You can’t teach someone to be 6 feet 215 pounds. That doesn’t mean gifted athletes don’t have something to learn.
“I mean, you’re talking about a kid that’s 6’2”, 215 pounds,” said coach John Calabria, “He’s developed himself physically over the years, but he can kind of thank his ancestors for that.”
“We had two athletes [as parents], I was just born to one,” explained Brody Waxer, a senior at Syosset High School. My dad [ Adam Waxer] played Lacrosse at UMass. I grew up with a stick in my hands my whole life, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. My mom [Liz Durant Waxer] also went to UMass, and she was a tennis player. They always taught me a work ethic. They always, always instilled in my body that it’s student athletes.
As a junior, Waxer, the country’s 61st-ranked lacrosse recruit, committed to the University of Michigan’s ascendant lacrosse program that won back-to-back Big Ten championships in 2023 and 2024, but finished just 9-9 last season. While lacrosse was top-of-the-mind when he chose Ann Arbor, academic and networking potential were equally decisive factors.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to coach Brody here at the University of Michigan,” said Wolverines head coach Kevin Conry, “and Brody’s ability to represent the university as a student-athlete.”
“It was a super easy decision for me to go to Michigan,” said Brody. “I’ve been a fan my whole life. I knew exactly why I wanted it. It had a great balance of school and sports. I just can’t wait to get out there and just learn, learn every day, and continue to get better. It's gonna be great. I’m really excited.”
Waxer had the same growth mindset when, as a junior school kid, Waxer walked into the locker room five games into the 2022 season. About to begin their Power Conference schedule, the erstwhile Braves were 2-3. Brody, who had been playing against older competition since kindergarten, was not intimidated.
“We identified him early as he was growing up,” explained Calabria. “We knew that he was going to be on the varsity team early. It's always a struggle for the middle school kids coming up at first, but he adapted pretty quickly and put himself in a situation where he contributed almost right away.”
With Waxer in the fold, Syosset finished 7-5, enough to earn them the No.4 seed in the playoffs.
In just 11 games, the rookie eighth grader notched 17 goals and 10 assists. It just makes it very easy to join a team when they welcome you. It wasn’t like, oh, this is the 8th grader. let’s haze him. Let’s make this guy get our ball bucket. They showed respect even though I wasn’t even in high school yet. For them to do that gave me such a confidence boost that I felt like I was part of the team from day one. That just made it really easy.
Source: LI Press
