Matt Bailey is a standout FOGO from the ADVNC North Bay & NDP ‘24 team committed to playing at Colorado College starting this Fall.
Matt’s dad Nick put a stick in his hand when he was 4 years old. Nick grew up in the East Bay and played high school lacrosse at Acalanes. He also played club lacrosse at UC Davis. “The main thing I remember from those early days playing catch with my dad is that he had a stick with a titanium shaft,” Matt recalled. “For some reason that was so cool to me. When I got big enough to throw with one of his sticks, it was a super big deal.”
Matt loved lacrosse from the beginning, but he played many different sports, as his mom, Kate Bailey recalled. “Up until middle school, his favorite sport was whichever one he was playing at that moment. He loved playing baseball, basketball, football, soccer and lacrosse. Matthew genuinely loves to compete, and he’s a natural hard worker. Eventually, all of that seemed to coalesce around lacrosse.”
As he got older, Matt left baseball behind and played high school football and lacrosse at Marin Catholic. He then left football behind after his sophomore season. A lacrosse midfielder through the years, Matt would also face off a good bit, but eventually found the one on one nature of the competition at the faceoff X to be extremely alluring. “It’s just me vs that guy, and I get to see if I win or lose,” Matt said. “I love how physical facing off is. In those 5-6 seconds, I get to see if all my hard work has paid off. It’s awesome. I face off smiling.”
“We have a competitive family,” said Nick Bailey. “That’s how we approach sports. It’s about being in the moment. We taught our kids to love playing, competing, and giving best effort. We taught Matt to have fun in all of his sports, and to appreciate the opportunity to compete.”
“I approach every game and every face off with joy,” said Matt. “The opportunity to go out there and compete is a privilege. I play my best when I’m feeling joyful and having fun.”
As Matt left some of the other sports behind, and got more serious about lacrosse, he decided to join ADVNC going into his sophomore year at Marin Catholic. He was encouraged to play for ADVNC by his high school coaches, ADVNC Director of Training BJ Grill and ADVNC Alum and current ADVNC Coach Joe Reid. “I first played with ADVNC NDP at the Blackjack in Vegas and the Challenge in San Diego, and I loved it,” said Matt. “I got a ton of exposure and great training. The coaches really helped develop my lacrosse IQ.”
Playing in college wasn't Matt's goal until after he joined ADVNC. “The ADVNC coaches were fantastic and the level of play was elevated from what he was used to,” said Nick Bailey. “It was the old adage of: iron sharpens iron. He played with and against better players. He had to decide to work harder to keep up or fall off. Matt worked his tail off once he started with ADVNC.”
“Playing for ADVNC NDP afforded Matthew the opportunity to compete against better face off guys,” said Kate Bailey. “At the tournament back east, he was facing off against guys going to Division 1 programs like Notre Dame. And because Matthew is a cerebral type player, he thinks about what he can learn from every faceoff he takes. Playing against that higher level of talent forced him to evaluate his own game, and then put in the work to elevate it. We never envisioned him going to college to play lacrosse, but because of the exposure ADVNC gave him, the door swung wide open and he took advantage of it. We credit the support of this ADVNC coaches for that opportunity.”
“I talked with my high school coach, BJ Grill (also ADVNC Director of Training) and also another ADVNC coach, Sedge Gates,” Matt said. “They both spoke highly of the lacrosse program, coach and school. They helped me get in touch with Coach Horowitz. He came and watched me play with ADVNC NDP in Maryland. Coach Horowitz spoke with Coach Rotelli (ADVNC Founder & CEO). Overall it was a great process. I just fell in love with the school and the bright future of the lacrosse program. It’s in such a sweet spot in Colorado Springs. All of the current CC players I have met there have been awesome. I am looking forward to competing with them.”
Matt had one final meeting with Coach Horowitz, at ADVNC’s Best in the West Prospect Camp. He committed to the Tigers the next day. He’s excited to play with two guys he is already familiar with: ADVNC teammates Max Vota and Logan Chapman.
Looking back on his journey, Matt has spent hours watching game tape of two older FOGO’s. Petey LaSalla a star at UVa and now a pro in the PLL, as well as Luke Wierman, a senior at Maryland, and the Terps’ all time leader in face-offs. Matt has this advice for younger players who aspire to follow in his footsteps. “Work hard on your game for at least 15 minutes every single day. I have a dedicated spot in our house with carpet where I practice a ton of whistles. I go as quickly as possible and get my speed and reaction time up. Then I work on my technique at practice. But whatever you do, do it with a smile on your face. It has to be fun.”