Craig Chick, the Division I all-time leader in caused turnovers with 160, was met with an unlikely challenge in his first year of professional lacrosse.

The ball.

“One of my biggest struggles was trying to find the ball because in the MLL, they used an orange ball [last year],” Chick said. “You’re used to seeing a white ball fly around your whole life, then you’re thrown into a faster game with better players and you need to find an orange ball.

“It took a while for me to snag the passes like I did in college, but I adjusted.”

A few games into the season, Chick was back to his college ways, which was creating chaos on opposing offenses. Nicknamed the “Creator of Chaos,” Chick is already making his presence felt with Atlas LC in the Premier Lacrosse League … which, by the way, uses a yellow ball.

Chick’s road wasn’t always easy. In fact, he’s had to continually prove himself along the way.

Undersized and overlooked by many in the recruiting process, Chick did more than prove himself while playing at Lehigh. Then, in his first season playing professionally, Chick was a Major League Lacrosse All-Star. He finished fourth in the league in caused turnovers.

By now, you’d think Chick would be tired of continually having to prove himself, but that’s not the case.

“Having a chip on your shoulder is thrown out a lot these days,” Chick said. “I feel like everyone can say that. I’m not the only guy who’s been overlooked or not drafted in certain spots. If I attach or hold onto that, I won’t be as good as I can be.”

Part of the reason Chick has been overlooked has been size, checking in at 6 feet and 195 pounds. After a short adjustment period in college, he improved as his freshman season progressed, finishing the year with a nation-leading 37 caused turnovers (including 15 over back-to-back games against Princeton and Cornell late in the year).

Similar to his first collegiate season, Chick took some time to adjust to Major League Lacrosse with Dallas, but by the end, he had emerged as one of the top defensive players in the league and a league MVP candidate as a rookie.

“I was a little shell-shocked the first couple weeks, like a deer in the headlights,” Chick said. “Everything was moving fast. Big league, big names, playing in some big stadiums. But towards the end of the season, that confidence grew and I was flying around, trying to make plays.”

In 16 games, Chick collected 48 ground balls and caused 20 turnovers, which was no surprise to his college coach.

“Craig is a natural born competitor,” Lehigh head coach and 2006 MLL All-Star Game MVP Kevin Cassese said. “He has perpetually been underestimated and has perpetually scrapped and clawed his way to becoming one of the very best in everything he’s done. The incredible success he had in his rookie season in the MLL might have come as a surprise to many, but not to me. I've seen his will to win and his desire to be the best first-hand. That man will not be denied.”

Coming out of college, Chick, like many aspiring professional lacrosse players these days, had to choose between Major League Lacrosse or the Premier Lacrosse League.

“I got picked up in the PLL off the player pool, but the MLL was a better opportunity at the time,” he said. “I loved every second of it. Dallas was a great organization with a great coaching staff and great teammates. I had a blast, and I’m very thankful for the opportunity.”

This past offseason, Kyle Harrison — who works in PLL player outreach and plays for Redwoods LC — reconnected with Chick after first speaking a year prior.

Chick went on to be selected by Atlas LC in March’s PLL Entry Draft. He made the club’s active roster for the Championship Series, which began on Saturday in Herriman, Utah. Chick and Atlas’ first game was Sunday, an 11-10 win over the expansion Waterdogs.

“I want everyone’s best shot,” Chick said. “I want to see if I can hang with these guys.”

Chick is used to taking others’ best shots and shining. Along with his development as a player, he entered this summer with something else in his favor.

A coach’s mindset.

Chick spent the 2019-20 school year at UMBC as a volunteer assistant coach. He coached all over the field last fall and during the pandemic-shortened spring with the Retrievers.

“In the fall, I was working with the defense. Then spring came around, and I was actually working with Coach [Ryan] Moran and the offense,” Chick said. “I got the best of both worlds and was leading faceoff coaching as well.”

Fun fact: Chick even won 22 faceoffs at Lehigh. But he doesn’t pretend to know it all. He’s humble, selfless and only looking to improve, which only leads to continued growth.

“Coach Ryan Moran and Coach Joe Bucci at UMBC have been great mentors and great coaches to work alongside,” Chick said. “They’ve taught me a lot about coaching and the game. As a player, you don’t really think about building practice plans and all the work that goes behind the scenes of leading a team.”

That mindset can only help Chick in his own game as a player. His mind for the game, coupled with the ability to create chaos and make things happen, is a strong formula for success — no matter the level.

“Craig has an innate ability to read a situation on the field and know exactly how that situation is going to play out,” Cassese said. “Not only does that allow him to put himself in great positions to be successful, but it also allows him to help put others in great positions to succeed. He has helped so many teammates over the years elevate their level of play and increase their knowledge of the game, and that's a big part of the reason he was a two-time captain for us. It's also a big reason why it was a natural fit for him to pursue college coaching. 

“Craig is going to develop into an outstanding coach, and coaching will help him develop into an even more dominant player.”

That player is now on full display in the PLL, and he’s already impressing. In his PLL debut, Chick assisted on a pretty fast break give-and-go during a crucial time in the fourth quarter. Then Monday against the Archers, he collected three ground balls and tallied his first two PLL caused turnovers.

Likely the first of many.

Chick is happy that opportunities to play lacrosse are increasing, especially for guys like who were underestimated at first.

“So many people are playing lacrosse, which is great at the end of the day,” Chick said. “More eyes are looking at different corners of Division I, II and III.”

The concept of increased opportunities hits home for someone like Chick, who was seemingly always overlooked. He committed to Lehigh late (his only Division I offer) and has been committed to proving himself.

“I realized last summer, I could play with these guys,” Chick said. “This summer, I still have a lot to prove in this new league.”

If things go anything like it has in the past, we know not much can stop Craig Chick.

Not even the color of the ball.