How Recruiting Works with UMBC's James Purpura

Around this time every year, dozens of parents of high school prospects ask IL's Terry Foy some version of the question, "How does recruiting work?"

In an effort to round out that answer, he's interviewing DI men's lacrosse coaches about their process, continuing the fourth year of the "How Recruiting Works" series with UMBC coach James Purpura.

Arriving in Catonsville after this summer's dead period, the conversation centers around two themes: what Purpura has learned via the diversity of his last two stops (head coach at VMI and assistant at Ohio State) and the timing of getting to know his Retriever staff, familiarizing himself with the ’27 commits, adjusting his lens for the ’28s, getting practice started this week and preparing for the first conversations with juniors next Wednesday. It's an insightful glimpse into his whirlwind of July and August.