Best In Class: The Return Notebook

We are excited to conclude another successful Best in Class event! The Return consisted of talented players from across the country coming to Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Delaware. Here is some of the feedback gathered from our coaching staff about what they saw in our attendees.

Best in the Class: Class of 2023

Attack

The Dallas attackman returned and showed growth from July. Possessing a strong COD behind the cage or up top, Whitham has a high IQ and soft hands. Showed some great ability finishing low angles.

Finnerty came in and made a statement. The LH has great poise and a smoothness to his game. Operating well off the left wing and in the 2 man, Finnerty has a nice stroke and ability to get topside.

A strong RH shooter and finisher lit it up in the Monday night games. Scoring in a variety of ways, Henry also brought a great mentality to learning in between drills and showing up early ready to compete at the sessions.

An athletic, two handed player who has a strong righty shot. Matt also uses his body well to lean on defenders and finishes well around the cage. Short sample size at the event but the BIC staff was impressed with what they saw.

He projects good bursts and great vision as a midfielder this early in his career. He also has next level ability in being able to dodge right away off the swing to the backside. His body control was excellent as he was able to slip inside past defensemen to increase his angle consistently. *Also plays Midfield.

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Midfield

Donovan has come in and impressed with his 2 way (no pun intended) play. The Brunswick middie has strong athleticism and can play D, and also moves great off ball on the offensive end. We look forward to watching Donovan develop.

Bohne really impressed, also returning from July. Two-ways with a high motor, his ability and willingness to play D was evident, and can create off the dodge. Coaches loved his attitude - willing to carry the ball buckets and do whatever is needed. He made a handful of invisible plays

Physical middie who’s nimble for his size. Showed great poise when dodging, can get separation off a split dodge but comfortable getting into guys. Does a great job of handling slides and moving it when needed. Soft hands, strong decision maker.

Really impressed with his all around play. Wings, O reps, D reps - Stroh did it all. Extremely coachable and consistently made the right play and decision, especially the simple ones.

Athletic midfielder with a and plays every rep at full speed. Demonstrated some nice abilities when shooting the ball and playing in the middle of the field. Not afraid to be physical on both sides of the ball.

Defense

Stood out in the middle of the field - showed great presence. Good off the ground and pushing transition. Scored multiple goals off breaks, and made strong decisions consistently.

Menace. Always in guys hands, tying guys up. Good instincts and natural playmaking ability on anticipating the next play. Carried himself well on and off the field and had a great energy about him.

Returning from our July session, Groves’ consistency stood out. Reliable on and off the ball. Strong on the GB’s that he was supposed to get. Limits mistakes, hardly the reason for a defensive breakdown.

Workhorse, high motor type of guy. Great off Face Off wings and constantly in the action. Has a good stick, winning a lot of possessions for his team. Showed great ability to be coached and desire to play.

Talan brought a physical presence to BIC. Big and strong, he showed high energy and compete levels to BIC. He showed great leadership and communication in the huddles. Last kid cleaning up water bottles and helping on the sidelines.

Possessing a great stick and off ball IQ, Carroll returned from our July session. The lefty does a nice job of assessing threat levels and keeping sticks in the lane. Off ball posture was fantastic throughout the sessions, and has a sense for the game that is hard to teach.

Goalie

Unbelievably disciplined and fundamentally sound. Performing at a consistently strong level. Continued to improve on his ability to read shooters, and took a great approach to the training.

Ashby is a very quick goalie who brings a ton of energy into the field. He has some flash to his game, and has become mature about who and when to use it.

Face Off

Athletic and capable on both ends. Showed a great understanding of lacrosse away from the stripe. Mike utilized his wings and set them up to win faceoffs to himself or to the wings. Highly coachable and engaged every time off the field with the entire staff. Ground Ball play was outstanding.

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Best In Class is an embodiment of the culture we want to put out into the sport of lacrosse. It is an ongoing process in helping our players continue in their journeys to reaching their goals on and off the field in high school, college & beyond. A commitment isn’t the end goal – it is another step in the process. The staff will be there for our players every step of the way, and we can’t wait to get to work next year!

We hope you found this helpful. We started First Class Lacrosse because we believe in the power player development. We believe you can get exponentially better if you combine a great work ethic with the guidance of knowing what to work on and how to do it. Luckily, we experienced it firsthand as players and coaches. Our goal is to pass on what we have learned and experienced to future generations of lacrosse players, parents, and coaches. Join our Email List here.

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