PLL Draft

Recapping Bill Tierney’s first PLL Draft with the Philadelphia Waterdogs

Bill Tierney, the new head coach and general manager of the Philadelphia Waterdogs, concluded his first PLL Draft. With their new staff in place, the Waterdogs doubled down on their recent success by re-signing all of the franchise cornerstone players this offseason. In his pre-draft press conference, Tierney said he loves the team’s current culture that Andy Copelan built with the current roster, stating he doesn’t plan to change any of that.

We are not going to sacrifice the culture and a good group of guys for a great player. It’s just not worth it.

Tierney is focused on recruiting players suitable for the current team, the franchise’s future, and his assistant coaches. When asked about his player preferences in the 2024 PLL Draft, Tierney revealed that their compatibility with the team and its culture is crucial for sustaining the Waterdogs’ winning ways. With an already talented group of players, Tierney has the luxury of choosing the best available players who mesh with the Waterdogs’ style of play.

2024 Waterdogs PLL Draft Class

1.7 (#7) Matt Brandau (Attack – Yale)

With his first selection in a PLL Draft, Bill Tierney selected Matt Brandau, Yale’s all-time leader in goals, assists, and points. The versatile attackman is also the Ivy League’s all-time leader in points (355) and goals (198). Brandau, the fifth attackman on the Waterdogs’ roster, adds insurance for the entire attack unit. He can play inside with quick finishes or run the show as the “quarterback” of the offense.

As Tierney stated in his press conference, he went with the best player available on the board who exhibits flexibility in his position, toughness, and leadership despite a ton of adversity this season. Tierney spoke with Brandau’s coach at Yale, Andy Shay, who said one of the best players in Ivy League history is a dedicated and hard-working lacrosse player plus an absolute dawg, now Waterdog.

2.7 (#15) Kenny Brower (Defense – Duke)

With plenty of surprising selections, the PLL Draft fell right into Bill Tierney’s lap with his second-round pick. The Waterdogs had Duke’s top defenseman of four seasons, Kenny Brower, and their first-round pick, Matt Brandau, split at pick number seven. Somehow, they ended up with both. Brower is arguably the second-best close defenseman in this draft class after Maryland’s Alex Zappitello, who went third overall. The six-foot-two, 215-pound lefty bruiser is a battle-tested prospect playing as Duke’s top defender and taking on some of the best attackmen in the ACC. 

He’s faced the #2 overall pick, Connor Shellenberger, four times over the past three seasons. Brower held Virginia’s all-time leader in assists and points to just two goals and ten assists in those last four matchups. The Waterdog’s current defensive trio of veterans are all right-handed, so Brower adds a heavy lefty who can learn from some of the league’s best. Lastly, it doesn’t hurt that he faced Brennan O’Neill every day in practice at Duke. According to Paul Carcaterra, O’Neill is considered a generational talent and one of the best prospects since legend Gary Gait.

3.7 (#23) Marcus Hudgins (Defense – Ohio State)

Despite going attack with his first pick in the PLL Draft, Bill Tierney went with back-to-back behemoth defensemen. The analysts lovingly called Marcus Hudgins a “meat stick” at six-foot-one, 215 pounds. He uses that large frame and length to his advantage as an on-ball coverage defender and recovers with timely stick checks if he loses a step. Hudgins played three seasons for the Army, earning Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021 before transferring to Ohio State.

As a Buckeye, Hudgins led the team in caused turnovers in both of his seasons with the team. With Liam Byrnes locking down the off-ball defensive spot with his stellar communication, Tierney decided to draft two elite on-ball defenders who can either sit and learn this year or gain experience when the Waterdogs put Eli Gobrecht at the faceoff position.

4.7 (#31) Michael Boehm (Attack-Michigan)

Bill Tierney and the Waterdogs rounded out the 2024 PLL Draft with a second player at attack in Mikey Boehm from Michigan. The lefty is another facilitator, like new teammate Matt Brandau from Yale, who finished as the Wolverines’ all-time leader in points, goals, and assists. He is one of two players ever to eclipse 200 points in the history of the Wolverines’ program. The Michigan staff had nothing but terrific things to say about Mikey Boehm, stating he’s the best leader they have coached for Michigan lacrosse.

He could be a “stash” pick to replace 31-year-old Kieran McCardle, whose contract ends after the 2024 season. The Waterdogs love their two-quarterback offense, with Michael Sowers and Kieran McCardle as the cogs to spin the wheel. Tierney’s picks of Brandau and Boehm fit both styles as potential future starters for the Waterdogs.

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