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Photo courtesy of Georgetown Athletics.
Last Tuesday’s Premier Lacrosse League College Draft was a family affair for Georgetown lacrosse. Four Hoyas were selected in the PLL’s entry draft, including a pair of NLF alumni in defenseman Will Bowen (Laxachusetts) and attackman Tucker Dordevic (West Coast Starz).
In anticipation of the event, the team gathered to watch together as Dordevic and Bowen were selected in the top 10 (sixth and seventh overall, respectively), in addition to attack Brian Minicus and faceoff specialist James Reilly.
Will Bowen (@WillBowen7)
First Round, Seventh Overall to @PLLChaos #HOYASAXA #GATA pic.twitter.com/X1budU6ycl— Georgetown MLacrosse (@HoyasMLacrosse) May 10, 2023
But for graduate student athletes Bowen and Dordevic, the route to professional lacrosse has been rather circuitous. Both credited the guidance and direction they received while playing club lacrosse as a major fulcrum to their development as players.
Bowen’s development as a lacrosse player was shaped by his time playing summer tournaments with Laxachusetts. The Boston College (Mass.) High School product suffered a knee injury between the fifth and sixth grades, but the physical set back put him down a fortuitous path. It was that summer that the basketball-obsessed Cohasset (Mass.) native switched to playing defense full-time, after being limited by injury.
“Transformational” Experience at Laxachusetts
“Those years leading up to BC High were transformational to me,” Bowen said. “Coach [Dan] Chouinard, Coach [Dave] Evans and Coach [Sean] Morris, I owe them big time, not only for the introductions in recruiting and all of that, but for everything they taught us as players and as people.”
That set Bowen down a path which flowed into a commitment to North Carolina that came before his freshman year at BC High. While in Chapel Hill, Bowen was an All-American in 2021 and he followed with a repeat first-team nod in his first season with the Hoyas after joining as a graduate student in 2022.
Dordevic joined the fold at Georgetown this season after already having amassed quite a résumé at Syracuse. A Portland (Ore.) native., Dordevic was a Tewaaraton Award semifinalist with the Orange last year. Thursday, he was named a finalist for 2023. Joining him on that list of finalists were Duke attackman Brennan O’Neill (Team 91 Long Island), Cornell attackman CJ Kirst (Leading Edge), Notre Dame attackman Pat Kavanagh (Long Island Express) and Virginia attackman Connor Shellenberger (MadLax). It marks the first time that all five Tewaaraton finalists played for an NLF club.
For Dordevic, that comes in addition to taking home a unanimous Big East Conference Attack Player of the Year honor already.
Photo courtesy of Georgetown Athletics
Fridays are for Flying
As someone from a non-traditional lacrosse area, Dordevic’s path to pro lacrosse wasn’t always laid out in front of him.
“I remember traveling with my Mom a lot on Fridays,” he said. “At one point my teachers pointed out to me, ‘You’re not around much on Fridays.’ I think that summer and fall from sophomore into junior year, I played maybe 11 tournaments in a row against really good competition.
“Those were some of my best memories playing lacrosse. It was great competition and it forced me to improve my game. I’d say I met some of the best friends of my life there, too.”
Dordevic embraces his mantle as an ambassador of the game as a proud Oregonian and torchbearer for the Pacific Northwest.
“Whether it’s players that have won awards and accolades, or you’re just starting out, I think we’re proud to be growing the game,” he said. “Whether or not I had the career I did, I’m just proud to be from out there, representing my home and playing the game at the highest level.”
One More Goal on the Mind
Bowen and Dordevic want to pen a storybook ending to their college careers before starting their PLL careers. Georgetown beat Denver in the Big East championship to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. Saturday, the Hoyas earned a spot in the quarterfinals by beating Yale, 19-17. Dordevic led the way with a game-high six goals and set the program’s single-season goals record with 63.
Georgetown will next face Shellenberger and No. 2 seed Virginia in a quarterfinal matchup in Albany.
“It’s always been a goal of mine,” Bowen said of the PLL. “But all of my efforts are on the next couple weeks here [with Georgetown]. It was funky having a night to think about something else. We’re so locked into what’s ahead of us.”
Dordevic added, “It’s a unique experience. They’ve done a great job with [the PLL]. But the most important thing for now is that we don’t know how much time we have left together with this team. It could end Saturday, or it could end with a trophy on Memorial Day weekend.
“Either way, we’re not taking it for granted.”
