Where have all the Hotbeds gone?
Posted: Sat May 07, 2022 1:44 pm
My, how things have changed since I started re-engaging in lacrosse by participating in the departed predecessor site.
Back then, the hotbeds whose graduates dominated the DI college rosters were MIAA, Long Island, and Upstate (and Central) New York, with growing representation from the Philly mainline and DMV and and SW CT. College players from beyond these regions were regarded as athletic freaks who had persevered through dismal competition and team-dad coaching to earn a spot with a competitive college team. Welcome to the sidelines, usually.
I just looked at the Inside Lacrosse HS rankings ( https://www.insidelacrosse.com/recruit ... ational/22 ) -- edit, this is apparently an out-of-date ranking -- and was surprised to see that the top LI High School team (Saint Ants) was ranked at #11. The top MIAA team is #4. I also noticed that ALL teams in the top 25 are private schools, but that’s a different thread. Where’s Manhasset and Garden City and Victor and Yorktown? Where’s Darien and Conestoga and Nisky all those other lacrosse factories that were fixtures in the top 25 for a couple of decades?
So then I looked at DI NCAA scoring (https://www.insidelacrosse.com/league/di/polls/2022, because certainly this list will still be dominated by players from the legacy hotbeds and (of course) Canada. Right?
Top of the ranking charts is U of Maryland. Probably a slew of local boys scoring all those points, right? There’s 1 kid from MD and a kids from Canada (of course) in their top 8 scorers, but the rest are from GA, CA, VA, MA, and NJ.
OK, let’s look at ‘cuse. Their reputation is showcasing Upstate and Canada, with ringers from Long Island and MD. Lo and behold, there is NO Canada in their top scorers and one MD kid (a legacy) in their leaderboard. OR and TX and FL in their top 4. No Long Island talent.
Georgetown has stormed to #2. Their top scorer is from Missouri. Oof!
Virginia has one MD kid in their top 8 (and, of course, a Canadian) but no New Yorkers.
Notre Dame is 'full of Chaminade kids', as Quint Kessenich remarked. Yup. The Kavanaugh brothers are the top 2 scorers, but the rest of the top 8 only includes a freshman from MD as far as hotbeds go. The kid from Malvern PA can be considered a product of a legacy emerging hotbed, if you wish.
Army actually fits my preconceptions. 4 of their top 5 scorers and 5 of their top 8 are from recognized lacrosse factories. So, let’s look at Navy, another region-agnostic team(?): Aw, heck, their top scorer is from Dallas. Really?
Duke is known as a school that finds and features the best. OK, their top scorer is a kid from LI who’s been a legend since middle school, and a Canadian, But their top scorer from the midfield is from....Texas?
The good news is that 'grow the game' has worked. I don't see any bad news, here. Lacrosse at the top level has gotten faster on foot, quicker and more precise in passing, and the schemes are more complex. The rope units are impenetrable unless they make a mistake. There are 20 great goalies instead of 1 or 2 each year getting recruited. It's been 18 years, but 18 years ago when I postulated that the game was too captivating to stay where it was a cultural fixture, there was pushback.
Has the game gone national?
Back then, the hotbeds whose graduates dominated the DI college rosters were MIAA, Long Island, and Upstate (and Central) New York, with growing representation from the Philly mainline and DMV and and SW CT. College players from beyond these regions were regarded as athletic freaks who had persevered through dismal competition and team-dad coaching to earn a spot with a competitive college team. Welcome to the sidelines, usually.
I just looked at the Inside Lacrosse HS rankings ( https://www.insidelacrosse.com/recruit ... ational/22 ) -- edit, this is apparently an out-of-date ranking -- and was surprised to see that the top LI High School team (Saint Ants) was ranked at #11. The top MIAA team is #4. I also noticed that ALL teams in the top 25 are private schools, but that’s a different thread. Where’s Manhasset and Garden City and Victor and Yorktown? Where’s Darien and Conestoga and Nisky all those other lacrosse factories that were fixtures in the top 25 for a couple of decades?
So then I looked at DI NCAA scoring (https://www.insidelacrosse.com/league/di/polls/2022, because certainly this list will still be dominated by players from the legacy hotbeds and (of course) Canada. Right?
Top of the ranking charts is U of Maryland. Probably a slew of local boys scoring all those points, right? There’s 1 kid from MD and a kids from Canada (of course) in their top 8 scorers, but the rest are from GA, CA, VA, MA, and NJ.
OK, let’s look at ‘cuse. Their reputation is showcasing Upstate and Canada, with ringers from Long Island and MD. Lo and behold, there is NO Canada in their top scorers and one MD kid (a legacy) in their leaderboard. OR and TX and FL in their top 4. No Long Island talent.
Georgetown has stormed to #2. Their top scorer is from Missouri. Oof!
Virginia has one MD kid in their top 8 (and, of course, a Canadian) but no New Yorkers.
Notre Dame is 'full of Chaminade kids', as Quint Kessenich remarked. Yup. The Kavanaugh brothers are the top 2 scorers, but the rest of the top 8 only includes a freshman from MD as far as hotbeds go. The kid from Malvern PA can be considered a product of a legacy emerging hotbed, if you wish.
Army actually fits my preconceptions. 4 of their top 5 scorers and 5 of their top 8 are from recognized lacrosse factories. So, let’s look at Navy, another region-agnostic team(?): Aw, heck, their top scorer is from Dallas. Really?
Duke is known as a school that finds and features the best. OK, their top scorer is a kid from LI who’s been a legend since middle school, and a Canadian, But their top scorer from the midfield is from....Texas?
The good news is that 'grow the game' has worked. I don't see any bad news, here. Lacrosse at the top level has gotten faster on foot, quicker and more precise in passing, and the schemes are more complex. The rope units are impenetrable unless they make a mistake. There are 20 great goalies instead of 1 or 2 each year getting recruited. It's been 18 years, but 18 years ago when I postulated that the game was too captivating to stay where it was a cultural fixture, there was pushback.
Has the game gone national?