Israel is a tiny sliver of land in the Middle East roughly the size of New Jersey. Likewise, the country’s national lacrosse teams, ranked top 10 in every sector, has a player pool a fraction of the size of their competition.

The number of eligible athletes with real box lacrosse experience is a fraction of that fraction.

Recognizing the need to deepen the shallow player pool for the men’s national box team, Israel Lacrosse founder Scott Neiss — who served as the organization’s Executive Director from 2010-2021 — called the ILA’s U-21 Field Lacrosse Head Coach, Seth Mahler. The duo quickly identified the path to the future for Israel’s box program, and, despite several challenges, reluctantly confirmed Team Israel’s participation in the 2022 IIJL World Junior Lacrosse Championships in Winnipeg, Canada. The team would compete just days after the no-show of the men’s squad in Europe.

Israel’s hodgepodge group at World Juniors featured a wide range of experience. Some players had raw talent but were completely new to the box game, while others have been on the floor for a lifetime. Likewise, part of the team’s roster — eligible through dispensation waivers under the IIJL’s Developing Nation clause — probably has never enjoyed chinese food on December 25th.

Under strong coaches and stronger captains, the youngest, least experienced team at World Juniors secured convincing wins over Australia and Poland to secure its’ place in the Bronze Medal game. Experienced players shared their knowledge of the box game with ease to their fledgling teammates. Athletes with stronger connections to Israel shared their traditions just as seamlessly. A new model was born.