Below are excerpts from my blogs with critical recruiting information. Here is a list of topics:
Can You Be Blackballed In Recruiting?
Yesterday it happened again. Over the years I have heard this SO many times in boys and girls club lacrosse. For a club director to threaten blackballing a player is reprehensible and flat out impossible. These things are said in desperation or to create fear.
"Your son / daughter will be blackballed if you don't play with us or if you play with them."
Folks, there is no such thing as being "Blackballed" by a club director or anyone for that matter in men's or women's college lacrosse recruiting. A college coach will no more listen to a club director's directive that a player is to be blackballed than he would listen to a directive that he must take a player. College coaches don't care about club politics. They want to win, which means they need the best players. Period.
I know three girls, two of which are JM3 Clients, that were "Blackballed" by their North Carolina Fever Club Director because they broke the rules of 'playing as a guest on any other teams' even when there were no conflicts with the Fever tourneys.
The Club Director made a lot of threats and was outright nasty, telling these families what a huge mistake they were making, Scare tactics!
I helped them find a better club, they kept working at their game with me, playing box lacrosse and a ton of pick up and here are the schools they ended up at:
Not bad for a bunch of kids who were blackballed. Oh yeah, the nasty club director is a UNC alum haha!
I could tell dozens of stories exactly like this from every market in the country!
Interesting Stands Out
When I was recruiting in Division I lacrosse, which I loved to do, I would say one of my guiding principles was answering this question: Is this player/game/lacrosse interesting? Lacrosse can be incredibly interesting, or incredibly boring. I choose interesting! Some of the “Interesting” players I recruited: Matt Brown, Geoff Snider, Illija Gajic, Jamie Lincoln, Mark Matthews, Jeremy Noble, Chase Carraro to name a few. I think interesting means to me they have a repertoire of what they do and how they do it. Interesting means creative, skilled and smart. Interesting and Box Lacrosse go together hand in hand!
Many youth and high school coaches stymie "Interesting" because they don't understand the game well enough to know that interesting = skilled and smart.
How Do You Get Recruited?
This is one of the most common questions that turns into an obsession for parents of serious lacrosse players. Here are a few thoughts:
1. Focus on being a good enough player! How do you do that? In my opinion, the best way BY FAR to become really freaking good at lacrosse, is the "Sandlot Model" of pick up games. In pickup games players learn competitiveness and creativity that sparks greatness. Think about it. How did you grow up playing sports? Pick up basketball, pond hockey, soccer in the streets… world class athletes all over the world have used the Sandlot Model to become great. And in lacrosse, almost nobody plays pick up. EXCEPT the Native Americans, who play backyard lacrosse all the time and guess what? They are the most skilled and creative lacrosse players in the world!
2. For girls, the “Pick up game” model is equally powerful. Most girls youth and club lacrosse is full field, full speed, up and down, and not a lot of team play because the no checking rules in youth create an environment where the fastest girl literally doesn’t have to pass to be the best. The tight confines, the touch passes and off ball movements in pick up games is an environment is invaluable.
3. Touches: based on stats I’ve taken from pick up games and club games, you can expect 10x more touches in pick up games
4. Everyone is looking for the best club team to play on….. Maybe they should also look for the best pick up game to play in!
5. Make a development plan. Does anyone actually go through the process of evaluation and improvement planning?
6. Use video to evaluate what you’re good at, what you need to work on, what you should do more of, what you should do less of, where on the field you have the most success, off ball…. Video is the most powerful teacher. Leverage it!
7. Find a club program that focuses on team play. Coaches that can create legitimate ball movement, people movement, and team defense can create an environment where the high IQ player who is skilled will shine. Without this type of play, the only players who truly shine are the biggest, fastest players who dodge all the time.
8. Find a club program that will compete at events where college coaches traditionally attend. Look at last year’s list and if it’s a new event, look at the history of that event company’s college coach attendance list. The best event operators / club organizations are consistent with the type of attendance. Reason: they pay for coaches to be there and it costs a lot!
9. Find advocates: the lacrosse world is tight knit and coaches develop a network of trusted coaches that tip them off on legit players. There is no doubt that college coaches make their own decisions on who the best kids are, but there is also no doubt that they will take a hard look at players recommended by people they trust.
Advocacy in College Lacrosse Recruiting
Today I'd like to write about the role of "Advocacy" in college lacrosse recruiting. Advocacy is a misunderstood word and I would like to shine a light on the realties of recruiting advocacy. You will hear parents say, "So and so club is really good at marketing their players," or "If you don't play for this club you will be blackballed because college coaches will call so and so club director about players (from this city) and you don't want him to give you a bad reference," or "So and so club organization said they will get me recruited and the other club will not."
Read the thread below where USC Women's Assistant Coach Deemer Class and legendary coach and former Maryland Head Coach, Dave Cottle chime in on a tweet where a seemingly disgruntled parent is complaining about the way club teams "Promote" players. .
The one major truth that both of these guys are stating that I totally agree with is,
"Player's abilities get them recruited." This is a fact. By far the most important part of the recruiting process is getting better or being good enough. There is now way marketing or promotion will make a college coach want to recruit a player that is not good enough. Period!
Relationships And Advocacy
Let's establish the fact that relationships do matter in all areas of life and this holds true in college lacrosse recruiting. College coaches have a network of HS and club coaches, alums, and friends that they leverage in the process of finding out about prospects. Without questions coaches will put more stock in some opinions than others and they will also value some relationships more than others.
For example, if a club or HS coach hard sells a player who turns out to be sub par, that club / HS coach will likely not be trusted in the future. On the other hand, if a club or HS coach is consistently, honest and accurate with evaluations, a college coach will go back to that well for information and players.
Further, the director who runs a top tier club organization will often times get more respect and attention from college coaches because coaches want access to that club's players.
If a club director doesn't have relationships with college coaches, if they simply don't take the time to build relationships or reach out on a player's behalf, it can be a disadvantage to the prospect. It won't matter at all if the prospect is a physical freak... those kids never have to worry about getting recruited!
Let's say a college coach is deciding between two players that are very similar. That coach will be more likely to take the player recommended by someone they trust and someone they want to do business with in the future.
Will a relationship guarantee recruitment? Absolutely not. A HS or club coach can no more guarantee recruitment than they can blackball a player and hurt their recruiting. Back to the concepts of the Tweets above, the player must get the attention of the coach by his or her play on the field.
The Realities of Advocacy
As Head Coach at the University of Denver I recruited three recruiting classes ranked by Inside Lacrosse Top 10, I brought multiple teams to the NCAA Tourney, and was Founder / CEO of the biggest club organization in the nation where we had sent hundreds of players to Division I. I have as good of a resume in this business as anyone, but this doesn't mean I can get someone recruited.
Here's what I can do based on the Laws of Advocacy.
To be clear, the reason I can probably get a college coach to take a look at a player is because I don't waste their time with players that are not at their level (yet). I use the word "Yet" just like I use the words "Right now" (I don't think UVA is going to recruit you "Right now" because...."). The words "Right now" aren't just a nice way of saying you're not good enough, they fit in to the number one law of recruiting, "Being good enough" and "Getting better"
This fall one of my JM3 Athletes committed to Princeton and is the perfect example of the power of getting better and of the "Right Now" phenomenon. Players are like stocks and when they get good enough there are buyers and their value goes up. This particular athlete had a good summer, but I just knew it wasn't the right timing to talk to the UVA's of the world about him, Then came fall and this kid's game just popped! His skill set and confidence were unmistakeable. It was then that I sent his film out to the big boys.
This fall nine JM3 Athletes, boys and girls, committed to the following schools: Duke, Harvard, Cornell, Brown, North Carolina and Princeton, Williams, and Mercer. I can tell you unequivocally that they were all recruited because they were really freaking good! Their games "Popped" at right time. I can also tell you that the role of advocacy factored in and often times from multiple advocates.
My number one responsibility with JM3 Athletes is to put them on a trajectory for being "Really freaking good" at lacrosse. My second responsibility is not just to be an advocate, but to connect my athletes with other credible advocates. I have found that when a player is good enough and coaches are hearing great recommendations from multiple, reliable sources, it is impactful.
Biggest Time Wasters in Recruiting Process
1. Expecting to get better at Tourneys or Showcases: you don’t get enough touches to get better. Count them. I did. It’s not pretty.. maybe you 15 touches, 4 shots, 5 dodges per game?
2. Making lists of colleges you would be interested in and visiting those schools before September 1st Junior year. There is a time and place to visit colleges… when you’re getting ready to apply or when you’re actually being recruited and need to make a decision. Before that, you are putting the cart before the horse. You could spend that time getting better!
3. Going to prospect days and showcases if you’re NOT a dodger. At these types of camps, there is almost never team play (there are exceptions) and if you’re a player who is a high IQ,/Skill player who doesn’t dodge a lot, you will not get a look. Guaranteed. (See the bullet above regarding finding a club team that focuses on team play)
4. Focusing on exposure when you’re not ready for that step. First step: be good enough. Second step: exposure.
Funny Recruiting Story
One time I got a letter and dvd from a defender from Canada named Reid Acton who was interested the University of Denver.Reid actually went on to play at Loyola, won the 2012 Championship there, and has played professionally in both leagues.Reid also coaches at the Hill Academy with Brodie Merrill.
Anyway, Reid’s note to me read something like this, “Dear Coach Munro, I am a Canadian box lacrosse player and I’m very interested in the University of Denver. I don’t actually have any video of me playing lacrosse, but I do have have this video of me in a hockey fight.I hope you enjoy it!” Classic Canadian! This might have been the best recruiting video ever! We didn’t recruit Reid, but I sure wish we had!
Remember the "Interesting" concept?
Highlight Video 101
The Keys To A Good Highlight Video
In this blog, I would like to write about highlight videos. Everyone knows highlight videos are critical to the recruiting process, but I don't think most folks know the details of what' should be in a great highlight video.
Good competition: If you put highlights that are clearly against weak competition, it degrades your film. Don't bother clips against terrible teams.
Good Highlights: if your video has has clips of shots that aren't goals, or passes that aren't assists, it's a sign you don't have enough content for a great highlight video and you're better off waiting until you do have enough. Coaches will see all these good plays that don't result in goals when they watch a full game.
Groundhog Day: if your highlight video resembles the movie "Groundhog Day" meaning, it shows the same play over and over and over.... the same lefty finish or the same alley dodge every time, it is less impressive than the highlight video that has an wide array of skill usages.
Skill: how skilled are you AND how many skills do you use in your highlight video? How many different types of dodges do you use? How many different feeds, finishes, shots do you employ? How many ways do you know how to get your shot off? The top offensive recruits in the nation are using a ton of skills.
Defense: make sure you know what college coaches want. A highlight of a defensive player stripping a dodger seems appropriate for the video, but if the clip is actually terrible fundamental defense, it could get you crossed off a list!
Off Ball Defense: your posture will be noted. If you are standing straight up on your videos and not in an athletic position, sideways to the ball and turning your head, you will likely not be recruited.
Defenders with the ball: many highlight videos of defenders are 75% with the ball playmaking situations which are great, but make sure you have enough on ball and off ball defensive clips!
Double Teams: if your video shows you anticipating and either sneaking up on dodgers when they turn their heads or jumping dodgers on picks or clear throughs, it will be well received.
Communication: As a defensive player, your highlight video won't usually allow for communication to be recognized, with the exception of "Pointing." Pointing a recovery, pointing to a midfielder to move the ball to the point attackman or pointing a midfielder defensively to the point attackman so the point defenseman can stop the ball will stand out on your video.
Toughness: make sure you have some highlights of hustle plays and toughness plays. A great ground ball, a ride, or a big time slide and "Hold'm up" where you get there with a great approach and slow the dodger down, and let the on ball player strip the ball.
Vision: showing your ability to see the field with quick decision passing, moving the ball off the ground, one-timing a pass on the one more. The ability to deliver great and deceptive passes buy time for your receiver is a part of what college coaches are looking for.
Showing your strengths: for example, if athleticism is your calling card, then make sure you are properly highlighting it. I remember seeing a highlight video of a super fast midfielder who was a converted pole. The kid was fast as hell, but not super skilled. His speed was obvious in the between the lines situations, great on ball defense, and on ground balls. The problem was, he included a ton of alley dodge clips where his lack of great skill was also obvious. Make sure you highlight your strengths.
2man game: knowing how to play pick and roll is a pre-requisite for most DI offenses in men's and women's lacrosse. If you have no 2man games in your highlight film it probably shows a lack of the team offenses college teams are playing . Learn how to play 2man game!
On Ball Defense: pressure the ball! . There is nothing that shows athleticism like the ability to pressure the ball and run with your man! Coaches will have a much easier time evaluating you if you pressure!
Goalies: Coaches want to evaluate your ready position, your technique on saving shots, inside saves, outside shots, come around shots, pipe to pipe, whether or not you false step or dip, your quickness, the quality of shots your saving, your athleticism, as well as your ability to throw a great outlet. Make sure you have all of these bases covered versus great competition!
Shooting: One thing college coaches need as much as anything is great shooters! Time and room shots, on the run shots, and finishes. Sure coaches want to see velocity and accuracy, but they also want to see great shot selection (no bad angle shots or too far out shots), deception (do you move goalies) and finishes where you gain angle coming across the middle. If your film shows you scoring goals where you are "Fading" behind the net it's not great. Can you shoot low high wind ups? Leaners? Screen shots? Double Fake Finishes?
Physical Dodging: there are a ton of fast and quick dodgers out there who have a great change of direction and can beat players at the high school level. When you get to the college level, dodgers must be physical. When a dodger makes a move either he will initiate contact on the recovering defender or the defender will initiate contact on the dodger to get them off track. Turning corners and initiating contact is what college coaches are looking for! If you're not physical, you're probably not a good enough dodger.
Post ups: there is a time and place to post your man up and the best players do this. Beating your man with speed and quickness is great, but what happens when you get to "The Island" and your man is still right there? It's time to have moves to get your shot off. Squared up Post up, Shuffle Post up, Back in Post up all have an important place at the highest level and whether you're a midfielder or an attackman you need to have this in your repertoire and you will separate yourself from the pack if you film has sick post up moves.
Position-less Lacrosse: Versatility is critical. You need to be able to play out front, behind and on the wings. You need to play on ball, off ball, and in 2man games. Your video should show this. If you are a midfielder, you should be skilled enough to play attack. If you are an attackman, you should be athletic enough to play out top.
Random Thoughts on How to Get Recruited
A Strategy For Playing Well At Recruiting Events
One of my biggest pieces of advice for players who want to play their best: learn to look for opportunities to use your skills. I’ll tell you what I would do if I was playing.
First, I would see if I could get a defender to over play me… some type of fake pass and split, MJ move or “open up” re-dodge… suck’em out and run by them.
Next I would Run right at my guy as hard as I could and see if he could handle it.
I’d test his change of direction with a hard split dodge, stop and go, roll back.
I would coordinate a little fishhook cut opportunity with one of my attack mates and get an easy goal.
If I were playing midfield I would coordinate a little give and go with an attackman where I would pass it down, pretend I was jogging into the crease to lull my man to sleep, then I’d cut hard and receive a pass for an easy one!
The point here is, if you don’t have a plan for how you’re going to score and make plays, if you’re not looking for these opportunities constantly, there’s no way you will play as well as you could. Regardless of your position, you need to have a prioritized checklist of what you’re going to do and what you’re going to look for based on what you’re best at and what’s required of your position. You must be intentional about it!
A Big Recruiting Advantage This Summer
An onslaught of summer tournaments, showcases, and events is right around the corner and I want to share one of the biggest hacks your son or daughter can take advantage of in this extremely competitive world of college lacrosse recruiting:
Rest, Recovery and Sleep.
Stacking events back to back (or worse) will leave an athlete with a lesser performance. Period. Being 100% fresh will allow an athlete to have a peak performance. This is going to happen one way or another!
Don't underestimate sleep!!!!!!!
"Athletic performance is predicated on improving adaptive capacity, or the ability to adapt to physical and psychological stress. The equation for this stress + rest = adaptation. Sleep is our primary adaptive mechanism, and is a game-changer for anyone seeking to optimize human performance." - Erik Korem
Check out my podcast with Erik Korem on the power of sleep!
The gurus I work with like Tony Holler for speed, Mike Boyle for strength and conditioning and Erik Korem on High performance all have a similar philosophy of "Minimum Effective Dose." Basically, do only as much as you need to in order to create an adaptation and prioritize rest, recovery and sleep. Below are a couple quotes that Tony and Mike shared for this blog!
“We heal and grow when we sleep. Training is the stimulus, recovery provides the adaptation.” Tony Holler
“Rest matters. Sleep matters. The number of hours of sleep before midnight matters. Good nutrition matters. It all matters. Cliches are cliches because they're true. You can’t burn the candle at both ends!" Mike Boyle
You Need To Be More Selfish
I actually hate this topic of conversation and messaging.“You need to be more selfish” moms or dads will say, even coaches will say! I think this hits the nail right on the side. The topic should really be “smart” vs. “not smart!”
If you are making “smart” decisions this is good! If you're making “not smart” decisions, this is bad. Passing up a good shot is as “not smart” as taking a bad shot. Not dodging when you have a great match up or opportunity is similarly “not smart” to hanging on to the ball too long or trying to dodge through double teams.
I will say that your chances of being recruited as a “not smart”/selfish player are probably better than the “not smart”/unselfish player simply because the coaches can only see what they see which is either something or nothing. So….. if you’re “not smart” you might as well be selfish
How NOT to Get Recruited
Summer club tourneys and recruiting is in full swing. It’s getting incredibly competitive as there are more and more kids playing and training at high levels. Normally I give advice on what to do, but this time….
1. Don’t dodge much
2. Never pass
3. Do a ton of “Give and stand-theres”
4. Dodge full speed right into slides
5. Play primarily on the “Wrong” side of the field as opposed to your “Natural” side of the field
6. Stand in your teammate’s way when he’s trying to dodge instead of clearing space, picking, or “Fading/Drifting”
7. Show how fundamentally sound you are by switching hands a lot… especially on man up!
8. Don’t initiate contact on your man when you dodge
9. Just run to your strong hand, one speed, one direction, don’t use multiple moves
10. Do a lot of palms up when your coaches tell you something
11. Wait until you get the ball to figure out what you’re gonna do
12. Shoot like you do in the back yard practicing on no goalie: staring down your corner!
13. Have your dad drop knowledge on college coaches on the sideline whenever possible
14. Shoot side arm alley shots
15. Stand up tall on defense and watch the ball
16. Play with a huge whip so you hit your teammates in the nuts when you feed
Dreaming of a Better Tryout/Showcase/Prospect Day
I am hoping and praying, for all of our sakes, that those who are running these types of events will consider the following points on how to run a tryout!
First, let’s establish that the primary goal here is to evaluate players; Finding out who the best athletes are, the most skilled players, players with the highest IQ, coach-ability and intangibles. Let’s also establish that the another goal is to make money, which requires that the customers (parents/players/college coaches) are happy.
Here is a simple model that can achieve both!
A. Clear through for dodgers
B. No bad shots
C. Move the ball
Without enforcement of these three elements of team play, the evaluators are guaranteed not to get a great look at players. Coaches of teams MUST enforce these rules by subbing offending players out for the game (briefly).
Clearing space: Let’s say you want to evaluate a defender and finally he’s guarding one of the best X attackmen at the event, but the wings never clear through for him…. Nobody is getting a look…. The attackman can’t dodge, the defender can’t defend, the goalie won’t get a chance to make a save, etc. The solution is, “Hey buddy!” I yell across the field, “yeah, yeah… come here! Hey, you didn’t clear through for the dodgers and I’m going to have to take you out for a bit.” Of course, the player will be put back in, but a brief stint on the bench works wonders.
No Bad Shots: There’s always a kid who seems like he shoots a lot. Well, some kids are going to be more assertive than others… that’s just how it is. However, let’s qualify what’s acceptable or unacceptable with regard to shooting: if he’s generating great shots, then it’s acceptable. If he’s taking shots from poor angles or from too far out, then that’s unacceptable and the player must be taken out of the game, reminded, and must sit a shift. He and everyone else will stop taking bad shots if they have to sit a shift for poor shot selection.
Move the ball: You must create a culture of passing.
3. Each field must have a “Quality Control Coach” who:
Advice To Lacrosse Parents
I work with a ton of individual athletes and their parents to help them plan a strategy and roadmap for two big picture topics: player development and exposure. The biggest piece of advice I give parents is don't listen to what other parents tell you, instead do your homework! Of course, it's always good to hear other people's perspectives, but you are going to run across a lot of opinions on what you should do with your kids for development and exposure coming from people who are not experts.
Many parents played college lacrosse, might have been a great player back in the day or they simply "Know the game" because they're from Baltimore, but that doesn't mean they are experts in player development. Usually, former players do pretty much what they did growing up.
Some parents have credibility because they have kids who have been recruited. It's good to learn their story, but just know that some athletes make recruiting look easy because they're just so gifted. Further, their successfully recruitment is great, but it's a small sample size and often times their advice is outdated. The landscape in recruiting changes rapidly.
How about the parent youth coach who has a lot of clout because he or she has been building a super team since 1st grade and they dominate while their kids are in youth lacrosse. This coach will go undefeated year after year and really have no idea about anything haha.
Some parents will tell you how great their speed training is or their strength training telling you their guy coaches NFL players, even though they have no idea what constitutes a great S&C coach or program.
You'll get advice on what showcases you have to go to, what sports to play.. love it when I hear people say they have their kid running cross country to get in shape.
Other parents might even make you feel bad about your own plan or worry that you're not doing enough because their plan seems so good.
The fact is you only have one chance to help your kids follow their dreams and it's important you get it right. The best thing you can do is educate yourself! Gather as much information from the smartest experts you can find, listen to podcasts read blogs, and following the science. There is so much incredible information out there and there is equally as much bad information out there. Don't be fooled into wasting precious time following the advice from the wrong people!
How Can Parents Help in Recruiting?
As a parent here are the three things you can control in the recruiting process:
Don’t forget that while all three points are important, the first one is by far the most important.
What does “Great development environments” mean?
There is a huge pool of really good players out there. How is your kid going to stand out? Is continuing to do what you have been doing the best plan? You have invested a ton of money and time and your son/daughter is a really good player! You’ve seen it… and they’ve worked hard it!
Film is Truth. If you are not using film and expert analysis, there is no way your son/daughter will play to their potential. It is literally not possible.
Burnout
Players, parents, and coaches are in a tough spot at this point of the summer. Summer tournaments are beginning to wind down and the level of play has generally dropped due to fatigue and mental burnout. Some kids are playing in back-to-back-to-back tournaments, showcases, prospect days, etc. Knowing how to prioritize your time and energy is huge!
One of the most important things to remember is that more is not always more. If the coach that you are really hoping to impress is watching you on your 12th straight day of lacrosse, that could have a negative effect on your recruiting. Coaches can't unsee what they have seen!
At the highest levels- athletes and coaches view rest as a form of training! You heard that correctly- rest=training. Build-in days off for recovery and to disconnect from it all for a while. You will come back recharged and ready to put your best foot forward. As our good friend and speed guru, Tony Holler would say: "Tired is the enemy, not the goal. Don't burn the steak!"
“Daddy Ball”
I regularly hear clubs or other lacrosse organizations say things like, “We don’t have any dad coaches” as if that’s a big key to a successful program. There are certainly nightmare stories about out of control dad coaches, but there are a lot of success stories too. Let’s really look into the value of dad coaches versus non-dad coaches.
First let’s establish that no matter who is coaching the team, there are going to be some unhappy parents.
Second, let’s establish that a dad coach will be far more committed to the team than a non dad. It’s not even close.The dad coach will give his time for extra training, video, will constantly work at recruiting players, show up early…. You name it!
Third, let’s establish that whether it’s a dad or a non-dad, you need to have a good coach. What is a good coach? Here are a few of the qualities: committed, a good leader, runs a good practice, good in game coach, fair, has contacts in college lacrosse to help in recruiting. Rarely will you find all of these bases covered by anyone, so if you can find a few of these qualities it’s a big win.
Fourth, let’s establish that if you have a dad coach there will be some level of bias towards his son. I remember talking to Kevin Corrigan about his coaching of his son Will. Kevin said something like, “it’s impossible as a dad, not to be aware of my son on the field more than another player.” Where this bias becomes a problem is if the dad doesn’t hold his own son accountable to the same standards of effort, team play, attitude or plays his kid ahead of players who are clearly better.
I founded 3d Lacrosse and I can tell you that many our most successful teams measured by a combination of winning, recruiting success, profitability, and retention were coached by dads. I can also tell you that if we had a dad who just couldn’t cut it, we moved on ASAP.
Over the past 5 years, what has been the most dominant club team in the nation… by far? Team 91 on Long Island which was build almost exclusively on dads. And by the way, they have dads lined up for years to come.
I was a dad coach and I still am. I can tell you that the players who were along for the ride, who showed up to all the extra training sessions, pick up games or box lacrosse practices with 3d, Blue Sky, Mustangs, or Vista, simply received the gift that any dad would give his son. Everything he had.
Writing Emails to Coaches
One question that I’m asked frequently is, “How do I write an email to a coach?” You must understand that the coaches are receiving endless emails from recruits and they are usually checking their emails on a mobile device. Don’t write a long note as coaches will usually just skim the email looking for key words like:
I would also recommend copying assistant coaches on the email and include your summer schedule and highlight film. Be careful not to put the wrong name in there because you copied and pasted your email to a ton of coaches!
Remember, the most important part of recruiting is being “good enough,” but ideally you will get on the list of players a coach wants to see because if he’s looking for you, it’s easier to stand out.If you haven’t already, watch this video: www.JM3GetRecruited.com
Notre Dame Head Coach Kevin Corrigan on Recruiting
Coach Corrigan and I talked a lot about recruiting, the new rules, and what parents/players should really focus on. Here’s a re-cap:
Happy September 1st
Today is the day everyone has been waiting for! September 1st is the day college coaches can reach out to high school juniors. For some this day brings a lot of calls, for others it will bring a lot of consternation, for those athletes who committed as high school freshman, today is the day they find out if the coach still wants them or if other schools are going to try and poach them. In any case, don't make today more than it is. If you don't hear from any schools today it doesn't mean you're not going to find a great home. Likewise, just because you hear from schools today doesn't mean you're going to commit to that school. Finally, just because you didn't hear from a coach today, doesn't mean you won't hear from one tomorrow. As the feeding frenzy sorts itself out and programs find out who is not interested in them, they will continue to search for candidates, reaching out to the next players on their lists and new players that they learn about.
If you're hearing from schools, awesome! Make sure you follow up, have a voicemail that works and is not full, and an email address that isn't from your Club Penguin years. Don't write off any schools right away and understand how lucky you are to receive interest ... any interest! Don't worry about what to say to coaches, they are good at leading the conversation, but don't be a "Painful" call either where you only give one word answers. The more you can show interest in the school to the coach the better. "Coach, I saw you guys play last year and that was a huge win!" or "I love the way you play!"
If you're not hearing from schools, then you need to come up with a plan. It's not too late for college lacrosse or even Division I, but you should rethink what you've been doing. Watch this recruiting video I created. It will help you understand this process and help you prioritize.
The Traits Coaches Want
Your number priority in the recruiting process should be focusing on being good enough! As a recruiter, I was looking for something special in a player. I want players who are THE BEST at what they do. What are you great at? What can you do that is as good or better than anyone in the class of 2020? Look at the list below and put together the combination of attributes that make you special.
Can You Beat Anybody?
This is an important question. I would say the number one attribute that holds most kids back in their recruiting is when coaches question if the prospect can beat anybody 1v1. You can have a great combination of grades, test scores, lefty, great hands, vision, finisher, scorer, IQ ..... but if coaches think you can't beat anybody, they won't recruit you (unless you're Canadian, then sometimes they'll risk it). In men's lacrosse, offensive coordinators fear that opponents will put a short stick on you and that you won't be able to either make them slide or score an unassisted dodging goal. In women's lacrosse, the coaches tend to look for size and speed. No matter what, when you circle your list of attributes, ability to beat your man must be circled!
Running By Your Man vs. Getting By Your Man
You don't have to be physically dominant to be an effective dodger. Sure, some players have the speed, quickness and size to run right by their man and of course coaches want these players! However, there are a ton of great players who use moves, changes of speed, physicality, and deception that allows them to "Get by" their man. In fact, many times it's harder to defend the dodger who "Gets by his man" because it's more difficult to read whether or not a slide is necessary. What kind of a dodger are you?
Physical Dodging
For boys and girls this is the most under-taught and important piece of dodging. Initiating contact on your man. Or as my friend (and one of the best player development coaches I know) Andy Towers says, "Attack the defender's recovery with physicality." It's simple, either you are going to initiate contact on your man and retain position and angle, or your man is going to initiate contact on you and you will lose position and angle. In our JM3 Video Assessments we actually have an advanced stat that gives you a physical dodge rating. Did you initiate contact / turn the corner on your man or not "Plus" or "Minus".
Physical Dodging For Girls
How many times per game do you get called for charging? if the answer is not very often, then you are not even close to being physical enough. Obviously, your team doesn't need you turning it over 5 times per game on charging calls, but you do need to know exactly where that line is and push the boundaries.
The Role of Speed In Recruiting
Without question, coaches are looking to recruit speed! Coaches want all kinds of athletic traits and they also want kids who have experience in the weight room, but above all else is speed.
If you want a model that will G-U-A-R-A-N-T-E-E your son or daughter gets faster, listen to this podcast with world renowned strength and conditioning coach, Mike Boyle. The model is amazingly simple: Timed 10 yard sprints with a Brower timing system. Email Brower at sales@browertiming.com or call Dan at 801-572-5540 and mention "Lacrosse."
As Mike Boyle says, "If you're not timing yourself, it's not speed training."
Why? Because the only way to get faster is to run your fastest. And if you're not timing yourself how do you know? The difference between an average time and a personal record is the difference between 98% and 100%. When you run 100% there are neurological responses that don't happen at lower levels of intensity.
Sage Advice
Can you get to "The Island" which is roughly 5-8 yards up from the goal line and 3-7 yards wide from the middle and get your shot off? My friend and former UNC great and NCAA Player of the Year, Dennis Goldstein says it's simple, "if you go in and out on your man and change speeds with stutter steps until you get to 7 and 3 (7 yards high and 3 yards wide) good things will happen." This is so true! Learning to feed and shoot from here is where the rubber hits the road. Everything else is noise.
Best Recruiting Advice Ever! Master Off Ball 2Man Game!
I always tell my JM3 Athletes that if they can learn how to master off ball 2man game, not only will their offensive production / their team's offensive production improve, but they can prove to college coaches that they have as skill that most prospects do not have.
Why is this the best recruiting advice ever? Because the best thing you can do for your recruiting chances is to get better at lacrosse. And the easiest way to get better is to scale your knowledge and usage of off ball 2man games!
College recruiters will always covet the player who can breakdown defenders 1v1, that can draw slides or score off the dodge.
However, as men's and women's lacrosse moves to more of a box lacrosse style of play with simultaneous 2man and 3man actions, coaches are beginning to realize the value in players that can truly read the defense, who are great passers, and can create offense through off ball actions.
College coaches are also realizing that their best athletes / dodgers aren't always good at seeing and reading the game! And they should recruit players who can see it, read it and communicate it!
Since most club lacrosse , showcase and even high school offenses are geared towards creating space for dodgers, off ball movement is almost always taught relative to the dodger: clear through, fade, shallow cut, etc or off ball "Occupy" defenders with exchanges.
Idea: What if off ball players constantly and tirelessly worked together with picks, slips, seals combined with the appropriate cuts?
When you make the defenders cover off ball 2man actions, eventually there will a miscommunication and two defenders will end up on one offensive player leaving someone wide open. If one defender switches and one defender stays, you have two on one.
Communication is the key! Not all of your teammate will be as proficient in off ball 2man as you, so you must communicate with them on the field, between plays, and pregame / post game.
In real time, you can call a teammate's name and say, "I'm sealing for you, come over the top, come over the top!" which might get a teammate wide open (Pick Assist).
Or, you might say to a teammate, "Pick here, pick here" to have them get you open or you might tell them "Slip it, slip it" if you want to get a teammate open on their slip (Slip Assist);
Or you can use a hand gesture / communication, "I'm picking for you" to deceive your own defender which will set up your own slip.
Many of your teammates will not be in position to play off ball 2man game because they're too far out to use your picks/slips/seals. So often we see offensive players at the 12 while their defender is at the 8, which makes 2man games impossible. This is an example of where the communication you need to have will be in between plays or in between games where you can say, "Hey, I'm going to pick for you but it won't work if you're too far out. Get to the 8 and I'll get you open!"
85% of the game, you will not have the ball. Why not scale your off ball 2man looks opportunities.
Highlight Video Idea: When you get the film of the game, create a highlight video of your off ball 2man actions illustrating how many times you got open or got other people open in offensive sets! It will be a compelling video that will truly show your IQ and ability to "Read and Influence" a play!
Note: it is still important that you make plays with the ball. Do not replace your with ball efforts with off ball efforts, but rather, use the 85% of the game that you don't have the ball more effectively!
Defensive Players
Coaches are looking at defensive players in three categories: on ball, off ball and with the ball. How good is your 1v1 play? Is your man beating you to the extent of getting good shots or where your team has to slide to you? How many moves does it take to beat you 1v1? Off ball, how is your athletic posture? How often do you actually turn your head? When you slide and rotate are you on time? When you slide and rotate do you have a good approach? How is your adjacent off ball position as it relates to your man, passing lanes, crease help, and crowding the ball?
The Off Ball Player
There is a big opportunity to stand out by being great off the ball, especially if you have high level ability at feeding, finishing and shooting. Likewise, if it's obvious to a coach that you don't know how to play off the ball you will be written off as having low IQ. An example, if you are always in the way of dodgers or if you tend to stand around waiting for the ball to get to you. With our JM3 Video Assessments, our advanced stats chart your off ball play. We note every off ball movement in one column and every off ball movement you could have/should have made in another column. Here are the off ball categories:
Dodging and Recruiting
A players ability to dodge or lack thereof, is probably the single biggest factor for whether he or she will get recruited. Offensive coordinators worry that if the player can't draw a slide or get his own good shot against a short stick, then it will be hard to generate efficient offense with that player on the field. There are some important concepts I want to share with you about dodging. First, there are three stages of dodging: the beginning, the middle, and the end. The beginning is your split dodge or your wind up moves.... it's how you initiate your dodge. The middle of the dodge is your roll backs, your stop and go's and your pop outs / re-dodges.
Most coaches focus on the beginning and the middle and don't spend enough time on the end. The end of the dodge is what happens when you get to the island. At higher levels of competition, you're not always just going to blow by your man and score. Defenders will be well coached, sick athletes who will be able take angles and run with you. Furthermore, team defenses that slide, show, and crowd your dodges will limit your space. If you can operate when you get to "The Island", learn how to slow down, keep your head up, and get your shot off or feed just is arguably the most important part of the 1v1!
"Everything that happens outside of 15 yards is just noise." - Dave Huntley
Slow down! First you have to get to "The Island" but to operate there you must stop running! Most players get to 5/5 and either rollback underneath too early or continue to run, allowing their defender to use momentum against them and push them into the next defender or out of angle.
A comfort level of sticking your body into your man, posting up, keeping your head up and faking will take your game to another level! Watch this video breakdown of three of the best attackmen in the country operating at the end of the dodge. Jeff Teat, Grant Ament, Pat Spencer all have different styles and physical gifts, but one thing they all do, is stick their body into their man and look to feed while they fake and try to get their man off balance to generate their own shot.
Here is a drill you can do to work on the End of the Dodge techniques. Drill set up: 1v1 with a crease slider and a crease offensive player. The dodger uses beginning of the dodge and middle of the dodge moves to successfully get himself to "The Island" with his head up, seeing the slider, faking passes to freeze the slider, using the Shuffle Post up technique and ultimately makes the behind the back feed.
Repeating, Re-classing, Redshirting in Kindergarten
Today's topic is on repeating, re-classing, red shirting in Kindergarten, taking a PG year....There are a lot of different versions of this practice and whether you agree with it or not, it's a reality that impacts recruiting. PG years have been going on forever at the New England Prep Schools, where the extra year of academics propelled kids into a better school even if they had a slow start to their academic career in HS. Likewise, New England Prep schools have always had incoming students repeat freshman, sophomore or junior year for as long as I can remember. The practice of redshirting your kid in Kindergarten was popularized in Texas football, but happens in lacrosse regularly as well, albeit more with boys than with girls. In all of these examples, there is a full commitment to taking an extra year and there is no denying the advantages academically, athletically, and maturity wise.
The "Re-classing" concept is newer. When I was recruiting Canadians to the University of Denver, they were usually older. Geoff Snider for example was a 22 year old freshman. This was before DI was recruiting Jr A Box Lacrosse as extensively and before early recruiting. Canadians like Geoff were often times chasing the hockey dream or not necessarily even planning on US college. When you recruited a Canadian and asked him, "What year are you?" they might reply, "What year do you want me to be?" The point is, if the coach wants you and you want the school, you can figure out a timeline that works.
I remember when ND attackman Ryder Garnsey was a junior in HS in the fall of 2012 and early recruiting was accelerating. Ryder had slipped through the cracks a little bit, but Notre Dame recruited Ryder if he was willing to take a PG year and commit to the class of 2015 instead of his regular grad year of 2014. Ryder committed to ND and eventually attended Phillips Andover for a PG year.
Soon thereafter kids began re-classing regularly. I remember the recruiting class of 2015's first commit was UVA's Ryan Conrad which occurred in June right after his freshman year. The feeding frenzy of early commitments caused spots to be gobbled up quickly leaving good players without a home. The solution for those 2015 kids who got missed? Re-class to 2016. The advantage was you could repeat without the commitment of repeating. These 2015 kids would simply sign up and play as 2016's on club teams or showcases with the intention of a PG year if they got recruited by the right school. And if they didn't get recruited by the right school? Then they would just apply to colleges in their original grade. No harm, no foul.
Obviously, this created more competition for spots in the class of 2016 as the 2015 re-class kids were bigger, stronger, faster because they were a year older. A domino effect ensued that has continued and as early recruiting flourished, folks were re-classing as 8th graders in order to be a better prospect.
Obviously, anyone and everyone is a better prospect as a repeat or a re-class. One would think coaches might see through the practice or re-classing and conclude that the great performance of the older athlete was fools gold. College recruiters do take everything into consideration when evaluating an athlete, but in the end they are looking for the best players they can find relative to the class they are recruiting. Further, any coach would rather have a 20 year old freshman than a 19 year old freshman, just like NCAA hockey programs who like older athletes too.
Re-classing allows for the student athlete to play out three different tracks. The first track is simply applying to colleges in your original graduating class (the way we all imagined it would happen when our kids were babies, before college athletics was a consideration.) The second track is as a recruited student-athlete in your normal graduating class in Division 1, 2, or 3. The third track is as a re-class situation where if the right school recruited you, you would wait an extra year to go to that college.
The advantage to the re-class versus a repeat are many.
If the name of the game is to be the best prospect you can be in terms of academics, athletics, and as a person, then it makes sense why so many folks, re-class their kids. The interesting phenomena that is occurring is kids are re-classing, their stock goes up drastically, then schools actually recruit them in their original grade. Whereas, with out the re-class, their stock may not have been high enough to get any attention at all. I have seen this time and again.
For a great webinar on college lacrosse recruiting, go to Click here.
Communication Advantage
With the new recruiting rules that ban coaches from communicating with prospects until September 1 of junior year, re-classing has its advantages. Let's say you are a 2020 right now and you play this summer as a 2021. DI coaches could offer you a spot or a scholarship in the class of 2021 even though they can't engage in these conversations with anyone else who actually is in the class of 2021.
How you and your family decide to approach this topic is up to you, there is no right or wrong decision. It is nice to know that you have options if for whatever reason your child slipped through the cracks in the college lacrosse recruiting process.
College Lacrosse Recruiting
Thanks goodness the NCAA exempted men's and women's lacrosse from the new legislation that would have allowed recruiting contact to be made on June 15th after sophomore year instead of September 1st of Junior year. My daughter is a 2021 and I'm looking forward to a fun summer of playing lacrosse, getting better and doing what you gotta do to get some looks. And I'm REALLY glad we don't have the distraction of phone calls, text messages, or NOT getting phone calls / text messages, during this precious summer of just playing and enjoying it! Let the players play, let the coaches evaluate, and everyone enjoy that process!
Coaches are equally fired up because they need to focus on evaluating the class of 2021 throughout the entirety of the summer. Had this rule passed, coaches would be on the phones constantly trying to land prospects which would have made their ability to "Turn over every rock" to find studs much more difficult.
The #1 Thing Most People Screw up in Recruiting Process
If your kids are serious about trying to play college lacrosse, you need to prioritize development ahead of exposure. Being "Good enough" is by far the most important part of the process and inexplicably, most folks have no plan for this! Do you?
Over the years, tons of people have shared their kid's summer schedules with me and usually every weekend is taken up by tourneys and tryouts, while the weekdays are littered with prospect camps and showcases. With so much travel and physical exertion, where is the time to actually get better at lacrosse?
Players don't get better at lacrosse at tourneys and showcases because they simply do not get enough touches! Look at the stats below from two games in a recruiting tourney. Note: this kid is one of the best kids on the team and a definite D1 prospect. A grand total of 26 touches in two games. By the way, I've done hundreds of statistical assessments on players and this is the norm.
Interestingly, I did a statistical breakdown of one of my JM3 Athletes playing a 3v3 pick up game. In 37 minutes he had 77 touches, 24 shots, 16 ground balls, and 18 dodges. Mark my words folks, the pick up game is the best development model and the funny thing is hardly anyone leverages the power of this FREE activity.
More on Highlight Videos
In this blog, I would like to write about highlight videos. Everyone knows highlight videos are critical to the recruiting process, but I don't think most folks know the details of what' should be in a great highlight video.
Good competition: If you put highlights that are clearly against weak competition, it degrades your film. Don't bother
Good Highlights: if your video has to have clips of shots that aren't goals, or passes that aren't assists, you probably don't have enough content for a great highlight video and you're better off waiting until you do have enough.
Groundhog Day: if your highlight video resembles the movie "Groundhog Day" meaning, it shows the same play over and over.... the same lefty finish or the same alley dodge every time, it is less impressive than the highlight video that has an wide array of skill usages.
Skill: how skilled are you AND how many skills do you use in your highlight video? How many different types of dodges do you use? How many different feeds, finishes, shots do you employ? How many ways do you know how to get your shot off? The top offensive recruits in the nation are using a ton of skills.
Defense: make sure you know what college coaches want. A highlight of a defensive player stripping a dodger seems appropriate for the video, but if it's terrible fundamental defense, it could get you crossed off a list!
Off Ball Defense: your posture will be noted. If you are standing straight up on your videos and not in an athletic position, sideways to the ball and turning your head, you will likely not be recruited.
Communication: As a defensive player, your highlight video won't usually allow for communication to be recognized, with the exception of "Pointing." Pointing a recovery, pointing to a midfielder to move the ball to the point attackman or pointing a midfielder defensively to the point attackman so the point defenseman can stop the ball will stand out on your video.
Toughness: make sure you have some highlights of hustle plays and toughness plays. A great ground ball, a ride, or a big time slide and "Hold'm up" where you get there with a great approach and slow the dodger down, and let the on ball player strip the ball.
Vision: showing your ability to see the field with quick decision passing, moving the ball off the ground, one-timing a pass on the one more. The ability to deliver great passes and deceptive passes that buy time for your receiver is a part of what college coaches are looking for.
Athleticism: if this is your calling card, then make sure you are properly highlighting it. I remember seeing a highlight video of a super fast midfielder who was a converted pole. The kid was fast as hell, but not super skilled. His speed was obvious in the between the lines situations, great on ball defense, and on ground balls. The problem was, he included a ton of alley dodge clips where his lack of great skill was also obvious. Make sure you highlight your strengths.
2man game: knowing how to play pick and roll is a pre-requisite for most DI offenses in men's lacrosse and is coming on quickly in women's lacrosse. If you have no 2man games in your highlight film it probably shows a lack of fundamental offense that your team is playing. Learn how to play 2man game!
On Ball Defense: pressure the ball! If you are a shorty, get out and try to get a chunk. If you are a pole get your lead poke approach down perfectly and get your stick in your man's gloves. Coaches will have a much easier time evaluating you if you pressure!
Goalies: Coaches want to evaluate your ready position, your technique on saving shots, inside saves, outside shots, come around shots, pipe to pipe, whether or not you false step or dip, your quickness, the quality of shots your saving, your athleticism, as well as your ability to throw a great outlet. Make sure you have all of these bases covered versus great competition!
Shooting: One thing college coaches need as much as anything is great shooters! Time and room shots, on the run shots, and finishes. Sure coaches want to see velocity and accuracy, but they also want to see great shot selection (no bad angle shots or too far out shots), deception (do you move goalies) and finishes where you gain angle coming across the middle. If your film shows you scoring goals where you are "Fading" behind the net it's not great. Can you shoot low high wind ups? Leaners? Screen shots? Double Fake Finishes?
Physical Dodging: there are a ton of quick guys out there who have a great change of direction and can beat players at the high school level. When you get to the college level, dodgers must be physical. When a dodger makes a move either he will initiate contact on the recovering defender or the defender will initiate contact on the dodger to get him off track. Turning corners and initiating contact is what college coaches are looking for! If you're not physical, you're probably not a good enough dodger.
Post ups: there is a time and place to post your man up and the best players do this. Beating your man with speed and quickness is great, but what happens when you get to "The Island" and your man is still right there? It's time to have moves to get your shot off. Squared up Post up, Shuffle Post up, Back in Post up all have an important place at the highest level and whether you're a midfielder or an attackman you need to have this in your repertoire and you will separate yourself from the pack if you film has sick post up moves.
Position-less Lacrosse: Versatility is critical. You need to be able to play out front, behind and on the wings. You need to play on ball, off ball, and in 2man games. Your video should show this. If you are a midfielder, you should be skilled enough to play attack. If you are an attackman, you should be athletic enough to play out top.
Getting Looks, Getting Better, and Getting Rest
The topic this week is about the balance between "getting looks," "getting better," and "Getting rest." From my experience, most families get so caught up in getting looks that it adversely impacts their ability to get better and many times, players do so much, they actually get worse! If your focus solely on getting looks it is usually at the expense of rest, recovery and sleep, which is arguably the biggest secret to the recruiting success.
The summer is a huge opportunity for aspiring lacrosse players! Remember that college coaches will watch you play live multiple times over the summer. If a coach notices improvement from June to July in seeing you do new skills it can be very impactful. On the flip side, I can't tell you how many times i've heard coaches say they've seen players look tired or slower as the summer wears on.
The best Division I Lacrosse programs in men's and women's employ a model of constant individual skill development during the season with the idea, the best way to make your team better is to make your players better.
You need to adopt this mentality all summer!
If you are a rising sophomore and younger, I would recommend 3 summer club events and 1or 2 prospect camps. Spend your summer playing pick up, getting stronger and faster, and just having fun being a kid! If kids spent even a fraction of the time that most players spend in the car / on planes / at events / in hotels with an intentional plan to get better, you would see massive results.
If you are a rising junior or senior trying to get recruited , you're probably going to need to do 6-8 events in June and July remember this:
The biggest key to success is allowing for legit recovery between events. It is a HUGE competitive advantage to be at 100% when most of the competition will be exhausted from over doing it, with back to back events.
Think about this: if you run a 4.8 forty yard dash but you're only at 95% because of not enough rest, you will run a 5.04. That is a big difference!
Getting Looks versus Getting Better
The topic this week is "getting looks" versus "getting better." From my experience, most families get caught up in getting looks at the expense of getting better. The summer is no exception to this constant improvement paradigm, in fact it is a huge opportunity. College coaches will watch a prospect play live multiple times in order to make a decision on their ability. If a coach notices improvement over the course of the summer it is impactful.
The best Division I Lacrosse programs employ the same model of consistent individual skill development during the season with the thought the best way to make your team better is to make your players better. Duke, Denver, Yale are great examples programs where the players seem to add to their repertoire of moves, shots, feeds, 2man games etc during the course of the season. You need to do this all summer!
If you are younger than a rising junior, I wouldn't recommend more than 3 summer events. The opportunity cost. is too great. If you spent even a fraction of the time you will spend in the car, on planes, in between games and in hotels with an intentional plan to get better, you would see results that will be impactful in your long term recruiting chances.
If you are a rising junior or senior, you're probably going to need to do 4-6 events in June and July, but you still need to put together and execute an improvement plan.
Division I lacrosse is incredibly competitive and it trickles right down to the recruiting. You need to understand that playing games in tourneys and showcases will not make you better. An intentional improvement plan for making your strengths stronger as well as improving upon weaknesses is your best shot.
Top 3 Things To Make Time For This Summer
Words of Advice from Penn State Head Coach Jeff Tambroni
In the video below you can listen to Penn State Head Coach Jeff Tambroni discuss some incredibly important thoughts on recruiting.
Summer Recruiting
As spring high school lacrosse transitions to summer recruiting, please remember this: If you are not good enough, there is nothing to talk about! Ask yourself, "How is my son or daughter going to get better this summer?" If your answer is, "he/she is playing a ton of tourneys," you are hitting the nail right on the side!
I encourage all parents to actually count how many touches your kid gets in a game. How many dodges, how many shots, how many times was he/she dodged against. You will be shocked, dismayed, and depressed over how few touches players actually get in games. It is impossible to make gains in your game while playing summer tourneys.
Salisbury Head Coach Jim Berkman's Take on Getting Better
Watch this video from my Jim Berkman Podcast. Jim is arguably the greatest coach in the history of college lacrosse having won 12 championships! Jim's advice to parents so on point! If you have kids playing this summer, you must listen!
Summer Recruiting Sanity
Like many parents around the country this weekend, I'm at a summer recruiting tournament with my aspiring college lacrosse player! It's early in the summer recruiting and with the heightened excitement to play travel lacrosse with friends and against new competition, staying in team hotels and fun Friday night dinners also comes stress. Stress can hit even the best of us who are trying to keep everything in perspective and can ruin the weekend for everyone involved! The key to enjoying the weekend is to set proper expectations. Here are a few:
A Summer Comes to an End
This weekend marks the conclusion of the 2019 Summer Recruiting Season. For those athletes in the class of 2021, you are part of the first pristine, pure, and unadulterated recruiting class since the eradication of early recruiting. The the new NCAA Recruiting legislation which eliminated all contact between college coaches and prospects and limited conversations between college coaches and club/HS coaches was enacted in April 2017. While the class of 2020 were 9th graders at the time and saw 50-100 committed kids at that time, the class of 2021 were 8th graders and were saved by the rules.
Here are some take aways.
An Email to Club Families on September 1
My daughter plays for HHH Lacrosse Club out of Philly. The girls side is run by Colleen Magarity, who is simply one of the best and brightest coaches in the women's game. Colleen, who was an All-American and multi time NCAA Championship winner at Northwestern also coached DI lacrosse at the University of Colorado for 3 years. HHH, which is owned by Billy McKinney, was a captain for me at the University of Denver on our first NCAA Tourney team. HHH boys lacrosse is a perennial power sending top recruits to top DI schools every year.
Below is a fantastic email HHH sent out to their 2021 teams about what to expect on 9/1.
There will be a lot of players on our roster that will not receive a phone call this week, and there will be a handful that do get a call. If you do not receive a call it does not mean that you are not a talented player and you will not have the opportunity to play college lacrosse. It simply means that you are not currently on the top of the list for a school right now. You will have plenty of opportunities to get to the top of a program’s list in front of you. If you do receive a call, be polite and willing to contribute to the conversation. College coaches are professionals on the phone and will lead the conversation. They are also understanding that kids these days don’t speak to each other as much as they text and send pictures, so do not freak out and get nervous- just be yourself. Make sure the coach you are speaking to understands that you are willing to work you tail off in college- REFRAIN from asking where you will fit in and how many players you will have to compete against for playing time. Do not tell a program that you are not interested (unless it is a military academy and you have no interest in serving the country). My advice is to not tell any program “no” until you are going to tell a program “yes”. I can walk you though how to stay engaged with a program that you are not very interested in without blowing them off.
College Lacrosse Recruiting with Harvard Head Coach Devon Wills
Below is an excerpt from a podcast I did with Harvard Head Coach Devon Wills. You can get into the mind of Coach Wills and what she values, what she's looking for in the form of skill, IQ, and intangibles. It's a fascinating video!
The Most Under-evaluated Class Ever
Have a great weekend!
Fall Lacrosse Recruiting
Since it’s the first of four recruiting weekends where Division I coaches are permitted to evaluate prospects, I am going to share some thoughts on fall recruiting. First, everyone needs to prepare themselves for the reality that November lacrosse is usually ugly! Unlike summer where players are sharp from their high school seasons, fall ball is the opposite: sloppy. Kids are playing other sports in the fall, rosters which might be full and packed with talent in summer are depleted because of football / soccer play-offs, fall sport injuries, etc. November Rain is a great song by Guns and Roses, but is a crappy environment to evaluate players! You’ll get the occasional field closures leaving 2 turfs for 60 teams resulting in each team getting one 15 minute game…. That will make you lose your mind when you flew 2000 miles to play lacrosse! With fewer daylight hours in fall, tournament organizers have to jam in as many games as possible in less time, so be prepared for shorter games.
I share this with the parent reader of this blog so you can appropriately set your expectations! The last thing you want to do is go into November recruiting thinking it’s going to be like last June when you had that magical run to win the “so and so” tourney! Although November can be brutal, there are some great qualities about November recruiting too! Shorter days means you’re done no later than 4pm and the bar, dinner and a reasonable bedtime await you! Teams get 3 games per day which is better than summer; You almost always have to go to Baltimore and that means great seafood! Make sure to go to Ocean Pride in Towson and have some “Torp Soup” named after High Point Head Coach Jon Torpey who claims to have invented it. It’s half cream of crab and half Maryland crab… it’s unreal! And Torp soup is better when the weather is brisk! In the Fall, you your down time is filled with football!
For college coaches, November is an important time to make decisions on players, but it can be frustrating because there’s just no way to see everyone you want to see. With only 6 days of permissible evaluating and literally every kid out there playing, shorter days, and shorter games, it makes it tough to be as thorough as you want to be. It’s kind of nice to be able to recruit in jeans and a sweatshirt as opposed to summer where you’re sweating your tail off, your back soaked with sweat in your disposable chair on some turf in 100 degree weather. Worse than heat is trying to write notes when it’s so cold you can’t feel your fingers, the ink is frozen in your pen and the wind is blowing your notebook pages all over the place. Coaches know that sometimes the lacrosse is going to be like American Pie lacrosse, but they're still fired up to be there. There’s nothing like finding a player, seeing one of your recruits play well, or following around/ stalking the player you really want!
My college coach, mentor, and legendary UVA coach Dom Starsia once told me, “I can recruit a kid on his worst day.” The reason is because coaches are watching a lot of little things: how hard you play, how athletic are you, how well do you run, are you engaged with your coach when he’s talking to you, are you a “Palms up” guy, are you in the huddle or on the outskirts, do you celebrate when a teammate scores, do you retaliate if you drew a flag, how well do you communicate, do you consistently make the right play, what kind of pop do you have in your step, can you snap off a shot on the run, do you beat the crap out of your man, are you in an athletic posture, can you fire a 20 yard rope to X, do you move the ball off the ground, do you make the one more pass. Playing with great energy and IQ stand out and I can assure you coaches are looking for all of it.
Ty Xanders Conversation
This week I did a Phi-Lacrosse-ophy Podcast with Ty Xanders, Director of Recruiting and HS content for Inside Lacrosse and one of the foremost experts on college lacrosse recruiting.
It was an incredibly interesting conversation about how the pristine, unadulterated class of 2021 has become the most under-evaluated class in the history of college lacrosse recruiting. Why? There are simply SO man players and SO many events, it was not possible for coaches to know all the talent over the course of June and July. Unlike in years past, coaches really didn't start paying attention to the 21's until last fall (which is .
Even more challenging is the fact that many programs actually try to see everyone! Watching first half on this field, 2nd half on that field and check the boxes to make sure they got a look. The problem is in one half of play you not only completely miss a goalie but you very likely miss the majority of the talent. Obviously, coaching staffs will see the best teams multiple times per summer, but it's still tough to get a handle on teams with 5-15 DI prospects watching in small pieces.
Ty describes how certain programs actually use analytics to find out, for example, what states or clubs produce the most DI All Americans by position.
Other programs are more targeted. For example, when I was Head Coach at Denver, my strategy was to recruit NE Prep Schools, Midwest, West, and Canadians. I literally followed those programs around so that I could know the talent inside and out. I didn't spend too much time on NY, NJ, PA, and MD, which at the time that seemed crazy, but I knew what I wanted and I knew the areas where I could actually win recruiting battles. I recruited three Ranked classes by Inside Lacrosse in my last few years including Pioneer All-Americans, like Mark Matthews, Jeremy Noble, and Cam Flint, Chase Carraro, and Jamie Faus.
Another important topic Ty and I discussed was the topic of re-classing and repeating and whether or not we will see more or less of it? It's well documented that coaches don't care if you're better because you're older. The way they see it, if you're the best in your class, they want you. Plus, coaches would rather have a 20 year old freshman.
One year ago, Ty Xanders and I did a Recruiting Podcast that is an in depth look at the fundamentals of recruiting. If you haven't listened to this one, I think it will answer a ton of questions you probably have.
I hope you enjoy both podcasts!
Boys Recruiting Events vs Girls Recruiting Events
You know what's crazy? The inequality in game play opportunity of girls vs boys at recruiting tournaments! The standard at boys fall recruiting events is three games per day whereas the standard for girls lacrosse recruiting events is two games per day. In the summer, the standard for boys is five games on the weekend, and for girls it's four games for the weekend.
My wife and daughter are flying 2000 miles for a recruiting event this weekend where the format includes 18 minute halves! That works out to a maximum of 72 minutes per day of lacrosse if you played the whole game. Luckily our club's roster only has six attackers so the girls will still get a solid 48 minutes each per day of lacrosse! By the way, how the heck are the coaches going to see kids in depth in their 36 minutes of playing time?
Penn Head Coach Mike Murphy
In this video you will see a 25 minute, fascinating excerpt from my conversation with Penn Head Coach Mike Murphy where he details his recruiting philosophies including how evaluates defenders, "O" mids, "D" mids, and 2way mids, attackmen, as well as his view on the importance of advocates and trust worthy club coaches.
I think you will enjoy this!
Have a great Weekend!
Thoughts on The NCAA Eligibility Declaration
