Lakeshore Lax

'Coaches are always looking for guys that compete with great energy.' -- Dave Pietramala

RELATED LINKS:  2011 Boys Verbal Commitments |  2011 Girls Verbal Commitments | 2012 Boys Verbal Commitments

EDITORS NOTE: Every Tuesday for the next few months, ESPN RISE editors will release a new lacrosse story in the weekly series Recruiting Road. We will feature coaches' and recruiters' answers to some of the most asked recruiting questions.

The biggest question most high school athletes ask is, "how do I get noticed?"

While there is no single answer to the question, ESPN RISE spoke with lacrosse head coaches at Denver, Jacksonville, Johns Hopkins and Notre Dame to find out some ways a player can gain a college coach’s attention.

ESPN RISE: What can a player do to get noticed?

Kevin Corrigan, Notre Dame
“There are three different avenues a guy can take. If I were trying to be noticed I would pick my events in the summer and fall. I would do some self-promotion to the programs I was interested in and I would use my high school coach to help get my name out there.

“Kids should be smart and strategic about the events, know what the level of play is and what his aspirations are. Every event doesn’t have the same people. You’re going to have different coaches at different venues based on the perceived level of play at that event. Have some good video available and send it out to coaches.”

Matt Kerwick, Jacksonville University
“The summer and fall tournaments are so crucial to the recruiting process now. If you are a sophomore and playing at a strong high school program, unless you’re a superstar you’re not going to be playing much. There aren’t many sophomores leading those rosters because juniors and seniors who have earned the right to be starters lead them. So sending out DVD and video clips from YouTube can be really useful. “

Dave Pietramala, Johns Hopkins
“Perform. That’s the most obvious. If you find yourself in a game where college coaches are present, perform at a high level. That’s what’s going to catch a coach’s eye first. Coaches are always looking for guys that compete with great energy and enthusiasm. How hard you play is something I find to be an interesting quality you’re looking for, but you don’t necessarily find it as much as you’d like. I’m always amazed when I go to these camps and there’s a number of coaches watching and here’s the players, some who are not playing as hard as they’re capable of.”

Bill Tierney, University of Denver
“There are three ways: recruiting camps, tournaments and clubs. Lacrosse has moved to the soccer model of clubs during the summer because we can’t see the kids play in the spring. Unlike football, we can’t see kids play in their senior year then wait to make a decision because then it’s too late for admissions. We need to see them, at the very latest, the summer after their junior year. More often than not it’s the summer after their sophomore year or the fall and spring of their junior at the latest. But they’re getting seen mostly atrecruiting camps, tournament and once in a while coaches have kids come into their schools and their personal camps.”

Next week: Where to attend events and how they factor into recruiting

Also upcoming: What role does highlight film play in recruiting? What can athletes from non-traditional areas do to get noticed? What role does club lacrosse play in recruiting? How has the official visit changed in the past few years? How to determine what level of lacrosse you can play.