Breaking Down Best In Class Committed’s All-Tournament Defense

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>More than 50 college-bound prospects made their way to Wilmington, Delaware's Chase Fieldhouse for another year of the Best In Class Committed event, put on by Deemer Class, Matt Dunn, and the First Class Lacrosse crew. <br><br>The emphasis was put on training and drills led by a who's who of knowledgeable lacrosse minds between high school coaches and current professional and college players, setting the table for high-level gameplay while maintaining the focus on player development. Before the athletes got suited up in their equipment, they also participated in combine-style athleticism training with a 'Flying 20', broad jump and vertical jump creating an aggregated score at the end. <br><br>Prep Lacrosse was on site both days, so we'll be coming out with more content coming away from the event. First off, let's take a look at the All-Tournament LSM, defensemen and goalie.<br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["14545"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Having missed most of the summer due to injury, Pedicano has been a man on a mission this fall, an encouraging sign considering he's the 13th-ranked prospect in the junior class. The future 'Hoo earned All-Tournament honors and was arguably the most impactful defensive player at the event, showing not only a willingness to do everything asked of him (and then some) but thriving in that role by providing juice play after juice play. Pedicano took face-offs and was an absolute force with the ball in his stick, getting on the board twice in an early game, with his first coming when he gobbled up a groundball, threw a fake, and put a low shot past the goalie. He played hard at all times and was plenty capable both on-ball and off-ball, even if he got beat on a few reps when he was close to GLE. Immediately following the event, Pedicano drew rave reviews from his coaches for what he showed as a teammate and how much of a boost his presence and leadership capabilities gave his squad.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["14861"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"In the past few high school seasons, Wood's ability to defend has been difficult to evaluate because his alma mater, Belmont Hill, almost exclusively plays zone. Even so, his steady development has been noticeable, and at an event like this, he showed off just how well-rounded he is. Wood stood out in the drills portion and brought that momentum with him, proving to be one of the better communicators at BIC, always in position and able to erase different styles of attackmen. As the event progressed, dodgers shied away from him, and for good reason. Using a sturdy 6'1, 20-pound frame to his advantage, he plays with both discipline and physicality, never failing to get out on opponents' hands to cause disruption. He's outstanding off-ball and was key in making sure his teammates were in position, which is hard to do in an individual event like this. This coming spring at Deerfield should be another vital step in his growth to eventually put him in the mix for early playing time with the Hoyas.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["14863"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Like Wood, his future college teammate, Allen does so many things at a high level and seldom makes mistakes. The highly athletic lefty is disruptive 1-on-1 and dialed in away from the ball, and more often than not, his well-executed slides resulted in his squad coming up with it. He looked comfortable in just about every facet, and that started with his approach to drills and overall coachability. With sound footwork and fundamentals, Allen embraced the little things within the defense and was all over the back half of the field, knowing the right time to throw checks as well as the right time to slide. After being somewhat overshadowed by his 5-star teammates in the class in front of him, he's due for a huge final season as the Eagles look to become the second team to win three consecutive MIAA championships.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["14819"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"A well-known prospect who was ranked No. 16 in last year's Top 50, the Maryland signee was a last-minute addition to the event after being cleared to return from an injury that sidelined him for the fall. Big yet still unassuming (particularly in his lower body), Laake continued to show why he's considered to be among the most intelligent defensemen in the last few recruiting cycles, and quite frankly, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone better when it comes to pick play. He's locked in on every rep and perpetually plays with an edge, and when the ball is in Laake's stick and he's chugging upfield, he's difficult to stop and capable of creating offense. When matched up 1-on-1, ranked attackmen had a ton of trouble against him, and in drills, he simply didn't get beat. It'll be hard to keep Laake off the field early in his career in College Park, and I could see him becoming the glue of that defense for years to come.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["14532"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"It didn't come as any surprise to see Lamitie make his mark as the most dominant of the four goalies in attendance, but his showing was certainly impressive and backed up his ranking as the No. 2 keeper in the '25 class. The 6-foot-3 New Hartford (N.Y.) native was lights out, routinely making eye-catching saves in tight to stymie the opposition and showing a disciplined approach on shots from long range, leaning on his elite hand speed and catching the ball cleanly. Lamitie settled in nicely, and it was clear that his defense played with considerable confidence in front of him, bailing them out of there was a miscue. In goal, the Blue Jays have had mixed results over the years, but Lamitie's eventual arrival should bring some stability, especially after two years as the starter in a top high school league in the country.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6579f1f8e9be1"} /-->