Here is what I said in the 2016 College thread.
In my opinion the early losses by some of these high profile teams is just the tip of the iceberg. There is more parity in the sport than ever before. Too many programs taking kids on the word of a travel team coach before the kid has matured. What dont these guys get(college coaches) its the job of these travel team guys to get kids committed early and as many from their program as possible. The coaches are hedging their bets on these early recruits hoping some are as good as the travel coaches say they are. For the most part the early studs will be good players later on, but I have seen it all too often kids getting the early recognition because they were early to mature and were dominating at an early age get all of the accolades. As time passed many of the unheralded kids now were passing the so called best players. It doesn't happen all the time but it does happen a large percentage of the time. There are many factors to consider like growth, speed, athletic ability, game iq, drive etc. Two thing s I have always heard you cant teach size and speed. with all this training you can only enhance them. You will only be as tall as your meant to be and as fast as your meant to be. Drive determination heart are the uncontrollable factors coaches can not measure with a stopwatch or a tape measure. This is good for the sport and will help it grow.
this says it all.... Paul Rabil didn't play until 7th grade. Rob Pannel was a late bloomer. I am sure that there are many more examples...
To be fair, Rabil and Pannell are both freaks of nature. Not fair to compare them to regular humans
Rabil is a physical specimen, yes. He's not the first one either but he has embraced his stardom better than most and as a result has launched himself into the limelight of a sport that is begging for a superstar. Someone that can put lacrosse on the map.
As for Pannel what makes you call him a freak. He was recruited to play at Quinnipiac decided to PG and went to Cornell. He's basically the Rudy of lacrosse. He's 5 foot nothing weighs a hundred and nothing and is considered one of the best to play the game. He also has grasped the limelight and is a charismatic figure in the lacrosse world.
Another person that is doing great things for lacrosse is The Beast Greg Gurenlion. It's personalities like these we need at the helme of lacrosse to help it grow. There were many before but these are the guys now doing it in the world of social media and blazing a trail.
