BOTC Anonymous Official 2019 Pre-Season 2022 Top 10 1 - 91 Smash - if Jr. is playing 2 - Express Chan - consistent and deep group. 3 - Hawks - Best talent in the age group, just can't put it together consistently. 4 - 91 Maryland - Solid defense. will this team drop if #9 plays 2023? 5 - FCA Blue - Improved over team that was hitting stride at end of summer. 6 - Prime Time - Size and athletes. Always competitive. 7 - Crabs - Added solid talent and always in the mix at the HS years. 8 - Roughriders - Won Crab Feast and beat Hawks last 2 times out, but not eye-popping. 9 - Madlax - Undersized but talented. Can steal games. 10 - Edge - Unpredictable, but dangerous.
As the boys mature, coaching will matter more. Look for the teams coached by experienced and successful high school and former collegiate coaches (there are plenty of re-tread mediocre coaches out there) to excel while others regress. Talent can only get a team so far. Implementing the proper schemes for the personnel you have and developing both the individuals and units in all phases of the game are paramount to continued success of a club team.
But will these new schemes help your son get recruited? A college coach wants to see kids run plays and know lacrosse (Have a Lacrosse IQ) But what he really wants to see is what kind of athlete he is. Can he beat a guy one on one. Can he shoot/catch in traffic. If your team is over coaching, playing Zone on D it will help you win games but when you are in high school it should be way more about the guys with the clip boards not he moms and dads.
Doesn't hurt if your coach and directors are well connected either. Love them or hate them, guys like Millon, McClarnen, Kelly, Reese, Buggs and co. have a lot of connections in the college coaching ranks.
HS club has minimal practice time -- a few fall and maybe 8-10 summer. Good club coaches will have minimal schemes and let the players show their skill & IQ. Their school coaches now lead their development. Hopefully club program gave them a solid foundation
Two separate discussions: 1) Which team is best: yes talent, coaching and how you match up against team a vs team b matters. Parents and yes players care (no one likes to lose) but the college coaches don't care. 2) Which clubs get you recruited? Do the more established clubs have better and more regular communications with college coaches. Sure. But if you're a reserve on this top notch club when developmentally and PT wise you would be better off playing for another top tier club I would contend you should switch clubs. If you're a blue chipper, it doesn't matter. With early recruiting gone the way of the Dodo bird, high school coaches are more important than ever. In the A Conference, the college coaches will watch you on film, see you live in the summer and ask the other Conference coaches (as well as your head coach) all about you.
These are good points and the value of HS and Club is based on a different set of circumstances for every player. There is NO one size fits all model. Many of the top HS private school programs are dominated by Jr's and Seniors who are already committed or almost committed. The club may provide better exposure in those cases. There are still such a thing as college walk on's who bloom late. Unless a player is a real outlier in skill I would rank as follows: 1. Grades (school specific for example IVY still uses the AI index) 2. Camps and showcases where the coaches work with you up close and personal 3. A players' own efforts. Players need to email coaches of schools they are interested in. 4. Club program as it is hard for a coach to see a HS game. 5. HS Team
This is not to say that any of these are not important. It is a given that all top players need to play both Club and HS. If a player is not on a good club that may be a red flag. However, good players do get recruited from lesser HS programs more than good players for lesser clubs.
