Our staff takes the time to evaluate each player’s skills, goals, and academic interests to build a personalized plan. We are honest and direct about where a player fits, whether that’s D1, D2, D3, NAIA, MCLA, or other club level. Some athletes want the challenge of D1, while others prioritize academics or immediate playing time at another level. The important thing is finding the right fit so players enjoy their college experience, grow as athletes, and get the most out of their education.

It’s also important to keep a balanced perspective on your son’s ability. Parents are naturally biased and sometime overzealous on a players playing performance. Our coaches will help parents and players understand where a player fits and how they can work towards their goals.

Recruiting can be overwhelming with so many mixed messages and expensive programs. Our staff provides honest, transparent guidance with no hidden agendas. We explain the process step by step, clarify a player’s realistic opportunities, and help families focus on what really matters. With clear support and a recruiting director who has D1 recruiting experience (as well as other staff members), we keep players and parents from wasting time or money chasing the wrong opportunities.

Not at all. Louisville has consistently produced players who compete at the college level.  Some of our best players have stayed loyal and played locally and then supplemented with external opportunities. 

College coaches care about talent, academics, and whether a player is the right fit for their program—not about the name on the front of a jersey. Between Kings tournaments, high school team tournaments (NHSLS, UNC Team Camp, Ohio State Team Camp etc), showcases, prospect camps, and the right choices for supplementing, our players have plenty of recruiting touch points to be seen.

When a player or family leaves a local lacrosse community, they create a vacuum that has a butterfly effect that impacts others. It’s disruptive for the players family and the community. Switching clubs does not automatically equal upgrade or a better opportunity. It slows development for the player and a community like Louisville. When a player leaves all together for an outside program, they are putting their efforts into the growing and building of lacrosse in someone else’s lacrosse community, hindering the growth of the sport here at home.

The cost of switching clubs is high. New coaches, new system, new teammates, travel changes, social and school disruptions for a “maybe” outcome.

The Louisville Kings offer a player and family the opportunity to play local and supplement with additional opportunities where it makes sense, prioritizing the Louisville Kings local program first.

With effort and dedication from the player and the right plan working with our staff, coaches will find you. In fact, more programs now recruit outside of traditional hotbeds, which makes our local athletes even more appealing.

Yes. We understand there are many opportunities to play outside of Louisville, and we support them when they make sense for the player’s development. We partner with other programs to identify opportunities that complement our own. However, we also help families avoid programs that are more about money and marketing than actual player development.

Our only ask is that players prioritize the Kings schedule and let their coach know. Together, we can balance local pride with national exposure.  

Players who leave all together end up slowing development for themselves and for the overall Louisville community, essentially trading development for a brand or marketing sizzle.  

Our coaches, our players, and our families are vested in building Louisville lacrosse.  They all embrace the responsibility in building that progress. 

Our best players take a lot of pride in that effort and then going to battle with their local friends and teammates to put Louisville on the lacrosse map.

No.  But there are some good programs out there that the Kings can work with to find elite players additional playing opportunities.  College coaches need to see players play.  National teams can provide additional touchpoints on the recruiting journey.   

However there are more bad national teams/programs than good ones.  It feels like every week some new team is created overnight and then marketed as “the best new thing”, creating buzz on social platforms with strong graphics/videos and marketing campaigns.  Unfortunately, these tactics work because so many of them keep popping up.  The formula works for driving excitement and collecting inflated roster fees, but ultimately fails the player with a disappointing experience. 

Many of these programs take advantage of two core human emotions. The feeling of being wanted, and the fear of being left out.

Many of these national programs are private equity owned, focused on profits, have very little to no development, bloated rosters with constant turnover, and hidden agendas tied to brand building, ego and cronyism.  They lure players with lots of promises and “connections”.  

We recommend staying away from programs that leverage and tie together commitments for “other” opportunities like All-Star games, national team roster spots, or invites to tournaments in exchange for playing for one of their regional/local teams. Cronyism is not a healthy approach for the player or the game.

Team continuity, player roles, and chemistry matter.  Be wary of how these national programs evaluate your player to understand how they fit onto the roster, what role the player will play, how much development there is, and how does the player fit with the rest of the team?   Sometimes players rush to get exposure and end up getting exposed.

If a national team only practices the Friday before an event, or has 1 mini camp a year, the player is not developing appropriately to compete at a higher level.

The lack of consistent practice time, players and coaches that don’t know each other that well, and lack of team roles doesn't allow players to showcase their best selves.  College coaches can see if there has been development or if it has been shortcutted.  

Democratization of lacrosse is underway.  No longer do colleges have to take a lower ranked player from a legacy brand name or national club program to fill rosters.  They can find better talent in other markets without the side deals and negotiations. 

It’s about seeking the right opportunities between your high school program, your local club programming, and then supplementing with the right national opportunity, showcases, all star games, and prospect camps.  Those elements provide enough touch points for college coaches to evaluate players. 

There are many advantages to the east coast programs and cities.  There are some excellent programs with a long history of developing players, plenty of tournaments all within driving distance, and most of the D1 colleges are located in the north east.  

But in today’s lacrosse landscape big city isn’t necessary to get exposure and to be recruited.  In fact, many colleges are deliberately scouting other less competitive markets to find talent.  There are athletes everywhere and lacrosse has been growing and producing top talent in states all over the US.   

These traditional hotbeds have plenty of lacrosse players in their local markets to build rosters. However they may also have constant roster turnover.  If you are being asked to play for “an east coast or larger market team” you should question why they can’t build a local roster given the amount of players and talent they have.  Also question if the roster fee’s are the same for all players, how many kids will be on the roster and how frequently do new players come in and out of their program. 

Too often we hear stories of out of town families paying more than local kids to supplement the team income.  Essentially a larger roster so better/local kids don’t have to pay as much.  This is how the big programs retain their stronger players vs. their local competition trying to recruit them away.

Every Kings player is surrounded by a community dedicated to their success. That includes our recruiting coordinator, Kings coaches, high school coaches, and parents of former players who have been through the process. Together, we build a roadmap tailored to each player’s goals, provide highlight film and social media support, and share both the coach’s and parent’s perspective. With several former D1 coaches on staff, our families get direct insight into how recruiting really works. This team approach ensures players and parents never feel alone in the process and will get honest feedback with no hidden agenda’s tied to profits or favors.

We’re local, affordable, and fully committed to player development.

We are a united front within our local community, powered by local lacrosse leaders and stakeholders. We all share a common mission and purpose to support our local players and our local community.

Some national programs are 2.5X more in team fee’s.  Playing at home strengthens both the Kings and local high school programs, while reducing travel costs and family sacrifices. We compete at a high level without relying on out-of-town “hired guns” to win tournaments. Our rosters are built from Louisville players, and we invest in every athlete—whether they’re excelling, struggling, or still learning. Unlike other programs, we don’t replace kids when they struggle; we develop them through the ups and downs. 

Our players also get to enjoy their high school experiences without having to choose between community events and an outside program.

How do we know its working?  Because our players are constantly being recruited by other larger market programs.  Those programs know our players have strong foundations at the team, individual skill and IQ level.  Between our field program and partnering locally with our box lacrosse partner, we produce excellent talent.  

The lacrosse travel schedule is demanding enough, playing locally helps balance a player's school, personal, and family life.  

Former players and parents (even those that have played for other programs), have stated “knowing what we know now, we would have done it differently, we had it good in Louisville with the Kings, we miss that”.

Our recruiting director creates a personalized roadmap for each player, built around their college goals and athletic ability. This includes a mix of Kings tournaments, showcases, prospect camps, and select national opportunities. Between Kings tournaments, high school team tournaments (NHSLS, UNC Team Camp, Ohio State Team Camp etc), showcases, and prospect camps, our players have plenty of recruiting touch points to be seen.

With effort and dedication from the player and the right plan working with our staff, coaches will find you. Coaches need to see players live, and we make sure they get those chances. By combining team events with individual exposure opportunities, we maximize visibility without overwhelming families. With a clear plan, players gain confidence knowing they are on the right track to be recruited.

We hire videographers for each tournament to help provide social content and we provide cameras and/or game film for tournaments so players can create highlight videos.

Plus our high school players get a premium subscription to Sports Recruits IMCLA included in their team fees ($500 value).

No, but encourage him to explore the opportunity and put in the work so he has options. Once he has options, then he can decide if he wants to pursue.

Recruiting must be player-driven, because the process requires discipline, commitment, and sacrifice. The recruiting process can be very demanding on players and families with a heavy burden on travel for showcases, prospect camps, all-star games, and tournaments.

Players are responsible for following up with coaches, building film, and attending events. College coaches can tell if a player is motivated or being pushed by parents. If the passion and drive aren’t there, the process won’t be successful. When a player is ready to take ownership, we’re here to support them with the tools and guidance they need.

Not at all. Louisville has examples of players who started late or were cut from teams, then worked their way to D1 rosters. Development is a journey with highs and lows, and players who embrace that process grow the most.

You can’t run away from development by leaving a program.  Those who constantly seek “easy wins” often sacrifice long-term growth. Learning to work through adversity prepares players for college, where expectations are much higher. What matters is effort, persistence, and commitment—not just what team you start on.

No. We use Red (A) and White (B) teams to give all players opportunities, but both groups get the same coaching and support. Red teams often have more advanced players, while White teams include athletes who may be multi-sport or still developing. Every year, rosters change, and players can move between Red and White.  Some move up through hard work and performance. The competition for roster spots is healthy.  This is what happens at the high school and college level everyday.  Some of our White teams are as competitive as other programs’ top squads even though they don’t officially call them a B team. The two-team approach creates competition, opportunity, and development for every athlete, no matter where they are on their journey.

On our teams, players can move between Red and White, even in the same season.  Coaches are looking for the best place and situation for the player to grow, develop, and lead in certain situations. Our coaches have the players' best interests at heart, not just winning.  Players may move between teams depending on the tournament.  

Players who are focused on development and performance, not the color of their team are the players that get better and find more opportunities.  

Players cannot skip development, even if they leave the city to play for another program because they don’t want to be labeled a “B” player.  Or, in most cases it’s the parents that don’t like the label, more than the player.  Usually the player is OK with their team placement and they know they need to work on developing.  Parents may find another team to play for but in most cases it is a “B” team even though it’s not named that, and they are trading off development for a label.

Yes. All Kings players receive the same high-quality coaching, recruiting support, and access to development plans. They have the same number of practices, skills sessions, and tournaments.

Red and White teams often travel to the same tournaments and compete in different brackets. While schedules may vary slightly, all high school teams (Red & White) participate in recruiting events and showcases. Our staff is equally invested in every athlete, regardless of team color, and committed to their growth. The two-team model ensures more players can compete, develop, and take advantage of opportunities here in Louisville.