My First Exposure to Lacrosse

Cleveland Ohio is not exactly the hot bed of lacrosse, especially 15 years ago when I first saw the game being played.

As a young boy, hockey, football, baseball, basketball and any other sport except lacrosse were on my mind.

Once my older brother hit high school, he began playing lacrosse. I had no idea what it was at the time, but the first time I saw a game, it just hit me. I was frozen on the sidelines, fully addicted, watching everything that was happening all over the field. I was in sixth grade at the time. What I saw was like ice hockey played with a ball in the air and on a soccer field. It had the movement of basketball and the speed of hockey. From the first moment on, I knew I wanted to play the game.

The problem was that there was no where for me to play. At the time, there were no youth programs, and none of the other kids in my neighborhood had ever heard of, never mind seen lacrosse before. The only reason my brother got to play in high school was because he went to a private high school that had a program. It was one of only four schools in the Cleveland area that had a team at the time.

Not thinking much of it, I began playing catch with my brother in the front yard all the time. We would go out, and he would teach me dodges, proper technique, and some tricks of the game. I can remember running around the front yard with my Laser High Wall stick with an aluminum shaft thinking I was the coolest thing since sliced bread. I know my neighbors thought I was crazy because they had no idea what I was doing with that crazy looking stick scooping up ground balls in the front yard.

From there things progressed. I would continue to watch my brother’s high school team play, and I would pick up the rules along the way. I would study the players on the field and try to imitate them when I got home. Little by little I was learning how to play this game, even though I had never been coached or actually played the sport. A few years later I entered high school, and I finally had my chance to play. Once spring rolled around and hockey season ended, I was in full swing lacrosse mode.

My High School coach didn’t know a whole lot about the recruiting process, and to be honest, in the late 90’s not many college coaches cared too much about kids playing lacrosse in Ohio. But the Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Tournament—made up of some of the best teams from Ohio, Michigan, and Pennsylvania—always drew some interest from college coaches. I got a break while playing against Cincinnati Moeller my Junior year--I caught the attention of Jay Stalfort. He was the assistant coach at Ohio State at the time.

Having gotten some interest from Ohio State, I then began a more thorough recruiting process. The hard part was not knowing what to do, where to go for camp, and who to talk to. Other than the Midwest Tournament, I was basically doing things on my own. I did go to camp at Maryland and from there I started getting recruited by them along with Providence, the only two colleges with coaches in attendance.

Ohio State turned out to be the place for me. After attending an Ohio State University football game, touring the press box, and seeing the facilities there, it was an easy choice. Along with the fact that head coach Joe Breschi is one of the best men I have ever met helped.

I could have easily been passed by just like so many great players get passed by every year because they may not live in a prime time lacrosse area and do not get the recognition they deserve. There were several players that I played with (and against) in high school that could have easily played college lacrosse. It is unfortunate that these players missed the chance to play at the next level.

Adjusting to the Collegiate Level

Going from high school to college is a tough adjustment for any seventeen or eighteen year old kid on so many levels. First and foremost he is starting a new life in a new environment, away from home, family and friends. This is scary for anyone, no matter who it is. To top it off, a player starts lacrosse on day one, with a new team and a new coach and things change so much at the collegiate level—the competition is much better and the game is much faster.

When most players leave high school before moving on to play at the next level, they often were the best player on their team. They may have All-everything honors from All-Star to All-League, or All-State to All-American. But when they step on the field for the first day of practice at college--especially at the Division I level--everyone on the field was a top player in high school.

This is a tough adjustment for a lot of high school kids when they get to college. They think their past resume is going to carry them through the next four years, and this is never the case. From day one, players are equals and have to prove themselves or they will not be around for long. Too many times kids get very cocky when they sign their letters of intent. This should never be the case. They should be thankful for the opportunity in front of them. There are numerous collegiate lacrosse players out there playing without a scholarship, and they are doing it because they love the game and worked hard to get there.

Fortunately, it worked out for me. I was able to do well in school and on the lacrosse team. I started off as a midfielder and moved to taking face offs full time when I was at Ohio State. I was fortunate to be noticed by the pros when I graduated.

Adjusting to the Pros

When I was drafted by Los Angeles and attended training camp, I was in the same situation as when I entered college. It was a new environment, a new team, and a new coach with different expectations. Also, everyone on the field was All-everything in college with a very extensive resumes. By this time, I knew none of that mattered. I needed to get out there and prove myself at that level. My play in college was good enough to get me the opportunity and the plane ticket to try-out, but now I was on my own to make the team. No collegiate accolades were going to help me if I played poorly at the try outs.

Just like moving from high school to college was an adjustment, moving from college lacrosse to professional lacrosse was an adjustment. The pace was even faster than college, and there were new rules like the 2 point line and shot clock. I needed to readjust my mindset as I advanced to the next level.

A Few Failures

I have had failures too. I tried out twice for the Minnesota Swarm of NLL the past two years and made it through training camp, signed a contract, and then got released at the start of the season. I was very frustrated, and I could have packed it in, stopped playing. But instead, I entered the draft for the MLL got drafted by Los Angeles and made the team. Not only that, I was also named L.A.’s “Top Newcomer” by US Lacrosse Magazine this past season.

Then this fall I was invited to training camp in N.Y. for the Titans of the NLL and made the team, where I will play this indoor season. I plan on playing in both leagues for as long as possible, and working hard everyday to be the best that I can be.

There are great players in the professional ranks that are on the team but don’t make the playing roster for games. Others never get off the practice roster. There are even ones that get cut from rosters halfway through the season. This happens on a daily basis at the professional level, in both the MLL and NLL. This doesn’t mean these guys aren’t great players. There are some great players respected for their talents in the MLL, that get cut from teams in the NLL, and vice versa.

Some Lessons and Advice

If a high school athlete is serious about playing lacrosse in college, he should attend a recruiting camp with college coaches. There are lots of camps, and a player should aim for the top ones. I don’t want to discriminate against any of them, so I will not list the camp names. It is imperative that players get to these camps the summer between their sophomore and junior year or their junior and senior year. There are also some great tournaments out east that take All-Star teams from around the country. These tournaments are also a good place to showcase talent as a player. It is a shame if a great player misses out on playing because he does not get noticed by a coach.

Once a player is in college, he need not forget that he is attending college as well as playing lacrosse. First and foremost, he must do well in school. If he does not get by in the classes, then he won’t be making it on the lacrosse field either. The two go hand in hand. The best advice for anyone getting ready to go to college is to master the skill of time management. It is important to plan days or even weeks in advance. Life is much easier for anyone who is organized.

I have also found that goal setting is important. My goal was to make the pros after college. Once I made it, my goal was make the travel team. Once I made the travel team, my goal was to break the line up. After I did that, my goal was to do the best that I could everyday and work to be one of the best face-off men in the league. Next season I will continue to work on that goal along with several others. There is no shame in not making a team at the next level, but there should be shame if it is for lack of effort.

The best advice I can give any player is to work hard and do as well as possible with every available chance. Every time I get to put on a jersey and strap on my helmet with the pros, I remember not to take it for granted. I think I am the luckiest guy in the world when I hear my name called over the loud speaker as I enter the field each game. I may not be the best lacrosse player in the world, but I can always say that I work my butt off every time I played. Hard work and never quitting has helped me to achieve many of my goals. Hard work is what I pride myself on, in every aspect of my life from coaching and playing lacrosse, to my job, all the way down to my family. One of my favorite quotes is by Tommy Lasorda. He said, “The difference between the possible and the impossible lies in the man’s determination.” I keep this on the wall above my desk at work so I look at it every single day when I arrive at work.

The Bottom Line

Regardless if you are talking about business, school, sports, or anything else in life, all will consist of hard work. You will have to work hard everyday in order to be successful at everything that you do. You will face adversity along the road and you must be a winner and push through it to reach your goals. Life isn’t supposed to be easy. The bottom line is, never give up! Set goals high and work to reach them.