There are so many advantages to prep schools. My son was at a state championship public school last year and moved to a prep school this year back East.
The connections our coach has is unbelievable, he calls on my sons behalf to college coaches all the time. Our public school coach, while an amazing man and coach, just doesn’t have these types of connections. In public school lacrosse, you may play against 1 or 2 D1 players in a game. At prep school, you play against a roster full of D1 commits (or soon to be commits). The type of lacrosse you play will be leaps and bounds above a public school and your player will reap the benefits of playing the best. My son also has a gym, trainer and a lighted lax field outside his dorm window, where he practices and lifts with like minded kids all aiming to play in college. The access to get to the top of their game is there everyday.
For academics, he is now in a class with 10 kids vs 40. His teachers are happy to be there, come from all walks of life and are willing to help him whenever he needs it. The academic support is the major difference.
It’s no secret why coaches like prep kids, the level they play at, the academic rigor they have experienced and the fact that they have been living independently away from their parents makes them good college prospects. That’s why you see the commit lists very heavily lopsided with prep kids. Prep school is not a golden ticket, the player has to put in the work on and off the field, but it’s a definitely an easier road to college lax than it is at a public school.
Whoa! Talk about a lack of self awareness. Whatever it takes to help you sleep better at night about the decisions you made for your child.
Uhh, his comment seems pretty self aware. Elitist? Maybe. Unless we are talking about Top 100 kids (in which case, yes, they're getting recruited high D1 or high D2, regardless of school), it is self evident - in the MD/DC landscape at least - that a backup longpole at Georgetown Prep has a better chance of playing low D1/D2 or D3 ball than a backup longpole at Towson High, even if they play at the same club. And it's true that in 8th grade that boy may have the same skill level at either school. But it diverges *for most athletes.*
It's not because the kids are smarter at private schools. Or naturally better athletes. Or harder workers. Or necessarily headed for better, wealthier lives. Or better kids AT ALL. They are given a ton of resources, and a ton of attention from talented coaches, trainers, teachers, and counselors. That, and the reputation, and honestly the threat of bad kids (of non-donors lol) getting expelled (which speaks a bit to 'culture'), are what the parents are paying for. Is there really an argument that an athlete at Annapolis HS has access to the same resources he would at Severn or St. Mary's?
Check out the Inside Lacrosse Recruiting Rankings for MD.
#1-3 Private
#4 Public (Churchill)
#5-15 Private
#16 Public (Glenelg)
And it's roughly 50-50 until #30, after which you've run through most of MD's private schools with real lax programs and it's almost all public schools all the way to the bottom of the list.
