Recruiting

[forthelaxofit]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

You have mentioned your daughters recent recruiting process several times. In the end sounds like she is very happy with her choice which is all we as parents can hope for. I do have a couple questions though. The top 10 school she turned down due to concern of not playing, did the coach say that specifically to her or was that a concern she had entering the process? Also, did the top 10 school offer money? And if so was was the scholarship offer comparable to the school she picked or the top 10 school offer less? I would assume a coach sends a message on their impression of the player by what the scholarship offer is? Just curious if or how scholarship conversation played into a feeling on potential playing time in the future?

[Relax77]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

You have mentioned your daughters recent recruiting process several times. In the end sounds like she is very happy with her choice which is all we as parents can hope for. I do have a couple questions though. The top 10 school she turned down due to concern of not playing, did the coach say that specifically to her or was that a concern she had entering the process? Also, did the top 10 school offer money? And if so was was the scholarship offer comparable to the school she picked or the top 10 school offer less? I would assume a coach sends a message on their impression of the player by what the scholarship offer is? Just curious if or how scholarship conversation played into a feeling on potential playing time in the future?

No the coach didn’t say that. My daughter felt that with the other kids they recruited this year and last, she had no shot to play. I agree. Yes they offered money. No where near what she got at her school. No it wasn’t the money for her, She almost took an offer from a different top 20 school that was also much less than her school. I was happy about the money though. . As for coach communication , Every coach she spoke to said she has a real good shot to play. Some guaranteed it from day 1. How they can tell her that two years in advance?.I don’t know. Goes to my point on other posts that coaches will say anything to kids to get them to commit.

[WLaxdad]

I've recently saw a college choice that worried me as a father of a young player. An older player we know was really set on playing in college which is awesome but didn't get recruited even in D3. She finally decided on a poor academics D3 school because she could play lax there, but in doing so turned down much better schools that actually would have gave her academic money.

This is the reverse of how I hope it goes for my daughter. I mean I get it, I wish I could go play and I'm a middle aged dude but that degree stays with you and the lax will stop at some point. Kind of concerning.

[Relax77]

I've recently saw a college choice that worried me as a father of a young player. An older player we know was really set on playing in college which is awesome but didn't get recruited even in D3. She finally decided on a poor academics D3 school because she could play lax there, but in doing so turned down much better schools that actually would have gave her academic money.

This is the reverse of how I hope it goes for my daughter. I mean I get it, I wish I could go play and I'm a middle aged dude but that degree stays with you and the lax will stop at some point. Kind of concerning.

It’s a hard enough choice for a regular 17/18 year old senior who doesn’t play sports to pick a college that is supposed to set up their life. Now throw in lax and make it a year early at 16. No way they are mature enough to make that decision. I guess you hope they listen but as we all know, especially with daughters, they tend to know everything already.

[forthelaxofit]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

You have mentioned your daughters recent recruiting process several times. In the end sounds like she is very happy with her choice which is all we as parents can hope for. I do have a couple questions though. The top 10 school she turned down due to concern of not playing, did the coach say that specifically to her or was that a concern she had entering the process? Also, did the top 10 school offer money? And if so was was the scholarship offer comparable to the school she picked or the top 10 school offer less? I would assume a coach sends a message on their impression of the player by what the scholarship offer is? Just curious if or how scholarship conversation played into a feeling on potential playing time in the future?

No the coach didn’t say that. My daughter felt that with the other kids they recruited this year and last, she had no shot to play. I agree. Yes they offered money. No where near what she got at her school. No it wasn’t the money for her, She almost took an offer from a different top 20 school that was also much less than her school. I was happy about the money though. . As for coach communication , Every coach she spoke to said she has a real good shot to play. Some guaranteed it from day 1. How they can tell her that two years in advance?.I don’t know. Goes to my point on other posts that coaches will say anything to kids to get them to commit.

Her being able to make that assessment about expected playing time shows a lot of maturity. I would assume most coaches invest their time in kids they at least see potential to develop into an on field contributor. They obviously feel stronger on some than others, and it may or may not work out, but they only have a certain amount of money to spread around and the reason I asked if you could get a feel from the offer. Like the coach who guaranteed playing time from day 1, would sound to me like she would be willing to offer her more than other kids in her recruiting class who she thinks still needs to develop to contribute. But maybe a bad assumption.

[lax410]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

Nah. Have you ever been to UMass Lowell???

Anyways some of this a chicken or egg situation. BC has always been a very desirable school. Clemson has as well. You throw good lax in there and it’s not a surprise that these schools are top choices.

UMass L is more like Stonybrook. It’s a commuter school in a crappy old mill town. Not even popular as a first choice with kids in state. Now sure will there always be some kids who put all that aside and pick the eh school because of lacrosse and I’m sure if UMass L was more successful lacrosse-wise they’d attract different players. But UMass L would have the same ceiling as Stonybrook. National title wouldn’t change that.

[Womenslaxxfan]

I’m sure there are girls happy being onthe sidelines celebrating goals, happy they are on a top team. But I would imagine that most girls going to UMC BC ND, etc. think they have a chance to playthere. When they get there, reality sets in and they look around the practice field and see they aren’t gonna get much run. And for kids that have been playing for 10 years and stars on their high school and club team, I would think that isn’t enough.

After September 1 my daughter had quite a few choices. Top 10 and maybe never play was one of them. Would she be happy after all the work to get her to a school like ND or Duke and never playing. Or would she rather go to a team just outside top lax.l but still good lax for the most part. She chose the later.

And I also don’t believe the broken leg test for these top recruits. If UMass Lowell was ranked number 1 and had 15 career National Titles, these same top girls committing to UNC, Maryland and ND would be going there instead. We can kid ourselves all we want, but Lax is the main driving force. It just happens that some great schools are really good or great in lax.

Nah. Have you ever been to UMass Lowell???

Anyways some of this a chicken or egg situation. BC has always been a very desirable school. Clemson has as well. You throw good lax in there and it’s not a surprise that these schools are top choices.

UMass L is more like Stonybrook. It’s a commuter school in a crappy old mill town. Not even popular as a first choice with kids in state. Now sure will there always be some kids who put all that aside and pick the eh school because of lacrosse and I’m sure if UMass L was more successful lacrosse-wise they’d attract different players. But UMass L would have the same ceiling as Stonybrook. National title wouldn’t change that.

Lax410. Your comment on Clemson is interesting in that it’s not true—but most young people think it is. In 2014, Clemson was an overwhelmingly regional state school that had 20k applicants for 14k spots. In 2023 they had 60k applicants from all over the eastern seaboard and the west coast and the south. What changed? Bcs football national championships in 2016 and 2018.
Before 2010, most people couldn’t tell you in what state Clemson was located. But not anymore!!

[lax410]

Oh for sure I know the history of Clemson. And that schools can change. Football is a change maker. Great location is also a change maker (southern schools are hot now, kids want to be in Boston so Northeastern is red hot having previously been a local safety school). But trust me UMass L is a far cry from that. It just doesn’t have any of those factors. And hard to see that changing.

[Relax77]

Oh for sure I know the history of Clemson. And that schools can change. Football is a change maker. Great location is also a change maker (southern schools are hot now, kids want to be in Boston so Northeastern is red hot having previously been a local safety school). But trust me UMass L is a far cry from that. It just doesn’t have any of those factors. And hard to see that changing.

You’re getting hung up on UMass L. That wasn’t my point. Change the school to Coastal Carolina. If they had 14 National Championships all of IL Top Ranked kidS would be entertaining going there even though it is considered a less than desirable academic school. The people who think these kids are going there because they are good schools are mistaken. Yea there are a few kids that dream about going to BC and it has nothing to do with lax, that is the minute minority. We are just lucky that our kids play a sport where usually the good programs are at good academic schools. As I said earlier, hard for 16 year olds to make these decisions that 18 years olds can’t even make. As parents we try to guide them as best as we can. But sometimes the parents ARE the problem.

[lax410]

Not hung up. I get the analogy. Just pointing out that school taking a turn is unlikely.

Coastal is a better example. And is already popular with NE kids. If the southern school and big football love that is so prevalent now changes, we may see a new trend.

And BC is a hugely popular school outside of wlax. At my kid’s HS they had 20 go for binding ED there. 3 got in.

[Relax77]

Not hung up. I get the analogy. Just pointing out that school taking a turn is unlikely.

Coastal is a better example. And is already popular with NE kids. If the southern school and big football love that is so prevalent now changes, we may see a new trend.

And BC is a hugely popular school outside of wlax. At my kid’s HS they had 20 go for binding ED there. 3 got in.

It’s not about the school taking a turn. It’s about If they were good at lax people would go there. It can be Bart Simpson college. If BS college was top 5 in lax, all these top kids would go there. The idea that kids go to these schools just because the school is great in my opinion is false. If that was the case every kid who would want to be a Laywer and couldn’t get into Stanford would go to a school like (notice I said like) Bucknell. And it’s not totally about area. Kids flock to Syracuse.

[LaxDadMax]

Something else to consider... For lots of girls in college, especially in their jr or sr years, lots of them are just done with lax after for the most part playing at a high level since 3rd grade.

For both my 20 and 23, there are upperclassmen on their teams (both top 40 schools) who are clearly checked-out (including a couple who actually play). They don't quit the team because most of their friends are on it, but they are clearly focused on other priorities and truly don't care how much they play.

And all of the girls who are burned out are from LI or Maryland. Small sample size, but I think there is somethingto it.

Burnout is real, especially from lax hotbeds.

[watcherinthewoods]

One completely reasonable explanation I have not seen mentioned in the discussion about choosing a less rigorous academic program is fit. Not every kid is suited to Harvard or Stanford.

[lax410]

Not hung up. I get the analogy. Just pointing out that school taking a turn is unlikely.

Coastal is a better example. And is already popular with NE kids. If the southern school and big football love that is so prevalent now changes, we may see a new trend.

And BC is a hugely popular school outside of wlax. At my kid’s HS they had 20 go for binding ED there. 3 got in.

It’s not about the school taking a turn. It’s about If they were good at lax people would go there. It can be Bart Simpson college. If BS college was top 5 in lax, all these top kids would go there. The idea that kids go to these schools just because the school is great in my opinion is false. If that was the case every kid who would want to be a Laywer and couldn’t get into Stanford would go to a school like (notice I said like) Bucknell. And it’s not totally about area. Kids flock to Syracuse.

I disagree. I see kids making different choices all the time. They’re considering both the school and the lax. This isn’t new or complicated. A school, more often than not, gets to be a top lax school because they have both.

[Relax77]

Not hung up. I get the analogy. Just pointing out that school taking a turn is unlikely.

Coastal is a better example. And is already popular with NE kids. If the southern school and big football love that is so prevalent now changes, we may see a new trend.

And BC is a hugely popular school outside of wlax. At my kid’s HS they had 20 go for binding ED there. 3 got in.

It’s not about the school taking a turn. It’s about If they were good at lax people would go there. It can be Bart Simpson college. If BS college was top 5 in lax, all these top kids would go there. The idea that kids go to these schools just because the school is great in my opinion is false. If that was the case every kid who would want to be a Laywer and couldn’t get into Stanford would go to a school like (notice I said like) Bucknell. And it’s not totally about area. Kids flock to Syracuse.

I disagree. I see kids making different choices all the time. They’re considering both the school and the lax. This isn’t new or complicated. A school, more often than not, gets to be a top lax school because they have both.

Guess it’ll get “complicated” if Coastal keeps improving. They have a 29% graduation rate. Certainly not considered a good school. Have a great day.

[LaxDadMax]

Not hung up. I get the analogy. Just pointing out that school taking a turn is unlikely.

Coastal is a better example. And is already popular with NE kids. If the southern school and big football love that is so prevalent now changes, we may see a new trend.

And BC is a hugely popular school outside of wlax. At my kid’s HS they had 20 go for binding ED there. 3 got in.

It’s not about the school taking a turn. It’s about If they were good at lax people would go there. It can be Bart Simpson college. If BS college was top 5 in lax, all these top kids would go there. The idea that kids go to these schools just because the school is great in my opinion is false. If that was the case every kid who would want to be a Laywer and couldn’t get into Stanford would go to a school like (notice I said like) Bucknell. And it’s not totally about area. Kids flock to Syracuse.

I disagree. I see kids making different choices all the time. They’re considering both the school and the lax. This isn’t new or complicated. A school, more often than not, gets to be a top lax school because they have both.

Guess it’ll get “complicated” if Coastal keeps improving. They have a 29% graduation rate. Certainly not considered a good school. Have a great day.

To be fair, their lax level and academic level is pretty similar, middle-of-the-pack college.

However, if you benchmark them against any of their A-Sun competition, are any of those schools significantly better than them academically?

Are we making these same comments about girls who choose to go to Campbell, Radford or Kennesaw? in fact, CCU is probably MUCH better academically than Lindenwood or Stetson

[laxdadpat]

If the overriding decisions in women's lacrosse are mostly based on academic prestige, then Duke and the Ivies would be regulars winning lacrosse games over Memorial Day weekend.
I would not be surprised if Duke is second to last in ACC this year, even though it has it's pick of top players every year.
Northwestern is the best combo of winning and academic prestige, but I give all the credit to KAH. If she leaves, so do the championship runs.
I commend any women going to an Ivy league program, just never had the FOMO about the Ivies. I always liked to play my music a little too loud and use more colorful language when the Ivies came to play us on fall Saturdays back in college.

[Relax77]

Not hung up. I get the analogy. Just pointing out that school taking a turn is unlikely.

Coastal is a better example. And is already popular with NE kids. If the southern school and big football love that is so prevalent now changes, we may see a new trend.

And BC is a hugely popular school outside of wlax. At my kid’s HS they had 20 go for binding ED there. 3 got in.

It’s not about the school taking a turn. It’s about If they were good at lax people would go there. It can be Bart Simpson college. If BS college was top 5 in lax, all these top kids would go there. The idea that kids go to these schools just because the school is great in my opinion is false. If that was the case every kid who would want to be a Laywer and couldn’t get into Stanford would go to a school like (notice I said like) Bucknell. And it’s not totally about area. Kids flock to Syracuse.

I disagree. I see kids making different choices all the time. They’re considering both the school and the lax. This isn’t new or complicated. A school, more often than not, gets to be a top lax school because they have both.

Guess it’ll get “complicated” if Coastal keeps improving. They have a 29% graduation rate. Certainly not considered a good school. Have a great day.

To be fair, their lax level and academic level is pretty similar, middle-of-the-pack college.

However, if you benchmark them against any of their A-Sun competition, are any of those schools significantly better than them academically?

Are we making these same comments about girls who choose to go to Campbell, Radford or Kennesaw? in fact, CCU is probably MUCH better academically than Lindenwood or Stetson

Why would I? It has nothing to do with any of my points.

Bart Simpson college. A made up college so no one can get offended. If Bart Simpson college was the worst college in America. But somehow, and for the people who can’t deal with hypotheticals, I know it would be impossible, But somehow by the grace of God, Bart Simpson won a string of national championships. They would recruit top players.
That’s it. That’s the point.
You don’t need to bring in other colleges saying this was ranked 15th. This one was ranked 158th. It’s a commuter town. It’s not built up. Or any of the other things posters brought up the last five hours.

That’s it. A turd college, if they somehow won, would be able to recruit. Turd college could’ve been in Flint Michigan and won the National Championship 2010-14. On Sept 14 they would’ve had official visits for kids from YJ M&D Capital Heroes, Skywalker’s etc handing out bottled water when they showed up to the campus. And the coach would said this water problem will be fixed by the time Susie gets to campus. The parents would’ve put on their sweatshirts before they even got off the plane.

[ultravisitor]

A turd college if they won, would be able to recruit.

If Turd College were real, what would its colors and mascot be?

[Relax77]

A turd college if they won, would be able to recruit.

If Turd College were real, what would its colors and mascot be?

Lmao. Brown with a speck of green. Of course.