed questionnaire become possibilities.

They also depend on a few key contacts they have at certain schools. That might be an alum (Coaching or not coaching) or a head coach they have a history with. The idea here is to find a kid who can play at their level and that would actually consider their school. They may eventually vector in on a few top prospects and call them, send hand-written notes, etc.

Because DIII's don't give scholarships they have no real commitment to a prospect. What they want to do is to get as many kids to apply as they can and then try to sort it out with Admissions.

Agree with most of this post, except for the last sentence. A coach who says he will support a candidate for admission who cannot deliver the goods will not be a coach for long.

I guess in the very long-term.

But, any coach can say, "I worked hard to get your son in. but Admissions was unmoved".

And families are rarely going to share this experience with others. These are the same people who say their son "signed with" w D-III school when there is nothing to sign.

A coach has a list of prospects. He probably has them ranked by position (or at least arranged into tiers). Because they know SAT scores and GPA's and maybe even a guess at "ability to pay", they can prioritize their list.

They want everyone on that list to at least apply. And they are going to tell everybody on that list whatever they think they want to hear to get them to apply. In Division III, more is better.

In DIII, when they go to Admissions they are going to lobby for players based on their ranking against this list. They know they are only going to get so many.

In D1, because there are a finite number of paid official visits and scholarships (or fractions of scholarships), the sincerity of a coach is demonstrated more easily.

[Anonymous]

D3 schools will get you a pre-read with Admissions (to include GPA, SAT scores). A thumbs up, while not binding or a final decision, is presumptively an admission.

[Anonymous]

Who are the new coaches at STA? I know the name of the HC. But I heard he unveiled a new and reportedly impressive slate of new coaches.

[Anonymous]

What high schools are playing in the Uplax tournament this weekend?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who are the new coaches at STA? I know the name of the HC. But I heard he unveiled a new and reportedly impressive slate of new coaches.

A NL coach is part of the STA coaching team. That should be a win-win for both NL and STA.

[Anonymous]

Coaching doesn't matter nearly as much as players. STA still has a huge talent deficit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coaching doesn't matter nearly as much as players. STA still has a huge talent deficit.

ST Albans has a strong starting lineup but no bench. The bears will eat those dawgs for lunch. That said, the rest of the IAC will be a tossup and ST Albans could even make it to 3rd if SSSA and Bullis can't rebuild. I give 2nd place to Prep. That new coach should be able to spark life back into the program.

[Anonymous]

Bullis will be good still. They brought in a few transfers, two from St Stephens and one kid from MSJ.

STA will be very competitive this Spring and could finish in the top half of the IAC.

Prep is going to surprise some teams .

The IAC will be loaded yet again top to bottom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bullis will be good still. They brought in a few transfers, two from St Stephens and one kid from MSJ.

STA will be very competitive this Spring and could finish in the top half of the IAC.

Prep is going to surprise some teams .

The IAC will be loaded yet again top to bottom.

Agree that IAC will be loaded. What is MSJ?

[Anonymous]

The IAC is not loaded. Top to bottom, it will be down compared to the previous few years.

Landon will win it easily. STA has a lot of talent and could finish in 2nd. Bullis lost a ton and despite a few transfers (one of whom is excellent), they will be down. SSSAS returns one starter.

Prep has some good 2019s and 2020s, but they are not that great, either.

[Anonymous]

Prep has more kids committed in their 2020 and 2019 than any school in the area.

Prep will be back.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prep has more kids committed in their 2020 and 2019 than any school in the area.

Prep will be back.

Yes, but they won't be that great this year. Good, but not great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The IAC is not loaded. Top to bottom, it will be down compared to the previous few years.

Landon will win it easily. STA has a lot of talent and could finish in 2nd. Bullis lost a ton and despite a few transfers (one of whom is excellent), they will be down. SSSAS returns one starter.

Prep has some good 2019s and 2020s, but they are not that great, either.

Landon will win it, but not easily. STA''s new FOGO, star goalie, and maturing multi-threat offense will make things interesting, but Bullis should be 2nd. STA will take third, and prep should take 4th. Episcopal will be the cellar dweller and SSSA will be barely above them. Ya heard it here it here first.


-Lax Soothsayer

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here. I'm from the other coast, have young children (who do not yet play lacrosse), and am relatively clueless about this sport.

I'm curious when kids begin playing lacrosse, i.e. how old are they usually when introduced to the sport? When do talented kids begin to show talent?

Lacrosse for boys seems like a pretty heavy contact sport. What's the rate of concussions?

I've seen them start in third grade or even second in league/club. Talented kids can begin to show talent right away. By 6th grade, it seems like some kids have gotten really good. Concussions are not unheard of, but not as common as in football.