💯 NOTRE DAME STARS GIVE BACK

Notre Dame attackmen Pat and Chris Kavanagh are using their success on the lacrosse field to give back to the New York City community. The brothers have pledged to donate $10 to NYC-based non-profit CityLax for every ground ball they pick up during the 2024 season.

The Kavanagh Brothers, known for their gritty style of play and intense rides, racked up a combined 81 ground balls while leading Notre Dame to its first NCAA Championship in program history last season.

As ambassadors for CityLax, Pat and Chris are encouraging other players across the country to join their cause. This initiative helped raise nearly $8,000 last year, according to CityLax, which provided lacrosse equipment/resources to New York City public schools.

The Kavanagh family was raised in Rockville Centre on Long Island. In the era of NIL deals for college athletes, it’s cool to see a couple of the biggest stars use their skills and influence to make a difference in underprivileged communities.

If you’d like to learn more about #GBsforNYC, click the button below.

💣 Cannons Title Odds Surge

Speaking of Kavanaghs, older brother Matt Kavanagh was the hero for the Boston Cannons this week. Matt scored the game-winning goal to beat the Philadelphia Waterdogs in overtime of the PLL Championship Series Final on Monday.

Although the Waterdogs went undefeated up until the Champ Series Final and beat the Cannons by 10 goals in the last game of pool play, Boston’s physical approach in the title game evened the playing field and led to an unforgettable finish. Now, will this success in Sixes translate to the regular season this summer?

At least one oddsmaker seems to think so, as Hutton Jackson of Action Sports Network points out that Boston and Philadelphia are currently tied for the best odds to win the 2024 PLL Championship (+450). The Utah Archers, who struggled in Sixes without many of their best players, have +550 odds to repeat as champs. The Denver Outlaws, formerly known as the Chrome Lacrosse Club, have the worst title odds in the league (+1000).

Last year, head coach Brian Holman took over a Cannons team that finished 1-9 in 2023 and led them to a 7-3 record in the regular season. They entered the playoffs as the No. 2 seed, but ultimately fell to the Waterdogs in the semifinals.

After avenging that loss in the Championship Series Final, Boston may be the PLL team to beat heading into the summer.

💣 K18 Spotted in Unreleased TLN Hat

We’ve got a new hat coming out, and Hopkins legend Kyle Harrison was spotted wearing it at the 2024 PLL Championship Series.

Keep an eye out for this drop in the coming weeks, and sign up for SMS alerts so you don’t miss it!

🏀 Pat Spencer Gets NBA Call

Almost five years ago, former Loyola superstar and 2019 Tewaaraton Award winner Pat Spencer shocked the lacrosse community by switching sports and pursuing a basketball career. Now, he’s finally getting his shot in the NBA.

On Wednesday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported the Golden State Warriors’ decision to sign Spencer to a two-way contract after two seasons with the organization’s G-League team.

Spencer had 380 career points at Loyola and still holds the NCAA record for most assists (231). After the 2019 lacrosse season, he transferred to play basketball at Northwestern and pursued a pro career from there.

Spencer was averaging just north of 15 points per game with the Santa Cruz Warriors before signing his two-way contract. There are a lot of lacrosse fans rooting for him to succeed on the hardwood now that he has a chance to showcase his ability in the NBA.

🧐 How Old is Matt Brandau?

Earlier this week, Yale attackman Matt Brandau dropped an astounding 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) in a single game against Colgate.

Brandau was a freshman on the 2019 Yale lacrosse team that went to the NCAA Championship and this recent performance has many on the Internet questioning his age. Rumors are spreading that he is 27 years old, and those rumors are likely untrue.

According to multiple public record searches, Matthew Brandau of Timonium, Maryland, was born in December of 1998 and is currently 25 years old. That information is not confirmed by the player or the school, but it is consistent with Brandau graduating high school in 2018.

While 25 years old is admittedly pretty old for a college lacrosse player, Brandau missed most of the 2020 season and the entire 2021 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 season will be his fourth full season of college lacrosse.

👀 Dad Joins Son’s Lacrosse Team

If you think Brandau is old, wait until you hear this story: a 46-year-old father has joined his sons’ club lacrosse team at the University of North Texas. Rory Sanders is the team’s goalie, while his 20-year-old son Wesley is a midfielder and his 23-year-old son Ethan is a defensive coach.

Sanders enrolled at the University last fall and was convinced by his sons to try out for the lacrosse team.

“I told him to just come and try it out and see how he felt,” Rory’s son Ethan told the North Texas Daily. “So he showed up, and [Wes and I] just said, ‘Hey guys, new goalie.’”

North Texas is an MCLA Division II team that competes in the Lone Star Alliance (LSA). They are 1-0 on the season after defeating UT-Dallas, 16-6, on Feb. 17. Rory “Pops” Sanders was credited with eight saves in the win, finishing with a .571 save percentage.

📺 Weekend TV & Streaming Info

NCAA streaming info courtesy of Inside Lacrosse (all times Eastern):

Friday, Feb. 23:
3 p.m. — Siena at UMass Lowell (ESPN+)
4 p.m. — Towson at Saint Joseph’s (ESPN+)
6 p.m. — Jacksonville at Duke (ACCNX)

Saturday, Feb. 24:
11 a.m. — Manhattan at NJIT (AmericaEast.com)
11 a.m. — St. Bonaventure at VMI (Streaming Info Unavailable)
12 p.m. — Mercer at Army (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Binghamton at Lafayette (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — Brown at Providence (FloSports)
12 p.m. — Quinnipiac at Bryant (AmericaEast.com)
12 p.m. — High Point at Cleveland State (Steaming Info Unavailable)
12 p.m. — Colgate at Villanova (FloSports)
12 p.m. — UAlbany at Drexel (LacrosseTV)
12 p.m. — Wagner at Fairfield (Stags Sports Network)
12 p.m. — Johns Hopkins at North Carolina (ACCNX)
12 p.m. — UMBC at Mount St. Mary’s (The Mount All-Access)
12 p.m. — Penn State at Navy (ESPN+)
12 p.m. — St. John’s at Richmond (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Bucknell at Harvard (Streaming Info Unavailable)
1 p.m. — Holy Cross at Dartmouth (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Hampton at Queens (Queens Sports Network)
1 p.m. — LIU at Lindenwood (Streaming Info Unavailable)
1 p.m. — Rutgers at Loyola (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Merrimack at UMass (ESPN+)
2 p.m. — Stony Brook at Air Force (ESPN+)
2 p.m. — Cornell at Denver (Pioneer All-Access)
2 p.m. — Princeton at Maryland (B1G+)
2 p.m. — Vermont at Utah (Pac-12.com)
3 p.m. — Marist at Hofstra (FloSports)
3:30 p.m. — Delaware at Penn (ESPN+)
4 p.m. — Canisius at Robert Morris (Streaming Info Unavailable)
7 p.m. _ Marquette at Michigan (B1G+)

Sunday, Feb. 25:
12 p.m. — Le Moyne at Sacred Heart (ESPN+)
1 p.m. — Ohio State at Virginia (ACCNX)
2 p.m. — Georgetown at Notre Dame (ESPNU)