Titans 2012 Recruiting Class

Another awesome contribution by Reg Hartner, talking the 2012 recruiting class for Detroit.

I’m by no means an insider or and expert, but I’ve been paying plenty of attention to Titans recruiting. While watching Detroit assemble their first few recruiting classes I’ve learned a few things.

1. They’re going to find the sleepers that are under-recruited.
2. They’re willing to take chances on top athletes that need to be coached up to be D1 lacrosse players.
3. They’re going to pick up good character kids from quality programs to fit their system.

They’re proud of the fact that most of the players are home grown and are more likely to take a chance on a local kid while they build the program and the brand.  The 2012 class is just that…so far. I say so far because everything I’m hearing tells me that they are not done yet. They are still working on a few kids from Canada, Philly, The Island and Detroit Metro and this should be their most complete class in the short history of the program.

Winning some games last year and coming within 1 game of making the NCAA tournament gave the program increased credibility, and it seems that they were able to use that in recruiting. We’re starting to see patterns with commitments from little brothers and kids from the same HS/Club Teams.  That speaks volumes for the inroads the coaches have made with certain families and coaches.  Coach Holtz is building a brand in Detroit and wants high intensity athletes that fit the system and he and his staff have done a great job assembling talent to come to Detroit.  In the beginning they were taking kids that would be able to start right away as a priority and now they’re taking kids that will give them depth and a chance to develop them in the program.

All of the kids below have given me, their club coach or their HS coach an indication that they are going to UDM.  I have no idea if they have signed a LOI, faxed it in or even if they are scholarship players or walkons. Once the Titans officially announce their signing class, the coaches will be able to go on the record about the prospects they’ve signed.

Ryan Callaghan – Attack from Corpus Christi Catholic School (Burtlington, ON)
Originally verbaled to Robert Morris, but changed his mind after a change in the coaching staff. Callaghan made the all-star game at Top 205 and is a great goal scorer.  A natural lefty from Canada is the pedigree that UDM likes, and they hope he’ll be the next great goal scorer from the North to follow Adams and Matthews.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMlC15dx9sU
http://edgelacrosse.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/edge-announcement-ryan-callaghan/

Brad Harris – Attack from Saline High School (MI)
While you never want to compare a kid to his older brother, here I’m going to.  He’s a bigger, stronger version of his brother Scott.  The reason I mention this is that Scott is currently the UDM all-time assist leader and is on pace to become the program’s all-time point leader.  Yes it’s a young program, but the Titans expect the younger Harris to make his own mark in Detroit.  Great stick skills, quick hands, good field vision and a very humble player.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C7SU_R2x0s

Paul Bitetti – Defenseman from Bethpage High School (NY)
If this makes sense…he’s a meaner and more aggressive version of Jason MacDonald.  I like MacDonald, but I’m even a little afraid of him. Bitetti has good size, loves contact, plays intense high pressure defense, great stick on the clear, is a vocal leader and he’s from Long Island.  He was also an all-star at Top 205, was All-County in football and is a great communicator on the field.  He will be a perfect fit for the aggressive pressure D that Kolon runs, and is right out of the same mold of other UDM longsticks from The Island.  When McDonald graduates, he will leave a void, and you don’t expect a freshman to step in for the 3 time captain, but Bitetti will certainly be leaned on to contribute early.
http://www.ncsasports.org/college-recruiting-videos-highlights/paul-bitetti

Jordan Yono – Defense from Catholic Central High School (MI)
Late add to the class was Yono.  Again, good character kid from a quality program that continues the tradition of Shamrocks going on to be Titans.  Janer, Nemes, Dwyer, Birney… we’re starting to see a pattern here (UDM Coach Matt Holtz went to CC).  Good stick that loves to handle the ball and loves to faceoff.  Will probably see time at the faceoff X and play some LSM at the next level.

Andy Hebden – Middie from Brother Rice High School (MI)
A ton of upside that will be the next in a long line of Division 1 Brother Rice lacrosse players.  Younger brother of Titan defenseman Jamie Hebden, Andy may be the sleeper of the class.  After playing behind Bennett Packer (Delaware), KC Kennedy (Marquette) and Will Meter (Michigan) Andy will anchor the Brother Rice starting midfield line along with hockey standout MacKenzie MacEachern and Sergio Perkovic, the prized recruit of the 2013 class.  I expect him to have a breakout HS campaign and get calls from a number of schools trying to get him, but it’ll be too late.

Chris Perry – Middie from Utica Eisenhower (MI).
Like Wesley, he’s a dominant football player and tremendous athlete that has focused on football for most of his prep career.  He also considered Ohio State for lacrosse and was talking with both Michigan State and Central Michigan for football. He’s a hard hitting safety on the gridiron, but he chose to play lacrosse at UDM. Now that he will be focusing on the game year-round he has an incredibly high ceiling.  Needs to work on his left hand, but in the UDM offense he might be able to get by w/ just the right as he has a legitimate 105 mph shot.  Coach Kolon has had his eye on this kid for a number of years and this is the perfect example of the type of athlete that they are willing to develop.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jewMTrot49k&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXZo8dFJhbg

Dylan Swanson – Middie from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School (MI)
Tons of upside. Great athlete, big and strong dodger from up top. A bit raw on the skill side that has gotten by being a natural athlete, but he fits in that 2nd class I mentioned above.  He’s played for Ann Arbor Pioneer and club ball at True Lacrosse so he’s had some good coaching, but he’s going to have to get into the UDM culture to succeed.  He might not see the field for a while, but give him a year or two in the program, let him get the culture of how Holtz does things and polish his skills and he could be scary.
http://mi.truelacrosse.com.prod.ngin.com/news_article/show/110137?referrer_id=379451

Kurt Urbin – Middie from Rochester Hills Stoney Creek High School (MI)
He’s a coach’s son with a high lax IQ, is extremely coachable, has a high motor and his favorite place in the world is on the lacrosse field.  He’s been lucky to play for Coach Hebert at GP Select and Kolon for the 1763 Chiefs and really broke out this past summer under Hebert’s tutelage.  A true student of the game, he coaches youth clinics and camps all summer and he basically lives at All-American every winter.  He loves whatever role he’s given, loves to compete and is constantly pushing himself to play against better competition.  He was talking to several D2 and D3 schools, but challenged himself to get the chance to play D1 and it sounds like he achieved the goal.  Expect to see him as a “glue” guy for the program for years to come.

Shannen Wesley – Middie from St. Francis de Sales High School (Toledo, OH)
This is one of those diamonds I was talking about.  He’s an extremely athletic midfielder, a natural lefty and incredible speed.  He also considered playing football in college as a wide receiver, but picked UDM for lacrosse.  He will bring a new level of speed and athleticism to the program that can fill the gap with the graduation of “The 1 Man Clear” Tim Lehto.  Wesley did not start playing lacrosse until high school and up until this point has focused on football 80/20 over lacrosse.  Now that he’ll be 100% focused on lacrosse he has a tremendous upside and he has a high ceiling.
http://www.sfstoledo.org/content/view/4200/151/

Connor Flynn – Goalie from Rockford High School (MI)
Flynn has been playing summer club ball for Kolon since he was a freshman driving 2 hours and 40 minutes, one way, 3 times a week, every summer to play for the 1763 Chiefs.  He’s a lefty that I’ve watched play a number of times and I’d say stopping the ball is about the 4th best things that he does, but he’s very good at stopping shots.  His best attribute is running the D as he’s a vocal goalie, 2nd is his overall leadership, 3rd is his patience on the clearing game and 4th is his ability to play angels and stop shots.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtqRi9G5pHg

Ryan Tarzia – FOGO from Hicksville High School (NY)
Dominant faceoff specialist from Long Island and quietly the biggest pick up of the class at a position of immediate need.    Not only is he a dominate faceoff kid he can shoot righty lefty and run an offense.     I have no idea how UDM tracked him down as he has no highlight video online and he didn’t play for a high end summer club team, but the coaching staff is very high on this kid.  He is one of those polished kids from an established program that they are counting on to step in and contribute day one.  Hicksville is an outstanding lacrosse program from one of the country’s hotbeads and they expect big things out of him.

Jack Slomsky – Athlete from St. Francis DeSales High School (Columbus, OH)
We usually only refer to kids as an “athlete” in football recruiting if we don’t know where they’ll play at the next level.  Slomsky is the first kid I’ve used the term for in lacrosse because he’s so versatile, skilled and a natural leader.  His natural position is attack, but they could move him to middie. Oh, and the UDM coaches have seen him play LSM too and Team MVP Houtby is a senior that will need to be replaced.  All I know is he has a high lacrosse IQ and UDM will try to find a way to get him on the field early.  Once word got out that he was considering UDM the coaches started getting more interest from other Ohio recruits and that speaks volumes for the kid’s character and leadership.
http://laxteams.net/Titanium/page.html?page=1625

So this is what they have committed as of today.  I have no idea how the NCAA works and if these kids have to sign a LOI and/or if these kids all faxed them in.  The coaches are still working on adding a few more players and close to locking up a few of them so I think the SID is waiting to put out a press release until they are 100% sure.  A few of these guys are for sure preferred walkons, but until the school makes an announcement we’ll go with this list and I’ll try to get Holtz and Kolon on the record before Christmas.