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Team 24/7 Lacrosse Player Spotlight
2021 Ryan Stines
Learn more about some of the top High School lacrosse players in the Carolinas this Spring with the Team 24/7 Lacrosse Committed Player Spotlight
Getting to Know Ryan Stines
Player Name: Ryan Stines
College Commitment: University of Utah
High School: Panther Creek
Position: Attack
Graduating Class: 2021

What other schools did you consider?
Towson, Lehigh, Army, Delaware, Marist, High Point, Jacksonville and Binghamton.
How did the school you chose separate itself from the others you considered?
Utah became my clear fit after spending time with the coaching staff. I was immediately able to see the vision Coach Holman has for the program and it was something I really wanted to be a part of.

I also felt that the coaching staff had a great understanding of my game and the player I want to become. The player/coach relationship is something I really value and from my time with the staff I could tell that they valued it just as much. Utah also checked all my boxes academically, with a great business program and an amazing support system.

At the end of the day, spending time with the coaches and players made it feel like home; even if it was thousands of miles away.

How would you describe your recruiting process overall?
My recruiting process was relatively quick having committed in October of my junior year.

While it felt stressful at times, I enjoyed the process of learning about different programs and picturing myself in different environments. Looking back, it was definitely an enjoyable time because I had been looking forward to the process with high hopes of taking the next step towards my collegiate goals.

What was your favorite part of the recruiting process? 
It was exciting to hear from coaches that I had been updating for a while with highlight tapes and schedules; I was relieved that everything had paid off. Making the phone call to Utah after I had made my decision was very exciting to me.

After anticipating that moment for some time, it was a relief to establish my future home and I was excited to focus on preparing for it.

What opportunities and information assisted you during your recruiting process?
The opportunities provided by Team 24/7 Lacrosse to play with and against the top players in the country, in front of the college coaches, was incredible. We had unlimited exposure over the course of our summer schedule and I was optimistic on who I might hear from come September 1st.

Once September arrived, the research I had done on schools over the past year helped me narrow down the programs I was interested in and which would be the best fit for me.

Did you feel like you had support from the Team 24/7 Staff during your process? If so, how?
Absolutely, Team 24/7 Lacrosse provides players and parents with opportunities to learn about the process up front so we head into September as prepared as possible. Coach Flanagan is well connected, understands the recruiting process and how to go about it.

Phone calls with him before and during September helped me prepare and eventually narrow down my opportunities. Without their support I would not have been able to be so educated before making decisions throughout my process.

What individual or showcase events, if any, did you find the most beneficial during your process?
Maverik Showtime and NXT Philly Showcase were the most beneficial individual events during my process due to the talent density and exposure. Personally, however, I felt that our schedule of tournaments provided most of the necessary exposure.

What would you tell younger players or parents to help them prepare for the recruiting process?
Do your homework on a variety of schools, conferences, and divisions and have questions prepared prior to phone calls.

Remember that there are lots of tournaments over the course of the summer and having one bad play is not going to define your summer.

Recognize that college coaches are looking for players that have a positive impact on the game in multiple ways. Riding hard, ground balls, attitude and team play are all important when preparing for your active recruiting process.
Coach Flanagan on Ryan
We get a lot of inquiries from players outside of Charlotte asking if they can play with us. We always ask for a highlight tape so we can make an evaluation and then encourage them to attend tryouts, if we think it is worth it. With the value we put on players attending practice and training, it usually doesn't work out or make sense.
I will always remember the email we got from Ryan. First, this was a player reaching out directly which showed us that this was important to him and something he really wanted. Second, he had a highlight tape as a freshman which showed us that he was serious about playing college lacrosse when the time came. Finally, he was really skilled! After watching 30 seconds of his highlight tape, you could tell how comfortable he was with both hands and that he had put in a lot of time to develop his game.

Once we got on the field with him and got to know him better, we were even more impressed with not just his skillset but how much he loves the game. You can quickly tell that he is the type of guy that will watch a college or pro game then go out on the field and practice what he is seeing there until he can execute it at a really high level. What makes Ryan even more impressive is how high his lacrosse IQ is; another sign to us that shows how much he loves the game. We can talk to him about where a slide should come from and he can expand on that with what we should do on offense to respond to how we are being defended. All those hours playing in the backyard and consuming lacrosse on TV and on the Internet have helped him become a great player.

With his skillset and lacrosse IQ, he has developed into an outstanding quarterback which became evident during the recruiting process. Every time we spoke to a coach about him, we would use players like Ryan Boyle and Steele Stanwick to describe him as the future quarterback of their offense. When he throws a pass, he is putting the ball right where the shooter needs it to make a play. He can throw a player open and he can throw crisp passes with both hands under pressure. He knows when to push the tempo on offense and when to slow things down. When he draws a slide, he knows when to get the ball out of his stick and where to go with it. Lastly, he is a great finisher near the cage.

We are lucky that he was willing to make the 2+ hour commute to and from practice every night and can't wait to see what he is able to do with Coach Holman at Utah!
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