I am just curious: What are the odds of a kid in a program like Madlax getting recruited to play Division 1 in College? I have a friend who spends thousands of dollars a year on her son's lacrosse activities (camps, clinics, Madlax, HS, etc) and they are really fixated on Div 1. Her son is a HS freshman; mine is a 9 year old who idol-worships this kid and is a decent athlete (runs well, swims, has played rec soccer.)

We feel it's a little early to start thinkng about college scholarships for a 9 year old. But my firend tells me she was already thinking about it when her son was 9 and it's not too soon to start.

I hate the pressure to get a kid to specialize this early, but my son does seem pretty drawn to lacrosse.

Do club coaches proactively help their players get recruited?

Anonymous wrote:One piece of advice. Should your son turn out to be recruitable, use his lacrosse skills as a means to get into the best school he can (or best for him) rather than making it all about which school has the best lacrosse program. I see many kids who could have parlayed their lacrosse at local schools with good programs into admission to an Ivy League school or a little Ivy who instead choose a school based on it's national rankings in lacrosse.

Great advice - we tell this to DS but he'd listen more to his coaches at this point - thankfully they appear to be promoting this attitude.

Anonymous wrote:They look decent since they limit the number of kids attending and it is a way to get in front of the coaches. It's obvious from the list of coaches heading out to the West Coast that they will be looking for potential recruits. I think if your kid has a great desire to go to one of the schools coaching and has the academic chops required it may be a way to be seen.

DS is 2020 and the most D1s like Cornell can do is say, hey we can't talk to you, but we do have some prospect days and here's the info. One thing to remember is that the kids have to have the grades/test scores to attend Ivies. They don't have tons of flexibility there.

The Lacrosse Masters camps are a little different than the typical showcase. Head coaches from very strong DI and DIII schools actually run practice sessions and put the kids through drills in relatively small groups. So, there is an opportunity to learn, as opposed to only playing games with a slapped together group. Not sure it's any better in terms of getting exposure or being noticed, but I know several who enjoyed the experience.

One piece of advice. Should your son turn out to be recruitable, use his lacrosse skills as a means to get into the best school he can (or best for him) rather than making it all about which school has the best lacrosse program. I see many kids who could have parlayed their lacrosse at local schools with good programs into admission to an Ivy League school or a little Ivy who instead choose a school based on it's national rankings in lacrosse.

They look decent since they limit the number of kids attending and it is a way to get in front of the coaches. It's obvious from the list of coaches heading out to the West Coast that they will be looking for potential recruits. I think if your kid has a great desire to go to one of the schools coaching and has the academic chops required it may be a way to be seen.

DS is 2020 and the most D1s like Cornell can do is say, hey we can't talk to you, but we do have some prospect days and here's the info. One thing to remember is that the kids have to have the grades/test scores to attend Ivies. They don't have tons of flexibility there.

Micro camps: https://lacrossemasters.com/boys-camps

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have experience with these "micro" showcases?

What is an example of a "micro" showcase?

Anyone have experience with these "micro" showcases?

Anonymous wrote:Best fall recruitment showcases?

NXT Philly Fall Showcase

I have two improbable D3 college athletes as neither of my kids played club in their sport, which is the most obvious path for recruiting. My lax player was captain of his high school team, which might have helped, and he had very good SAT scores/grades in hand by July before his senior year. He also made a highlight video. He focused on one or two schools that seemed like a great academic fit but with lax teams that weren't superpowers. He visited the campuses, met with the coaches, and then called the coach of his favorite school the summer before he applied and asked for a roster spot.

DS found coaches very willing to talk to him if he showed up on campus. There are only so many campus tours that one can take though so it is good to be strategic both about your kid's skills and about their academics. I can't emphasize enough how important it is for the student to be reaching out to the coach (at least in my kids' cases -- both kids are good solid athletes but not standouts). The lax player also did some of the recruiting showcases/camps which really helped him as a player.

Best fall recruitment showcases?

Anonymous wrote:Until a few years ago, in this area, clubs were the path to lax college commitments; however, there has been a substantive shift over the past 2-3 years. Now there are some high school coaches, mostly private but some public, who have successfully developed strong pathways to D1 and other teams. If your son plays for one of those teams then you will be in good stead. Most of the boys do also play club but they also are relying on their high school coaches for their recruitment and commitment path.

And, yes, the recruitment tournaments as well as the recruiting camps are critical. Expensive, too, unfortunately!

Our DS is a sophomore and we've found this to be the case. He was recruited to private from a strong club team. UnderArmour tryouts are here in June each year - lots of college coaches there. The better club teams are invited/play at tournaments where lots of college coaches come as well. Also, a good video that he sends out to coaches at schools he's interested in is important too. I found lots of good info and lists of prospect days (less important unless you are invited by them) at beginninglacrosse.com or something like that. I will say it's weird feeling like you have little choice over what schools are interested in your kid.

Good luck to him.

Until a few years ago, in this area, clubs were the path to lax college commitments; however, there has been a substantive shift over the past 2-3 years. Now there are some high school coaches, mostly private but some public, who have successfully developed strong pathways to D1 and other teams. If your son plays for one of those teams then you will be in good stead. Most of the boys do also play club but they also are relying on their high school coaches for their recruitment and commitment path.

And, yes, the recruitment tournaments as well as the recruiting camps are critical. Expensive, too, unfortunately!

We are new to the area, TX transplants. My son is a converted football player, whose athleticism and good hand eye has made him a very good player. He is now a rising sophomore and would like to try to get recruited to play at the college level. The process is all so confusing. For example, how important is it to play for a club team? How important is it to attend a private school? What's the deal with all of these recruitment tournaments - 900 dollars or more for a recruitment camp? Please help me sort through all of this. Thank you!