[
BOYLE POINT] editorial
Climb Out of the Chaos I
How to evolve and adapt in a changing recruiting landscape
n the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones,” a character known as Littlefi nger soliloquizes: “Chaos isn’t a pit. Chaos is a ladder. Many who try to climb it fail, and never get to try again. The fall breaks them. And some are given a chance to climb, but refuse. They cling to the realm, or love, or the gods — illusions. Only the ladder is real. The climb is all there is. But they’ll never know this. Not until it’s too late.”
Consider the current state of lacrosse, specifi cally within the recruiting landscape. In November, the IMLCA, the organization comprised of and representing college men’s coaches, signed an agreement with Corrigan Sports Enterprises to create new high school boys’ lacrosse tournaments,
further crowding the recruiting environment. There are fi nancial ramifi cations for college coaches. On-campus events support the school’s coach, his staff and his peers. While coaches’ salaries have risen, many, especially assistants that do much of the work, rely on this income.
Recruiting events also attract players to college campuses. The host gets an opportunity to showcase its perks to prospects.
Thinking back to my time
at Top 205, my teammate became interested in Loyola due to his experience on the campus. He liked the feel, the prioritization of lacrosse within the athletic department and the suite-style dorms. When Dave Cottle left Loyola for Maryland, he brought Top 205 with him.
26 LACROSSE MAGAZINE >> February 2014
Some critics prefer coaches get out of the event business. They say it’s unfair for a coach to juggle his roles as recruiter and businessman. If a college coach invites a high schooler to attend his showcase, is he interested in the player or his bottom line?
Last summer I was advising a club player who was invited to a school’s showcase that coincided with a Trilogy event. I called the coaching staff for candid feedback so I could
You and I may not like it, but if a player wants to succeed, he cannot cling to the way things used to be.
counsel him. He could attend the showcase and get seen exclusively by that college’s staff or attend the Trilogy Aces event with a confi rmed list of 30-plus college coaches. Given the player’s primary interest in that school, I recommended he attend the showcase, which he did. He wound up committing to a different program a few months later, because the exposure at the event did not improve his position at his top- choice school.
The CSE-IMLCA relationship also has an effect on club programs that typically attend events with a reputation for drawing top college coaches. College coaches recruit at events with the best teams, thereby creating a chicken- egg phenomenon. Both sides’ decision-making process around these events becomes
more complex by the CSE- IMLCA accord. There are more exposure options, more confl icts of interest and more uncertain outcomes. It’s easy and cliché to complain about recruiting. One college coach recently confi ded, “If the NCAA says I can sign a seventh-grader, I’m going to do it.” You and I may not like it, but if a player wants to succeed, he cannot cling to the way things used to be. Today’s player must invest in tools to climb out of the chaos and succeed. At the team level, he must research his options — high school and club — that will provide both collegiate exposure and a positive playing experience and not infringe on his academic calendar. A quality organization enables recruiting opportunities through a competitive schedule and selective events with confi rmed attendance of college coaches.
Families can supplement these decisions by acquiring fi lm and recruiting services. While private recruiting specialists can be expensive, many benefi t from them, especially when a high school’s guidance department is not particularly helpful. A player must take the necessary steps to emerge successfully out of the chaos. Because only the ladder is real and the climb is all there is.
— Ryan Boyle
Ryan Boyle is a six-time MLL All-Star and three-time Team USA attackman, the co-founder and CEO of Trilogy Lacrosse and an ESPN college lacrosse analyst.
A Publication of US Lacrosse
©JOHN MECIONIS
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