Does area completely dictate your chances?

[WestsideLAX4]

Hey, I was just curious as to if the area you play high school ball in completely dictates your chances of recruitment at a D1 school or if it's just a small factor. I'm in Texas, which I know isn't a "hotbed area". I'd like to know if that will kill my chances.

[Jakelax]

it wont kill your chances, but they go alot harder on the out lying areas than they do on the hotbed kids, which is all the reason why we have to work harder, play more, and have more acolades in HS if we want a shot

[Mayhem]

well, unless your teams ranked nationally, you are gunna need to make a nasty club team to get noticed or go to a nasty camp. Thats my opinion. I mean, say you play for West Gen. in NY, or Boys Latin. All you need to do is play for your school and you got tons of great D1 school recruiters at your game already. All you have to do is be good. Now if your not in a hotbed area or dont go to a nasty lax school, then you need to go out of your way to get noticed

[TopGun19]

This is an interesting debate. With lacrosse recruiting horizons broadening, it is becoming less and less dictated on where you live, however, more so on what type of athlete you are. Time and again you'll see players from various states get recruited. Granted they must have had some lacrosse talent to be recruited for lacrosse but for example a few threads ago- HOOVER ALABAMA recruit goes to Navy- Well, alabama isn't exactly known for their lacrosse.. However, he went out of his way to make himself known to coaches. I will agree with everyone that camps are THE MOST IMPORTANT if you are not the "top tier" of your state in lacrosse (top 5-10 laxpower ranked). Now, the second most important thing is being PROACTIVE if you are out of NY,MD,PA,CT,NJ,MA area- coaches will rarely see you which means you are off their radar.. If you send them an email it means all the world- If you go to a camp and receive no letters, it could have been that they didn't like your play, but also that they don't think you are interested. If you send them an email after the camp "I saw you on the sidelines i was wearing #-- and I wanted to know what you thought? I think --- is a great place, and I could see myself there in the future. I look forward to continuing contact with you coach--" Is pretty generic. I have to go now but I will come back and make this 10x better with more of a point towards the end.. Baiscally- recruiting is what you make of it

[Jakelax]

topgun, that is a great idea, and yeah the guy who went to army from hoover was DIRTY. i saw him play last year at our southern regionals.

[TopGun19]

Alright, to somewhat pick up where I left off- I believe he went to Navy not Army, however, you need to keep in mind that everyone on forums hold their own opinions and will generally share the same ideas.. Oh this camp was great I got my look here, no this camp is better... Well, there is no "Better" camp.. Whatever schools you are reaching for - D1, D2, D3 I would say BEFORE YOUR JUNIOR SEASON- Email the coaches of schools you are interested.... I can’t tell you exactly what coaches are looking for because unlike track, a sport where you recruit JUST on times..> Lacrosse you can recruit on basically anything, speed, agility, hustle, toughness, leadership, aggression, stick checking, body positioning, team offense, shot speed, anything.. you get the point. Well to being-

Now I wouldn't recommend starting emailing Princeton, Cornell, (Ivy) if your academics aren't up to snuff... Because after all- it will be repeated- We are student-athletes... For myself, I would have gladly sacrificed the competitive play for a better academic prestige school. Ivy league recruiting is difficult... I would send them an email with your academics first with a patch of athletic accomplishments if you really have your mindset on going there...

D1, D2- Have scholarships... My other factor was to NOT BASE MY DECISION OFF OF FINANCES... Of course most of us don't have $50,000k to spend on an ivy league education... But I urge you to really don't let finance swade your decision. Also, don't expect to get a full scholarship either because well.. if you are being offered one... You shouldn't be looking on tips to be recruited.

Alright... Well, since this is a thread on Location not exactly how....

Location, Location, Location... You need to keep in mind- The big named programs get the big named looks FIRST SECOND and THIRD before they start going outside of their "Pipeline" I was talking to the Georgetown assistant coach for awhile when he said one of the most interesting things I've heard out of my whole recruiting process- What is stopping me from recruiting a second or even third line midfielder from Boys Latin who might not be a star... But day in day out plays the BEST and most COMPETITIVE high school lacrosse there is... Of course same goes to West Islip and all those "power schools" I'm just using it as an example.. So, what's stopping him? Well... Nothing, because someone who scores 8pts a game in Arizona (sorry) might not be the best choice over someone who understands a college level system and lacrosse game of the MIAA..." This quote basically sums up that of course those big named schools are going to have kids going wherever they please just based on name. Just starting at one of the MIAA, Huntington will get you some real good looks... HOWEVER for all the people who don't play there.. Don't loose hope and don't be discouraged...

The most important process is to establish yourself as a player.. This is committing time, money, and energy into your Summer lacrosse season.. JUNIOR SUMMER IS VERY IMPORTANT- however, to get even more of a jump start for those looking to go d1 and still have time... Sophomore and even freshman year can be "decision" makers- considering Juniors have already been making commitments before their junior season... which I think is kind of ridiculous but I will laugh when they don't turn out the way the coach expected... Although, for outsiders- Try to get on the best club team as possible.. Club reputations really do mean a lot when it comes to camps because there are approximately 700+ players at some events and they can't see everyone so "Oh the Dukes (PA), Crossroads(Everywhere?), Clams (MA), Crabs(MD), Tomohawks(NH), Olde Bay(NY), Triangle (NC), MadLax (VA)" These are teams that popped in off the top of my head that have established names for themselves as top tier club teams... I've seen coaches line the sidelines for these teams games, however, for the most part- coaches will be fair and go see all the games but AN IMPORTANT THING IS TO ASK THE COACH OF A SCHOOL YOU ARE LOOKING TO GO TO IF THEY WILL BE THERE!!!! IF THEY WONT... DONT EXPECT TO "IMPRESS" THEM THERE... THIS IS WHY CONTACTING COACHES AND MAKING YOUR SCHEDULES AROUND THEM IS THE MOST IMPORTANT.

There are a lot of things I can say.. However, the most important things were establishing myself on a good club team, playing my balls off ( I didn't put up the most points but i hustled EVERYWHERE). Got recruited by a bunch of real good schools, picked one I felt was best for me, DONT BE AFRAID TO HAVE YOUR COACHES TALK TO THE COACHES... Some aren't as pro-active but ask "Hey coach do you think you could give ---- a call and tell him how I am as a player" Obviously don't go to your coach if you think he's going to say negatives... But, for the most part coaches are there to help... Use as many resources as you can.. Hand written letters shows real commitment to the school... Emails were the method i preferred until it got into phone calls..

ALSO- ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND... Yes, it is a huge financial commitment.. but a PG YEAR HELPS!!!!!!!! For boarding schools like Deerfield, Loomis, ect. IF you are not getting looks no matter how hard you've worked or suddenly got injured- For example- I was getting recruited by a school in the top 5However, their classes were pretty much full or at least for my position for the year... They said they would be able to give me a spot, but I would have to PG a year... It just didn't seem at the time like it was worth it, and I don't have regrets.. But believe me.. It's a great advantage and PG year really attracts coaches because you're a year more mature and physical...

This is my projected break down of what kind of size range you need to be as a d1, d2, d3 athlete. Because I can tell you right now, Mikey Powell wasn't that tall or big, but he sure was one hell of a lacrosse player.. There isn't exactly a set range.. But there is a steady progression the IDEAL size for an

D1
Attack- 5'11-6'6 with a solid muscle mass of preferably more than 170-220 (Need to be agile, FAST, and be able to put the ball in the back of the net... statistics are a pretty big factor in getting yourself recruited I.E 60 goals, 20 assists)

Middie- 6'0-6'5 with a solid muscle mass of preferably 180-230 ( Need to be in very good shape, fast, strong, most teams expect you to play both sides, however, some run offensive and defensive lines.. In this case- Be powerful and show that you can't get pushed down easily- HUSTLE EVERYWHERE)

Defense 6'1-6'6 with a solid muscle mass of around 190-240 (Coaches are attracted by a poles height and size, because in D1 lacrosse... Everyone's going to be really fast, however, whatever gives you an edge they like)

Goalie- be very good at stopping shots

D2 and D3... These athletes can vary I mean no position is cut throat. I cannot honestly say that If you are that size you will get into a d1 school because I don't know what that coach is specifically looking for.. So that's an Ideal size of lacrosse player by position.

If there are any questions, comments, corrections.. Please I feel like i'm not necessarily going in circles but I could be more clear and or go into depth on more things I have stated... Don't hesitate to critique.

[Xattack16]

wow . this is pretty in depth and very informative .. sticky ??

[LightFox125]

yes, your chances are dead..NO ONE from texas has EVER been recruited..

jk haha, in fact there were a pair of twins that got recruited to denver like 2 years ago. they're number 8 and number 3 on the team right now.

[LaxGranny]

D1
Attack- 5'11-6'6 with a solid muscle mass of preferably more than 170-220 (Need to be agile, FAST, and be able to put the ball in the back of the net... statistics are a pretty big factor in getting yourself recruited I.E 60 goals, 20 assists)


My son will be an incoming high school freshmen next fall and is already 6'2"210 lbs. He's fast and pretty agile, and is a great finisher.

If he get's into the 240 lb range when he makes it to 6'6" - will he be out of the running just because of his weight - even if he continues to be a scoring machine?

Also, even though lacrosse is his first love - I anticipate that he will start playing football in high school (coaches won't give him a choice.) Even if he's better at lacrosse then football, would he be better off looking for recruitment in that arena combined with top grades and test scores if we're hoping for a 3/4 to full ride scholarship at a top college/university with a good lacrosse team?

[VTLaxFan]

LaxGranny, I would say no to your question, look at Notre Dame Attackman Will Yeatman, also from CA, he is 6-7 250, but still a great talent. Lacrosse is starting to develop into a bigger sport, physical size wise, the small man will still have his place, but size isnt needed for lax and a negative, (unless unfit) size in lacrosse can be like an added bonus. Your son sounds like he has a lot of potential, Try to get him some exposure early in his career, coaches are starting to look for athletes like him, with that great frame.

[LaxGranny]

He was invited in the first round for a regional All-Star Team that's entered to play in a tournament this summer in Philly. It's expensive, (tourney fees, team garb, hotel, airfaire, etc.,) so we haven't said Yes, yet (however, we still have a few more days to decide and send the $$.)

Would that be a good way to get the kind of exposure you're talking about?

[TopGun19]

LaxGranny, to reply to your post... Refering back to my post- Coaches want athletes, if you watch the ESPN broadcasted games you hear the commentators "I believe Paul Rabil could play top D1 Safety" Well, what they're trying to say, is athleticism is what gets you to the next level. If you're 6'6 240 lbs, that frame is dominant. Like the post a few above refering to Yeatman- He was a monster... I doubt he played the top high school lacrosse throughout his whole life but at ND they taught him how to be effective and use his size to his advantage.. IF you're expecting a 3/4ths scholarship for lacrosse... I'm not doubting your son, he sounds like he has quiet the genetic gift... But, count the Ivy's out... Granted i've never seen your son play.. It is EXTREMELY rare for student-athletes in lacrosse which is restricted to 12.8 scholarships for the whole team.. To just hand out almost 1/13th of their whole team scholarship. But that may be a risk they're willing to take for a 6'6 240 monster.. Even 6'3+ would be considered rather large.. But one thing to ALWAYS keep inmind- speed. Since he may not be the fastest kid out there.. Teach him the bull dodge.. haha, show him that if you get inside on a pole and are bigger, you have the complete advantage that might be how he's scoring all those goals- My suggestion is... If he's a freshman... It's a little early for college summer teams, in my experience with my summer club team there weren't any coaches at our games.. They really stay around the U18 division because that's where their future recruiting classes will be.. But now'adays with kids commiting midway through their 5th grade spelling bee, times change. All the best with your son granny.

[LaxGranny]

Thanks for the responses TopGun and VTLaxFan.

I've seen Yateman play a few times at club level (but that was a few years ago) and seeing a player with a similar build to my son excel has given me hope.

Regarding 'Speed,' TopGun, - I have to agree, that's key. His middle school had a summer school Speed and Agility class which was 2 hrs a day for 6 weeks and that has REALLY MADE A DIFFERENCE in his game.

They taught him something called, 'explosive speed' technique and it's helped him play a more complete game. He's all over the field (attack side only, ofcourse) playing a defensive game and coming up with most ground balls he get's near. And as far as scoring goes, I'm not sure if what he does to score goals is a Bull Dodge, or what. The majority of his goals, however, do happen close to the net - so he's doing something like that inside the poll thing you talked about and using his size and height to his advantage.

Regarding continuing his speed and agility training, incoming high school freshmen don't have Speed and Agility as an option for summer athletic training, and are expected to take the Strength Training class instead.

TopGun - I'm not sure I understood why you were talking about College Summer teams. The tournament will be for Middle School players.

Do you think I should send him to the tournament and hope they invite him back as a High School Regional All-Star?

[laxfolife24]

It does only if you let it. If you are a top player than coaches will see that. You need to put yourself out there more so than someone from a hotbed would.

Work hard and put yourself out there. If you are a good player and take the initiative to contact coaches and attend tournaments and camps you will get noticed.

[TopGun19]

LaxGranny, I was just trying to get across that, at the middle-school/freshman level... It is fairly redundant to send your kid to camps UNLESS THEY ARE THE FOLLOWING-

College specific camp (Hopkins Camp, UNC camp, Bucknell Camp) Where no matter what... The head coach will be running the camp and their assistants will see the play... That shows 1- commitment from the player in "I like this school" and can really get very personal exposure to the coaches and all of them. I'm pretty sure every school has one... Something to look into-

Those big named tournaments with a club team that is U18... The only thing about summer recruiting and summer tournaments.. I mean, I understand there are tournaments for U14, and below to just play and enjoy.. But since we're on the topic of recruiting.. For a freshman, their summer should consist of the most competitive lacrosse possible.. Champ Camp, Hot Beds, STX Shootout are three that pop in my head as "Premier" tournaments... Now, Top 205, peak 200 and those camps are invites only and i'm not sure if freshman are allowed.. However I have heard good and bad things about those camps. FOR RECRUITING- you will only see coaches at games that are labeled "u18" now if it's not to late or if you're planning ahead.. Try to enroll your son in a tryout for one select team that might come to one of the aforementioned camps.

I will tell you something that surprised me a little bit. Over this past summer I emailed 3 division one lacrosse coaches.. I'd say Middle-upper tier. Maybe it was my accolades or possible the club coach and head coaches calls after that boosted my stock... But upon my official visit I was asked to commit... Now, this in mind- I did not send them any tape.. They may or may not have seen me over the summer or in the past... But I was really surprised on how "easy" it was... Being pro-active really does make a difference.. Official/Unofficial visits are key... If you really express interest in a school, you can get recruited... HOWEVER teams like UNC, DUKE, HOPKINS, UVA are fairly selective and may barely respond to much because they seem to have their classes all squared away. There is a long road ahead and you'll be surprised and proud of your sons progression through the years. You should sit down with him, ask him where he TRULY wants to play.. and set fairly realistic goals.. I mean like I’ve said, I’ve never seen your son play. But it would be possibly sacrificing 2 years until he gets the job at a school compared to a starting role / big shot immediately....

The way I settled that was I sat down with my head coach, and club coach at various times.. I explained " I want to play the most competitive lacrosse I can, I feel I'm ready for the D1 commitment for the amount of time and energy I’ve put into lacrosse (10 years) however, I also want to have lacrosse get me into one of the best academic schools that my grades alone couldn't get me in..." I basically generated a list of 10 schools. Visited 5 and unofficially visited all.. My list went as followed "Georgetown, Fairfield, Bucknell, UNC, Army, Navy, Brown, Yale, then I also had a brief change of thought... Maybe I just want to enjoy college for what it is, "the best four years of your life" so I looked into club and I checked out BC and Michigan. Although, I will not regret not choosing club and sticking with my passion.. Now UNC filled their class relatively quickly for my position... I went, realized what I value in a school and what I want later in life. Now, I couldn't see myself at sea no matter how much I loved lacrosse... So I quickly decided not to go to Navy... Then I went through Academics, and level of "reality" to get in- I had an 1850 SAT score, 3.3 GPA 3.7 weighted with 6 AP courses. I knew Ivies really set the standards around 2000 board scores and can work around the GPA. They have a separate "calculator" for recruits.. So I didn't feel to optimistic of my chances at an Ivy. So, I went on and selected one that I was in no means a shoe in... But when I came out of their hearing all the players expecting to RETIRE by age 40... I knew there was no messing around... An incredible network, an incredible bond, and extremely competitive lacrosse.. Now I'm not saying i'm going to walk in there and you'll see my name on lax.com for 4 goals and 3 assists... (I'm working damn hard to be there though)... But, I realized... I could never pick up a lacrosse ball in NCAA play and still be content with my status and decision. That's what you want for your son... Maybe if you have another son, by the time he's out of college there will be a well paid life of lacrosse in the MLL, however, that seems like a not so distant possibility, it is still distant. Remind your son that if he got hurt, or sat on the bench for four years, would he have any regrets? Obviously, hard work pays off. Hopefully my hard work will pay off, like all of you guys out there and your hard work... My story is still being written and I consider mine a very positive one, I'm pretty sure i'm going to conclude my posting on this forum now. I want to wish you all the very best of luck with all your recruiting and future successes.

[HovalLaxer]

Hey I know a guy who plays for Trinity Pawling and he's a senior thi year, And I think he's amazing./ But he only went to visit d3 schools last summer, so it doesn't really mean much where you are from, or where you play, but he did go and visit Gettysburg, so that's pretty good.

[GatorsLax]

recruiting in a non-hotbed area is all about "networking". it's who you know. talk with coaches and see if they have any relationships with college coaches. try to get video of games and create a highlight reel of yourself and send that to coaches of programs you're interested in playing for. selling yourself to coaches as a non-schollie player might help too (if you can afford to pay your own way).

[Fire_Truck]

My brother went to the UVa graves mtn camp last summer and I got a chance to talk with Mark van Arsdale. He said that 2/3 of all the players on UVA that weren't recruited went to the big high school camp in Charlottesville. I'm not sure how this statistic holds up with all the other schools, but going to the school's camp IS the best way to be recriuted, even though they can get a little costy if you want to go to 3 or 4.
And location absolutely dictates where you go to school. I live in Georgia, yes Georgia, and I think that we have some players that can play in d3 or d2 and be very good players. But we just dont get the looks. Down here I think we have incredible individual talent, but it seems that only the players that have been coached the best for the longest amount of time get recognized. I know I would love to play college ball but I feel like I was predestined to fail just because of where I live.

[6x6]

If you're from Houston Westside the answer is yes. There are a number of Texas DI players from all over the state playing various levels of NCAA ball. Also, Texas DII players are being recognized/recruited.

Last season a Cy-Fair player was recruited by Nazareth and is a freshman there now. This year the Cy-Fair team has one committed to Army, one will be committing to LeMoyne, another has received an offer from Nazareth and an MCLA school but has yet to decide, and one other is deciding between a couple of lower DII programs.

Williams from SWLC has also comitted to Naz.

So, work your butt off on and off the field and location will not matter but you'll have to be proactive about it.

[TopGun19]

6x6 but what you also didn't add- is that recruit going to Army also went to ARMY CAMP, a camp specifically where the coaches got to watch him.