From the podcast: Life in the Ivy League with the Piatelli brothers

From left, Jack, John and Brian Piatelli talk about the recruiting process and playing D-1 with co-host Kyle Devitte. (Seamans Media)

On this week’s episode of New England Lacrosse Journal’s “Chasing the Goal” podcast, hosts Kyle Devitte and Jack Piatelli welcomed John and Brian Piatelli, both Division 1 athletes at Cornell University. 

John Piatelli is in his fifth year at Cornell after two pandemic-shortened seasons. Brian Piatelli is in his third year after playing in just five games the last two years. Both players went to St. Sebastian’s and came to Cornel in two different ways despite being from the same family and playing on the same club team with Piatelli Lacrosse.

The two detail that process with their father, and give advice to prospective D-1 lacrosse players.  

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it please leave a rating and a review.

This podcast is sponsored by the University of Nebraska High School. For more information on UNHS, visit highschool.nebraska.edu/nelj.

Kyle Devitte: How different were your experiences being recruited, and leading up to attending Cornell?

John Piatelli: I would say that we had different paths. For me I had a different road because I went to two years of public high school at King Philip (Regional) and then to St. Sebastian’s. At the time, there were different recruiting rules — now you can’t be contacted until you’re a junior — but that sophomore summer and fall it felt like you really needed to get recruited if you want to play Divison 1.

I did have aspirations to play at that level, but that sophomore fall I didn’t get a lot of looks. The following spring I played really well but was still a little behind on the recruiting circuit. So, I had a conversation with my dad about it and he was very smart to hold me back a year and transfer to St. Sebastian’s. It really elevated my game and that gave me an extra year to get recruited. The following fall, I went to a Cornell camp (and) played really well. Really liked the coaches and the team — everything about it. Had a few conversations with them so it was a pretty short process. 

Brian Piatelli: For me, a big part of it was playing for Piatelli Lacrosse in the summer tournaments. Getting in front of college coaches during the summer is huge. Going to the individual showcases at different colleges really helped. Two in particular that really helped were Villanova and Cornell. I was fortunate to get invited for visits to both schools, but the thing that stood out to me was the culture at Cornell. 

Jack Piatelli: As a parent, I never really thought about the recruiting process, honestly. Even with my daughter (Julie), I wanted them to enjoy the game and focus on their academics and everything will fall into place. Brian and I were in the car one day and he was worried about getting recruited because all of his friends were getting recruited. And I asked him, “Have you hit puberty yet?” And he said, “No” and I told him he had nothing to worry about then. Just focus on your studies and the rest will come.

Brian Piatelli: With recruiting ranks, John and I never paid attention to them. I wasn’t worried, just kept my head down and kept working. At the end of the day, what you do in the summer gets you recruited, but it really matters what you do in college when you’re there. So, if you’re going to be a high-ranked recruit, that puts a lot of pressure on you.

Kudos to those guys that do get ranked high on those lists. There are a lot of good players on there. But it really is about what you can produce in college. For us, realizing that we’ve had two seasons canceled now, the goal for us is just to win. It’s not about personal accolades. It never was. 

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