Team 91 Lacrosse Player Spotlight
2022 Casey Hurley
Learn more about the top High School lacrosse players in the Carolinas with the Team 91 Lacrosse Player Spotlights
Getting to know Casey Hurley
Player Name: Casey Hurley
College Commitment: St. Johns University
High School: Cuthbertson High School
Position: Midfield
Graduating Class: 2022

What other schools did you consider?
Sacred Heart and Binghamton.
How did the school you chose separate itself from the others you considered?
St. Johns really separated themselves from the others due to being in a metropolitan environment such as NYC. I really wanted to be close to a city. St. Johns also has a top business school which is what I would like to study. My connection with the coaching staff was also very important.

How would you describe your recruiting process overall?
My overall recruiting process was relatively fast, but extremely exciting. Waking up on September 1st with contacts from college coaches was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. 

What was your favorite part of the recruiting process? 
My favorite part was telling Coach Miller that I was verbally committing to the University of St. Johns. I felt like I had finally accomplished my goal of playing college lacrosse and that all the hard work over the years had payed off. I know that I still have a lot of work in front of me but committing was a huge step for me.

What opportunities and information assisted you during your recruiting process?
Ryan and the entire 91 staff helped me thoroughly throughout the entire process from what I needed to do leading up to my junior summer all the way through making the call to Coach Miller to give a verbal commitment. We were guided through everything the entire way and could always go to the staff with any questions we might have.

Did you feel like you had support from the Team 91 Staff during your process? If so, how?
Absolutely. I had support of the entire staff throughout the entire process. Ryan spends a lot of time talking to coaches about me and my teammates which helped pave the way for the opportunity I have before me at St. Johns.

What individual or showcase events, if any, did you find the most beneficial during your process?
I attended Showtime in 2018 alongside with multiple prospect days, but what I found most beneficial was the tournaments that we go to as a team. We were always playing at some of the best tournaments in the Summer and Fall so we were getting looked at by most coaches. We just had to play our best at those events. 

What would you tell younger players or parents to help them prepare for the recruiting process?
Take your time and enjoy the process. Don’t stress about not having a bunch of contacts on September 1st. If you want to play college lacrosse, you will find a home somewhere. Trust Coach Ryan and his staff in everything they do, because they know what’s best for your interests and for your future and will be realistic with where you can play.
Coach Flanagan on Casey
I’ve mentioned this with a number of our guys that commit to play college lacrosse but one of the first questions that a college coach will ask us about a kid is “what is his compete level?” A coach always want to know how competitive a young man is before he brings that player in to his program. Is that guy going to just cruise by in workouts and practice or is he wired to compete in everything he does. When it came to Casey, we always had a great story to tell coaches.
Every winter, we have our high school guys play in the Charlotte Winter Lacrosse League. We split our travel teams up in to 12-14 man teams and the guys will compete in the CWLL in a 7v7 format throughout the winter. Each of the guys has a different approach. Some guys will skip days because of a conflict. Some guys will show up for their teams games and kind of go through the motions. Some guys will get competitive when the game is close and make a few good plays throughout the game. Then there is a small pool of guys like Casey. If there is a chance to play, he is playing. Doesn’t matter if it is his team or another team, he is jumping at every opportunity to get reps. When he is on the field, he is competing every single run… it’s just how he is wired. If he is on the field, he is going to do everything he can to be the best player on the field.

We have some “Michael Jordan” rules in the league. If a team starts to get a really big lead, we’ll make a few trades to try to keep the game competitive. In the winter of Casey’s sophomore year, he got traded. His team had a nice lead so at halftime we traded him to the other team. They were probably down 7-8 at that point and it didn’t matter. One goal at a time, Casey’s new team climbed back in to the game and tied it up with probably 30 seconds to go. Every time he stepped on the field in the second half, he wanted the ball and was going to make a play. I couldn’t tell you how the game ended or who won because at that point, it was irrelevant. We had established who was the most competitive guy on a field loaded with talented athletes. 

When we started having conversations with coaches and they asked “who is the most competitive guy?” we had an easy answer and an easy story to tell. Here is a guy who wants to win in everything he does, even if it is a 7v7 winter league against his teammates. That resonated with every coach we talked to and is a characteristic that is going to allow Casey to be successful in anything he does in life.
Get Involved with Team 91 This Spring
2022 Charlotte Spring Youth Lacrosse League
The Charlotte Spring Youth Lacrosse League is open to boys in grad years 2033-2026; no prior playing experience is required.

The season will run from February through May with a built in "off" period around school spring breaks from April 11th-April 15th.

The Charlotte Spring Youth Lacrosse League is operated by Team 91 Charlotte Lacrosse.
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