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Team B.C. selection special to player

Rhys MacDonald looks to grow as a lacrosse player and person from Team B.C. experience.
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RHYS MACDONALD of the Penticton Minor Lacrosse Association has been selected to Team B.C’s U15 field lacrosse squad.

It means the world to Rhys MacDonald being selected to Team B.C’s under-15 field lacrosse team.

MacDonald will make his Team B.C. debut in the 2017 CLA Field Lacrosse Nationals on Labour Day weekend in Saskatchewan and a recruiting event in Baltimore in the fall of 2017.

“I feel I’ve worked very hard to get to this point and I just can’t believe it has finally paid off,” said MacDonald, who has represented the Thompson-Okanagan zone in the B.C. Summer Games and has played for the Vancouver Stealth junior Academy. “It’s a really great feeling.”

READ MORE: Lacrosse players gain from U.S. national experience

The Team B.C. camp was competitive MacDonald said.

“Everybody is out there to take your spot. It’s one of those mentalities where everybody wants to make the team, but you kind of want to make friends at the same time. It’s almost like a backstab in a way if you take someones spot that they think they deserve. You’re just better.”

MacDonald felt good about his play, but wasn’t sure if he would make the team. While MacDonald is experiencing a confidence boost, he’s not going to let it get to his head. He doesn’t want it to affect his play. MacDonald, who plays on the Lakers new field lacrosse team, is focused on getting better with his Team B.C. teammates with the goal of earning a starting role.

“This opportunity I feel will really help me develop as a player and as a person,” said MacDonald, who started playing lacrosse three years ago.

Ian Radonich, coach of Team B.C., said MacDonald was identified early during the interior camp in Vernon in October. Radonich said MacDonald’s athleticism was a huge factor.

“He’s a body that kind of fits what we’re looking for in terms of he has good amount of size, but he’s also quite athletic and strong,” he said.

Radonich also likes MacDonald’s stick skills, speed and his understanding to play a defensive game. Another aspect that stood out was his fitness testing.

“His performance in the beep test was a big indicator not just of his fitness, but his willingness to kind of battle through,” said Radonich, who plans to use MacDonald as a midfielder.

In other news, five members of the Penticton Minor Lacrosse Association are playing for select teams in the Challenge in San Diego, Calif. Jan. 7 to 8. Connor Danby is playing for Team B.C. U13, Aidan Danby is on Minnesota Loons Elite U18, while Kale Lawrence, Nash Moog and Connor Ramage are on the U18 Mustang Gold team.

Teams will play five games in a championship format and there will be more than 75 National Collegiate Athletic Association coaches attending.