Going Pro

“What’s up Dev,

Please see my answers below:

1. I started playing lacrosse in 4th grade after my dad was rummaging through the newspaper, probably Newsday, and saw that the majority of kids on Long Island that were committing to play a division I sport, were committing to play lacrosse. Although he had never played, he figured that my brother and I should at least give the sport a try. I had grown up playing baseball, football and basketball, and figured that I would probably play football or basketball in college, until about 8th-9th grade, when I started to see that I was decent at lacrosse. I ended up loving the sport (even though admittedly, football is still my first love), and really considered playing in college at around this point.

2. Going to Yale, was definitely an interesting experience. Playing lacrosse there was by far the best part of my experience while in school. The social aspect, for me at least, wasn’t anything to write home about, even though I know most people on my team thoroughly enjoyed themselves. For what Yale lacked for me off the field, was definitely made up for while on the field. I loved pretty much everything about the program. I loved coach Shay and the rest of the coaching; really just a bunch of great guys that have more fun than you would think and love lacrosse. I also loved the opportunity to be able to compete daily with my teammates. The “toughness” culture that Yale had, was exactly what I was looking for and I have no complaints from a lacrosse aspect at all over my 4 years. Winning a national championship was pretty cool as well.

I think college lacrosse prepared me for the real world because it really tested my ability to manage time effectively. Obviously, going to Yale you know that the academic workload will be tremendous, especially as a pre-med major. There were a lot of long nights, and grindy semesters but getting through it while also maintaining a high level of lacrosse play better prepared me for the daily rigors of adult life (and hopefully med school down the road).

3. The MLL was another interesting experience. I am very grateful to the Florida Launch for giving me an opportunity to play professionally, and for giving me a chance to compete against some of the best players in the world. Honestly though, it paled in comparison to the college lacrosse experience mainly because of the structure of the league; and I guess that kind of speaks to the state of professional lacrosse today. Showing up on Friday for a night practice, then rolling the balls out on Saturday isn’t exactly the most ideal situation for producing a great lacrosse product, but you make it work. Hopefully, things will be on the up-swing with the new PLL forming so that professional lacrosse will actually feel like a professional sport. Overall, the game isn’t that much faster than college lacrosse, but obviously the players for the most part are better. . It’s definitely a little harder to play defense, due to the rule differences between college and pro, and the increase in skill level of the offensive players. I think that college lacrosse bringing back the “dive” and implementing a shot clock, will make the transition from college to pro even easier. As far as training goes, I’ve pretty much tried to stay on-track with my college workout regimen, even though that’s made difficult while working full-time. Just finding time to get your cardio and weight-training in after a long day is sometimes a hassle, but I think I’ve done a fair job of managing that so far.

4. Currently, I’m doing research in the sports med department at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC. I plan to work here for two years before pursuing med school. The Yale lacrosse alumni community has done a great job with all of our guys in assisting them with getting jobs. The position I currently hold at the hospital was actually filled by a former Yale lacrosse player that helped me to get the job, and I know this same trend holds true for many of my teammates no matter what industry they’re currently in.”

“May have gotten a bit long winded in my answers. LMK if you need anything else!

JC

1. I started playing lacrosse in 4th grade. My best friend to this day, Tommy Amato signed up for lacrosse, and, being a baseball player, I made fun of him for it. When he came back with a lacrosse stick, and could somewhat catch and throw after his first couple of practices, I knew I had to beat him. I was signed up shortly after because I couldn’t let him be better than me at it.

Playing in college first became a realization when I first made an FLG team going into 9th grade. Knowing that I was capable of playing with some of the best players on Long Island made me feel like it was a possibility, lofty… but possible. I didn’t think I’d ever go on and play division 1 lacrosse necessarily, but when I started to love training, competing, and seeing progress is when I really committed to making it my dream.

2. I loved my college lacrosse experience at Johns Hopkins University. From my Freshman Year, to my Senior Year… From the coaching staff, to the 50 best friends I made in that locker room every year… From the world class education, to the big-time atmosphere around the Hopkins lacrosse program… From 6AM Practices on Homewood, to the 4th quarter in a one goal game vs. Maryland in the Final 4… I am forever grateful for every phase of my experience, every teammate I had, for every win and every loss.

The lesson I’m most thankful for learning through college is learning about what the preparation process truly looks like, and eventually becoming competitively obsessed with that process.

When you step on campus and are led by Coach Petro, Benson, Dwan, Dyer etc. and a group of seniors that have been there for four years – you quickly get to see what true preparation looks like. I quickly realized that the guys who work hard – play. And if I could take every day as an opportunity to, almost competitively, work harder than whoever was in eyesight – that I could earn the opportunity to play. From a young age, my dad taught me – what you put in, is what you get out… it’s that simple. This is something that was very obvious once I was at school. On the foundation of this belief, I knew I could put myself in a position to be successful athletically and academically.

That’s a lesson that I know I could bring with me into whatever I do. Whether it be trading stock on Wall Street, or Coaching College Lacrosse like I do now. What you put into things is what you get out of them and when that’s as clear as it was to me when I first stepped on campus – I knew I had to be better than everyone at THAT. Not at lacrosse, but at being better at preparing.

3. I’ve loved the past two years being a professional lacrosse player. Being able to compete at the highest level of our sport is a humbling stage to be on. I’m always amazed playing with such impressive players, from different backgrounds and playing styles – and have loved all the opportunity to learn and grow as a player, and coach. Most obviously, possessions are quicker… but, the lacrosse is all the same. The ability to prepare as a team is the thing that becomes difficult to deal with at times, but the talent across every roster often masks that fact.

I’m blessed with the opportunity to make what I love to do my career, not only can I continue to compete as a player at the highest level – but I’m also able to coach division 1 lacrosse at the highest level at Colgate University.

My job and lifestyle allows me to train just as I did as I did when I was in school. I try to lift 4-6 times a week, play wall ball and shoot at least 2-3 times as well. Being able to train with my players is something I look forward to every day. Whether it be putting together a shooting workout for myself and a couple of our guys, or watching film with a guy or two – I’m able to constantly be thinking lacrosse. My life is lacrosse, I eat, sleep and think the game. I think this allows me to stay prepared, and focused on getting better.

4. I am the offensive coordinator at Colgate University. So… without lacrosse I wouldn’t have a career. However, for the lessons I spoke about earlier, is what I think lacrosse really provided me as a person. I try to competitively prepare on a daily basis, and the fact that I’ve fallen in love with that process is what I think lacrosse has truly helped me with in pursuing my career.”