Connor Shellenberger couldn’t stop glancing at his phone shortly after USA Lacrosse dropped its Sixes Evaluation Camp on July 29.
He checked the 23-man roster multiple times. Shellenberger knew he was among the players headed to Lake Placid, but he had a hard time believing he’d wear the red, white and blue.
“My name looks weird on that list,” he thought.
Shellenberger, who spent much of the 2021 college season with Virginia building the confidence that made him a standout star in the final four, needed to remind himself that he was worthy of playing with some of the game’s top players at the Sixes Evaluation Camp.
The First Team All-American who dropped 79 points for the eventual national champions now gets recognized on campus and around the Charlottesville community. He’s among the names mentioned in the all-too-early 2022 Tewaaraton race. Still, he had to shake the nerves while making the trip to Lake Placid to compete with names that he grew up idolizing.
“I definitely have to pinch myself,” Shellenberger said. “Finally getting to play with guys I grew up watching now is kind of eye-opening.”
Shellenberger did, indeed, stand out among the rest on the Sixes Evaluation Camp roster, but it wasn’t for a lack of skill or experience. At 13 letters, his last name was three letters longer than anyone else on the list. At 20, he's also the youngest player on the Sixes roster.
Once he took the field at practice in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. on Monday night, Shellenberger showed exactly why he belongs among this group of PLL professionals and former college stars. He slipped past opposing defensemen and flicked precision passes through tight windows, hinting box skills beyond that of the one summer in eighth grade he played indoors.
He followed that performance with another strong one at the Blue-White exhibition, held at the Lake Placid Summit Classic. In front of hundreds of lacrosse enthusiasts, Shellenberger contributed plenty of offense for Team Blue in a 23-22 overtime loss.
In his first Sixes experience, Shellenberger, the player, fit in just fine.
“It hasn’t settled in for me yet,” he said. “Going into practice, I just had to tell myself I do belong here, I can play. You only get to play this game for so long, so I’m trying to have as much fun as I can and let the work that we do take care of itself.”
The Blue-White exhibition was the first official lacrosse game for Shellenberger since his four-goal, two-assist performance, helping Virginia win a classic national championship game over Maryland on Memorial Day. In the four-game NCAA tournament, he dropped 24 points on 10 goals and 14 assists.
Since that day, Shellenberger’s victory tour hasn't featured much of the sport that helped him achieve relative fame in his hometown. With just weeks left before he’ll return to Virginia to start in preparation for the 2022 season, time is running out on a summer he’ll remember forever.
“It’s been fun just soaking everything in and trying to enjoy as much as I can and convince myself to get ready to move on,” he joked. “The guys keep saying when you win, you walk forever. Now we’ll be in the history books forever as a team.”
Coming into the 2021 season as a redshirt freshman and former No. 1 recruit, Shellenberger took much of the Cavaliers’ season to develop the confidence he needed to take over in May. A three-week break before Virginia’s NCAA opener offered Shellenberger a chance to reflect on his progress.
“I just mentally said ‘You need to stop saying you're in your first year playing college lacrosse. You need to take the next step right now,’” he said. “The game started to slow down a bit and I took a bit more pride in the preparation. It showed in the NCAA tournament, and now I have to keep it up so I’m not a four-game wonder.”
A confident Connor Shellenberger is a scary proposition for the rest of college lacrosse. If he were to suit up in next summer’s World Games playing Sixes, he could be a problem for the rest of the world.
GHITELMAN’S 2008 MEMORIES LAST A LIFETIME
Adam Ghitelman carries the same bag with him on every stop of his Premier Lacrosse League career.
It’s the same bag he carried onto the field in Coquitlam, British Columbia on July 12, 2008, when Ghitelman made 19 saves to help the U.S. U19 team down host Canada 19-12 to win the gold medal. The 10-day tournament remains one of Ghitelman’s fondest lacrosse memories — and he’s relived those moments with pro lacrosse players Joel White and CJ Costabile.
“The bag is still in good shape,” he joked. “I think about that team all the time. It was very special to me. Having the chance to represent Team USA is something I always want to do.”
Ghitelman competed with the U.S. national tryout pool during the 2014 and 2018 world championship cycles, but it had been almost five years since he last wore the red, white and blue. When he got the call to join the Sixes Evaluation Camp this summer, he wasted no time accepting the invitation.
The Archers LC goalie, who sits second in the PLL in save percentage, returned to his home state this week for Sixes Evaluation to test a discipline in which he had never competed.
“Having the chance to represent Team USA is something I always want to do,” he said. “If I get the chance, I will try to make the best of it. The end goal, what we’re striving for as a sport, it’s important to have something to can help us advance to the next level. This format is something that people globally could fully grasp and understand.”
Fresh off making 15 saves in an Archers win over first-place Redwoods LC in Colorado Springs, Ghitelman entered Sixes Evaluation Camp as one of the most confident goalies in the world. He’s tallied double-digit saves in four of the six games in which he played a role.
In his third PLL season, Ghitelman has become was one of the Archers’ most important components. He’s steadily improved his save percentage in each of those seasons, from 51 percent in 2019 to 61 percent to date in 2021.
“I’m feeling like I’ve found my prime as a pro player,” he said. “From a physical standpoint, I’m in the best shape of my life. I have 10 years of experience as a goalie, and with the mental book I have on shooters in game situations, I feel like a coach on the field. The combination of all those factors has made me feel comfortable and confident this year.”
ROGERS CONTINUES RISE
Just over a year ago, Kevin Rogers spent hours on the phone with two college coaches — Lynchburg’s Steve Koudelka and High Point’s Kevin Torpey.
Rogers, the two-time All-American at Division III Lynchburg, made the decision during the pandemic to chase his childhood dream and transfer to High Point to play Division I lacrosse. He was torn leaving his brother, Brett, with the Hornets’ program, but he made a decision that started a successful calendar.
The fifth-year senior starred for the Panthers, dropping 38 goals and 11 assists to help lead High Point to the NCAA tournament. Weeks later, he made his PLL debut with Chrome LC, the first of five games of professional he’s played thus far.
In a span of approximately 400 days, Rogers went from a Division III player with an uncertain future to an up-and-coming professional. This week, he added member of the Sixes Evaluation Camp to his list of accomplishments.
“It’s been an unreal experience,” he said. “I’m living the dream out here. I’m loving it.”
Rogers scored multiple goals in Team Blue’s exhibition game loss to Team White on Tuesday at Lake Placid. No matter how he fared at this camp, he said he knows he has a valuable lesson to teach aspiring players.
“I tell the kids that I coach and all the kids who look up to me, no matter what level, you can play with the best,” he said. “You just have to put the time in and good things will happen. I always think of Lynchburg where it all started. That will never leave me.”