Good morning. Here’s the latest from around the lacrosse world:
1. John Grant Jr. was so good, two National Lacrosse League teams have now decided that no other player is fit to wear No. 24 again.
Grant, whose jersey number was retired by the Colorado Mammoth last March, will have the same honor bestowed upon him by the Rochester Knighthawks, the team with which he spent 11 of his 18 NLL seasons. Grant’s jersey will be raised to the Blue Cross Arena rafters prior to the Knighthawks’ Feb. 2 game against the Georgia Swarm. He’ll be the first player in franchise history to have his number retired.
Several of Grant’s former Rochester teammates provided moving testimonials about the legend in this article posted on the Knighthawks’ website.
2. RJ Kaminski is the new face of The Lacrosse Network, one of the sport’s most popular YouTube channels. Read more about this unlikely ascent of someone who never played the game, but fell in love with its community.
3. Molly Hendrick, who made her Team USA debut in the fall and will be back in red, white and blue this weekend at Stanford, shares her tips for how to post up and protect the rock.
4. Syracuse will never qualify as a sleeper. Sleeping giant, perhaps. And after a long, strange 2018 season, the Orange have the talent, depth and versatility to thrive in the dawn of the shot clock era. No excuses.
5. Towson will take the field with four — count ’em, four — sets of sisters in the lineup this spring. Coach Sonia LaMonica is interested to see how that built-in chemistry plays out.
6. Tierney Field at US Lacrosse headquarters in Sparks, Md., is fast becoming a destination for some of the sport’s best teams and biggest names. Several lacrosse luminaries visited in the fall, and there’s a full slate of college and high school games coming this spring.