Porter started loving lacrosse before he even stepped on a field. “My dad was the coach at Tam High when I was really little,” Jack said. “Being in the locker room, and around those players all the time inspired me to be like them. I still have a helmet in my room that all those players signed for me.”
Jack’s dad, Jon Porter is well known in Bay Area youth lacrosse. He grew up in the lacrosse hotbed of Syracuse, NY and played collegiately at SUNY Potsdam. Jon moved to the Bay Area for grad school at USF and has been sharing his love of the game with young players ever since. First as a High School coach, and then, as the executive director of the youth lacrosse recreational club, Southern Marin Wolfpack, an organization where he remains active.
Jon instilled a love for the game in his oldest son very early on. “I’ve just loved having a stick in my hand since I was a young kid,” said Jack. “Going down to the wall, playing all the time. I have enjoyed every second of it.”
Jon and his wife Lin, have spent their parenting days watching Jack and his younger brother, Ben, a sophomore defenseman at SI, play lacrosse.
Lin grew up in Idaho, where at the time, there was no lacrosse. She met Jon in San Francisco, and has been watching lacrosse ever since. “When I started watching Jon play, I loved the sport,” said Lin Porter. “And I’m glad I do! It’s 24/7 lacrosse at our house. There’s holes in the walls all over the house from these boys playing.”
When Jack outgrew the Wolfpack, he joined ADVNC in 8th grade. “The reason I chose ADVNC is because I realized I wanted to take my game to the next level,” said Jack. “I knew about their great reputation and how they’ve helped so many players get to the next level.”
“I’d gotten to know Chris Rotelli through my youth lacrosse days and I always knew ADVNC is where my boys would end up going when they were finished playing youth lacrosse,” said Jon Porter. “ADVNC has been an awesome experience. It’s cool to see the kids from different youth programs and different high schools become friends and go compete against teams from other parts of the country.”
“ADVNC has been great,” Jack said. “There are so many good players on my team. I wanted the highest competition possible, and ADVNC has that. Competing with those guys in practice and in tournaments has made me better.”
Jack’s dream to play DI lacrosse took root his freshman year, when he couldn't play any games due to COVID restrictions. “With a lot of time on my hands, I just watched a lot of games on TV and saw all the big stars play,” said Jack. “I said to myself, I want to do that. I feel like I have what it takes.”
Due to a combo of COVID during his freshman season and an injury that sidelined him during his sophomore season, Jack’s recruiting process went slower than he would have liked.
“But I had a great junior season,” Jack said. “I made first team WCAL, and was SI’s leading scorer. That gave me good momentum heading into my summer with ADVNC. I played well at Crabfeast and Naptown, including an overtime game winning goal at Naptown (which Jack said is his favorite ADVNC memory).”
College coaches started coming after Jack. The Porter’s relied heavily on ADVNC Founder & CEO, Chris Rotelli. “Chris was our main resource,” Jon said. “Anytime we had questions, we called Chris first. He would get back to us in a second. His response time was always awesome. He gets to know the kids really well. He gets to know both their personalities and their playing style. He can tell you where you will or won’t be a good fit in college. He offered up great guidance on the various opportunities that Jack was presented with. Coach Rotelli, along with Coach Zissi, of West Coast Starz, worked really well as a team in the recruiting process and Coach Packard’s (Head Coach of St. Ignatius) reputation with college coaches speaks for itself.”
“Coach Rotelli did a great job explaining how the whole process worked,” Jack said. “He would tell me which schools were interested and who would be a good fit for me. He said Drexel would be an amazing fit. Drexel was always on my list. When they reached out and offered me a spot, I was like, ‘Let’s Go!’ I love everything about the school, the program and the coaches.”
With their oldest son committed to realize his dream of playing DI lacrosse, Jon and Lin are very proud. “It’s pretty surreal,” said Jon. “All you want as a parent is for your kids to love to do something and find their passion and joy in doing it. Now to sit back and watch him continue to pursue his dream and find success, it’s the greatest feeling as a parent. It’s just awesome.”
“As a parent, seeing your kids pursue their passion and be successful is a very happy feeling.” Lin said.
With his recruitment now behind him, Jack has this advice for young players who wish to follow in his footsteps. “You have to work hard and be disciplined. You can’t give up through the journey. Stick with it through the highs and lows if you want to play at the highest level. You have to dedicate yourself.”
Lin has this advice for parents of aspiring DI players, “The kids have to internalize their goal and have the drive to do well on their own. Going to the wall on their own, and doing the things that make you a better player when no one else is watching.”
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