1. Leading Edge 2. BBL Elite (not Helix) 3. Tristate
The Big 3 of NJ lacrosse but no point to even number this list. Top team changes with pretty much every age group and every season. Sure other clubs may have the occasional stellar team, but not with the consistency of these three. I am NOT saying other clubs don't have top players.
In 2-3 years Tri-State will be the top (pretty much are now), followed by BBL, with Leading Edge falling apart or becoming another Team 91 NJ.
Coming from a 2026 parent of a NJ program, I have to weigh in here. (Not bbl, not tri state , not LE)
What world are you living in to say LE has fallen apart? Take a look at their 2022 recruit list. It’s everything I could look for in terms of opportunity for my kid. Which is why we will be trying out there next year.
We should ask the 2 kids going to Yale, kid going to UPenn, Brown, Villanova, Duke, Bucknell, Rutgers, Army, Holy Cross, Colgate, Hopkins , Loyola , Williams, etc, if LE has “fallen off” for them.
LE attracts the top talent of NJ players that are not completely in bed with their current program, come recruiting time.
I know that their 2024 and 2025 teams added a bunch of studs this year. It’s not a coincidence, kids want to get recruited .
I think that most agree on this forum that through 2022, LE has a great teams, it's the following classes that have seen the drop in performance., but what you are failing to recognize is that kids from Tri State, BBL, Riot, Bluestar, etc. are getting recruited by the same schools. I assure you, whether your kids makes LE or not, when your kid gets to high school, you will understand that LE is not the holy grail of NJ lacrosse. I would also encourage you to find out how many kids on the LE teams have reclassed, and wait until to you see how they treat the on-age kids when a reclass comes along at the same position (even those 2024/2025 studs that they added this year).
I do see what your saying, but also think that it is unfair to act like they treat their players poorly. That is just simply not true.
Agreed, if you are one of their top players, but I know quite a few kids that have lost their spots to reclasses leaving them in a jam trying to find a new club in high school. That being said, and in all fairness, the real difference is that the other NJ clubs listed can at least put a kid on their "B" team, which for some, is the equivalent of getting cut from the club. Either way, any of the top kids that come from LE, Tri State, BBL, Riot or Bluestar are going to get recruited by good schools, they all play in tournaments that offer exposure to college coaches, Bottom line, LE has a very good track record, but there is a lot more to a club than a list of recruits, if the club is not making you a better player year-after-year, then it seems like a lost opportunity. It's easy for a team to get better by adding and subtracting players, it is a much greater accomplishment for a club to develop a kid and get him recruited.
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