Ryan Oh was a standout defenseman on the ADVNC East Bay ‘21 team who is committed to play lacrosse at Vassar College this coming fall.
Ryan grew up playing basketball and baseball, and didn’t pick up lacrosse until he was in the 6th/7th grade, when he and his younger brother (Teddy Oh, ADVNC SF 2027) both started playing lacrosse together with their dad, David, who played the game growing up in Southern California. The Oh brothers soon joined the local Coyotes rec team. “Lacrosse is similar to basketball in terms of movement and strategy, but learning to catch and throw with a lacrosse stick while constantly in motion took a while to pick up,” said Ryan. “From the beginning, I loved how physical and fast paced the game was.”
Ryan started playing lacrosse in middle school.
Ryan’s time with the Coyotes eventually led to him joining Serra High School’s varsity squad as a freshman. “I started playing attack at Serra and really loved how competitive it was, playing against kids and teams with a lot more experience. After a year of seeing how the defense played and how it impacted a game, I decided to make the switch to defense, and that’s when I really fell in love with lacrosse. I joined ADVNC soon after that because I wanted to take the game more seriously and knew I would need more practice time and face tougher competition if I wanted to improve.”
Switching to defense turned out to be a huge key to Ryan’s success on the field. “I loved the ability to hit and check people since the first time I played padded lacrosse,” said Ryan. “To me, defense encompasses the physical side of the game the most of any position but also requires individual skill and a lot of close coordination and communication with my defensive teammates. Plus, hitting people with a stick is always a lot of fun.”
Ryan started his ADVNC career with SF ‘21 White and then played for ADVNC East Bay ‘21.
Ryan started his ADVNC career playing for the ADVNC SF White ‘21 squad, coached by his Serra head coach, Tyler Kreitz. “Through ADVNC practices, I started learning about defensive techniques and slide packages and how to play as a single unit. It was a great learning experience and just made me want to play more and play harder. During my junior year, I started playing for the ADVNC East Bay ‘21 team. Coach Mikie (Schlosser - ADVNC East Bay Director) and Coach Joe and Jerome were really great in challenging me as a player and helping me continue to grow.”
“I was really impressed with the ADVNC East Bay program,” said David Oh, Ryan’s dad. “They may not compete in as many of the national events as other regional teams, but the East Bay has a great bunch of skilled kids and knowledgeable coaches and it was a fantastic opportunity for Ryan.”
After joining ADVNC East Bay, Ryan took his game to the next level. Playing with ADVNC gave him a foundation that allowed him to compete in individual showcase events and premier recruiting tournaments on both coasts. As he continued to improve and after receiving some initial interest from college coaches, Ryan decided to pursue an opportunity to play lacrosse in college heading into his senior year. The timing coincided with the pandemic. “Looking at colleges and trying to get involved in the recruiting process during the pandemic has definitely been a huge bummer for me,” said Ryan. “I’ve been working really hard the past few years and was looking forward to finishing strong with my senior season with my club and school teammates. But then the pandemic hit, and a lot of our plans had to change.”
Despite having more limited opportunities, Ryan continued to put in the work and continued his recruitment process during the pandemic, relying on ADVNC Founder & CEO Chris Rotelli as well as Tyler Kreitz for guidance. “Chris and Tyler guided us as to what the recruitment process was,” said David. “We were totally new to it and had no idea what the process was or how it worked. Ryan’s interest in lacrosse developed late, and ADVNC was a huge resource for us getting up to speed and understanding what we should consider doing, what we could expect from the entire process and how to maximize his chances of landing at the right program.”
“At first, everything was really confusing,” said Ryan. “Coach Chris and Coach Tyler simplified and clarified the process and really explained what I needed to do to get recruited the right way.”
Ryan eventually visited and toured Vassar and Swarthmore, two small liberal arts colleges at the top of his college list. “I couldn’t make an official visit or meet with any of the coaches or players at any of the schools,” said Ryan. “Everything was virtual. We were able to see each school in person over the summer, and walking around the campuses alone and doing lots of phone and zoom calls with the coaches and future teammates gave me a better idea of what each program was like.”
Ryan is a standout student at Serra who thinks he wants to major in Pre-Med. “I was looking for a good lacrosse school where I could go and get a great education. I believe Vassar is going to give me that balance between education and lacrosse that I was looking for. The coaching staff is tough, but clearly respects that my education comes first.”
Ryan is a standout defenseman for Serra High.
“Despite all the challenges, it all actually worked out for the best,” said David Oh. “For Ryan to go to Vassar and play lacrosse is amazing. Academics is always first and foremost in our family, so this is really a great opportunity for him. This was a culmination of a lot of work Ryan put in and we appreciate the foundation that ADVNC provided to support his growth as a player and as a young man. You just love to see your kid succeed like that and we were thrilled.”
For young players who wish to play at a great academic college, Ryan’s advice is, “you need to put in a lot of time on the field and a lot of time hitting the books early on. Create good habits now in the classroom and on the field,” Ryan said. “In High School, I chose the hardest classes and participated in lots of extracurricular activities. That resulted in a lot of late nights, but I think my academics, together with lacrosse opened doors to schools that maybe I otherwise wouldn’t have considered. To become more competitive, I worked on lacrosse skills but also on being a better all around athlete. Because I started playing competitive lacrosse a bit later than most, the summer leading into my junior year was big. I was getting on the field every day. Stick skills, running, ladders and footwork drills. Older kids need to hit the weights. Get faster. Put your body in the best position you can. You have to work hard and put in the time now, and it will pay off in the end.”