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June 2, 2005
Fairfield, Conn. – Former University of Virginia standouts John Christmas, Rob Bateman and Jack deVilliers were selected in the 2005 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Collegiate Draft Wednesday night at Sacred Heart University.
Christmas was selected by the Boston Cannons with the fifth pick in the first round, the fourth year in a row Virginia has had a first-round selection. Christmas was the Cavaliers’ second-leading scorer this season with 39 points, including a career-high 20 assists. He finished third in the Atlantic Coast Conference in assists with an average of 1.43/g and ninth in points (2.20/g). A dangerous attackman throughout his career, he was a second-team All-American as a sophomore in 2003 when UVa won the national championship. As a freshman in 2002, he was named national rookie of the year by Inside Lacrosse magazine. Christmas finished his career 11th in Virginia history in goals (95) and 15th in total points (152).
The Cannons are quickly becoming “Virginia North” as Christmas becomes the sixth former Cavalier on the roster. He joins Ryan Curtis, Conor Gill, David Jenkins, Chris Rotelli and Trey Whitty in Boston.
Bateman was the fourth pick in the fourth round by the New Jersey Pride, where he joins former UVa standout Brett Hughes. Bateman graduated from Penn State in 2004 and played at UVa this season as a graduate student while utilizing his final year of eligibility. He was one of the top long stick midfielders in the country throughout his career and earned All-America honors three times during his career, including third-team accolades this season to become the first UVa LSM named to the top-three teams since Peter Ragosa was a third-teamer in 2000. Bateman scooped up 46 ground balls this spring, third among ACC long stick men, and scored a goal and added nine assists.
deVilliers was the second selection of the fifth round by the Long Island Lizards. He was a four-year starter for Virginia as a faceoff specialist. As a senior this season, he led the ACC in winning percentage (55.7) and ground balls (6.27/g). He set a school record this spring with 300 attempts, while his 167 wins are fourth all-time. deVilliers owns virtually every school record for faceoffs including wins (604) and attempts (1128). His 296 career ground balls are fourth in Virginia history. deVilliers joins former UVa All-American Jay Jalbert with the Lizards.
Complete draft results are below.
Round 11 New Jersey - Kyle Harrison (Johns Hopkins)2 Philadelphia (from Long Island) - Jed Prossner (North Carolina)3 Baltimore - Brodie Merrill (Georgetown)4 Baltimore (from Boston {from Philadelphia}) - Benson Erwin (Johns Hopkins)5 Boston (from Rochester) - John Christmas (Virginia)6 New Jersey (from Boston) - Andy Corno (Georgetown)
Round 21 New Jersey – Graham Gill (Navy)2 Philadelphia (from Long Island) – Kyle Barrie (Johns Hopkins)3 New Jersey (from Baltimore) – Jay Pfeifer (Syracuse)4 Philadelphia – Justin Redd (Cornell)5 Rochester – Jason Doneger (Princeton)6 Boston – Tom Garvey (Johns Hopkins)
Round 31 New Jersey – Ben Grinnell (Dartmouth)2 Long Island – Chris Cara (Bucknell)3 Baltimore – Matt Rewkowski (Johns Hopkins)4 Rochester (from Philadelphia) – Justin Smith (Salisbury)5 Rochester – Scott Ditzell (Syracuse)6 Boston – Jarrett Park (Syracuse)
Round 41 Long Island – Chazz Woodson (Brown)2 Baltimore – Will Cutler (Penn State)3 Philadelphia – Jeff Bigas (Salisbury)4 New Jersey (from Boston {from Rochester}) – Rob Bateman (Penn State, Virginia)5 Boston – Brian Giordano (Notre Dame)
Round 51 New Jersey – Kyle Georgalas (Cornell)2 Long Island – Jack deVilliers (Virginia)3 Boston (from Baltimore) – Chris Mucciolo (Brown)4 Philadelphia – Ryan Vilar (Hofstra)5 Rochester – James Wagner (Army)6 Boston – Andrew Goldstein (Dartmouth)