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Syracuse vs. Army men's lacrosse Recruit The Coach's Son
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Hot Pot: Recruit The Coach’s Son

Recruit the coach’s son. Which coaches; sons? The good ones. Yeah, but which one are the good ones? All of them!

The children of good lacrosse coaches seem to see success at the college level at a somewhat uncanny level. Yesterday I showcased Jack Raba, the son of Wesleyan head coach John Raba, and I was impressed by his game even if he’s still only a 2018. I’ve also been impressed by Gordon Purdie’s son, Gordon Purdie. Gerry Byrne’s son, Pierre, is also a current talent I like, and the list just babbles on and on from Danowski to Corrigan to Desko to Tierney to Van Arsdale… do I really need to go on?

Now it seems kind of obvious to recruit some of these kids hypothetically, but as you can see from the above real world examples, players often go to play for their fathers. That doesn’t always happen, but it happens a good deal. Another factor to consider is that D1 college coaches only have so many kids. That’s just a fact of life. These guys (and their wives) aren’t baby factories.

So if we can’t actually recruit coaches’ sons (because there aren’t that many of them!)  what traits can we observe in the college coaches’ sons, which might also be visible in other players?

A Deep Connection To The Game

Being around lacrosse all the time can form a bond between a player and the sport no matter what the atmosphere happens to be… But imagine being around a top level team for a good portion of your formative time as a player, and how that would impact your connection with the sport. Sure, you play youth lacrosse, but you also go to a D1 practice as an 8 year old three times a week and take in games all the time, sometimes on the sideline. That could do some good things for lacrosse IQ, and understanding how a good team functions.

If you can’t be the coach’s son, how can a player get this kind of experience? Going to a local high school’s practice on your off days could be a good avenue to take. You could also find a local college and ask to help out. Maybe their coach doesn’t have a kid! I joke. College programs and high school programs might be looking for a ball boy, it never hurts to ask. And if you don’t get Hopkins, that’s okay. Just find a decent local program and get involved.

Seeing is believing, and in this case, seeing can lead to understanding.

Stick Skills, Son. Stick Skills.

Do these coaches tell their kids to put their sticks in their hands all the time? Who knows, but the fact is very few coach’s sons are playing defense. Yes, I am implying defenseman sometimes I have inferior stick skills when compared to offensive players. I played D in college, so I can say that. Coaches’ kids don’t have bad stick skills… ever. I can’t think of one coach’s son I’ve ever known who had bad sticks. They always have great sticks.

Find a stick, attach it to your hand. Use it all the time. Take pride in your sticks skills. Even if you’re not a top level athlete this can help anyone become a top level player. NEXT!

(Hey, they used our photo as their main image. For more great lacrosse video subscribe to the LaxAllStars YouTube Channel.)

Confident, But Not Cocky

Ok, so maybe some coaches’ kids are cocky, but most are just very confident players. How have most of these players remained on the positive side of confidence? I think it has to do with them knowing that someone in their own house knows lacrosse better than they do. Kids love to think they know best, it’s natural. But wouldn’t it be grounding to have someone right there who knew the game just a little better? Could you ever really become cocky?

While it’s going to be hard for any parent to become the next John Danowski, it is not out of the question for parents to take the time to really learn the game that their children are playing. Yelling uneducated things at games, or not cheering at all because you have no idea what’s going on would be two warning signs here. Confronting the coach on team strategy would be taking things way too far. But talking to your kid about their game in a knowledgeable way? That seems reasonable. (Anyone can check out US Lacrosse’s website for resources on learning the basics and beyond)

By learning the game, and how top teams operate, you’ll know where expectations should be, and this will help you and your child find the right path. Without understanding the game, confidence can veer into cockiness, and that can hold anyone back in the long run.

DO Lacrosse Things

DO is capitalized because you have to DO these things. You can’t just watch them or read about them.

The last big advantage I see in being the coach’s son is cool lacrosse experiences. Replicating that exactly is going to be hard, but there are definitely some great events out there that could be worth your while. Personally, I believe that the US Lacrosse National Convention is one of these events. There are tons of people to meet and things to see, but the best part is just talking to people about lacrosse. People WILL take the time to give you a nugget of advice. So go mining.

The Final Four is also a very cool experience. Although increasing ticket prices and some other issues may be pushing attendance down a bit, it’s still a rock solid experience. So are the quarterfinal games. I remember watching Syracuse play at UMass back when I was a kid and I remember two things from that game: 1) I wanted to be that good some day, and 2) Why did all the Cuse guys have nipple rings? I never quite got to goal #1. The answer to #2 is – it was the 90s. (They were putting band aids over them on the sideline right before the game. at least 4 or 5 guys. It was bizarre.)

The point of the above story is that, body piercings aside, I wanted to play college lacrosse. I had never even thought of it before going to that game. I thought of it more and more every day after. If I had been to a game like that earlier in life, maybe I would have worked harder early on? A kid might see lacrosse on TV (I had seen plenty by then) but going to a game or a convention is different. It’s real and in front of your face. Get out and see the world in person. Soak the lacrosse world in and see if it grabs you.

Why Recruit The Coach’s Son?

Here is it, simplified and all in one place:

Find a way to connect to the game locally.

Go out of your way to experience big lacrosse happenings in person and soak it all in.

Work on your stick relentlessly.

Know the game.

Those four traits can take anyone far in this sport, even if they don’t happen to be the coach’s son.