This article appears in the July/August edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don’t get the mag? Join US Lacrosse today to start your subscription.
When the U.S. indoor training team met for two events last fall, the imperative from coach Regy Thorpe and his staff was to get players into the National Lacrosse League, so they could learn from the best in the box.
While U.S. vets like Brett Manney, Kevin Buchanan, Greg Downing, Joel White and Joe Resetarits had NLL experience, most of the player pool lacked indoor bona fides.
“When they go into this training camp, they’re really putting themselves in the best position to succeed and make those rosters,” Thorpe said last October. “We’re really hoping that their hard work pays off and they latch on to NLL teams.”
Seven months later, the training team reconvened in Baltimore very much a different group. Thorpe’s calling led to eight different U.S. players making their NLL debuts this past season. When they reported for another camp in May, including a Blue-White game at Du Burns Arena, it was clear the experience had paid off.
NLL rookies like Trevor Baptiste, Connor Kelly and Matt Rambo made an impact immediately. Baptiste, one of the faces of the relaunched Philadelphia Wings franchise, set the NLL rookie record with 362 faceoff wins. Rambo finished fifth on the Wings with 26 goals and 30 assists, a strong showing for the hometown kid. Kelly (San Diego Seals) scored 17 points in seven games this season.
The learning curve was steep, but the NLL rookies returning to camp with Team USA carried more confidence.
“I was nervous that I was going to be so confused out there, but lacrosse is lacrosse,” Rambo said. “I just had to watch a lot of film and study up on the game. You get over the fear by just playing and practicing.”
It also helped the Americans to play alongside decorated NLL veterans. Kelly, whose team advanced to the NLL playoffs before falling to eventual champion Calgary, said he was grateful to learn from the likes of Seals stars Dan Dawson, Brodie Merrill and Garrett Billings — all Canadians.
“I was playing with the best group possible, in terms of leadership and veterans,” he said. “I learned from some of the best in the league.”
That growth showed at the Blue-White exhibition, where the former Maryland No. 1s Rambo and Kelly combined to score four goals to lead Team White to the victory.
Even players that didn’t get the chance to play in the NLL made contributions in the exhibition. Cody Radziewicz, a late cut by the Wings, and Dylan Molloy, the former Brown star, performed well.
The progress not only from last fall, but also over the course of the last two years, was palpable.
“From where we were a couple years ago to where we are now, we’re really happy,” said Thorpe, who was named the U.S. coach in February 2017 and is also the head coach and general manager of the New York Riptide, an NLL expansion team that will debut in 2020. “We’re chasing those top-tier teams, Canada and Iroquois, and other teams are getting better. We got more guys playing in the NLL, more guys playing [Major Series Lacrosse], more guys on practice squads. Just more guys playing box, and that’s great to see.”
The young guns of the U.S. are embracing the box, and it’s paying off. Can it translate to September’s world indoor championship?
“You see the number of kids coming up from college, they’re gelling to the game so well,” Resetarits said. “It’s a great thing for young kids to see, as well. We have a good mix of veterans and young guys, which makes us very deep.”
Buchanan played on the 2011 and 2015 U.S. indoor teams. “We need some of that young blood on our team,” he said.