I believe this is the first year the the U19 team is being run by college coaches. In the past years, the team was run by a group of top HS coaches from places like Haverford and Delbarton. They were then overseen by Flatey from US lacrosse and of GC HS fame. Using this model, U19 only lost 1 game in the history of the U19 World Championships. Why fix what wasn't broken to begin with?
Let's be honest and just admit that Nick Myers and his assistants from PSU and U Penn picked their guys. Hopefully, this won't be at the expense of the Championship. I know you aren't supposed to pick the best players, but the best pieces in order to make a TEAM. The lacrosse landscape is changing and the Canadians are better than they have ever been before. Maybe this system will work, but I am very doubtful.
Several, not all, of "their guys" are regarded as top players in the country. These boys clearly stood out. After watching all of the practices, there were very few cut that didn't deserve to be. That being said, there are a couple of the Coaches players as well as a couple others I can say should have been cut and slipped through somehow. Overall this will be a team featuring the best of the best, most of these boys are really great players. As for the few that slip through, they probably won't play as much, so it won't really affect the outcome. Kind of like travel all over again!
