Amazing Rookie Class Sees Latrell Harris Finish As 2nd Runner-Up
Oakville, ON – The National Lacrosse League today announced Toronto Rock forward Tom Schreiber as the league’s Rookie of the Year. His teammate, defender Latrell Harris, finished as second runner-up for the award.
“I’m truly honoured to be recognized as the rookie of the year, especially with some of the performances we had around the league this season,” said Schreiber. “I’d like to thank Jamie Dawick, coach Matt Sawyer and the rest of the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play and for working with me, helping me get acclimated and really being patient with me throughout my transition. I’d like to thank my teammates for mentoring me and teaching me the game from a players perspective and helping me improve from week to week.”
When Schreiber showed up to the Toronto Rock Athletic Centre in late November to put in some extra work before training camp with Rock legends Josh Sanderson and Blaine Manning, the Toronto Rock really had no idea what they were getting. The Princeton field lacrosse star had little to no experience within the confines of the box.
But wow, did the American experiment ever pay off for the Toronto Rock in 2017.
After a solid training camp where the Rock staff noticed significant improvements in Schreiber’s game each and every time out, he began the regular season with 13 points in his first three games. But, it was his fourth game of the season, on the third of February that Schreiber put the league on notice.
His ten-point game against the Buffalo Bandits included three goals and seven assists. One of those three markers was a goal-of-the-year candidate crease dive that saw him do things in the air that only those with wings should be capable of. The native of East Meadow, NY had arrived in the NLL.
Finishing the season with 94 points, a new Rock rookie record, Schreiber led the NLL in rookie scoring and also topped all Rock scorers. He also set the NLL rookie and Rock rookie record with 61 assists. His 33 goals were second best on the team.
Schreiber was one of six Rock rookies to play regularly in 2017. Latrell Harris was one of those six and was also the youngest player in the NLL last season. Harris finished as the second runner-up for this year’s Rookie of the Year Award behind Rochester’s Kyle Jackson. The Rock rookie class also included 2016 NLL Draft picks Challen Rogers (1st Round, 2nd Overall) and Jordan Magnuson (3rd Round, 23nd Overall). Harris was also selected in the 2016 NLL Draft in the 2nd round, 12th overall. Forwards Reid Reinholdt and Kieran McArdle, who were making the same transition from outdoor to indoor as Schreiber, rounds out the Rock first year phenoms.
Schreiber joins Colin Doyle (1998), Blaine Manning (2002), Ryan Benesch (2007), and Stephan Leblanc (2010) among Rock players that have won the NLL’s Rookie of the Year Award.
2018 Season Tickets are also on sale now. Please visit torontorock.com/tickets or call 416-596-3075 to purchase or for more information.
