I find the comments to be more on spot than the article. I like Starsia but much of what he ambles through he and other coaches validate through their behavior. Having gone through the recruiting process with our son who is now a sophomore I am still quite astonished these recruiting cycles wind up when these kids have barely played out fall ball in their 10th grade year. Parents chasing elite clubs for their kids to play on is sensible and is overtly encouraged by the recruiters. Look at where commits come from: a concentrated group of elite clubs and elite prep schools. I have been to a lot of tournaments and have never seen a college coach make a point of doing anything but flocking to see the good teams on this predictable list. Kids are dropping out of other sports to focus on lacrosse too early because recruiting is too early and that is the fault of the college coaches who control the inventory of D1 opportunities having it that way. Starsia is on point with his concern. If your little Johnny doesn't go to showcases and prospect days in abundance at many thousands of dollars a year over club fees, then little Johnny may just be prejudiced out of the looks needed to get an opportunity at the schools he aims for. Yes, lacrosse remains a rich kid sport that dilutes merits Starsia tries to celebrate in what he wrote for as long as that remains the status quo.
I am amazed this has run amok so far and this early recruiting hysteria has not been curbed. It appears to be a game for the sake of gamesmanship and just absorbs so much out of the kids emotionally to be social media addicts on who is getting shout outs or committed and to be public figures themselves. Lacrosse has one problem noted which is the high costs associated with clubs + showcases + prospect camps none of which is focused on player development of skills, and also has another in that the sport really is no fun anymore for kids in 7th grade or so up. My younger son is not going to be a recruit, we know it and he knows it, and moreover he just likes to play to have fun. Already he seems more detached from enjoyment of his club because this is the age where the daddies and the club operatives start going crazy and it permeates down to the kids.
Hey Starsia, nice article. Now grow a pair and be a leader in your sport and curb this. You guys will be better off evaluating recruits until they are juniors (just my suggestion) for their skill and better maturity to handle this. Early recruiting isn't entirely everybody else's fault -- pushy parents, prep coaches, club coaches showcase guys. It is partially the college coaches fault because at bottom they control the allocation of the opportunities. I personally find that level of hypocrisy very tiresome now and it is time for those guys to reform.
I want someone to do an analysis of this early recruiting and the transfer rate. 9th graders choosing colleges, when they have absolutely no idea about what they might major in, whether a large or small school is the best fit, whether that coaching staff might still be there in 4 years, if they are still a fit for that school by their senior year, whether or not they will get any playing time. I think this early recruiting suits the college coaches and more importantly the parents who want proven that the tens of thousand of dollars spent on club teams has been a good investment. The answer to that question is not going to be revealed in 9th grade, but when "little Johnny" is holding his college diploma, most likely from a school that wasn't the one that secured him as a high school underclassman.
