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DU men’s lacrosse players Alex Demopolous and Mark Matthews will each have the opportunity they wished for this summer when they play their first season as professionals in Major League Lacrosse (MLL).
While both seniors look forward to their final season at Denver, they are excited about where they ended up following the Jan. 13 MLL Draft.
Matthews was selected by the Denver Outlaws with the No. 4 overall selection, the highest any DU player has ever gone in the draft, which means he will be able to stay in the city in which he established himself as a collegiate player.
“With all this draft stuff going on, I was really hoping that I would end up here [in Denver] and now that it has happened, I can’t thank them enough for choosing me, especially where they chose me at the No. 4 pick,” said Matthews. “It’s definitely special to be picked professionally for lacrosse, especially here with all the hockey guys being NHL draft picks. Now, the draft is more serious and we are pro players now. It’s really cool.”
As for Demopolous, the team’s second leading scorer last season, he was chosen with the No. 24 overall pick by the Ohio Machine, the league’s expansion franchise.
There will be a lot of newness for Demopolous in Ohio; however, he will see a familiar face when he arrives in Columbus this summer.
“I actually found out that one of my high school coaches is part of their organization, so that willl be good to have a familiar face around,” said Demopolous. “The city of Columbus is really cool and it’s going to be a new bit of scenery for me. It will be a great opportunity.”
Each of the players received their respective draft news with family as Matthews was with his cousin from Canada when he saw he had been selected and Demopolous was with his grandma.
“We watched it through the computer and it was just the two of us,” said Demopolous. “She was pretty excited about it, but it took me a few minutes to register that I had been drafted.”
The draft has not fazed the players, according to head coach Bill Tierney.
While Matthews got to be picked by the franchise he wanted to play for, Tierney believes both players have gotten what they wanted from the draft.
“Mark wanted to be here in Denver and Alex wanted to have a chance; he’s kind of an under-the-radar guy. Alex will have all the chance in the world being on an expansion team,” said Tierney.
Tierney said that his seniors have handled the situation with maturity and poise, which he expects will prepare them for the transition to the pro league after the collegiate season concludes in May.
“I think it’s very important to them to finish their careers at Denver as being crucial parts to the best team we’ve ever had here,” said Tierney. “They need to have great seasons, so when they make that transition they are ready to go and play professionally.”
