Teddy Oh was a member of ADVNC San Francisco and current member of ADVNC NDP 2027 and one of the top goalies in the 2027 class.
He is a consensus national five star player, and has been ranked as a top 10 player in the country by Inside Lacrosse, the National Lacrosse Federation and Prep Lacrosse and is committed to play at Harvard University starting in the fall of 2027.
Ryan (left) and Teddy Oh (right).
Teddy’s lacrosse journey started when he was about 8 years old with some lacrosse sticks given to him by his uncle. He and his older brother Ryan (ADVNC ‘21) would play catch with their dad, David in the backyard. His dad played a little lacrosse when he was younger and was familiar with the game and was excited that the sport had grown so much in California.
“David approached me and told me he wanted the boys to start lacrosse,” said Teddy’s mom, Jenny. “Growing up in California, I had never heard of lacrosse so I had no idea what he was talking about!”
Teddy joined the Coyotes rec team out of Burlingame, and like most kids, he started out as a field player. His Coyotes coach, who was also a lacrosse goalie, would require every player to play at least half a game in net, but he would also highlight and glamorize the importance of the position so kids viewed it as an opportunity and not a chore. It became clear that Teddy had a gift for being in the cage, and over the next couple years, he eventually transitioned to becoming a full time goalie. Although he continued to play other sports, lacrosse was his main passion and the one he took most seriously.
Teddy after winning an ADVNC Tourney along with his longtime coach BJ Grill (right).
When Teddy was ten years old, he joined ADVNC San Francisco. A core group of kids from that team stayed together over the years and would become the nucleus of one of the strongest teams in the country at the 2027 age group.
“ADVNC has been the most formative experience in my lacrosse career,” Teddy said. “We had a very talented group of guys who all loved the sport, and being on the ADVNC SF and NDP teams really shaped my development as a player. We had an amazing coach in BJ Grill and our practices and training camps were very high level, with lots of energy and intensity, week in and week out.”
“ADVNC provided the avenue for Teddy to compete,” said Jenny. “The club provided Teddy with excellent coaches who believed in him and encouraged him as a young player, and drove them to improve and create the habits that made him a successful goalie and teammate. We couldn't be more grateful for Coach BJ who helped guide him for many years.”
The ADVNC NDP 2027 team after winning Naptown in 2021.
In 2021, when Teddy and his teammates were about twelve years old, the ADVNC NDP 2027 team became the first team from west of the Mississippi River to win the prestigious Naptown Challenge in Annapolis. “Our team had won some local events and West Coast tournaments” explained Teddy, “but that was a huge tournament win and really showed that we could compete with the best on a national level. That win back in ‘21 was just the coolest thing, and I remember playing a very tough Annapolis Hawks team who beat us earlier in the tournament, but we faced them again in the finals on a blazing hot day and were able to come out with the win.”
The core of that NDP ‘27 team has continued to play together ever since. They’ve won countless tournaments all over the country, and many of those players continued to develop into very talented high school players with numerous commitments to top-tier DI Programs.
Teddy credits other goalie specific coaches for helping his development along the way, including Hugh Conrad (former De La Salle and Yale goalie) during his middle school years, and as he got older, he would get training and advice from Tim Cassi of Focus Lacrosse and with coaches from Goaliesmith out of Baltimore. Teddy also mentions ADVNC ‘23 Goalie George Northup (currently at Yale) as helping him a lot over the years. “I did lessons with George starting in the 8th grade, as he happened to live down the street,” Teddy said. “He’s definitely been a role model for me. He left the Bay Area and went to boarding school at Lawrenceville, and he would give me a lot of advice not just about lacrosse, but he also would talk to me about boarding school and the possibility of playing in college.”
Teddy started his high school career at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, CA, but at the end of his freshman year, he knew that he wanted to play lacrosse on the East Coast, and he transferred to the Taft School in Connecticut as a sophomore. Teddy earned the starting spot at Taft in his sophomore season in the ultra competitive Founders League.
“Boarding school has been tough, but it’s been a great experience and it's been a lot of fun playing against some of the best teams in the country week after week,” Teddy said. “Testing myself against top high school players has really helped my competitive side. I know that every week I have to be the best version of myself in order to compete.”
“Obviously, it’s been hard having him away from home all year,” said David. “But seeing him mature at Taft has been so rewarding. In his first season at Taft, it was a challenge, but I could see him gaining confidence and improving his skills week by week.”
When the summer of 2025 came, Teddy and his family leaned on ADVNC Founder & CEO Chris Rotelli and BJ Grill for guidance entering the college recruiting process. At that point, it was starting to become clear that Teddy would have a number of options in his recruitment. “Coach Rotelli was on the sideline with me that summer with NDP, so I would talk to him about the schools I was interested in. He would give me guidance on how I should be reaching out to coaches via email. It was reassuring to see him talking to all the college coaches before and after my games on my behalf. Both Coach Rotelli and Coach Grill were really helpful during that entire process.”
“Teddy was fortunate to be in a position where he was going to be a sought after recruit, in a very competitive class of goalies,” David said. “Coach Rotelli did a great job of telling us what to expect. My older son went through the recruiting process during an unusual COVID summer, but we knew Teddy’s summer was going to be a different process and experience. ADVNC was great in helping us navigate through the summer and leading into September.”
“Coach Rotelli provided guidance on the schools Teddy was interested in and which schools he thought made sense, given where Teddy was as a player and a student,” said Jenny. “Coach Rotelli could give us insight into the coaches and the programs and it gave us some things to think about when looking at the list of schools he was interested in. Overall ADVNC was very supportive and helped highlight Teddy as a solid goalie to the college coaches.”
For years, Teddy wanted to attend and play at Harvard, due to its combination of lacrosse and academics. “They were #1 on my list for a long time. I’ve felt drawn to the school and I knew if I had the chance to go there, that was going to be my top choice. I went to their prospect day in the fall of my sophomore year. I liked the coaches. I liked the school. And then last summer, me and my dad visited Boston and Cambridge before I moved into Taft and I liked it all even more.”
But even then, he wasn’t really sure what to expect when midnight came on August 31. “When midnight hit, I got a lot of texts from college coaches. It was pretty surreal. It took me a long time to go to sleep because my heart was pumping so much. I set up a bunch of calls for the next day, and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Getting to talk to all these big name college programs and coaches, after seeing and hearing about them for so many years, was just amazing.”
One of those text messages was from Harvard, and he quickly set up a call and a campus visit. Coach Neil Hutchinson (Harvard’s Offensive Coordinator) arranged to come out to meet Teddy at Taft on September 1st. “Then on September 2nd, I visited Harvard, watched a practice and did a tour with some players, and that just sealed the deal for me,” Teddy said. “I committed right there on the spot and there was no need to take any other visits. I remember giving Coach Byrne a hug and a handshake. Then I had to drive back to Taft to get ready for the first day of classes! It all just happened so quickly. It was super cool.”
“Teddy used the word surreal, and that’s exactly what it was,” said David. “As a parent, you want the best things for your kids and we had hoped and thought that lacrosse would help open doors for Teddy for college. But to actually see that happening, and for him to have the chance to attend his dream school, is pretty amazing.”
With that part of the journey now behind them, David and Jenny have similar advice for parents with kids who aspire to play at a high level college lacrosse program. “This entire process must be 100% driven by the player,” said Jenny. “Teddy is the one who asked to go to every tournament. Teddy wanted to travel to the East Coast to compete. Teddy wanted to train and develop. ver the years, ADVNC provided a lot of opportunities for Teddy to play at a high level, and David and I just supported him. After every tournament, my only question has always been ‘Did you have fun?’ I didn’t comment on whether he played well or didn't, as we knew he would have plenty of opportunities to play and improve and find new challenges to overcome. If your player wants to compete in college then it is definitely possible!”
Teddy has the following advice for young players who aspire to play at high level in college. “On the field, it’s about never being satisfied with where you are skill-wise. You need to always be looking to get better. When you think you’re good enough, don’t let that deter you from working just as hard as you were before. Whether it is your stick skills, your communication or your conditioning, there are always ways to improve. Off the field, really try and hone in your mental game. Find a pregame routine that works for you, whether it's doing certain hand eye drills, taking notes of things to focus on or think about or even just listening to music to get in a good space before the game begins.”