By Bradley Schlegel
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/22/15
J.J. Pickard came to the 2015 Boys Philly Showcase on Saturday at Episcopal Academy determined to compete. A recent transfer from Park City UT to the nearby Hill School (Pottstown, PA), he hoped to dispel the myth that players from the upper west coast display inferior stick skills.
Pickard made a compelling case by earning a spot in the 2018 all-star game.
“You’ve have to believe you can compete,” Pickard said.
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JJ Pickard, Hill School, Team 212/Duke’s LC
J.J. Pickard, MF, The Hill School (PA), transfer from Park City (UT), 2018, MF, 212, Duke’s L.C.
What goals did you have today and what did you accomplish?
Pickard: “My goal was to get looked at by college coaches; just to play hard hustle, and display the things college coaches want to see.”
How was the competition and what did you do to raise your level?
Pickard: “As a player from the West Coast, you have to know that you can be just as good, if not better, than everyone else. You’ve been putting in the work just like they have.”
What did you learn about your game today that will help you moving forward?
Pickard: “I need to improve my stick skills. I’m a big midfielder who loves going downhill and I need to protect the ball, so stick skills are always big for me.”
What type of college are you looking for, athletically and academically?
Pickard: “I’m looking for a college with a high level of academics and lacrosse. That’s pretty much the answer you’re going to get from every player here. I want to use athletics as a tool for a good education.”
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Owen Weathersby, Avon Old Farms, Prep Lax
More Fab 40 All-Stars:
Owen Weathersby, LSM, Avon Old Farms (CT), 2018, Prep Lax
What goals did you have today and what did you accomplish?
Weathersby: “My main goal was to work my hardest, have fun and make the all-star game.”
How was the competition and what did you do to raise your level?
Weathersby: “The level of play was very high in my early games.”
What did you learn about your game today that will help you moving forward?
Weathersby: “When I play against better competition, it shows that hard work is all that matters. It’s what I tried to put forward in the all-star game.”
What type of college are you looking for, athletically and academically?
Weathersby: “I’d like to play at a Division I school. I’m looking at colleges at the upper end of the academic spectrum.”
Clayton Miller, ATT, Cumberland Valley (PA),Lax Factory
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Clayton Miller, Cumberland Valley, Lax Factory
How was the competition and what did you do to raise your level?
Miller: “It was very great competition out here.”
What goals did you have today and what did you accomplish?
Miller: “I wanted to do the right thing and not make any dumb plays and try and do my best. I wanted to work as hard as I can, and I think I did a pretty good job at achieving that.”
What did you learn about your game today that will help you moving forward?
Miller: “That I can hang with pretty much the best in the country.”
What type of college are you looking for, athletically and academically?
Miller: “I am looking for a good school but also a pretty big school. My goal is to play Division I.”
Jacob Stroebner, DEF, Westlake (TX), Dallas Select
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Jacob Stroebner, Westlake, Dallas Select
How was the competition and what did you do to raise your level?
Stroebner: “It was a lot of fun and all the attackman I matched up against and even the midfielders I went up against download were tough to play against. They provided a lot of trouble guarding but made it a lot of fun.”
What goals did you have today and what did you accomplish?
Stroebner: “Just play good solid defense and not let them score any goals and I think I achieved those.”
What did you learn about your game today that will help you moving forward?
Stroebner: “I learned that I can do great things but I just have to do it. I’ve got to get those hips around at GLE.”
What type of college are you looking for, athletically and academically?
Stroebner: “I want high academics and a good close-knit team; like a family.”