Adam Bland of Langford, 颅considered the lacrosse 颅goaltender of the future in sa国际传媒, was facing a tough decision. He made it, turning his back on the U.S. 颅collegiate NCAA field version of the sport and declaring a year early for the professional National Lacrosse League draft.
The 2021 NLL draft will be conducted today at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.
Bland, who still has two seasons remaining with the Victoria Junior Shamrocks, had committed to Hobart College in upstate New York, which cracked the NCAA top-10 last year. But being drafted by the pro NLL will make him ineligible for the NCAA.
鈥淚t was a tough decision to forfeit NCAA eligibility and focus totally on box lacrosse,鈥� said Bland.
鈥淚 will start in political 颅science at Camosun College and then transfer to UVic and, hopefully, go to law school. I will still be focusing on school.鈥�
Bland came up through Juan de Fuca minor lacrosse. He attended Royal Bay Secondary, which has a lacrosse academy, until relocating in Grade 12 to Blue Ridge School, a Saint George, Virginia, prep academy known for producing NCAA Div. 1 players in basketball, 颅football and lacrosse.
Bland said he has no idea where he will go today in the draft or where.
鈥淚 have no expectations,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 am hoping for any 颅opportunity and I will be happy wherever I go. To be able to be considered a professional would be quite an honour. The NLL is expanding, including with star-studded owners in Las Vegas like Wayne Gretzky, Steve Nash and Dustin Johnson. It鈥檚 really cool and exciting.鈥�
The NLL plays in several NHL and NBA arenas, not that the money in the NLL is anything remotely close to the NHL or NBA.
鈥淚 just love lacrosse,鈥� said Bland, indicating his passion for the sport trumps all.
鈥淚鈥檒l see what happens. I鈥檓 not sure when I鈥檒l go and it鈥檚 definitely nerve-wracking. But draft day is also an exciting time in life in any sport.鈥�
The other Junior Shamrocks eligible for the 2021 NLL draft are Owen Russell, Max Wilson, Caleb Kuber, Liam Phillips and Ryan Atkinson.
Bland deflected all the credit to those teammates.
鈥淭hose guys in front of me drive me to play well,鈥� he said.
The expansion Panther City Lacrosse Club of Fort Worth, Texas, is picking first today in the six-round NLL draft, with New York second, Rochester third, Vancouver fourth and San Diego fifth. The rest in order is Calgary, Colorado, Philadelphia, Georgia, Buffalo, Toronto, Halifax, Saskatchewan and Albany.
Jonathan Donville from the Brooklin, Ont., junior lacrosse team and Cornell of the NCAA is the top-rated player for the draft, according to the Stamper鈥檚 Top-50 site. The site ranks Thomas Vaesen of the Nanaimo Junior Timbermen at No. 4.
