St. John’s Prospect Day: Let’s Recap

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Thursday, June 5th, St. John's University hosted a group of varsity players from across the country. This was a five-hour event that took place on the school's home turf (DaSilva Memorial) and had a few other college coaches in attendance, such as LIU, Manhattan, and Rutgers. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The night started off with drills such as, ground balls and 3v2's. They worked rolling the crease and shooting from up top. We got a look at these dedicated players from all angles. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They then moved on to a more game-like scenario where they split into two teams, eventually going head-to-head in a full-field scrimmage. They got to hear from the coaches in attendance and, hopefully, walk away with a better feel for what the recruiting process is truly like. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["45991"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-684302d07f39c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As I watched [player_tooltip player_id='45991' first='Chase' last='Bier'] play, I quickly noticed that he was always in the ready position. His hips were to his attacker, and his eyes constantly looked out for the ball carrier. He also made it a point to pinch the corners, ready to assist his teammate in a double if needed. His man-on-man defense was impressive as well. I also gathered that Bier tends to be an aggressive/assertive player. He is a versatile player who has a killer stutter step and even looks good on the faceoff. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["121625"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-684302d07f3f4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A powerful lefty who can fake and finish like it's nobody's business. His cuts were spot on, able to make his way to the cage even from X. Mastrogiovanni ended this high school season with 42 goals. He was also named part of the 2nd team All-Conference and ranked 82nd in the state for goals. He represents excellent lacrosse IQ, including redrives, field vision, and quick ball release. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["35631"],"_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":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-684302d07f43e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This multisport athlete fires shot after shot near perfectly. His power, quick ball movement, angles, dodging, and overall athleticism have him standing out among his peers. He doesn't second-guess himself, which only adds to the appeal. With 33 goals and 16 assists tallied up from his high school 2024-2025 season, goalies better work on their drops because his bounce shot is deadly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Christopher DAmato","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"144","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"St. Mary's","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-684302d07f4f4"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">There were three other goalies in attendance at St. John's, meaning that the boys had to be ready to jump in at a moment's notice. DAmato was always on it. He read the ball well and was great with high-placed shots. His footwork was good, moving with the ball carrier to track his shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Pierce Hopson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"148","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Pensacola Catholic HS","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-684302d07f58c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Named newcomer of the year in 2023 and a two-year member of the Nike National All-Star Team (Florida), Hopson is a gritty player who keeps his head on a swivel. He plays amazing shutdown defense, with strong ball-handling skills and a fight to win each and every 50/50 opportunity. He was ranked 12th in the state of Florida and 106th nationally for takeaways. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Nick Newman","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"148","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Okemos HS","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-684302d07f62e"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Stepping into a prospect day can be hard, especially when trying to command a group of people you have just met. Newman was a vocal leader on the defensive end and represented a great team-first mentality. His ability to throw a poke check stood out to me since it was always timed correctly, advancing his team to an offensive opportunity. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->