Penn’s Sam Handley among five Philly players picked in Premier Lacrosse League draft
Handley, a 2022 Tewaaraton Award finalist, was taken No. 4 overall by Chrome. Villanova and St. Joseph's players also were drafted by the top outdoor professional lacrosse league.
Sam Handley had a few anxious moments, but he didn’t have to wait too long to hear his name called during Tuesday night’s Premier Lacrosse League draft at the ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn.
The Penn midfielder, who was in the conversation to go No. 1 overall, was taken with the fourth pick by Chrome Lacrosse Club. Handley, who just wrapped up his senior season with the Quakers, racked up 30 goals and 25 assists in 13 games this year.
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Last season, Handley was the Ivy League Player of the Year and a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, which is awarded to the top men’s and women’s lacrosse players in the country. The Portland, Ore., native finished his Penn career with 104 goals and 90 assists in 46 games. His 194 points rank third in school history.
Several other players with local ties were selected in Tuesday’s four-round draft, with Villanova’s Matt Campbell next off the board to the Cannons with the first pick of the second round (No. 9 overall). Campbell, the Big East’s Midfielder of the Year, ranked in the top 30 nationally this season with 62 points (37 goals, 25 assists) in 15 games.
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Handley’s Penn teammate, Piper Bond, went to the Archers in Round 3, while the St. Joseph’s duo of Zach Cole (Redwoods) and Levi Anderson (Chaos) were picked in the fourth round. Cole, a Lenape grad, ranks ninth in the NCAA this season in faceoff percentage at .620.
Maryland midfielder Kyle Long, a Springfield (Delco) High School product, was picked in Round 4 by Atlas, while Conestoga’s James Reilly (Georgetown) was the final pick of the draft by Waterdogs.
The PLL, which includes eight teams and operates as a touring league, will begin its fifth season on June 3 in Albany, N.Y. Philadelphia will host the league’s title game on Sept. 24 at Subaru Park. Waterdogs defeated Chaos, 11-9, in last year’s championship at Subaru Park.
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