By Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

Rhody Heller and Tanner Ottenbreit are good friends on and off the field and are teammates at Regis (Aurora, Colo.) where they anchor a stingy defense.
 
They started their lacrosse careers together in 7th grade with the Denver Lacrosse Club, then with Colorado Select (U-13, U-15, & U-17), and Mile High All Stars. They were roommates at the Rising Junior Jake Reed Nike Blue Chip Camp last spring.

	Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE
	Rhody Heller (262) and Tanner Ottenbreit (244) remain teammates at Virginia.

ESPN RISE: What's up gentelman, let's start off with how you ended up together. Rhody, were you deep in recruiting when Tanner committed? Tanner, where you aware that Rhody was going to have a shot to play in Charlottesville?

Rhody Heller: I was still narrowing down my choices and visiting schools when Tanner committed to Virginia.  About that time, I was starting to figure out that goalie recruiting works a little differently than other positions.

Tanner Ottenbreit: I knew as soon as I took my visit that that's where I was going to end up. The coaches were great and so were the team and the other recruits. I knew Rhody was interested in Virginia, but I was not sure where Virginia stood in his top schools.(Read full post)

By Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

Check out some of the "hot off the press" National Letter of Intent signings. Jack Reilly just put his name on the line at noon yesterday making it official that the Hopkins Blue jays landed the best athlete in the class. 

UNC has absolutley put together an incredible class.. Mark McNeill might be as strong an athlete as Reilly and continues to develop at a steady rate. If the time is put in McNeill who, Inside Lacrosse has as the No. 3 recruit, may end up being the top player in the class. Will Campbell from Worthington Kilbourne is an absolute man amongst boys and with Duncan Hutchins signing with UNC, the Tar Heels have the a bright future between the lines. TJ Kemp from McCallie, Tenn., can absolutley shoot the rock so look for him to make his way on the field on extra man early.

Hopkins and Syracuse are right around the same level, on Inside Lacrosse the have Hop as No. 2 and Syracuse as No. 3. I believe that the top of Hopkins recruiting class is better than 'Cuse, but there is a lot of talent for 'Cuse from top to bottom.

Kevin Interlicchio is another player who has a chance to be a repeat All-American at Johns Hopkins and will spark the Blue Jays on offense. The pipeline to Dublin-Jermoe, Ohio, continues with Eric Ruhl, which will make three players on the Jays roster. Something that is pretty unusual for an Ohio team. The big gun in that class is Jack Reilly, he is just flat out a space eater and the type of kid who is going to learn whatever it takes to blow up at the next level. Dave Pitremala has some talent to get Hopkins back to the top. It doesnt take him all that long to do it as we have seen before.

Maryland and Virginia just did what they always seem to do. Maryland got some talents players with that get to work mentality that Maryland seems to carry. Yesterday, Maryland added to their roster, Geoff Shannon of Inside Lacrosse reports that Peter Boyle also committed, staying in state to play for Dave Cottle. I also love Quinn Haley from Queen Anne's Md. He is a tough attackman that can turn the corner and I believe will fit in will with the squad in College Park.

Virginia will post another athletic class with Scott McWilliams, Rob Emery, and Pat Harbeson leading the way. The two St. Anne's Belfield boys, Austin Geisler and Owen Van Arsdale, will be contributers as well and with the glaring hole being a goalie for the future Austin "A-Money" Geisler will have a chance to step up down the road.

Ohio State coach Nick Myers landed some good talent as well in his mission to bring the Buckeyes into the national spotlight after departure of Joe Breschi to UNC. Look for Adam Trombley to help the Buckeyes out on attack and Calvert Hall goalie Greg Dutton will be solid between the pipes whenever his time comes for OSU. Check out some others on the IL Big Board.

Inside Lacrosse has it laid out here. 

Posted by Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

Geoff Shannon of Inside Lacrosse brings some good news for five schools in his latest recruiting roundup.

I think the big winner this week is Ohio State, with recent news of Luke Treece from Upper Arlington, Ohio, and now another in-state Blue Chip player Kyle Bernlohr have helped the Buckeyes' class.

Treece, who I have seen multiple times because he is a star from my alma mater will bring not only good skills, but he has the potential to grow in college and become a solid Division 1 player.

Brenlohr might be one of the best goalies in the class. I think where Ohio State wins with these two players is the idea of protecting its boarders. Ohio may not have the number of Blue Chip players that Maryland or New York, but they do have enough to field a pretty strong team if they can keep kids like Treece and Bernlohr in state. Coach Myers will continue to grow the Buckeyes and we will be hearing more and more form them, when they find out how to keep all these guys along with a Will Campbell and others we may see the "Bucks" deep in the playoffs.

Check out the other recruits and where you will be seeing them in years to come on the recruiting roundup. 

By Brett Hughes, Senior Editor

The Regis High School Goalie position has been filled for the past few years! Show stopper and recent Virginia commit Rhody Heller gets his first time between the pipes this year, which will come after he already committed to one of the top Lacrosse schools in the NCAA. Not a traditional path for anyone, but the Regis goalie has all the skills to play at the next level, and if you think it may be a little off to take a goalie who has never started for his high school, the last goalie to follow that path was Tillman Johnson, who became the 2003 USILA Player of the year and NCAA tournament MVP. Rhody has informed us that he will be heading to Charlottesville Virginia to play for the University of Virginia Cavaliers.

Virginia is in need of a Goalie for the 2011 class, and he will compete for playing time with current sophomore Rob Fortunato. Heller may find a great chance to learn from the up and coming UVA goalie for a year before taking his spot between the pipes.

More to come on Heller and fellow Colorado lacrosse standout Tanner Ottenbreit on the opportunity to represent Colorado as a duo at UVA. And what it would mean to have a Colorado tandem leading a defense someday for UVA.

By Brett Hughes

Fall ball is heating up for high school ballers all over. For those of you in season be it football, cross country, golf, water polo...etc., that does not mean you should stop getting better at lacrosse. I'm not telling you to bring your long pole to practice to help you with your cover 2 assignments.

Instead head out to see some top college, pro, and even National Team games coming up over the next month and a half. As we saw in San Francisco, that showcase drew almost 5,000 and the fans got a chance to see UNC and Brown square off.

The COLORADO LACROSSE SHOWCASE: The Denver Outlaws are set to take on the Denver University Pioneers. This game should be great for the community recently ranked by Inside lacrosse as the No. 1 lacrosse town in America. The Stars will all be there for the Outlaws as Jesse Schwartzman, Kyle Harrison, Lee Zink, Brendan Mundorf, Max Seibald, Brian Langtry, and the rest of the Outlaws take on a college team on the rise. This also marks the first time the DU community will see legendary coach Bill Tierney in action on the DU sideline. The former Princeton coach is arguably one of the best to ever walk the sideline. These MLL vs NCAA games are always great as the MLL guys who do not practice everyday want to show why they are the best players in the world, and the NCAA guys just want to knock off the guys on top. These are great oppurtunity to watch great lacrosse and even meet some of the guys you may model your own game off.

Team USA SET TO TAKE ON NAVY, MARYLAND, AND UVA: If you are anywhere near Annapolis, Md., this Sunday go catch one of the four games slated to take place on two different fields. These games will be white hot, as the fellas on Team USA never want to lose, and they have a chip on their collective shoulder. From llast year, the 40+/- players on the Blue and White teams are still fighting for a roster spot when Team USA heads to Manchester, England this summer. Coach Dave Pressler will be continuing to evaluate these players and you can imagine the intensity these teams will bring. On the other side of the ball these teams happen to be playing three strong NCAA opponents. Navy, Maryland and Virginia will all be incredibly hard to beat. 

Players to watch when you go: USA: Kyle Harrison (hometown kid, dodges better than anyone), Max Seibald (works as hard as anyone on any field), Eric Martin (plays all over the field and always gives middies issues), Joe Walters (might be the best shooter in the game), Paul Rabil (the best offensive midfielder in the game), Kevin Levielle (as creative as the get), and Ryan Boyle (every team needs a QB, he is seen as one of the best and a hometown) 

NCAA: Max Schmidt (D), Dan Groot(M), Ryan Young(A), Shamel Bratton(M), Steele Stanwick(A), Ken Clausen(D), Brian Carrol(M), Tim Paul(A). Keep your eyes on these boys and many more. 

Team ENGLAND vs HOFSTRA: On October 17th The Hofstra Pride are set to take on Team England who just suffered a loss to Loyola this past weekend. These games are great because it is a chance for Hofstra to get excited about playing someone new, and you will see a Team England giving all the have to get their squad ready for Manchester this summer. 

The fact is you do not have to be playing to get better, find a player pay attention to what he does with the ball in his stick and what he is doing when the ball is spinning around. If you want to be one of the best, just get out and learn from them! 

by Anthony Kelly special to ESPN RISE

	Zach Heffner/special to ESPN RISE
	NELC Coach Anthony Kelly.

It's always exciting to see how the game is exploding outside of the traditional hotbeds as we pushed westward. At OSU we had over 80 great players! The talent didn't stop there as we mixed in the Denver stop and the Nor Cal and So Cal stops. The kids out on the west coast were also very impressive, and I know all the kids were pumped in our efforts to add them to the tour.

After a long 2 weeks of training, lacrosse, and traveling, we closed out the NELC tour at Johns Hopkins. It was probably our most talented group of young players we have seen in one camp all year. We had numerous Division 1 and 3 commitments on hand at Friday's camp. It was awesome to watch them all playing and interacting with one another. I was thoroughly impressed with the guys when we got to 6 vs. 6, and the up and down 3 vs. 2 "basketball” drill. The stick skills and lacrosse IQ of these players was very obvious at this point.

As we closed out the day and all headed back to our normal lives, it was nice to sit and reflect on the camps. What's great about the NELC tour is that it gives these great players an opportunity to come to a camp, for FREE, work with some awesome trainers from Zone Ready, play some stress free lacrosse getting them away from the "recruiting summer”, having an opportunity to meet new friends, and most importantly have fun doing it and learn a bunch of new concepts to take home and incorporate into their own training. All of which will ultimately make them all better lacrosse players and hopefully better people. For me, it's just exciting to be able to help they young players achieve that and watch them grow as players. 

We'll see you all next summer!

Posted by ESPN RISE Staff

Denver, CO – Before the routine spring afternoon thunderstorm, the Nike Elite Lacrosse Camps rained down on Denver Colorado in mid June.  In their 2nd season, the NELCs (Nike Elite Lacrosse Camps) are a chance for elite high school lacrosse players to improve all facets of their game, from sports performance development to full field play.  Dick's Sports Complex in Denver would be the first stop on a tour that is planned to bring the best sports performance and lacrosse coaches to select West and East Coast cities.

This Nike project brings together two very familiar organizations – ESPN Rise and ZoneReady to provide a four hour event that brings out the best in high school lacrosse.  ESPN Rise, who consistently sets the standard for high school sports combines and educational/competition camps; is aided by ZoneReady's unique approach to integrate sports performance training with specific sport skills and competition.  Add in half a dozen of the best players at various positions from the Major Lacrosse League (MLL) and the participants are in store for a lacrosse experience like no other.

ESPN Rise member and MLL Denver Outlaws defenseman Brett Hughes is the impetus behind NELC's growing popularity.  "Our intention is to provide an educational experience for the college bound lacrosse player,” admits Mr. Hughes.  "Players come to this camp to get the best instruction on sports performance training and lacrosse skill and strategy.  This is 'Priority One' – it's what differentiates us from other camps that are purely for playing experience or recruiting status.”

Brett's sentiments are echoed in the voice of his instructors.  Outlaws midfielder, Lou Braun couldn't say it any clearer.  "This is an elite camp!” he proclaims as passing drills proceed amidst his watchful eye.  No time for being a babysitter, a referee, or spectator – the NELC's coaches are entrenched in their work to provide high level instruction at every turn.  Top effort, positive attitude, and a high level of lacrosse aptitude are prerequisites for every athlete's invite and entry.  No time for crawling today – the NELC asks that its athletes fly high.

With a high level of lacrosse skills being the operating standard, how do these laxers adapt to the high performance demands of sports performance specialists from ZoneReady.  Coach Doug Gizzi from the cutting edge sports performance company comments:  "If we get 100% effort and a positive attitude, the athlete will improve.  For the NELC; we've created safe, impactful, and fun drills to improve general athleticism and lacrosse specific movements.  Sports performance training is new for lacrosse; we want to show them how easily it can fit into all the other training they must engage in to improve their game.”

When the four hour long Nike Elite Lacrosse Camp is done, there is no question that the full gambit of everything it takes to be a successful collegiate lacrosse player is covered.  Athletes are overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge they were exposed to in a short period of time.  They enjoy a unique "lax-perience” where education is the focus and they are coached from current stars like Kyle Harrison, Sean McCarthy, and Max Seibald just to name a few.  The future of lacrosse camps is here and it is doing more every time out to catapult America's fastest growing sport to another level.

Stay tuned for more on the NELC tour. with four stops remanning in the 2009 tour season.  

Posted By ESPN RISE Staff

	Kirstin Olsen/ESPN RISE
	NELC Denver action

The 2009 Nike Elite Lacrosse Camp kicked off the first event on June 15th at the Dick's Sporting Goods Complex in Denver, Colorado. Over 65 kids were registered for the camp from four states, Colorado, Arizona, Minnesota, and New Jersey. The facility was top notch and provided a great setting for the elite camp.

The NELC Denver coaching staff boasts some of the top players in the game today. Johns Hopkins All-American and Tewaaraton winner Kyle Harrison returns this year. Newcomers to the NELC Denver Staff were Johns Hopkins alum Lou Braun, Hofstra All-American Sean McCarthy, Maryland alum Jimmy Borell and Cornell's 2009 Tewaaraton winner Maxwell Seibald.  Coaches interacted and instructed athletes and also spoke to the athletes about the importance of training.

The talent of the camp was very diverse, with All-State, All-American players and several eager athletes equipped with work ethic but not as skilled as the others. The format of the camp provided something for both while not taking away from the authentic camp experience. Feedback from athletes was great and many had said that the performance training and elite competition format was the first they had experienced at a lacrosse camp.

The top players at the camp were evenly distributed so we had a chance to see the square off head to head. An up and coming goalie named Rhody Heller will be a show stopper for Regis Jesuit in Aurora, CO next year. We may have been the first to see Heller's skill because he was behind a senior this year. Kyle Harrison thinks he is "the best goalie I have seen all year.”

Some of the other standout players were middy Michael Rea from Fairview High school in Longmont, CO, who received All-Conference and All-State honors as a sophomore. Another soon to be Division I recruit, incoming junior defender Tanner Ottenbreit from Regis Jesuit has the potential to play anywhere in the country. Lastly, middy Ehret Faircloth competed in three varsity sports his sophomore year for The Lawrenceville School in Princeton, NJ and was recommended by a Princeton lacrosse player as an up and coming talent.

Next Stops:

NELC San Francisco, CA Redwood HS July 6th
NELC Los Angeles, CA Home Depot Center July 7th

NELC Syracuse, NY Syracuse University July 9th

By Brett Hughes

Kent Denver fell to Mullin out of Denver this past weekend 9-7. Kent has been riding a 26 game win streak and viewed as one of. if not the top school west of the Mississippi.

The last time Kent Denver lost was the 2007 state championship.

Mullen had never taken down the pernial powerhouse Kent and the coach recognized the effort and talent of the Mullen squad.

Check the full article out here.

By Brett Hughes

Before we get started I have to say that my alma mater No. 17 Upper Arlington and crosstown rival No. 14 Worthington Kilbourne square off this week.  On paper I will say Worthington Kiulbourne looks great, they have a great amount of talent all over the field and they are poised to take down the Golden Bears. However, Ted Wolford and the Upper Arlington lacrosse team have not lost to Kilbourne in 18 years.  Junior Will Campbell (UNC Verbal), Austin Wright (Hofstra commit), Drew Roper (Penn State commit) and the rest of the Wolves look to snap that streak this week.

We also saw our nation's longest win streak west of the Mississippi broken by Mullen (Denver, Colo.) High School when they took down powerhouse Kent (Denver, Colo). Take a look at the rankings now, as they will be changing a decent amount this thursday when they hit Inside Lacrosse. 

The Rankings

Posted by Brett Hughes

Incase you have not seen the NELC site check it out. We will update it throughout the summer with pictures and video as well as hear from players, coaches, and staff on each camp as we tour the country in year two.

There is a link on the page to email us with any questions you have on the Nike Elite Lacrosse Camps. 

By Brett Hughes

I wanted to start the ESPN RISE Top 25 Senior list today with 25-21. RISE will have a chance to see #21 Marcus Holman of Gilman tomorrow vs LaSalle (Penn.). A player you may have never heard of is Cody Solaja out of Dallas, Texas. If you ask around the NCAA everyone will tell you that coach Tierney at Hofstra landed a kid with incredible potential and can be a difference maker on Long Island.

25. Patrick Fanshaw, Calvert Hall (Baltimore, Md.), Attack, Loyola (Md.)

24. Howie Long Jr., St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, Va.), Defender, Virginia

23. Cody Solaja, Episcopal (Dallas, Texas), Defender, Hofstra

22. Patrick Murray, Kent Denver (Englewood, Colo.), Midfielder, Georgetown

21. Marcus Holman, Gilman (Baltimore, Md.), Attack, North Carolina

By Brett Hughes

Brine Shootout: The Brine Shootout brings some of the top teams all over the country to a convenient and structured recruiting event hosted by the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). With the fields set up well and in close proximity, coaches and players alike can navigate the tournament with ease. Growing every year, 2009 should be another chance to receive maximum exposure.

UVA Team Camp: University of Virginia Rising Junior Team Camp is quickly becoming a must-stop for the best teams as well as coaches from all over the D1 landscape. The camp provides a high quality experience for a select group of club teams. Last year's camp had eight teams including: the Baltimore Crabs, Long Island Express, Madlax, and Tristate. The camp takes place around the last week of July and is a perfect last stop for a more intimate recruiting event on your all important junior summer tour. Limited availability so spots fill up fast.

Rutgers Team Camp: Coach Jim Stagnitta of Rutgers has run lacrosse camps for over 18 years and this may be his best. Centrally located to most lacrosse hotbeds, Rutgers Campus is home to over 50 coaches in attendance for the tournament. They do the right amount of homework to not just get a good number of teams, but a good number of the right teams. This helps to make the quality of lacrosse and competition of the games as good as you will find in the larger team camps.

Empire Games: Yeah I know they are going under, but hopefully it is not forever because the kids deserve a chance at what could easily be called the New York Olympics. This event is a perfect mix of recruiting and fun. Everything from tryouts to the championship game is considered top-notch recruiting opportunity, but the kids play for more than exposure which usually makes the lacrosse even that much better in a place that is easily considered a hot bed of lacrosse. Lets all cross our fingers that this event will return.

Denver Team Tournament: The tournament hosted at Dicks Sporting Goods Park outside of Denver, Colo. The tournament will host 40-50 teams nationally with just as many colleges coaches present representing Divisions I, II, & III. A unique addition to this is an all star game played in INVESCO Field. (Home of the Denver Broncos and Denver Outlaws lacrosse team) This camp will bring teams from all corners of the nation and is as good a team camp as you will find west of Ohio.

By Brett Hughes

This job affords me to bounce around the world of lacrosse daily. For the most part, I stick to anything and everything I think a high school athlete would enjoy reading, and if not enjoy he/she would have a chance to learn from.

This morning I enjoyed reading takes on different coaches and the new soilders they are bringing in, and how each kid is a little piece to the puzzel of winning a NCAA or confrence title. I enojoy this so much because as I heard Ryan Curtis say one time, "I love coaching, that's why I work so hard, it's like the grown up version of playing the NCAA football game I did when I was younger, the recruiting part was always the best."

I always think about then when I talk to coaches who sacrafice time away from family, away from home, and away from sleep. Then i just laugh because it's the best version ever of the games we love.  I then read the University of Denvers lacrosse homepage to see who they had signed, and if they had posted it. 

The team did not have a press release of the new recruits, instead they had an article that even made me, sitting behind a desk, want to work a little harder, smile a little longer and enjoy what I'm doing a bit more. Bob Wahler, father of current Denver Pioneer Ben has been fighting as hard as anyone on the team for a chance to see the field. No, he is not trying out and attempting to make morning runs and lifts with the team, he is fighting everyday to see his son and the rest of the team play everygame he can.

Mr. Wahler has been fighting brain cancer for 23 years now, which is all but six weeks of his son's life. When he visited the team on Oct. 4 he said "So guys, you know that you are my inspiration- this team. I am looking forward to watching all of you play this year."

Mr. Wahle, inturn, has got this team thinking about things in a different way, and brings his inspiration to practice, school, and life everyday.