Judd Lattimore always expected to be selected in a professional lacrosse draft. He just never thought it would take so long.
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Former Auburn Maroon Judd Lattimore, center, is now an assistant coach at Penn University. He was also recently selected in the Major League Lacrosse draft by the Boston Cannon.
Former Auburn Maroon Judd Lattimore, center, is now an assistant coach at Penn University. He was also recently selected in the Major League Lacrosse draft by the Boston Cannon.
Lattimore, a 1996 Auburn High School graduate, was selected in the 17th round as the 168th overall pick the December Major League Lacrosse supplemental draft by the Boston Cannon. The University of North Carolina standout has coached collegiate lacrosse the past four years.
“When I saw my name, I was unbelievably excited,” he said. “I was so grateful for the opportunity to try to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine.”
That dream didn't come with any cameras, live draft analysts or cable coverage, as he was forced to watch the draft on a webcast from his coach's office at the University of Delaware. That didn't take away from the moment, though.
“He's a hard working player and a hard working person,” said Auburn High teammate and co-captain Dave Rabuano. “I know Judd will show everyone that he is still a tremendous lacrosse player.”
Lattimore is just one of many former Auburn lacrosse players to go on to pursue professional careers in the sport. He said he is lucky to be part of such a productive program led by head coach Steve Crosby.
“I feel like I helped bring the program to a new level,” Lattimore said. “There are a lot of great players coming out of Auburn and you watch in a few years when they are playing professional lacrosse.”
Lattimore is anxious to get to Boston for team tryouts this spring, but he would have liked to be invited to training camp several years ago.
After he led Auburn to the Section III playoffs every year of his high school career, Lattimore's plan to play professionally seemed to be on track. He played in every game his freshmen and sophomore seasons at North Carolina, which was ranked No. 1 for most of the season prior to Lattimore's arrival.
He had adapted to the college game nicely, as his coaches looked to him as one of their best players, he said. He was ready to have a breakout year, after being among the team's leaders in assists and groundballs his first two seasons.
That never happened. The only break was in his leg, following a motorcycle accident on a residential street weeks before the start of the 1999 season. Lattimore, though, was lucky to be tagged with just a medical red-shirt rather than a full-body cast as he and the driver both fell off the motorcycle after swerving to miss a car.
“It really shook me mentally,” he said. “It was frustrating, but now I look back on it as a good thing because I overcame so much.”
Lattimore didn't take the field again until 2001 after taking another medical red-shirt in 2000. He had just four assists and five groundballs in his final season.
His career as a Tar Heel was tarnished with injuries and just one NCAA Tournament appearance, but Lattimore refused to leave the game after graduation.
He started coaching as an assistant at Geneseo State in 2002, then moved to Division II Limestone College in South Carolina, leading them to back-to-back championship games. He coached at Delaware in 2005, leaving in January of this year for an assistant position at the University of Pennsylvania.
Each stop along the way the player in Lattimore wouldn't go away.
A spectator could have confused the coach with a player, as Lattimore has always practiced and taken shots on his team's goalies.
“I always wanted to play professionally, I was just never given the chance,” he said. “I never reached my full potential in college to get close to what I was capable of.”
Lattimore knew if he wanted to play pro he needed to stay close to the game by playing in clubs and summer leagues.
After his name was pitched by his connections in the MLL, it eventually traveled to Boston head coach Bill Daye, a North Carolina graduate. Lattimore is just the type of player teams look for in the supplemental draft, which contains players that have been out of college for a period of time. The MLL also holds a collegiate draft.
“I know he wasn't happy with the way his college career ended and now this is his chance he's been waiting for to show everyone he still has it,” Rabuano said.
Lattimore will travel to Boston next month for training camp, hoping to make a roster spot. He will still coach Penn, but he will have to travel back and forth, leaving on weekends for Boston.
The first game for the Cannon isn't until late May, which is when Penn's season is close to finishing.
“Mentally I'm prepared, I have been for a long time, I just have to get my game together in the next month,” he said.
“I still have to beat out about seven guys, seven of the greatest players in the world, to make the team.”
“When I saw my name, I was unbelievably excited,” he said. “I was so grateful for the opportunity to try to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine.”
That dream didn't come with any cameras, live draft analysts or cable coverage, as he was forced to watch the draft on a webcast from his coach's office at the University of Delaware. That didn't take away from the moment, though.
“He's a hard working player and a hard working person,” said Auburn High teammate and co-captain Dave Rabuano. “I know Judd will show everyone that he is still a tremendous lacrosse player.”
Lattimore is just one of many former Auburn lacrosse players to go on to pursue professional careers in the sport. He said he is lucky to be part of such a productive program led by head coach Steve Crosby.
“I feel like I helped bring the program to a new level,” Lattimore said. “There are a lot of great players coming out of Auburn and you watch in a few years when they are playing professional lacrosse.”
Lattimore is anxious to get to Boston for team tryouts this spring, but he would have liked to be invited to training camp several years ago.
After he led Auburn to the Section III playoffs every year of his high school career, Lattimore's plan to play professionally seemed to be on track. He played in every game his freshmen and sophomore seasons at North Carolina, which was ranked No. 1 for most of the season prior to Lattimore's arrival.
He had adapted to the college game nicely, as his coaches looked to him as one of their best players, he said. He was ready to have a breakout year, after being among the team's leaders in assists and groundballs his first two seasons.
That never happened. The only break was in his leg, following a motorcycle accident on a residential street weeks before the start of the 1999 season. Lattimore, though, was lucky to be tagged with just a medical red-shirt rather than a full-body cast as he and the driver both fell off the motorcycle after swerving to miss a car.
“It really shook me mentally,” he said. “It was frustrating, but now I look back on it as a good thing because I overcame so much.”
Lattimore didn't take the field again until 2001 after taking another medical red-shirt in 2000. He had just four assists and five groundballs in his final season.
His career as a Tar Heel was tarnished with injuries and just one NCAA Tournament appearance, but Lattimore refused to leave the game after graduation.
He started coaching as an assistant at Geneseo State in 2002, then moved to Division II Limestone College in South Carolina, leading them to back-to-back championship games. He coached at Delaware in 2005, leaving in January of this year for an assistant position at the University of Pennsylvania.
Each stop along the way the player in Lattimore wouldn't go away.
A spectator could have confused the coach with a player, as Lattimore has always practiced and taken shots on his team's goalies.
“I always wanted to play professionally, I was just never given the chance,” he said. “I never reached my full potential in college to get close to what I was capable of.”
Lattimore knew if he wanted to play pro he needed to stay close to the game by playing in clubs and summer leagues.
After his name was pitched by his connections in the MLL, it eventually traveled to Boston head coach Bill Daye, a North Carolina graduate. Lattimore is just the type of player teams look for in the supplemental draft, which contains players that have been out of college for a period of time. The MLL also holds a collegiate draft.
“I know he wasn't happy with the way his college career ended and now this is his chance he's been waiting for to show everyone he still has it,” Rabuano said.
Lattimore will travel to Boston next month for training camp, hoping to make a roster spot. He will still coach Penn, but he will have to travel back and forth, leaving on weekends for Boston.
The first game for the Cannon isn't until late May, which is when Penn's season is close to finishing.
“Mentally I'm prepared, I have been for a long time, I just have to get my game together in the next month,” he said.
“I still have to beat out about seven guys, seven of the greatest players in the world, to make the team.”
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