This story appears in the April edition of US Lacrosse Magazine. Don't get the mag? Join or renew today. Thanks for your support!

Luke Dellicicchi laments how the lacrosse boom has tapered off in his town — and hopes he can serve as an example of how far this sport can take you.

Dellicicchi, a senior attackman at Locust Valley (N.Y.) High School headed to Brown, said his development was rooted in the strength of the Nassau County PAL program, a league that is lauded for producing stars like Tom Schreiber while remaining committed to growing the base of participation with an inclusive community-based model.

Even when he started playing for elite Long Island clubs like True Blue and eventually FLG, Dellicicchi stayed active with the Oak Neck Athletic Council program through eighth grade.

“We always had really good players,” he said.

Dellicicchi has become one of the best. He comes from a hockey family and begrudgingly joined his friend John Madsen when his team needed an extra player for a lacrosse tournament. They were in kindergarten at the time. Now they’re teammates at Locust Valley.

Madsen, a midfielder, has signed to play at Hofstra next year.

Dellicicchi, an X attackman who says he models his game after Princeton-turned-Duke sensation Michael Sowers, will have the added advantage of competing in the NTDP National Combine at US Lacrosse headquarters in August. He was one of the younger players to qualify for the USA Select U17 team in 2019 and thus was eligible to bypass regional tryouts as part of the U18 selection process this go around.

It was a no-brainer for him. He said he especially benefited from the tutelage of U.S. senior team midfielder and Penn State offensive coordinator John Haus, who helped him understand how to play at pace but also with patience and poise. 

“Just a ton of coaches that know so much about the game,” Dellicicchi said. “It was a very good learning experience. I’m really excited to get back to Maryland. The facility is amazing. Everything about USA lacrosse is a great experience.”

Dellicicchi is not alone in his opinion. Twenty-five slots for the NTDP Combine (boys and girls) were already occupied shortly after US Lacrosse announced its plans for the program in February, with a significant number of age-eligible USA Select players from 2019 deciding to re-up this year.