US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Boys 2017 Fall 2013/Summer 2014

Agreed, but I see both sides of the issue.

Goldman may look at GPA for an entry level program, and if that is where you want your kid, god bless you. I have hired many new college grads ( and new law school grads) and I want a worker. My legal career (25 yrs) tells me clearly I want someone who hustles and is willing to do what it takes. Whether or not you got an A in history matters little, a B in torts?. If you went to St Johns law as opposed to NYU, should I not hire the person that will get the job done...



If you want google, better be a 4.0. If you are a worker, there is a start up somewhere that wants you...

Only one Goldman and only one google, but plenty of other companies out there that will understand and respect the commitment a d-1 athlete endures. surely such dedication at that level portends a passionate being.

Show me a 16 year old cashier at 7/11 and I can tell you if that kid will hustle.

show me a d-pole that slides to protect his goalie or a fogo that fights for possession and I, for one, will hire even if undergrad had a 2.5 but hustled enough to kill the lsat and find st johns or brooklyn law

I practically failed out of college, today I am making more than most of you clowns!

Another day, another 2 2017 commits. 1 LI FOGO from Commack to Maryland, 1 St. Paul's/Breakers A to Furman. According to Inside Lacrosse, 2017 class now up to 27 "public" commits. Crazy stuff when Furman starts taking 2017s. Congrats to the boys.

I did, went back finished, scored in the 96% in GMATS went to Bschool, got the entry jobs due to people i met at school, and additional jobs due to performance and hard work, and am doing just fine.

This myth of 2.5 means you don't get a good job career IS BS. I do recognize that it matters when some companies are looking to do on campus interviewing. IE Proctor & Gamble only looks at Bschool students with a 3.5 or higher an only from some schools.

Just like Fidelity only looks to top 5 B schools for their FMR organization.

Work hard, have a balanced life!

Generalizations are a mistake. For every kid like you describe there is a meat head, prima donna lax bro who has been catered to since second grade with Mommy and Daddy driving him all over the world, politicking to get him on the best travel teams , etc. Some of these kids cannot even write a resume much less excel in the workplace. On the other hand, some have all of the qualities you mention and will crush it. But the point is athletic success does not guarantee success in business.....unless of course the business is lacrosse. Seems to be never ending income stream for anyone with a D1 background who wants to coach young LI hopefuls (ha!)

Amen, and that just about sums up the whole conversation.

Sorry if I have missed this...how does one get an invite to Maverik Showtime? I understand it is "Sold Out" for 2014...but if your son was invited - what was the process? Club or HS coach reached out to maverik? you sent them a highlight link? what was the procedure? thanks

Different world today then when you grduated.

Best, most important individual showcase by a wide margin in my opinion. Club and/or H.S. coach recommendation. Nominations due in by late August/early September. Extremely selective. They filled up a long time ago but there could be some late spots open up if some committed kids decide not to go. They encourage both committed and non-committed kids to go, but some committed kids may decide not to which may open up a few spots.

What club team does the 2017 FOGO from Commack who just committed to Maryland yesterday play for? Congrats to him as there are a lot of good fogos on LI.

True Blue lacrosse for that Commack player.

Seems like Maverick is becoming more of the elite camp over Jake Reed. What are the differences. How has become so popular over the past couple of years.

Thanks and congrats to him and the club. Good player!

Maverick has fewer kids - 160 vs. 240 for Jake Reed and is therefore more selective

Maverick has an All-Star game which college coaches like, Jake Reed doesn't

Maverick is better organized and better run with fewer fields/closer together which makes it easier for coaches to watch and evaluate

Jake Reed is still good/coveted, but for the reasons above plus a view that 3D has watered down Jake Reed by expanding the # of kids to 240, marketing hype, etc., Maverick is more important/higher profile right now. Plus they have better garb for the kids ):

I would second that. JR has been a brand name for some time, but the franchise has been diluted a lot by expanded numbers. Our club coach told us something interesting which was that college assistant coaches are going to JR, Maverick, Top205, UA and possibly Brine. Hit two of those five and you are seen and known. Hit five and you are likely just draining money for duplicative looks. And he also said the king now is Maverick.

Everyone is bashing Jake Reed, he is doing exactly what he should be doing conforming his camp to the present environment. It is impossible to get a true evaluation of players in the present environment by word of mouth alone. Youth lacrosse is exploding in this country, their are more kids then ever playing lacrosse. They still give out invites to the best players recommended by the most respected coach's in the country without going to Florida. Now he is giving kids the chance to get a look what can possibly be wrong with this why is this considered watered down? If they player can not preform he will not get selected period.

Who are the people behind the Maverick Camp?

Syracuse guys

Why is it "crazy" for Furman? Do you not understand the direction this is headed? No one, or no organization will stop it. Least of all the NCAA. (think $$$) In football and basketball they are getting verbals from 7th an 8th graders. Just two or three years ago it was un-heard of to see a sophomore commit in lacrosse. Now we have freshman committing all over the place. It will not stop. Either this coming fall or next we will see an 8th grader commit. It is bound to happen. It has to. Some programs are nearly done at the 2017 level. Early recruiting is on a runaway train, with no signs of slowing down. I neither agree nor disagree with it, but one cannot ignore the path...

Money Grab!!! JR getting rich off the backs of lacrosse hopefulls. Showtime charges less than 700. This includes room and board as well as about 500$ worth of unbelievable equiptnment! Plus all star games and every major school represented, Added bonus for LI is minimum travel. It's truly a no-brainer!

My understanding is that Maverick is run by former Syracuse guys.

I don't think it is bashing or unfair. JR is a diluted product in an exploded market in terms of youth participation. There is a place for that, and your point is well taken. It is a venue where some 2000 kids can get a good look in the Florida 3d Blue Chip things in the Winter, then 240 kids at JR in the Summer. That is a lot of inventory of kids and you are correct that it is constructive to maximize the possibilities for kids to get looks on the demand side, and for JR and 3d to maximize their rake on the supply side at $700+ a pop.

I think the posters here are making a note of the fact that Maverick and some others are more exclusive in a way JR used to be and is no longer. That isn't really disputable.

My son and I were very satisfied by the quality of training, competition level and the overall way the 3dbluechip was run. My son played well against solid competition, I hope he is selected for JR, but if not it was still a great experience.

No one showcase will make everyone happy. I recommend talking with the Club/HS coaches and directors to determine which showcase is right for your boy.

With 5 weeks until the start of the HS season, what is your stance on HS JV vs MS Modified for the 2018 class. Your advice and comments from your experience is appreciated.

Of course each district may be different as each district may have stronger programs and better youth programs acting as a feeder systems.

My son played JV last year as an 8th grader. Our town does not have a deep program like other towns, but we are in a competitive geographic area (Section 1). He had a good experience. I use the pronoun he, but I think my comments are applicable to girls.

In deciding whether to allow him to play we considered the following: physical maturity, emotional maturity, lax skill level and coaching.

First he has to pass the NYS physical/maturity tests. Check to see if your town even allows 8th graders to play JV. If he passes the tests it is just one indication of his physical maturity. You have to gauge how big he is compared to those he will be playing against. A relatively small boy might be able to pass the tests but his relative size might put him at risk come play time. That's your judgement call. Is he willing to go up against older/bigger kids? If he shrinks from a more physical game you may want him at the MS level where he can work on his confidence.

Because our town does not have a deep program my son had been playing with older kids all along - our town teams were historically drawn from two classes like a 7/8th grade team. So he already knew kids who would be playing on the JV team. More importantly, we as parents knew the boys and their parents, so we felt comfortable with him being around the older kids. You must consider whether you want him to be exposed to what 9th and 10th graders might be talking about and doing: parties/girls/drugs. There is a big leap between 8th and 9th grade and he will be spending a lot of time with older kids at practice and on bus rides. Also, being on the JV team probably means he won't be playing lax with his MS friends. There is a trade off. Its got to be fun for him and being without his MS friends may be a deal breaker (especially if he does not get a lot of playing time - see below).

Are his lacrosse skills good enough? If he is not going to get a decent amount of playing time, he may get discouraged. Did he get a lot of playing time last year? If not, he might not get much as a 8th grader on a JV team. I'd talk to his MS coach from last year. The MS coach should know how his skill level compares to those in the grades above.

On the other hand its likely that the coaching and practices will be much better at the JV level. How is the coaching at each level.

These are some of the things we considered. The list is not exhaustive, but its a start. Good luck.

Thanks for the insight. My son is a couple of years away from this process, so the information is helpful. Did the coaches begin contacting you after Philly, or did you show interest first?

We began to get interest before Philly, I think that just gave the coaches a second time to see him play with kids his own age. Coaches noticed my son when he played in varsity tournaments last summer/fall. I supposed they saw that he could hold his own playing with kids as much as 4 years older. That's why all the whining you here on this site seems silly. I think playing against older kids actually helped my son. College coaches began to show interest by talking to our HS coach.

It's great that playing against older kids helped your son. Keep in mind, he and you "chose" to play against older kids. For those that choose to play on age, they should be allowed to do so, without being forced to play against holdbacks and reclass kids. That is not whining. Speaking of whining, you're on here whining about college costs,loans and debt for your kid. Stop whining and pay up. If you can't afford it, have your son go to Nassau. Don't whine about cost and debt, we don't care.

It is every parents "choice" to go to tournaments in MD and PA also. Based on the chatter on this Board, it is clear that everyone knows or recognizes that there are holdbacks and reclass players in those tournaments. So why go? Is it to challenge your child? Is it hoping to beat "older" teams? Stay on LI and play within your own rules. Why continue to go and cry foul? It is your choice as to which team and which tournaments your child plays.

Why not just go to thr best tournaments and forget all this banter over holdbacks. If your LI team comes down and beats my son's MD team that has 7 repeat kids - my son not one of them - then more a power to you. Coaches know your kids' s birth dates. If the coaches want 19 year old freshmen there isn't anything to say. Play the game or go to a school that is less inclined to focus on repeat kids (UNC, UVA). Like Duke and Syracuse. And oh, which teams played for the NCAA title last year again? Bottom line is by the time these kids are 18 or 19, the spread for physical advantage is gone. Maybe Breschi and others will see that soon before too late. UNC has not smelled an NCAA championship in the last five years and won't for the next five. 45 former U-15 studs and one ball.

"We began to get interest before Philly, I think that just gave the coaches a second time to see him play with kids his own age." So, we are all whiners because we want our sons to play against fair age-based competition, yet it appears the determining factor for the coaches in your son's case was seeing him play against age-based competition.

Basically, your son playing with and against older boys was good practice (hard to argue with that). But, the determination of where he stands was made by a true age comparison.

I believe you just proved our point.

Maybe, I'm not really sure what the coaches are looking for. The way I see it, if a kid can only excel against kids his own age, what happens when he gets to college. Will he only be able to play as a senior? If you can step it up as a freshman on varsity, the future will probably be bright!

Another kid just commited. This time a middie from FCA and Calvert Hall to Ohio State. According to Inside Lacrosse, that now makes 32 "public" commits. UNC (8), UVA (7) close to being filled up, John Hopkins has 7, Maryland 4. How many more commits to you think are outr there (meaning actual verbals) that have not gone public yet? 10/20/30? This is happening very quickly, admittedly a decent percentage of the 32 have re-classified into the 2017 class (e.g., were 2016s), but that is still a lot. Nothing slowing this early commit thing down apparently.

And yes he is a re-class - DOB 4/8/98 - Another Freshman who will be driving to school in 2 months

Would you like some cheese with that whine? Good Lord. What will you do when your son plays against HS teams with kids who are 2-3 years older?

There is a big difference of playing HS lacrosse with kids 2-3 years older when ALL the kids on the field have reached puberty, and a kid's parents reclassing him to play with kids barely hitting puberty to have him (appear) better. Remember when these holdbacks are showcased it's not against varstiy, it's against kids only in the recruiting year. My kid is a true 2017 and plays with varsity aged kids all the time and does well, he will end up where he ends up. If I used the system to our advantage and had him play with the 2018 young boys he would without question dominate. I couldn't do it, and embarrassed by the thought. I would have a very hard time feeling proud of anything he accomplished out of it regardless of the advantages and outcomes. If it is OK for others so be it.

I applaud you, sir. Bravo! :-) could not have said it better. Integrity is not dead.

Any confirm the rumor that a Team 91 defenseman just committed to the admission process at Penn? Don't know the kid personally but have seen him play. Seems like he works hard and congratulations to him if it is true. This would be the 2nd unconfirmed Penn commit of the 2017 class. The other kid is the Dukes FOGO.

My nine year old is committed to the admissions process at Penn. Dude, get a life.

at least we know who the psycho was on this forum talking about the BIG news feb 1.