Titans Select College Stars in NLL draft
September 9, 2009 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Orlando Titans News Release
BUFFALO, NY (Sept. 9, 2009) -- The Orlando Titans, Florida's first professional indoor lacrosse team, made the most of a pair of second round picks, selecting a pair of high-profile college players in the 2009 National Lacrosse League Entry Draft on Wednesday night in Buffalo.
With Orlando's first-ever pick in the draft and the 19th selection overall, the Titans selected three-time All-American Dan Hardy out of Syracuse. A midfielder in college, Hardy played an integral role in Syracuse's run to back-to-back national championships.
As a senior, Hardy was the third leading scorer for the Orange (1st among midfielders), tallying 25 goals and 18 assists. He stepped up his game during the post-season, scoring five goals and adding four assists in leading the Orange to four straight victories in the NCAA Tournament. His efforts led to Hardy being named to the first unit of the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
For his career, Hardy scored 83 goals and accounted for 136 points. He scored six game-winning goals in his career. "We were extremely pleased that Dan was available to us in the second round," Titans GM and Head Coach Ed Comeau said. "We were targeting a player with a big left-handed shot and Dan fits that bill."
Inside Lacrosse Magazine rated Hardy the 15th best prospect available in the draft and called him "perhaps the most NLL-ready player of any NLL prospect." Hardy was also rookie of the year in the outdoor professional league, Major League Lacrosse.
The Titans were able to select Hardy with the selection after receiving the pick from Buffalo. Earlier, the Titans sent their first round pick (#10 overall) to the Bandits in exchange for the #19 pick and the Buffalo's first round pick in 2011.
Three picks later, the Titans added defenseman Michael Evans from Johns Hopkins University. Evans was a first-team All-America selection as a senior, grabbing 16 ground balls and causing nine turnovers. He was 3rd team All-America as a junior and honorable mention All-America as a sophomore.
At 6-2, 220-lbs., Evans was described as "a player who will give us a physical presence," by Comeau. Inside Lacrosse magazine listed him as the 30th best prospect in the draft and noted that "Evan's hard-checking physical high profile coverage game is exactly what NLL General Managers look for in the draft."
With the 41st pick of the draft, the Titans again looked to the national champions to select Syracuse attacker Kenny Nims. A first team All-America selection, Nims led Syracuse in scoring with 74 points. He was one of the heroes of the NCAA Championship game, scoring the game-tying goal against Cornell with just 4.5 seconds remaining to send that game into overtime.
For his career, Nims scored 175 points with 93 goals and 82 assists. He was second team All-America in 2008, scoring 58 points in helping the Orange to another national title. He was rated the 19th best prospect by Inside Lacrosse magazine.
With the 50th pick in the 5th round, the Titans selected Ryan Learn an indoor player from the Burlington Chiefs of the Ontario Lacrosse Association. Rated the 25th best prospect by Inside Lacrosse, Learn was described by the magazine as a "shifty, speedy, clutch offensive threat," who led the Chiefs in scoring last summer.
The Titans used their final pick of the draft to select Orlando native and former Boone High School standout Ryan McCafferty. A captain at Elizabeth College (Pa.), McCafferty scored 41 goals last season in leading Elizabeth to a 12-4 record. It is believed that McCafferty is the first Orlando native to be selected in the NLL Draft.
In all, 62 players were selected in the NLL Draft, with Syracuse standout Sid Smith going first to Rochester. The Titans open up their first season in Orlando on January 8, 2010 - hosting Philadelphia in the first-game of the 2010 season. For ticket information, call the Titans Office at 407-601-6516 or log on to www.orlandotitans.com.
2009 ORLANDO TITANS DRAFT RESULTS
Round Overall Selection
1 10th Traded to Buffalo for Bandits second round pick
2 19th Dan Hardy, Syracuse University (From Buffalo)
2 22nd Michael Evans, Johns Hopkins
4 41st Kenny Nims, Syracuse
5 50th Ryan Learn, Burlington Chiefs, Ontario Lacrosse Association
6 61st Ryan McCafferty, Elizabeth College (Pa.), Boone High School, Orlando
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