Why would the 2024’s who have already committed have a different need than the hot bed girls? Your point isn’t valid. And the original poster mentioned the 22’s and 23’s also and they aren’t waiting for college visits to make a decision. Today’s Inside Lacrosse Top 10 2024’s shows just how much the game has grown across the country. Sadly the Maryland girls no longer have an advantage. If anything, these programs are looking to grow their reach and relationships with other clubs throughout the country. It’s no longer possible for a club owner or recruiting director to just make a call to a college coach w their yearly favorites for immediate placement. The recruiting landscape has changed significantly the past couple of years. I know quite a few talented 2023’s that still have not found a college program to be a member of.
You really think Md , UnC , BC , Cuse, want no girls from Md ? Look at the club rankings for 24. M&D , Sw, Heros , Nems. They all must have some talent. Girls on those teams will show up soon going to top schools! We aren’t even 1 week into it and girls want to check out schools. The last 2 classes took early offers from schools and couldn’t attend camps so didn’t want to risk not getting into a top choice.
The college coaches think the players from outside the hotbed have more growth ahead of them. I've heard it expressed multiple times by coaches. It's been shown on both the boys and girls side that west coast players especially can compete and be top players (Charlotte North, Rachel Hall, Lauren Gilbert, Sam Handley, Tucker Dordevick, Asher Nolting) Lars Tiffany gave a great interview once talking about this. He said he always wants a non-hotbed player in his recruiting class because they have not reached their potential. They are as good as their east coast peers without the benefit of high level youth/HS coaching and they a hungrier and have more to prove, instead of being assuming and coming in peaked out and over coached. These girls are not going to make up the bulk of the recruits, but every school is looking to find a gem outside of the hotbed.[/quote]
Whether you agree or not on the particular players selected as an IL Top 10, one thing is very clear…..the recruiting landscape has changed and the hotbed areas no longer rule the recruiting landscape. Club owners/recruiting directors in the hotbed areas no longer have the political pull with college coaches they once had. The commitments in the 2024 class proves this. Even more than the 2023 and 2022 classes. I have a 2018 daughter who played at a top college lacrosse program and now I have a 2023 daughter who will be playing at a top D2 program (her choice, she did have D1 interest but not the right schools). My 2018 daughter and most of her college lacrosse playing friends didn’t start club until 7th grade. My 2023 daughter started club in 3rd grade. The recruiting classes now have been playing club level lacrosse for many more years than any class before them. And there were so many more club teams from all over the country in my younger daughter’s tournaments. Her team always played A bracket level and the team makeups in the A bracket was significantly different! Great for the game of lacrosse but hard to swallow by a parent who has lived their entire life in a hot bed area.
