The three-day tryout on Tierney Field at US Lacrosse headquarters features various drills and full-field play with individual sessions for draw specialists and goalkeepers. It will also implement the FIL’s recent rule change of 10 per side with nine field players and one goalie.
“We’re going to be playing six-on-six in the zones, so we really want to jump into that and play that right away,” Amonte Hiller said.
Amonte Hiller and her coaching staff decided a hybrid of college and international rules will bring out the athleticism in these young stars that have already impressed with their high school, club and college teams. Free movement and self-starts will also be in play, but per international rules, defensive players cannot run through the crease.
They aim to find the group of players that will play together best, can take cues from the coaches and excel in the various evaluation categories, such as overall lacrosse IQ, passing and shooting, footwork and body positioning, off-ball skills, plus communication and field vision.
“It’s just really exciting to work with players of this caliber, see their passion for the sport, coach them a little bit and see how they react to that coaching,” Amonte Hiller said. “You want to get players to do different things, and players that are versatile as well, and do whatever it takes to be successful.”
Whatever it takes to bring home gold once again.
“My biggest piece of advice to the players is to just have fun,” Amonte Hiller added. “Go out there with a lot of confidence. These players are here for a reason. They are all very successful. … Try to really mesh together with the other players that are out here, enjoy the experience and hopefully good things will happen.”
PHOTO BY JOHN STROHSACKER