Hello: Michael Hernandez

Inside Lacrosse confirmed a little while back that CA A Michael Hernandez had committed to Michigan. Without further ado, the profilin’:

LacrosseRecruits.com: only the best mug shots

Relevant Articles

From the IL commitment article:

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound middie had a breakout summer with the Alcatraz Outlaws, who finished second at King of the Hill and Gait Cup, earning a spot in the All-Star game at both events. He also played at Cali Gold and the Adrenaline Showcase.

That doesn’t really say a whole lot to us, other than that he has good size. He was All-League at midfield as a junior.

At the Adrenaline Showcase, he dodged to score:

Michael Hernandez (Piedmont, CA 12’) had several nice dodges from midfielder setting him up for 2 goals.

…and ended up making the South Swell All-Star team. IL’s Geoff Shannon liked what he saw:

Some solid midfield play today, though would say attack stood out a little bit more between the two units. Mentioned Eissler’s performance above, but also like what I saw from Michael Hernandez (Piedmonte, Calif.) and Bennett Shafer (Torrey Pines, Calif.). Each scored a goal apiece in the game I caught them in.

In writing these commitment posts, I’m really starting to find that Inside Lacrosse’s writer really tend to say “I liked him. He scored goals.” without giving any detail as to why they liked his game – not a great way to distinguish your analysis.

He played attack when he was younger – probably because he was a 5-10, 140-pound guy.

According to his highlight video – embedded below – he also plays water polo and soccer, showing his versatility as an athlete. Based on the footage in the video, he doesn’t look much bigger than a lot of the guys on the field, so either high school lacrosse players are a lot bigger in California than they are in Michigan – a possibility – or he’s slightly smaller than his listed 6-2. He shows good-not-great speed, but his biggest asset is true two-handed ability. He’s primarily right handed, but he can carry with either, and has a big time-and-room shot on both sides as well.

Were you wondering if he has played the role of a drunken driver (or accomplice) in an anti-drunken driving demonstration? OF COURSE you were. And yes, he has.

Other Interest

Hernandez in action with the Alcatraz Outlaws

From the IL commitment post:

Hernandez also considered Bryant, Providence, Rutgers, Ohio State, Drexel, Hofstra and Harvard.

That’s a decent roster of schools, with Ohio State serving as the most accessible short-term goal for Michigan in terms of program quality and athletic department makeup. Hofstra (#11 in 2011, per LaxPower), Drexel (#16), and Harvard (#18 in 2011) are not bad schools to be beating out for recruits.

Teammates of Note

In the 2010 class, Piedmont sent one player to the Division-3 ranks (Edward Sweeney at Catholic University) and a pair to MCLA outfit Santa Clara. The recently-graduated class of 2011 has one player listed on LaxPower, Chico State (MCLA)-bound defender Cole Dickson.

Hernandez is the lone recruit listed on LaxPower for the 2012 class. As you can tell, this is not a particularly-talented high school team, or at least one that doesn’t send a lot of players on to the next level.

He has a few club teammates headed to various Division-1 colleges, however. According to a NorCal Lacrosse blog, his 2013 club teammate, Mike Schlosser, is also Michigan-bound, and the club team’s website seems to confirm.

Video

You can see full-game team highlights for a better look at #19.

The Upshot

Now that I’ve seen a little bit of the product on the field for Michigan’s inaugural varsity squad, it’s a little easier to tell where the needs are. Midfield is definitely a key area that is due for a talent upgrade, and Hernandez appears to be just that.

While he’s primarily an offensive player who fills a specific role (time-and-room shooting), that role can be an important one to open open the rest of the offense for others. Additionally, Hernandez brings some other skills to the table: While he’s not a dodger or a speedy two-way midfielder, he’s good enough in both roles to be a little more versatile than a pure shooter. Guys who can carry and shoot with both hands are always welcome on a team.

It will be interesting to see the level of success for Michigan’s offense in year one (early returns haven’t been great). Players like Hernandez, who brings an obviously-needed skill level, and definitely a size upgrade over some of Michigan’s current midfielders, can see plenty of playing time early in their careers.