Is HE the GREATEST Lacrosse Player Ever??

Good morning.

I’m Jake and this is Recruit Report presented by Apex Lacrosse Events.

I’m your friend who tells you everything you need to know about high school lacrosse.

Apex just opened up limited spots for the Apex Fall National Showcase.

Over 200 alumni are now playing D1 lacrosse, and there’s over 30 college lacrosse coaches attending.

Spots are closing soon, and you can fill out an interest form here.

Now, let’s get into it!

The #1 Skill College Lacrosse Coaches Look For, Pt. 2

Last week we talked about the #1 Skill College Lacrosse Coaches look for: having a motor.

Having a motor = the ability to play a high level of lacrosse, no matter how tired you are.

“But Jake, how can I practice having a motor?”

Great question. I think there’s two equally important parts to having a motor:

1. Mental: the willingness to keep going even when you’re tired.

2. Training: the actual physical capacity of your body. Speed and endurance.

In order to develop the mental aspect of a motor, it comes down to why you’re playing lacrosse.

If you love the game, or you want to play the highest level, it’s going to be easy to develop a motor.

Because even though you’re tired, you know you have to keep going to achieve your goal of playing high level lacrosse.

But if you’re playing it because your parents made you, or because you want to impress your friends, this is going to be extremely tough.

When you get out of breath, and you’re on your third game of the day in your summer tournament, you’re not going to want to keep going.

So for your mental game, you have to start with why.

But then there’s the training side of things, and this is where it becomes easier.

In lacrosse, there’s two types of physical capabilities you need to have:

1. Sprinting: the ability to stop and start quickly. Think dodging, shooting, defense, cutting, etc.

2. Endurance: the ability to sprint over and over again.

For sprinting, you’ll want to train in short bursts.

Track runs, footwork ladders, jumprope, full-field sprints, and shuttle runs are all examples of good sprinting workouts.

For endurance, long runs are important to build up long-term stamina.

A mixture of sprints and endurance workouts will help you develop a motor.

Cabrini Lacrosse is Shutting Down

Division 3 Lacrosse Powerhouse Cabrini will have its final school year in 2024.

This also means Cabrini Men’s Lacrosse will have their final season in 2024.

The 2019 D3 Lacrosse Champions are always a contender in the college lacrosse playoffs, and it’s sad to see a great lacrosse program come to an end.

Unfortunately, Cabrini isn’t the first private school to shut down. Since 2016, 91 U.S. private colleges have closed down.

On the bright side: Episcopal Academy (PA) hired Cabrini head coach Steve Colfer as its next head coach.

The 2024 Inter-Ac title is up for grabs.

Brennan O’Neill Is On a Different Planet

Brennan O’Neill was the youngest verbal lacrosse commit ever when he committed to Penn State in March of his 8th grade year.

He followed that up with a #1 ranking in his class of 2020, being dubbed the “Zion Williamson” of lacrosse as he changed his commitment to Duke.

Then, he won ACC Freshman of the year and led Duke in goals with 45 as a freshman.

This year, he won the Tewaaraton award as the nation’s best lacrosse player.

And this week, he scored 5 goals to help Team USA capture a World Lacrosse Championship.

Sometimes, we have to acknowledge greatness. We’re all witnessing one of the greatest lacrosse players pushing the sport forward.

Also, did you miss the dirtiest lacrosse hit from the world games?

Featured Recruit: Connor Nolen

Every lacrosse journey is different. Some players (like Brennan O’Neill) dominate from a young age.

For others like Connor Nolen, a little bit of patience goes a long way.

Connor came into the recruiting season unranked in his 2024 class. He was tabbed as a solid 3-star recruit.

But less than a year later, everything’s changed.

This spring, he dominated for Haverford as an SSDM. He was a monster on the wings, and smart in transition. Duke head coach John Danowski took note.

Now, Connor is a commit to a top 5 lacrosse program in the country.

Remember, every week we nominate a recruit. Respond to this email to nominate a player!

Talk to you soon!

Best,

Jake

P.S. Make sure to fill out an interest form before the Apex Fall National Showcase spots close!