Recruiting

[Laxfan212]

damn, good for you. 1stly, i have to assume the parent(s) are in on this situation, or will be.
next, at the end, go with your gut, and that may or not be your 1st instinct as you look at it from a number of angles and possible outcomes.

a suggestion you could make on your end? that the player contacts her present-day future coach, and explain that she didn't take the time (within a few weeks in september... which is ridiculous, imo) to consider all options. that she has a handful of places she'd like to at least investigate, never really did, and determine if present school is still best fit. the coach's reaction to that may give a good indication of whether the program at least is a good fit.

obviously, any route has potential downside (and upside). one of the questions to help answer all this is how sure she is that the committed school is not for her. if it REALLY feels like it's the wrong spot altogether, cut ties.

as far as approaching other coaches without warning to the committed school, i don't see the upside for you in doing so. the parent(s) could do this just as easily if both they and the player are committed to that route. and you should also suggest that as the alternative route that they as a family/player could choose.

you have given them the options. even your opinion. but they are choosing and will live with their decision.

you may have players down the line, relationships with coaches, yada. getting involved beyond the above is not only not necessary, but potentially problematic any number of ways. of course offer to help in any other way that you can once they've chosen which way to go.

Good stuff here - but under NO circumstances should a kid’s parent be contacting a college coach to ask if they are interested.

[Relax77]

Just because a kid is getting buyers remorse doesn’t mean they didn’t do their due diligence. It happens.

Totally messed up spot but for the player and your club for future relations with that school, do not go behind their back and kick tires. They will 1000% find out.

[Deacon022]

To Decommit or Not to Decommit…

HS & Club Coach here - I'm interested in hearing about others' experiences working with athletes who have committed but are now questioning if they made the right choice. I have an athlete who committed in September but is now wavering and wants to contact a select group of other coaches to gauge their interest without decommitting from the current school.

I feel this is a tricky situation - if I approach these coaches as an intermediary to test the waters, there's a risk the current school finds out, which could complicate things (they could rescind the offer, it could affect the athlete's reputation, etc.).

I personally believe the athlete would have more success as a late commit if they decommit from their current school. This allows them to be upfront and honest with the staff at the current school while also actively presenting themselves to other coaches at tournaments and attending camps at target schools. It also shows they are truly committed to a different path, rather than hedging their bets and acting behind the scenes.

Would love to hear any and all thoughts and experiences.

This is why the student athlete needs to do their detailed homework on potential schools well before 9/1.

100% agree - unfortunately, I think for many in this day and age they get caught up trying to keep up with the joneses, waiting for the day they can share that stylized commitment Instagram post for everyone to see…

I think some of you don’t realize how overwhelming that can be for some of these kids. It’s one thing to get one or two schools reaching out and rushing to commit to get a post out or to say I am going D1. But some of them are getting over 30 schools reaching out to them at midnight. For my daughter it was overwhelming and after making the first round of calls she wanted it over as quick as possible. Unfortunately that’s not the way to do it but again, the system is set up to have kids who can’t decide what they want to eat for lunch decide their future at 16,17.
I feel bad for these kids. It’s not always about “instagram posts” and “due diligence” and we have no idea why this kid committed there on the first place.

[WashedUpLaxDad]

To Decommit or Not to Decommit…

HS & Club Coach here - I'm interested in hearing about others' experiences working with athletes who have committed but are now questioning if they made the right choice. I have an athlete who committed in September but is now wavering and wants to contact a select group of other coaches to gauge their interest without decommitting from the current school.

I feel this is a tricky situation - if I approach these coaches as an intermediary to test the waters, there's a risk the current school finds out, which could complicate things (they could rescind the offer, it could affect the athlete's reputation, etc.).

I personally believe the athlete would have more success as a late commit if they decommit from their current school. This allows them to be upfront and honest with the staff at the current school while also actively presenting themselves to other coaches at tournaments and attending camps at target schools. It also shows they are truly committed to a different path, rather than hedging their bets and acting behind the scenes.

Would love to hear any and all thoughts and experiences.

If they truly regret their decision, she should decommit before talking to anyone else. If she or an intermediary starts talking to other schools while committed, it will get around and she will get dropped from original school and unless she is a top 100 player no other school will touch her.

[laxfan9999]

Decommit and reopen her recruiting. Don’t try to be sly and stay committed and talk to other schools. Schools understand things change. Be upfront with them and move on.

[Relax77]

Decommit and reopen her recruiting. Don’t try to be sly and stay committed and talk to other schools. Schools understand things change. Be upfront with them and move on.

Best advice you’re gonna get.

[Bluecollar]

Yep. It’s all one big Ponzi Scheme. Starts with Colleges and their camps right down to the Showcases and to the Clubs. They make a ton of money but are all dependent on each other to keep bringing in the kids. That’s why college coaches get paid at these events. And don’t kid yourself. There is no difference between AS, UA, NB AA, Juniors, Apex….they are all money grabs.

College camps are important but they are a money maker too. Or do we really think that Clemson, UNC or Duke are looking at 200 kids that show up to their camps? It’s a necessity those camps but they are evil. You can tell by the group your kid is in, if they are actually interested in you.

Agree with Relax77. If you choose to attend these camps and can not answer yes to the question your kid is on the prospect team then it’s not worth your time and money.

But how does one know if your kid is on the prospect list before the camp? Serious question. Do you have club coaches reach out and ask for you?

[LiveLaxLove]

To Decommit or Not to Decommit…

HS & Club Coach here - I'm interested in hearing about others' experiences working with athletes who have committed but are now questioning if they made the right choice. I have an athlete who committed in September but is now wavering and wants to contact a select group of other coaches to gauge their interest without decommitting from the current school.

I feel this is a tricky situation - if I approach these coaches as an intermediary to test the waters, there's a risk the current school finds out, which could complicate things (they could rescind the offer, it could affect the athlete's reputation, etc.).

I personally believe the athlete would have more success as a late commit if they decommit from their current school. This allows them to be upfront and honest with the staff at the current school while also actively presenting themselves to other coaches at tournaments and attending camps at target schools. It also shows they are truly committed to a different path, rather than hedging their bets and acting behind the scenes.

Would love to hear any and all thoughts and experiences.

Easy answer -- the landscape has changed drastically in the last 12 months. There's a reason the NLI isn't signed until November of their senior year.
They're going to have to live with their decision for life. I say use the information you have, whenever you get it, and make the best decision you can. A commitment is like signing a Conditional Offer Letter for a job. It's quite normal for people to pull out of a conditional commitment for their career... why not for playing a sport in college?

[NutmegCrunch]

Girls finishing 8th grade should be spending their time in the summer at the beach and enjoying being a 13 year old as much as possible(obviously they have practice, tournaments, etc). They won't have that opportunity again for quite a while if they stick with lax.

Exactly - aside from club tournaments and her usual wall ball routine, our rising freshman is enjoying her summer, doing the reading for the AP class she's taking next year, and doing high school captains practices for her other sport.

The FOMO is very real for these teens - when friends and teammates are talking about being selected for Best In Class or All-American, and going to camps at Northwestern, BC, Florida, etc. it's hard to say, "So, I'm just playing club this summer."

[LaxDadMax]

Any college coach doesn't care what any 13-14 year olds can do at a camp. Those camps are only there for the suckers with money to burn thinking they are getting to the front of the recruiting line.
Girls finishing grade 8 should be working to being the best athlete they can be while working on their skills. Watch the college games on tv and they should make good improvement over the next 2 years before their big summer. Spend the next 2 years building up the foundation, it goes fast. Only worth it if the girls can enjoy the ride!

Girls finishing 8th grade should be spending their time in the summer at the beach and enjoying being a 13 year old as much as possible(obviously they have practice, tournaments, etc). They won't have that opportunity again for quite a while if they stick with lax.

For any 8th grader in a lax hotbed, I completely agree. For those in secondary states like GA, CA, FL,CO I think there is some value to testing yourself once or twice against the top east coast competition. Definitely shouldn't be doing a full circuit, but that is the only situation where I think it makes sense.

[jff97]

With another round of "recruiting rankings mean nothing" comments, I figured it was a good time to bring back the analysis of done on how the top 100 recruits live up to their rankings. The categories are the same as previous years. To be AA or all-conference you need to be on the actual team, not honorable mention. Starters means you started at least half the team's game (yes I know in lacrosse that starter can be misleading, but I had to draw the line somewhere.) Contributors plays in half the team's games and not just garbage time, from what I can tell.
For the 2019 and 2020 classes since this was the last year of eligibility guaranteed for everyone in the class, I also include the missed category. This just means they didn't see playing time on the field. After that long windup, here is the list along with a few takeaways at the bottom. Asterisks for players who transferred means that's the school that got them in the category.
Multi-time AA: Kasey Choma, #1, Notre Dame
Madison Ahern, #2, Notre Dame
Shaylan Ahearn, #4, Maryland
Hannah Leubecker, #9, Maryland
Jackie Wolak, #15, Notre Dame
Erin Coykendall, #22, Northwestern
Katelyn Mashewske, #30, Syracuse
Emily Nalls, #39, North Carolina
Emily Heller, #45, Florida
Isabella Peterson, OTR, James Madison
Emily Sterling, OTR, Maryland
Sam Thacker, OTR, Denver
AA: Olivia Dirks, #3, Penn State*/North Carolina
Emma Schettig, #5, Maryland*/Notre Dame
Delaney Sweitzer, #8, USC/Syracuse*
Olivia Carner, #23, Duke
Izzy Rohr, #25, Penn
Arden Tierney, #27, Richmond*/Notre Dame
Becky Browndorf, #33, Florida*/Boston College
Cubby Biscardi, OTR, Duke
Lindsey Frank, OTR, Richmond*/Northwestern
Niki Miles, OTR, Penn
All-conference: Sophia DiCenso, #6, Richmond
Kari Buonanno, #11, Princeton
Catherine Flaherty, #13, Maryland/Florida*
Hannah Heller, #18, UMass*/Florida
Blair Pearre, #21, Towson
Bianca Chevarie, #35, Syracuse
Jay Browne, #36, Stanford
Ainsley Thurston, #38, Duke/Queens*
Kiki Shaw, #41, Virginia
Katie Elders, #44, Dartmouth
Melissa Sconone, #47, North Carolina/Hofstra*
Kara Rahaim, #48, Stanford
Olivia Dooley, OTR, USC*/Notre Dame
Nicole Ferrara, OTR, Ohio State
Paige Gunning, OTR, Vanderbilt
Hilary Hoover, OTR, Cornell
Olivia Malamphy, OTR, Boston College/Towson*
Libby May, OTR, Maryland
Caroline Mondiello, OTR, Stanford
Claire Morris, OTR, Ohio State/Fairfield*
Meghan Pickel, OTR, Stony Brook/Adelphi*
Emily Wills, OTR, Loyola
Multi-year starter: Livi Lawton, #10, North Carolina
Kennon Moon, #12 Penn
Ryan Smith, #14, Boston College
Dylan Amonte, #29, Northwestern
Julia Dorsey, #32, North Carolina
Kayla Frank, #37, Virginia Tech
Caroline DeBellis, #42, Duke
Allegra Catalano, #46, Louisville
Anna Ruby, #49, Loyola
Kay Conway, OTR, Duke
Julia Greene, OTR, Stanford*/Boston College
Caitlin McHale, OTR, Bucknell
Lucy Murray, OTR, Dartmouth
Aiden Peduzzi, OTR, Maryland
Alexis Reinhardt, OTR, Cornell
Starter: Jane Hansen, #7, Northwestern
Shelton Sawers, #17, Florida
Lexi Schmalz, #19, Duke
Sophia Taglich, #31, Boston College
Katie Castiello, OTR, Cornell*/Clemson
Sydney Foster, OTR, Loyola/Saint Joseph’s
Meg Hillman, OTR, Loyola
Sloane Murphy, OTR, USC
Bryce Pfundstein, OTR, Johns Hopkins/Ohio State*
Annie Steigerwald, OTR, Michigan/Niagara*
Emma Tilson, OTR, Maryland/Clemson*
Contributor: Nicole Humphrey, #16, North Carolina
Kate Sites, #20, Maryland
Chloe Hunter, #24, Penn
Victoria Hensh, #26, Maryland
Jaime Biskup, OTR, Virginia*/Vanderbilt
Phoebe Day, OTR, Boston College
Jane McAvoy, OTR, Notre Dame
Lianna McDonnell, OTR, Stanford
Katie Shanley, OTR, Northwestern
Kiera Shanley, OTR, Northwestern
Carly Steinlauf, OTR, Johns Hopkins
Missed: Briana Lantuh, #28, North Carolina
Delaney Lawler, #40, Ohio State
Logan Lillie, #43, Northwestern
Amber Bustard, #50, Loyola
Whitney Albert, OTR, Florida
Sophia Antonopoulos, OTR, Maryland
Maddy Balter, OTR, Northwestern
Emma Briger, OTR, Princeton
Georgia Ceanfaglione, OTR, Florida
Hunter Chadwick, OTR, Northwestern
Riley Hoeg, OTR, Virginia
Mary McWright, OTR, Boston College
Ellie Mooney, OTR, Notre Dame
Olivia Navaroli, OTR, Duke
Amy Shohet, OTR, Dartmouth
Lucy Svetec, OTR, Penn
Julia Szynal, OTR, Northwestern
Katie Thompson, OTR, North Carolina
Some takeaways:
-This class's top 100 had 22 All-Americans, easily dwarfing 2018 (11) while falling slightly short of 2017 (25)
-81 players hit at least contributor status, which was slightly more than the 2017 and 2018 class
-However, it doesn't feel like this class had a lot of starpower compared to the previous two classes. Really good players sure, but not someone on the level of a North, Scane, Ortega, Tyrrell, etc.
-The number of transfers jumped from nine through 4 years to 2021 after this year. Definitely a COVID-year by product.
-It's hard to declare a winner in the class. Sure teams like MD and ND got a lot out of it, but that didn't seem to translate on the field. None of the FF teams this year had amazing 2019 classes. Solid sure, and that's maybe what you need to contend year-after-year with a few superstars mixed in.
Hope this sparks some conversation.

[njbill]

Delaney Lawler didn’t miss. She never played lacrosse in college and never intended to. Exclusively field hockey for five seasons at Ohio State.

[Relax77]

I am certainly not one of those guys that say I told you so but I do feel total vindication. I told you guys she was going to Clemson. You laughed at me. Not sure what happened but as usual, I was right.

[NutmegCrunch]

Spallina to Clemson rather than Syracuse. I admit, I'm surprised she switched.

[Relax77]

Spallina to Clemson rather than Syracuse. I admit, I'm surprised she switched.

Nah. Clemson is winning a Natty in three years.

[Madlax59]

I am certainly not one of those guys that say I told you so but I do feel total vindication. I told you guys she was going to Clemson. You laughed at me. Not sure what happened but as usual, I was right.

Not to be cynical....but what happened to " Cuse is my dream school and I want to play with my brothers" ?? Funny how SB I(and helping her dad win a natty) isn't even the 2nd choice.

[Relax77]

I am certainly not one of those guys that say I told you so but I do feel total vindication. I told you guys she was going to Clemson. You laughed at me. Not sure what happened but as usual, I was right.

Not to be cynical....but what happened to " Cuse is my dream school and I want to play with my brothers" ?? Funny how SB I(and helping her dad win a natty) isn't even the 2nd choice.

True but her dad wanted her in Clemson if I remember correctly. At least that’s what I was told.

[Idontknowtherules]

I am certainly not one of those guys that say I told you so but I do feel total vindication. I told you guys she was going to Clemson. You laughed at me. Not sure what happened but as usual, I was right.

Not to be cynical....but what happened to " Cuse is my dream school and I want to play with my brothers" ?? Funny how SB I(and helping her dad win a natty) isn't even the 2nd choice.

True but her dad wanted her in Clemson if I remember correctly. At least that’s what I was told.

I would t doubt if JS is jumping ship at SB

[McLax9777]

I am certainly not one of those guys that say I told you so but I do feel total vindication. I told you guys she was going to Clemson. You laughed at me. Not sure what happened but as usual, I was right.

Not to be cynical....but what happened to " Cuse is my dream school and I want to play with my brothers" ?? Funny how SB I(and helping her dad win a natty) isn't even the 2nd choice.

True but her dad wanted her in Clemson if I remember correctly. At least that’s what I was told.

You seem to have a lot of first hand info, knowing what her dad wanted, how much she was offered in Sept, the “natty” 3 year countdown.

We will see what shakes out.

[Relax77]

I am certainly not one of those guys that say I told you so but I do feel total vindication. I told you guys she was going to Clemson. You laughed at me. Not sure what happened but as usual, I was right.

Not to be cynical....but what happened to " Cuse is my dream school and I want to play with my brothers" ?? Funny how SB I(and helping her dad win a natty) isn't even the 2nd choice.

True but her dad wanted her in Clemson if I remember correctly. At least that’s what I was told.

You seem to have a lot of first hand info, knowing what her dad wanted, how much she was offered in Sept, the “natty” 3 year countdown.

We will see what shakes out.

Obviously. Now realityknows and I have to make up and be friends.