Dylan Comella and Team USBOXLA U18 playing the Burnaby Lakers on the 2017 #bctour (Photo: Sherri Thomson)
The US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) will again be sending Team USBOXLA Peewee, Bantam, Midget and U18 players to compete at tournaments and tours in Canada this summer. The player selection process, however, will work differently than previous years – now putting a greater emphasis on USBOXLA member commitment, participation and success.
Team USBOXLA, which represents the absolute best US-born youth lacrosse talent currently competing in the country, will be taking part in the Trevor Wingrove Memorial Tournament in Coquitlam British Columbia for the third straight summer, as well as a U18 tour (currently being scheduled).
This year, in order to be eligible for Team USBOXLA, players must belong to a USBOXLA-sanctioned club. Currently USBOXLA has over 17,000 playing members and nearly 50 clubs from coast-to-coast.
“Our staff sees amazing talent at USBOXLA leagues, tournaments and other events on an almost weekly basis,” said USBOXLA Co-Founder and President Shaydon Santos. “We want to provide our members with even greater value by ensuring this year’s Team USBOXLA rosters are selected exclusively from our growing member base.
“Our coaches at the club and national level have had an opportunity to evaluate talent at various events over the past year, and we are confident we’ll be fielding our most competitive teams yet.”
Over the past two years alone, over 120 elite-level Peewee, Bantam and Midget players have competed in the prestigious Trevor Wingrove Memorial, playing top teams from British Columbia and Alberta. In 2017, Team USBOXLA experienced their greatest success at the Wingrove, while the U18 side finished with an impressive 4-1 record playing both Intermediate 'A' and Junior ‘B’ teams from strong Canadian centers in Burnaby, Coquitlam and Langley during the #bctour.
“Testing ourselves against top Canadian talent allows us to measure how far we’ve come as an association,” added Santos, who grew up playing lacrosse in Whitby, Ontario, later spending 12 seasons in the National Lacrosse League. “We plan on building off of last year’s success and providing our members with a unique experience both on and off the floor.”
Players selected for Team USBOXLA will also receive a branded Warrior Lacrosse equipment package, as well as a full uniform and apparel package from Rude Brand.
Team USBOXLA coaches will include past and current NLL and MLL players. Previous Team USBOXLA coaches have included: Greg Bice, Matt Brown, Aime Caines, Dan Coates, Roy Colsey, John Gallant, Brian O'Keefe, Curt Malawsky, Ben Prepchuk, Jamie Shewchuk, Kyle Sorensen, Jeff Zywicki, plus many highly regarded USBOXLA-certified coaches. The 2018 Team USBOXLA coaching staff will be announced in coming months.
Are you a USBOXLA member and interested in playing for Team USBOXLA in 2018? Click or tap the link below for more information on this year's selection process, proposed schedules, cost, and more. The registration deadline for Team USBOXLA Peewee, Bantam and Midget rosters is March 10. Rosters will be announced by March 20 (U18 dates TBD).
