This fleet-footed pole with an active stick is a caused turnover machine. Cox excels at applying relentless pressure on ball carriers via slaps, lifts, and pokes. He will also throw in the occasional shoulder check to knock his opponent off balance. Cox’s menacing on-ball presence wears out offensive players until they cough up the rock. Off-ball, Cox has displayed incredible instincts for when to leave his man, so he can execute a trail check on the ball carrier. Cox also does a tremendous job of reading passing lanes and then using his active stick to deflect or intercept passes. This junior’s speed and refined stick skills allow him to get out in transition and push the ball deep into the offensive end. Those same assets make Cox a plus player on the face-off wing. Cox has demonstrated that he can operate effectively in man-to-man as well as zone defensive schemes.

On Wednesday night, Cox was credited with seven caused turnovers, and, to be honest, that number seemed low. That’s because this speedy, ball hawk of an LSM caused havoc all over the field against Springfield. He was a menacing on-ball defender who used stick checks and pokes to put the ball on the ground. In Radnor’s zone defense, Cox’s trail checks effectively stopped a host of Springfield shot attempts. Cox also deflected or intercepted passes with his active stick. As a bonus to his defensive skills, this sophomore also displayed excellent separation speed and polished stick skills on the fast break. Cox was a plus player on the face-off wing, too.   

Radnor’s defensive unit executed a tight zone for the majority of this game and Cox was a major reason for the success of that scheme. The sophomore used his active stick and quick reflexes to disrupt passing lanes. Those same assets helped Cox knock down a couple of shots too. On a handful of Springfield possessions, Cox delivered backside double teams that created turnovers. He also used well-timed trail checks to put the ball on the ground. Lastly, Cox showed his speed and field awareness when he led Radnor’s transition game several times.