Minnesota’s Top Longstick Middies in the Class of 2024

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Similar to the close defense in the class of 2024, there's depth and talent with the senior longstick middies in Minnesota. Last season, LSM's took their game to another level and were some of the most important players to their team's success. This year will be no different - here's a few to watch this upcoming spring:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["17578"],"_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":"[player_tooltip player_id='17578' first='CJ' last='Sheffield'] was the lone junior LSM to crack the All-State list last year. Dynamic and setting a high bar for production at the position, the 3rd Team recipient had an insane year, logging 97 groundballs, 50 forced turnovers, nine goals, and eight assists. LSM can be a bit of a misunderstood position and every team uses them differently, but when you have a player like Sheffield with such a diverse skill set, it creates a unique advantage for the Lakers. CJ has amazing hands, making him a wizard off the ground.  He can match feet to guard effectively in settled defense, and as evidenced by his 17 points last year, is unafraid to go to the goal in transition.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["17580"],"_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":"O'Leary is an aggressive ground ball machine who brings a great level of grit and toughness to the Eagan team.  He is great on the wing during face-offs, not only picking up loose ground balls, but applying pressure to the opposition if his team loses the draw.  His quickness and athleticism allow him to cause havoc all over but especially between the boxes.  I love the way that he stays pressuring during transition, and it forces turnovers a lot of the time, but especially starts to wear down on teams trying to clear late in games.  Last year, O'Leary had 62 ground balls and four assists. Unfortunately, his forced turnover stats were not kept, but I'd be willing to bet he'd be up near the top if they were.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["17582"],"_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":"Rand is a quick and aggressive player who loves to compete.  He has an incredible motor that causes a lot of problems for the opposing team.  He is not shy when it comes to throwing checks to try and take the ball away, especially in riding situations.  Rand has great hands and a strong field sense that allows him to anticipate and jump passes, catching his opponents off guard.  Last season, Rand logged 78 ground balls, 31 forced turnovers and added 6 points as well.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["17585"],"_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":"Malakhi flies under the radar quite a bit in MN due to him playing for a smaller co-op program.  However, in seeing him play live and more on tape, he is one of the best, if not the best, athletes in the 2024 class.  Like I mentioned about a couple of the defensemen in a previous article, he looks like he isn't even trying and he will chase people down and pull away in transition. He is an extremely fast and powerful runner and when he gets a head of steam, good luck slowing him down.  Listed at 6'2 and 195 pounds, he is one of the bigger LSMs, and I would be hard-pressed to find a matchup where he didn't have a physical advantage.  He throws some sneaky quick checks and can get the ball on the ground, combined with great hands to get first time ground balls and lead transition.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["17586"],"_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":"Score is an athletic, smart defender that could probably get the job done at close defense as well as LSM.  On tape, he was great away from the ball, putting himself in position to double-team and sniff out some loose ground balls. On-ball, he is aggressive and does not make life easy for his offensive opponent.  He does a great job staying on the hands and throwing effective checks to force errant passes and create turnovers.  In transition, he is deceivingly quick and gets upfield in a hurry.  Last year, he had 65 ground balls, 32 ground balls plus six points for a strong Wazyata defense that plays some of the state's best teams.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65b0013bc8d78"} /-->