US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2027 Grads - Mid Atlantic Region

Does it really matter at this point? They won't play in HoCo and may or may not see each other in tournaments. Won't the recruiting exposure by almost identical for those top-5 clubs? I realize it's fun to compare but I'll be rooting for all those teams after watching the kids in HoCo for so long.

Mostly above average wins.....but..... I'd really point to the fact that they improved significantly against teams like Red Hots AA over the course of the year. Good stuff.

Yes this is most likely roster additions, and yes this is how 91 pivots from their (lol) youth teams to their nationally impressive HS teams. Roster is everything, and I'd bet there are a bunch of 91 3 year+ youth players this summer who were told they made the "practice team only." Gotta make space for the NJ kids.

Any result against Red Hots AA should be ignored as a point of reference. Which of the 60+ kids did they have playing in that game? The "Red Hots AA" that lost to 91 and FCA in the summer was no where near their strongest.

Red Hots sent their legit roster to the Millon tourney, including the social media hype kid from IMG. It didnt go as planned. FCA and 91 both handled business.

RH and their model of plucking talent deceloped on actual teams will disappear as quickly as they arrived. Here’s hoping anyway.

Agreed. Makes sense to form a team of kids from Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Detroit, whatever, in order to provide an opportunity for the 2-3 elite players in these places to compete against Elite teams. For kids to leave Crabs, or Laxachussets, or LI Express to leave their team to go play a pick up game with a bunch of random kids makes zero sense other than to maybe score a highlight goal for their Instagram page

💯 percent THIS! They are nothing without the effort and work of others. A social media account does not a team make.

Correct, they are nothing without the work of others. I do find it very funny and ironic that Crabs, Laxachussetts, LI Express, 91 etc. are losing kids to the same thing that they used to kill Rec and Community programs-

Hype.

Social Media actually does make a team. This is what many kids want. The teams you mentioned are just getting out-hyped by the RH. And King Crab knows it.

And there is another effect is RH is having on the lax scene- Some of the teams you mentioned now have re-emphasized non-compete clauses so kids cant guest play for other teams. And those clubs are starting to lose talent because kids want to guest play with friends.

Not a fan of this for kids who already play for Top 25 programs, but not sure there’s much that can be done. Red Hots makes it easy, and the a la carte format makes it relatively affordable and easy to jump in for a few tournaments per year.

Part of the appeal for Red Hots has been that it doesn’t feel like a money grab. They are adding a bunch of national training camps this year, so the greed might be on its way, but it’s all still a la carte for now, and a much more appealing financial prospect than something like Nationals Lacrosse Club, where you are committed for a year.

Would your kid rather play for 3 all-star teams and jump in out on their clinics or play for the same coaches and players he's been playing with since 3rd grade. Mad Dog West, West Coast Starz, Kings, Texas Nationals, ADVNC share players like fool and no one cares out there.

If the RH, Nationals and others do it right, they'll be around for as long as they want.

Dad of a middle school kid playing for one of the big brand "elite" clubs in maryland but going to a public school system not known for lax hoping for some answers/advice...

1. Our "elite" club has been averaging 17 D1 commits per year. In your experience, how many of those kids are recruited and brought in during high school vs. being developed from middle school? My kids probably in the top 25% of our team but is not one of the key studs. What type of turnover should I expect come 9th grade?

2. If my kid does develop, is he screwed because he doesn't go to a private school with a reputation? Several team dads say that school is more important than club in getting visibility.

I appreciate any advice...

For this years "elite" 2027s it didn't seem like there was a lot of turnover between 8th and 9th - maybe 3 or 4 kids per team. I don't know where a bunch of kids would come from between 9th and 10th to make that number bigger next year so I would guess it will be about the same. Maybe some 24/25 parents could chime in with what they experienced.

As far as visibility goes, I think if your kid is a "starter" they will get plenty of visibility through their club. I think the bigger issue is lack of development during high school if your kid is not at a strong program. Private schools do way more in the offseason and the competition (particularly at practice) and coaching are generally much better. I don't think you can reproduce that with private training.

Correct. your terrible public high school program won't get your kid the quality reps he needs. You've probably already noticed his decline in skill and playing time. Then there's the quality of outreach by the high school. A club alone won't get your kid there. You've got a several strikes. First, the public school won't have the same reputation as a private school with regard to education preparedness and with lacrosse skill. You'll have to prove you can afford the college, and your kid can handle the load. With privates, it's assumed. If your kid doesn't stand out physically at a public, then he's way down the line. When theres a tie, universities go with the privates. It's just easier.

Not impossible, but much harder.

100% correct.
Poor, slow, and public school is no way to go through life.

1. Depends on the club but isn't a lot of turnover in HS, mostly happens in MS.

2. He'll be screwed because he playing with against lower competition and won't get the same quality of coaching. He'll get left behind. Club is equally as important as HS. Colleges watch you play for your club not HS.

I agree with your assessment. However, my kid is an exceptional student (also is a John's Hopkins Center for Talented Youth) kid. And we are not worried about getting a scholarship. We are blessed and college is fully funded.

We simply don't have any private schools near where we live. Our public school is excellent academically and is a sports powerhouse for sports outside of lacrosse.

Academics come first but I don't want to hold my kid back. We could send him to boarding school but I detest the idea of losing time with him for these last few years.

The "National Teams" product was made for you honestly. Honestly the national club directors prefer to have non-I-95 corridor players and families because those families scrutinize the national team product. Families with great players from TX, CO, CA tend to be much more grateful about the opportunity and platform, because what else are they gonna do, honestly?

In terms of academics/finances/options, I would advise you to focus on the "broken leg test." Where does your son really want to be, lax or no lax? He should work on his list of schools asap. D1, D2 and beyond.

As to your club team:
1) It sounds like the 1st and 2nd line players on your club team are getting D1 offers. Is your son 1st line or 2nd line? If 3rd line, there's a big clue about where this is headed.
2) 17 D1 per year is very good, the club probably has some notariety and I hope your son has a good relationship with his coaches - this is probably the most important thing for him in terms of getting good advice and recommendations. Unless he's a starter, he won't be the first one mentioned by the coach if a college coach asks them "who's your best Lefty middie?" However if your son tells his club coach, "Hey if Holy Cross or Richmond calls or you know anybody there, please tell them I would love to play for them, those are my top 2 academic schools and i love their lax program too."

This is hilarious........... only in lacrosse do parents think what school or how much you pay. Parents actually believe schools will take a kid who is not as good as a public school player because they pay for school. At the end of the day trust me if your son is good a coach will want him. You really can't buy a spot or manipulate the situation if player is not good. No matter how important dad think he is or amount of money he throws around. A lot of kids in lacrosse have everything (training, best equipment, right bumper sticker on car) but actual game. Yes 10 years ago the world was smaller but the days of lil johny can't hang in any other sport but lacrosse is the last hope for unathletic rich kids are slowly ending. I do detest being the barer of such bad news and reality.

My son does play for a national team. We joined because I like exposing him to different coaching styles and it gives him more exposure.

He is currently starting for both the national and our local club team. The club team is ranked in the top 15. However, objectively, while he's in the top 25% of players on that team, he's a rung down the ladder from the 3-4 studs that are the true stars on the team.

While I want to make sure we are maximizing his opportunity to play at the next level, academics come first. Playing at an academically elite D3 school would be a great outcome.

I think the issue is visibility. If scouts are focused on MIAA games rather than club games, my son will be at a huge disadvantage.

It does seem odd that the majority of D1 recruits tend to come from private schools. It begs the question... Are they recruited because they went to and elite private school or are they at an elite private because they are talented enough to be a D1 prospect?

I say hold him back and if that doesn’t work hold him back again and if that doesn’t work send him to a prep school for a PG yr. That’s what we Maryland people do!!

Top 25% is fairly well positioned if your son is in 8th grade in my opinion. If your son is 6th grade, very different story as I would anticipate a lot of roster turnover. And new players that get added in MS and HS are all typically clearly obvious upgrades.

New players trickle in HS (much more 9th than 10th from what i have seen), but at that point usually the bottom 5 or so are the ones looking over their shoulder primarily... not the top 5! Sometimes those kids choose to leave to focus on other sports or realize clearly where there are given where they are in the depth chart with respect to playing time.

If your son stays at a top club - eg Crabs, Hawks, FCA etc. and does manage to be 1 or 2 in his position group through HS he has all the exposure he needs. To achieve that its just a question of making sure he develops as fast as the kids playing MIAA A conference (not easy in my opinion - and will require a plan). From there, depends on your kids work ethic and motivation.

Or just be good. MIAA makes up for about maybe 5% of all D1 lacrosse players.... so the other 95% somehow found a way or had your required plan.

The original response to the question was spot on. The greatest benefit from playing lax at an elite private school (besides the education and the lifetime network) isn’t the exposure to recruiters, it’s the exposure to better competition. When you play with and against better players, you get better. The more you do it, the better.

That said, plenty of kids can carve their own path from other schools. Playing for a top club helps.

Some good comments in this thread but I think the key thing to note is that there are tons of D1 players coming from non lacrosse areas all over the country. My guess is that ALL those kids play on a top club that is playing high-level tournaments on the east coast. There are some that end up boarding at a lacrosse school or doing a PG year but many others manage without. Like someone earlier mentioned, a national team may be a better fit than MD/HoCo club because they do things like training camps and such. You can also do those things a la carte with some national teams too - something to consider.

Yes, in AA it's a few public schools that dominate. Then they get wrecked by a private one. I have to say the organization of private school lax has been a lot better then our public school. So you're already part of the team activities.

Agree on carving. Hustle, get your speed up, keep in shape. The only kids who were not getting play time on my son's team were mostly due to conditioning and strength. Hard to do great lax skills if you can't get to the ball.

Thanks Public School Dad. Who is talking about kids who can't play? Where did that scenario come from?

Yes, I think everyone with half a brain acknowledges that when a coach sees you play, if you play poorly, then that opportunity probably evaporates. Thanks for bringing that to our attention though. Nobody has ever considered that and your influence on statistics and sports science is immeasurable.

Success is 80% based on skill+work+coaching, but the last 20% depends on access to resources, and timing/luck/fit. Two ways parents pursue those are 1) private school, and 2) buying a home in the best local school district. I'm exhausted from public school dads, year after year, moping about how "my son's public is just as good as Mcdonogh," when #1, sure it is pal, and #2, I sure hope it is, since you bought a 2500sf house on a 1/4 acre lot backing up to the DC or Balt Beltway for $900K just to get out of the "no go" school district....and your wife is in charge of all the petitions and public hearings every time the district line is proposed to change to include "other" kids or "build affordable apartments" in the school district. We see you! Stop pretending you aren't also manipulating the system, in other words.

I gotta laugh at [Censored] school parents (without a $20K tuition payment each year) complaining about privilege while on vacation, or from their boats.

A ton of PS parents can afford private school, they know its what's best for their kids, but they just prefer to spend the money on themselves.

Have a '28 and lacrosse is second sport. Much different process for lacrosse. We got invited to a couple prospect days. Wow a ton of dads talking about how private schools are recruiting son, and even I can tell its not because kid is any good It seems that ability doesn't matter if dad can pay full price. A ton of non athletic kids without much skill. No wonder schools are bringing in kids from out of state. Get full pay families to pay for other kids has to be the strategy. Reminds me of pick up hoops when you always have that guy that has everything but just can't play. All about sounding good at the cocktail party. Seems rich kids and ground balls don't mix well.

Are showcases important for the 2027 class? If so which showcases do you recommend?

No

Zero college coaches will be watching them BUT if he is a possible D1 prospect, it is a good idea for your player to get comfortable playing in a showcase environment to be ready for summer of 2025 when it matters. Especially if he is an offensive player. Good players playing bad (selfish) lacrosse. He will need to be aggressive to get the ball in his stick.

Posts get denied around here that say anything remotely bad about certain established HSs and clubs that do questionable things.
But talk smack about a player individually, or post about Yeezy shoe deals and the posts are automatically approved.

Nice work BOTC mods!

Agree, go where you are challenged.

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Any wait to see this weekend's results.

Who's playing this weekend? Seems like most teams start next weekend.

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