By Jeff Werner -- STAFF WRITER
A wave of anxiety has started to rush over Sam Llinares. He is watching the 2016 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft on his laptop with the rest of his family. Three rounds go by and he hasn’t heard his name called. The draft enters the fourth round. Llinares isn’t taken by the Charlotte Hounds, Florida Launch or Chesapeake Bayhawks. Doubt starts to creep into his mind, wondering if he will ever get picked. At the 31st pick, Sam holds his breath as the next pick is announced. “With the fifth pick in the fourth round of the 2016 MLL Draft, the Denver Outlaws select … Sam Llinares, attacker from Hofstra University.”
“I was excited,” Llinares said. “As a kid growing up, you always dream about that type of thing in your backyard with your friends, how exciting it would be to play for the Lizards or any of those teams. It was a goal of mine since I was a little kid.”
“I was thrilled,” said head coach of the Hofstra men’s lacrosse team, Seth Tierney. “It’s always exciting to hear one of your players go on to play at the next level. It wasn’t a shock, though. We knew that Sam is a professional-level player. He is one of the more complete players in regards to feeding, dodging and shooting. He is also a consummate team player and always looking to share the ball, play a team style and do whatever the team needs for him to get it done.”
Llinares continues a long tradition of Hofstra players going on to play at the professional level in Major League Lacrosse, a tradition that started back in 2002 with the second MLL Collegiate Draft. Tom Kessler was taken in the first round with the sixth and final pick of the round by Baltimore and then Scott Dooley was picked in the second round by the New Jersey Pride, both teams that are no longer in the MLL.
Coach Tierney took over the head coaching position in 2007. Since Tierney began,13 players from Hofstra have been drafted in the MLL Collegiate Draft, including recent graduates Mike Malave, who plays for the New York Lizards, and John Reicherter, who plays for the Ohio Machine. Tierney was surprised by that statistic.
“It’s the first time I’ve heard that stat. We just prepare the players for Division I lacrosse and those guys who grow here have a chance to play at the next level. I’m proud of those 13 guys. Hopefully we can make that number grow,” said Tierney.
Former Hofstra players have certainly found success in MLL, with six players on the 2015 MLL championship winning New York Lizards. Those players were Malave, Steven DeNapoli, Mike and Kevin Unterstein, Brian Spallina and Michael Skudin. Llinares sought the advice of Malave and Reicherter about what to expect from the MLL.
“Those guys are my close friends. Mike was fortunate enough that he was on the championship winning Lizards,” said Llinares. “They just told me to enjoy the journey. Nothing beats Division I lacrosse, but being able to still play a sport that you love after college with guys that still have a passion for it is a pretty exciting thing.”
Coach Tierney also gave some advice to Llinares about the MLL.
“The MLL world is a bit different,” he said. “The game is different. You’re talking about the ultimate athletes playing this game and Sam’s going to have to gear it up to another level. He needs to get ready for the physicality of it and handle things like the lack of practice and the travel.”
Llinares is excited to join the Denver Outlaws when the collegiate season comes to an end.
“I am looking forward to getting to know the guys and the city. I’ve heard of great things from friends who started to work out there. Coach Unterstein started his career with Denver and said it was amazing to play there. I am definitely excited to go out there this summer.”
Before he goes out to Denver to start his professional career with the Outlaws, however, Llinares says there are some things he wants to accomplish at Hofstra.
“I want to perform for my teammates now and finishing up my collegiate career strong by accomplishing our team goal of winning a CAA championship that has eluded me and my senior class for the last three years. So that’s the main focus for now and getting to the NCAA tournament. Anything after that is just gravy.”