frequently asked questions Q: How can 21 Lacrosse help?   Answers A: We are bringing showcases to you. Instead of you getting on a plane and spending several hundred dollars just to get to a “showcase”, we will be having showcases in many “non-traditional” lacrosse markets around the U.S.   Q: Why not go to the “big” showcases in major lacrosse markets?   A: Many of these showcases are outstanding. They are put on by real professionals for the “premiere” players in the country. Many of the best college coaches at the most prestigious colleges attend these showcases. Why? So THE COACHES are seen by the players they want. They typically aren’t “farming” for new talent, but rather attempting to seal the deal on their top prospects. You may be just as good if not better than the players they are pursuing, but you will have a hard time being noticed. Having been both a college coach and athletics director for more than 12 years I can assure you that there are not many schools that have a recruiting budget that gives them the luxury to search the country for the truly best players. So what do they do? They concentrate their efforts in the traditionally strong markets along the northeast corridor from Virginia to New England. Of course there are the pockets in Ohio, Colorado and Michigan that get activity from many colleges, but even those great markets are too often overlooked.   Q: How can 21 Lacrosse make a difference?   A: By bringing the showcase to you, and showing you effective methods to market yourself. We not only help you, but we help the coaches as well. This is a cost effective way to develop a targeted marketing plan that can assist you in gaining admittance to the college you most want to attend. This isn’t about scholarships, per se, but a more realistic utilization of your lacrosse talents. There will be more than 2,000 high school lacrosse programs next year. That will represent more than 45,000 players. Division I schools can give up to 12.6 scholarships per team while Division II is limited to 10 scholarships per team. Assuming that colleges are spreading their scholarships out over a four year period, then Division I schools would have just over 3 scholarships available per year while Division II institutions would be limited to 2.5 per year. There are 54 Division I and 31 Division II schools playing intercollegiate lacrosse. There are at least 20 schools that I can identify in the Division I ranks that either do not grant any athletic scholarships, or are limited by school or league policy to less than 5 scholarships per team. See the number dwindle? That is what you are up against. (for a more detailed analysis of the number of recruits and their geographic roots can be found at 21 Lacrosse College Showcase: Goals, Objectives and Format). What we would like to do is to show you a way to better position yourself in marketing your skills to the colleges you are most interested in attending. To be quite honest, in most cases we are not talking about athletic scholarship dollars (there are institutional grants available), but rather an edge that will help you gain admittance to a school to which you might not have otherwise been accepted. Your “upside” or your potential to be a contributor to a particular program will get the attention of the coach, who will in turn contact admissions on your behalf. This is where the “edge” comes in. You are no longer lumped together with the general population of applicants, but are set apart because of your ability to play the game.   Q: If I am an exceptional player, what can I expect in the way of a scholarship?   A: Look at any college’s sideline and you will see a team made up of 35-45 players. Are the majority of these players walk-ons? No, in fact the vast majority is getting some aid (this holds true for programs that are fully funded – the MAAC limits the number of scholarships made available as does the Patriot League – the Ivy League states that they do not give “athletic scholarships” but rather make awards based on need – however, if they “need” a player bad enough, they will find the aid). What coaches typically do is break their scholarships into fractional pieces. Instead of 12 full rides, a coach may have 2-3 full rides, 8 half scholarships, 16 quarter scholarships, 13 1/8 scholarships. The combinations may vary, but they will do their best to stretch their grant dollars are far as they possibly can to be competitive.   Q: More questions?   A: If you have any questions about our showcases, or about the “recruiting game”, please do not hesitate to contact us at 21 Lacrosse. We are here to help you reach your goals.