Loyola men’s lacrosse senior Adam Poitras recently chatted with PressBox about picking lacrosse while growing up in Canada, playing for Charley Toomey and more. The 6-foot-2, 180-pound midfielder posted 29 goals, 9 assists and 29 ground balls for the Greyhounds in 2022. Poitras is a native of Whitby, Ontario, and graduate of The Hill Academy.
PressBox: How did you become interested in lacrosse?
Adam Poitras: I think I started playing when I was 3. I didn’t want to play hockey [year-round], and there was nothing really to do in the summer. It was either baseball or basketball. And then one of my friend’s moms introduced me to the game. My parents were always against it, but I tried it out. I originally didn’t like it and then kind of grew to love it and I’ve been playing ever since. I’ve played every summer. I play sometimes throughout the winter as well. I don’t know life without lacrosse since I was 3 years old.
PB: Why lacrosse instead hockey?
AP: I decided I think in 10th grade. It was either continue pursuing hockey or go to The Hill Academy in Toronto, which was a specialized school for lacrosse. I had a couple buddies who were already there and they spoke so highly of it. It was kind of a no-brainer. I was pretty torn between it, but once I heard such great things about the school, it was an easy decision.
PB: Is The Hill Academy specifically for lacrosse? What drew you there? What was the experience like?
AP: There is a hockey program as well, but it is more known for lacrosse. … It’s a school designed for student-athletes and pursuing, for lacrosse, NCAA opportunities. It was made by the Merrill family. They kind of designed a school where you bring kids in and you practice every day throughout the whole school year. You have a workout session. There’s a gym on campus. You go to school for the rest of the day. They’ve incorporated a life that’s easier for student-athletes rather than going to a public school where you go to school early in the morning and you go to practice after school. It’s not as organized, but The Hill has a really good system and schedule where you get both lifting, practice at a high level and then school as well.
PB: Who were the influences on your game growing up?
AP: My box coach back home, Shaun Williams, had a huge influence on me. I started playing [for him] when I was probably 10 years old. And then coaches at The Hill — Brodie Merrill, Riley O’Connor, Kyle Kallay — they all kind of formed me into the player I am now.
PB: Why did you choose to come to Loyola?
AP: When I first visited here, I knew I wanted a small school that was kind of similar to high school. I really liked how close-knit [it was]. When I stepped on campus and met the coaches, it was a family feel and an at-home feel. It didn’t feel like you were just another number in a classroom. I don’t think I’ve had a class of more than 45 students, so you can have that one-on-one time with your professors. They care about you. They can help make arrangements with your schedule. And then lacrosse-wise, everybody here loves the lacrosse team. We’re the football team on campus. You don’t get that many places.
PB: What’s your favorite memory so far at Loyola?
AP: Probably beating Hopkins my freshman year here at Ridley. There were [3,707] people here. It was a bit of a crazy game.
PB: What’s it like to learn from head coach Charley Toomey?
AP: There are not many people better to learn from. He’s a USA Lacrosse coach. He’s super intense every day. He’s real passionate. It’s hard not to want to run through a brick wall for him every time he speaks. I have no regrets. I think he might be the best coach I’ve ever had. … Obviously, he’s loud. But you can hear the passion and the want to win and the want for us to get better. He wants you to be better as a person, not just a lacrosse player. He just looks in your eyes and he always tells you what he truly believes. He’s not going to lie to you, whether it’s a hard truth or not. He always wants you to get better as a person and as a player.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Baltimore?
AP: Maybe the crabs. You don’t get that back home.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about Loyola?
AP: Ridley.
PB: Who’s a player you looked up to when you were a freshman at Loyola?
AP: [Former attackman] Kevin Lindley — obviously how much he’d score the ball, but every single day he was just a tough guy to play against. He never wanted to lose, most competitive guy I’ve ever seen. He brought it every day. He didn’t talk very much, but when you saw him do the stuff he did on the field, it was tough not to want to run through a brick wall or to want to follow him.
PB: What advice do you have for younger players going through the recruiting process?
AP: Figure out your school first. If you don’t have the grades and you don’t have the want to do well academically, you can’t come to places like this.
PB: What are your goals for after lacrosse?
AP: Hopefully pro lacrosse and medical school back home. I worked in elderly care two summers ago in the hospital and really liked it.
Photo Credit: Larry French
Issue 279: February/March 2023
Originally published Feb. 15, 2023