With the new recruiting rules in lacrosse, a rising sophomore such as Christian Laureano can go at his own pace with his development as a player and where he wants to attend college.
Last spring the NCAA put the brakes on early recruiting in the sport because it was just getting out of hand. Seeing 8th graders to sophomores in high school committing to Division 1 programs was starting to get embarrassing. The new rule is college coaches can’t communicate and recruit kids until September 1st of their junior year in HS.
So Laureano, a fantastic middie for the Cardinal Mooney program in Sarasota, Fl., is embracing the chance to mature as a player and as a kid in general. Half these kids don’t know what they want major in when they are 14 years old, let alone they can’t even drive a car.
Christian is playing for the South team in the Under Armour Underclass tournament this weekend at Towson University.
This past season the Sweetlax club member put some amazing stats. He started in all 22 games for Cardinal Mooney varsity lacrosse as a freshman and was leading goal scorer (62 goals, 30 assists) on the team, which was a Final Eight participant for Florida High School Championship. Laureano also scooped up 41 ground balls.
The PRLB did a Q&A with Christian and got his thoughts on several topics:
Peace Report: How does it feel to be selected for the Under Armour Underclass event?
Christian Laureano: It feels amazing that my game has been recognized as one of the best in the south. It shows the effort I put in to train and develop my skills pays off.
PRLB: What’s it mean to you to get some excellent exposure to how you play the game in front of College coaches?
Laureano: The amount of coaches I saw was crazy. The first game today, the sidelines were lined with coaches from the best schools.
PRLB: How long have you guys been playing lacrosse?
Laureano: I have been playing lacrosse for almost 6 years. The fall of my fourth grade year I started playing with the Lake Mary Mohicans.
PRLB: How did you feel Cardinal Mooney did this season?
Laureano: It was a very successful season. The team truly came together and supported each other off the field as well. We had the best record of any Cardinal Mooney lacrosse team ever at 22–2. It was difficult to lose in the state semifinals to the eventual state champion. However, that experience has motivated us to build upon it for next season.
PRLB: What are you trying to improve on skill wise this summer?
Laureano: I am trying to improve on my dodging this summer. I have worked on this with Casey Powell @ “the farm”.
PRLB: What kind of sticks do you play with?
Laureano: I play with a Stringking Mark 1 and STX Surgeon Head on a Maverick shaft. I string my own heads with Stringking mesh.
PRLB: Name the favorite song your listening to now.
Laureano: Summer of Love by U2 is what I’ve been listening to lately.
PRLB: What’s your favorite movie?
Laureano: My favorite movie is Ferris Bueler’s Day Off!
PRLB: In your opinion what’s the best part of your game?
Laureano: Off-ball movement and finding the open space are the best parts of my game. I also enjoy getting ground balls.
PRLB: Has the new recruiting rules made the searching for college process easier for you?
Laureano: Yes. I have been able to get a more in-depth look at what I want in a college. Also, I’m not pressured as early to commit to a school. I have been able to tour over 8 universities to find the right campus size, culture, and majors that will most align for me.