Two Tigers taken in Major League Lacrosse draft

Major League Lacrosse will gain some offensive firepower next season, following the selections of Princeton senior captain and midfielder Kip Orban and senior attackman Mike MacDonald in the 2015 MLL Collegiate Draft last Friday. The Charlotte Hounds selected Orban, who tallied 21 goals and 8 assists last season, in the third round with the 19th pick. MacDonald, who led the Tigers with 22 assists in 2014, went 44th overall to the Rochester Rattlers in the sixth round.

A recent release by Princeton Athletic Communications gives a good account of the seniors’ player profiles. MacDonald, a native of Georgetown, Ontario, possesses a prodigious ability to finish on the crease. His consistent positioning and soft hands make him an outside feeder’s dream target.

Rochester finished last season with the league’s top record before falling in the semifinals to the Denver Outlaws, the eventual champions. MacDonald will join their attack unit which features Ty and Miles Thompson, two-thirds of Albany’s former unstoppable family trio, along with Duke graduate Jordan Wolf, a 2014 Tewaaraton Trophy finalist.

Orban, whose 26 games scoring at least one goal mark the second-longest streak in Division I lacrosse, has emerged as one of the NCAA’s strongest distance shooters. This skill becomes even more valuable at the professional level, where players have the opportunity to score two points for a shot outside a 16-yard arc.

The Hounds finished eighth of eight teams in 2014, dropping four of their 14 contests.

“They had somewhat of a down-season last year, but in the past they’ve been a serious contender,” Orban said. “They’ve had some great talent, and the coach seems like a great guy. I heard his interview during the draft. At that level every player will have the opportunity to contend for a championship.”

The MLL, founded in 2001, does not have as much media exposure as other professional leagues. As a result, recruitment of amateur players involves far less hype than, say, an NFL fan would expect. Orban recalled that he had talked with his head coach Chris Bates about organizations that had reached out to him. Emails communications from teams asked if players would be interested in playing at the next level.

“It was pretty lowkey,” Orban said. “I actually didn’t receive a call prior to getting drafted. I was watching at home with my parents and my name just popped up on the screen. A low-key process, but exciting nonetheless.”

MLL players, on average, earn $10,000-$25,000 annually, which leads many players to find additional sources of income. Orban plans to work outside of lacrosse while traveling with his team on weekends.

“It’s definitely a growing sport, now that it’s moving out west more,” he explained. “More college and high schools are getting teams out on that coast. Although it’s not as widely publicized, the guys in the league have some tremendous skill and play with the kind of intensity they had growing up.”

“It’s a good balance,” he continued, “because I’ll be working, but still I’ll have the opportunity to blow off steam and play the game I love and grew up playing.”

Tom Schreiber ’14, an offensive midfielder and two-time Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, highlights the recent crop of Princeton lacrosse professionals. The Long Island-native was drafted first overall by the Ohio Machine in 2014 and was one of two rookies selected for the past season’s All-Star Game.

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On the other side of the ball, two Princeton players won Defensive Player of the Week honors in 2014. First was defenseman Chad Wiedmaier ’12, who was recently traded from the Machine to the Boston Cannons. Second was goalkeeper Tyler Fiorito ’12, who split time in cage for the Chesapeake Bayhawks.

Orban identified Schreiber and Wiedmaier as two players he looked forward to playing against.“Chad was a senior when I was a freshman,” he said. “He was a stud of a defenseman, all-American talent. He continued to make waves in the MLL. He’s a great player and a great friend of mine. And Schreiber, we’ve run on the same middle line for three years. It’ll be very different to play against him, but very fun nonetheless.”

Future Hall of Famer Ryan Boyle ’04 has experienced perhaps the most professional success of any Princeton athlete. He announced his retirement from the MLL back in September after 11 seasons spent with the Philadelphia Barrage and the Boston Cannons. Four championships came for the attackman, whose 272 career assists rank most all-time.

The 2015 Princeton men’s lacrosse season beginsSaturday, Feb. 14as the Tigers host Manhattan. In spite of some of the nation’s premier talent, the program has not reached the NCAA tournament since falling to Virginia in round one of the 2012 bracket. Losing Schreiber to graduation means losing one of the Ivy League best-ever talents. Orban and MacDonald, as evidenced by their recent selections, will be looked to for more of the productivity and leadership that have thus far characterized their collegiate careers.