Brody Burrell is a standout goalie on the ADVNC NDP ‘23 squad who is committed to play at Colgate University, starting next Fall.
Brody played the field before turning to goalie.
Brody is one of a handful of Canadian players in the ADVNC NDP. Hailing from Surrey, British Columbia, a town 45 minutes outside Vancouver, Brody started playing box lacrosse when he was 5 years old.
“Lacrosse was pretty fun when I was little,” said Brody. “I had a lot of friends that I played with. Growing up and playing with the same group of guys in Surrey was fun. The social part of it was nice and I liked to compete.”
Brody didn’t step into the crease and between the pipes as a field goalie until he was 9 years old. “My team had a shortage of goalies so I stepped in one day and was pretty good to start off,” said Brody. “Then another game we needed a goalie again so I stepped in again and it just took off from there.”
Brody loved his time playing for the Seattle Starz.
“In the area we live, there’s a ceiling on the level of play you get in field lacrosse, so we started seeking other opportunities for Brody to grow,” said Guy Burrell. “We found the Seattle Starz program, and started traveling down to Seattle twice a week for Brody to play. That’s when things got interesting and his level of play picked up. For most people, driving 2.5 hours each way to play lacrosse would be a pain, but for us, it was an excellent way to bond as a family. It strengthened our relationship for sure.”
“I never found the travel too bad,” said Brody. “I enjoyed being with my parents. Seattle Starz was a really good group. I found I was just as close with them as I was with my friends in Surrey. I started in 7th grade and played with Seattle till the end. That was one of my favorite teams I’ve been on.”
When ADVNC partnered with the Starz and started the NDP, Brody was fully on board.
Burrell playing with ADVNC NDP at Naptown in 2022.
“NDP got me a ton of exposure that I needed and provided me with a very high quality level of play. It allowed me to play with great players and against great players on the East Coast. For a kid from Surrey to compete against someone from Maryland was really nice.”
“Brody has always been looking for ways to improve, he’s very self-regimented” said Brody’s mom, Kathleen Burrell. “When he started playing with ADVNC and saw the level of play that’s out there, he really started pushing himself harder. He put the pedal down, no brakes, once he got into the NDP. Full-on effort. He wishes he could’ve done that sooner. Being around all the great players, he started trying to live up to that same level.”
Brody was originally set to graduate High School in 2022. But due to covid restrictions, he had issues crossing the border into the USA. He couldn’t play any meaningful games during the Summer of 2020 and that hurt his college recruiting stock. “There was nothing going on and that got extremely difficult for Brody,” said Guy Burrell.
But then, ADVNC Founder & CEO Chris Rotelli, along with a coach from British Columbia, Mitch Cavallarin, helped Brody connect with his former coach of UVa, Dom Starsia. A four-time national champion coach and Lacrosse Hall of Famer, Starsia is now the head coach at Blue Ridge School in Charlottesville, Va.
“I got an email from Coach Starsia, saying he had an opportunity for a goalie to come play at Blue Ridge,” Brody said. “At first I was hesitant and told Coach that I didn’t think it was the right opportunity for me, however, as time passed I realized that I regretted the choice I made. Out of luck and coincidence, I got a text from Coach Starsia a few weeks after and he asked me if I was having second thoughts. That’s when I decided to take him up on his offer.”
Burrell plays for Blue Ridge in Charlottesville, Va.
Brody re-classed to a 2023 at Blue Ridge, and played his first ever High School lacrosse season in 2021 in Virginia. “It’s been great,” said Brody. “Being around my teammates the entire year, they are like my brothers. We spend so much time together at boarding school and the chemistry we have is so great.”
“I call the whole thing a quest,” said Guy Burrell. “It’s been very stressful, just wondering if all of my son’s hard work would pay off. This kid has worked so hard from the time he was 5 years old, and we didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Brody was able to play for ADVNC NDP during the summer of 2021, and started getting calls from DI coaches on September 1 of last year. “Colgate was one of the first schools to reach out to me, and I felt it was the right one from the beginning,” said Brody. “My Mom and I visited the campus and when we got there I knew it was the right place for me.”
“The Colgate coaches called Kathleen and I and asked for our permission to talk to Brody,” said Guy Burrell. “Once that connection happened, and we realized things were now going in the direction we had hoped, it was one of the coolest feelings I’ve ever had.”
“None of this happens without Chris Rotelli and ADVNC,” said Guy Burrell. “Chris is the heartbeat of the program and is well respected in all levels of lacrosse. He’s the real deal. He’s on the sideline and you can tell how into the game he is and how much he loves it. His energy spreads through the boys like wildfire.”
“When I had a question for Coach Rotelli, he’s the fastest person to respond back to me over text or email that I’ve ever met,” said Brody. “He will help you with anything. He’s always there for me. It was huge having him by my side and making me feel supported.”
Looking back on his journey, Brody has this advice for young players who aspire to play DI lacrosse.
“The best guys are the ones who motivate themselves to put in work. Find ways to motivate yourself and work, that’s what matters the most in the end.”