Project 9: New Senior Evaluations and Uncommitted Junior Talent

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After sitting out a rainy Saturday and Sunday at Project 9, Ty Xanders and I made it to USA Lacrosse headquarters on Monday to catch the event's 15th edition. The day featured game action with a mostly committed group of juniors and seniors. Here, I take a closer look at three committed seniors we haven't previously evaluated, along with all three uncommitted juniors in attendance. Some impressed me with their polish, others with their upside, but all six caught my attention.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["175161"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace8435c8152"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sullivan was all over the field on Monday, scoring in transition and causing havoc on defense with checks and slides that ended possessions. A natural LSM, his strength is his stick. He's a constant pest in one-on-one matchups and always seems to get a meaningful check in. If you leave your stick hanging, Sullivan will find it. In the MIAA state championship, Longmeadow tasked him with covering a big lefty attackman committed to Brown. That isn't his ideal matchup, but the assignment speaks to Longmeadow's confidence in his cover ability. Sullivan held him to two goals, one of which came when he had to rotate away from him in transition. Off the ball, Sullivan knows when to double and put the ball on the carpet, something he showed consistently throughout the spring and in the state championship. Once it hits the turf, he's excellent off the ground. Whether he's goosing it to himself to escape pressure or scooping it cleanly, he pushes the tempo as well as any LSM.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["142007"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace8435c8219"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Matott's play of the day on Monday came as the point man in transition with a clear numbers advantage. He loaded up toward the cage, getting everyone to anticipate a shot, then dropped his release angle and skipped a pass across to a wide-open lefty attackman for a dunk. It was the kind of deceptive play that would have fooled the cameraman, too.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Fairfield commit put up 69 goals and 41 assists as a junior at Liverpool, producing in a ton of different ways. Matott plays to the beat of his own drum, controlling the tempo of his dodges. He can sprint, stall, and change pace, but his most dangerous move is a rollback that seems to free his hands no matter where he is on the field. He buried plenty of shots off that rollback on his wrong side in the spring, along with outside-hand shots going down the alley. Comfortable with both hands and slick inside, his versatility should give him a chance to play sooner rather than later with the Stags.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["215772"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace8435c81c7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After missing the rainy Saturday and Sunday at Project 9, I wondered if the staff had worked on fly-by/slips out of two-man actions behind the cage when I saw McIntosh score off one in game two on Monday. It's an action you don't see executed consistently at the high school level. After pulling up his spring tape, though, I realized it was just one of the many skills he has mastered.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Think about what it takes to score off that action consistently: the deception to sell it even when teams know it's coming, the burst to separate, and the balance and athleticism to fire his signature jump shot up the hashes with a pole closing out. A natural righty, McIntosh occupied the left attack spot, which made that fly-by move a frequent option. He still put up 104 points, with plenty of goals scored left-handed or righty with his outside hand. As a dodger, I love how he controls the tempo by squaring up his defender, changing angles and speeds, then knowing when to hit the gas to create separation in both one-on-one matchups and the two-man game. My message to Drexel: get him some runs out of the box early, let him set picks behind the cage, then watch him cook.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["178981"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace8435c8261"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Since I first saw him last fall, Pett has grown into his frame and made a considerable jump in his game. Back then, his movements looked mechanical. On Monday, he was smooth. He's entered the category of "light on his feet," which isn't something you can say about every good athlete. He seems to glide, changing pace without much effort. You see it in his dodging, absorbing cross-checks and seamlessly turning downhill dodges into S-dodge finishes in front of the net.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On Monday, Pett finished in front multiple times. On one, he used his seemingly long arms to sell a fake that got the goalie moving before finishing. On another, he dunked it in front then took a huge hit that would have put his team up a man for multiple minutes in a normal game. Given how much he's improved in a year, college coaches should be thinking about what he could look like in one, two, or three years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["215769"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace8435c82a8"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A prototypical LSM who handles his pole like a short stick, Hayes Neal caught my eye at Project 9 with a great check on one of the event's best players. Neal has everything you want in an LSM. His quickness and reliability off the ground make him a strong option on the face-off wing. He's incredibly rangy between the lines, able to stretch out and pressure opposing midfielders out of their comfort zones. His stick caught my eye all summer. He handles pressure well, throws passes from all angles, and shoots confidently from range and inside. If he can add some weight while keeping his athleticism, he's going to be a real problem at the next level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["174822"],"_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"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ace8435c82ed"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You gotta love a goalie willing to spend all summer in baggy sweats and long sleeves, but White has more swag to his game than just that. He looks confident in the cage, comfortable in his stance and locked in on shooters. He tracks the ball with small steps and subtle adjustments. It's never easy to score on White. He protects the pipes well on low-angle shots and knows when to make himself big. He gobbles up a ton of low shots, even the tougher ones inside. I'd like to see him tighten up his technique on shots up top, but with his clean outlet passes and calmness in the cage, there's a lot to like.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->