Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You see all sorts of ranges of size and speed but when push comes to shove the it needs to be there.

I don’t really understand what this means?

It means it's 90% mental. The other half is physical.

Not sure how your math works, but agree D1 athletes must have mental toughness. Playing D1 lacrosse can be a grind. Balancing 6 am lifts, team practices, personal time practicing, classes, grades, and a social life can be rough. A players day becomes the same routine. They have to want this to be their college experience.

Players have to be able to handle adversity. Many players are coming from being the top player on their high school teams to sitting the bench. In college, maybe just over half of the roster will get regular playing time during a season. Some will never see the field. That’s a lot of work put in for little return in playing time. And coaches never stop recruiting. Players have to mentally fight through this.

While important though, to play at a high level in D1 players must be great athletes and have speed. The game is getting faster. College sports is just heading this direction, players are getting bigger and stronger. This doesn’t mean you have to be a certain height or weight or be able to lift so much, but the bigger faster players with good skills will have a big advantage.

A lot of expert parents in the 28 class. I'm sure it will be the most successful class ever

Father of Ivy and ACC daughters. You don’t need to be tall/big, but if not, better be quick and shifty. Resilience is the one trait I see as a common factor among women who have success in college.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You see all sorts of ranges of size and speed but when push comes to shove the it needs to be there.

I don’t really understand what this means?

It means it's 90% mental. The other half is physical.

Looks like Heroes 2028 is running the MD American Select team.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am expecting data guy to soon deliver a lengthy yet unconvincing analysis on how size, speed, and athleticism actually don’t matter that much in college lacrosse.

No data needed. It’s just the nature of collegiate sports. Players keep getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Agree with a PP poster, the biggest difference I have seen watching my daughter play D1 is speed. If a player doesn’t have it they will struggle on a top 20-30 D1 team. The game is also getting more physical so players need size and strength to compete at the highest level. It’s that simple.

Parents need to stop talking about D1 programs as though they are all equal. Playing for a top 20-30 team is a whole different level than the bottom half of D1. It’s the same sport, but at times looks much different. The NCAA should create D1a, D1b, and D1c.

Elon and AZ State were top 30 teams 2 years ago and now are now #50+ teams. Army was ranked #47 in 2021 and is now #25. Anything can happen.

I would say mostly height but I think girls who are tall with weight and speed are at a huge advantage.

Anonymous wrote:You see all sorts of ranges of size and speed but when push comes to shove the it needs to be there.

I don’t really understand what this means?

You see all sorts of ranges of size and speed but when push comes to shove the it needs to be there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am expecting data guy to soon deliver a lengthy yet unconvincing analysis on how size, speed, and athleticism actually don’t matter that much in college lacrosse.

No data needed. It’s just the nature of collegiate sports. Players keep getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Agree with a PP poster, the biggest difference I have seen watching my daughter play D1 is speed. If a player doesn’t have it they will struggle on a top 20-30 D1 team. The game is also getting more physical so players need size and strength to compete at the highest level. It’s that simple.

Parents need to stop talking about D1 programs as though they are all equal. Playing for a top 20-30 team is a whole different level than the bottom half of D1. It’s the same sport, but at times looks much different. The NCAA should create D1a, D1b, and D1c.

When you talk about size for girls do you just mean height or all you also thinking of some more substantive weight range?

Anonymous wrote:I am expecting data guy to soon deliver a lengthy yet unconvincing analysis on how size, speed, and athleticism actually don’t matter that much in college lacrosse.

No data needed. It’s just the nature of collegiate sports. Players keep getting bigger, faster, and stronger. Agree with a PP poster, the biggest difference I have seen watching my daughter play D1 is speed. If a player doesn’t have it they will struggle on a top 20-30 D1 team. The game is also getting more physical so players need size and strength to compete at the highest level. It’s that simple.

Parents need to stop talking about D1 programs as though they are all equal. Playing for a top 20-30 team is a whole different level than the bottom half of D1. It’s the same sport, but at times looks much different. The NCAA should create D1a, D1b, and D1c.

Anonymous wrote:I am expecting data guy to soon deliver a lengthy yet unconvincing analysis on how size, speed, and athleticism actually don’t matter that much in college lacrosse.

Data can’t really determine that. But it can, and has, determined that few DMV players have left for Baltimore, and that DMV talent has dropped notably at the 28 age group.

I am expecting data guy to soon deliver a lengthy yet unconvincing analysis on how size, speed, and athleticism actually don’t matter that much in college lacrosse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have one still in college and she followed the same path as her older sister. My oldest daughter does not regret playing D1 lax, yes she actually hd 2 offers, one school consistently ranked in the top 30 and the other school ranked around 43. However, to one of the pp out there’s comments, she chose to play at a NESCAC and had a blast and of course competed. Now she is a resident in a hospital and going to become a doctor. Guess my point is, no matter what your daughter’s path is, she has to be happy and comfortable within her surroundings. For some the D1 path is all they dream about, for others it’s not. College is also what you make of it, but I do admit that because she played lacrosse, she has friends for life and I also keep up with the former parents as well. It’s been a wonderful ride so my advice is- enjoy it while it lasts and your daughter will figure it out…..

This.....D3 high academic over random D1 any day....I wish kids and parents both would stop saying "Suzy is playing D1" .... who cares, it's a crappy school!!!!

The high academic top D1 (eg, Northwestern) is the big prize. Many of us are seriously invested in lacrosse, but let’s don’t forget about academics!

Is it? At that level it’s an uphill climb to see the field,
especially now with the portal, and the team culture at many of those top 10 programs is terrible. Be careful what you wish for.

Agree with this poster. From experience, for those making top D1 their mission, the higher ranked you go the more important the combination of talent, athleticism, and speed. Add to this players need to have high lax IQs and maybe most importantly the mental toughness to deal with and fight through adversity. Playing time will be hard to come by and each year coaches are recruiting over players. And the demands on the players’ time outside of the class can take its toll. Players have to really love playing the game and want to devote their college experience to the game.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kid sucks. Plays on a shitty team. But she has fun and that is all I care about. And I bet the kids of most of the people on this thread who are posting and wasting all of their time with stats will play the same amount of time in college as my kid which is zero (and I am sure some (like 3 or 4) of your kids will play and get into D1 schools and that is great.

While an interesting way to post on the topic you are not far off in your assessment of the time posters are spending writing about kids playing D1 vs those players who will actually have the opportunity to play at this level.

The reality is maybe 3% of high school players will receive the opportunity to play at the D1 level each year. When you break this down to the top 20 D1 programs, which are those that have a chance of winning a national title, the numbers equate to about 140-180 recruits each year. Those are very small odds. Then getting on the field and playing is a whole different challenge. As you you seem to suggest there will be many disappointed parents and players if expectations are not set and managed correctly.

Just a comment on the label of D1 lacrosse. The level and depth of talent drops off quickly as you move away from the top D1 programs. And the play can be downright bad for the second half of D1 programs. The D1 label really needs clarification because the play is so different from top to bottom.

I agree about generally lowering expectations, but if my daughter is one of the top starters on her team which is currently in the top 20 doesn’t she have some decent chance of playing college lacrosse if she keeps up at this pace? I don’t think she’s Charlotte North but I do think she will likely make a D1 team.

Still a long way to go before sophomore year when recruiting really happens. Sounds like she is on track from a skill perspective. However, something lots of folks don't realize is like many other sports, in addition to elite sport-specific talent, you need to have either elite size, speed or both.

If your kid isn't one of the best 2 or 3 athletes out on the field at any time, top 30 D1 lacrosse will be a challenge regardless of their skill level.

Our club recruiting director tells our players that whenever they talk to a coach about a player, the first 3 questions from almost every choice is the same. only difference is what order they are asked.

1) What are their grades?
2) How big are they?
3) How fast are they?

If they don't like the answers to those questions, they usually don't even bother to ask about lacrosse.