By Colin RIchey, Sports Editor
On Sunday, Sept. 15, former Canisius lacrosse captain Jackson Webster heard his name called during the 2024 National Lacrosse League draft, when the Las Vegas Desert Dogs selected him in the third round of the draft with the 30th overall pick.
Webster was at his house in Buffalo that day, surrounded by former Golden Griffin teammates and his parents, who had made the trip down from Canada. “It was definitely nerve-wracking throughout the day; I just wanted it to be over with. I was excited for the day and excited to enjoy the moment as best as possible, but I just wanted to know,” Webster described. “After all of the [pre-draft] projections, by pick five all bets were off. From the 10th pick on, I was sitting there thinking, ‘You never know’.”
“I think I did a pretty good job of keeping a level head about the whole thing. I didn’t make too many expectations for myself, or put too much hope into anything. I knew wherever I went, whenever I went, I was going to be ecstatic,” he explained. Just before Las Vegas was on the clock with pick 30, Webster’s phone rang.
“If you look at past drafts, guys that were drafted near the same pick as me are really successful in the league. The pick is really just an invitation to training camp, and when you get to training camp everybody is equal. At this point it’s about earning my spot and proving that I deserve to be in the league with everybody else.”
It’s a reunion for Webster and current Desert Dogs offensive coordinator, Ken Millin, who coached Webster at St. Catherine’s for Jr. A. “He’s really the reason that I play lacrosse. He’s the reason that I wore number 33 growing up. I’ll be able to play for him again which will be really cool and a nice full-circle moment,” said Webster.
As a big fan of the sport, Webster already had background knowledge about the organization. “I would consider myself a lacrosse fanatic, so I know a lot of the ins and outs. They debatably have the coolest ownership group in all of professional sports; Wayne Gretzky, Dustin Johnson, Steve Nash, and Joe Tsai. [Head Coach and General Manager] Shawn Williams is one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time, and he’s at the helm of everything. That’s a pretty cool group to be a part of.”
Going into training camp, Webster’s number will be 91, honoring his mentor and current Buffalo Bandit Kyle Buchanan. “The one that really pushed me in the direction of taking lacrosse to the next level was Kyle Buchanan. ‘Bucky’ has helped me grow exponentially, so being able to share his number in the league has been spectacular.”
Webster explained that most teams start training camp at the end of October or beginning of November. While he’s still waiting for finalized details from the organization, he expects to be on the road around Halloween. In the meantime, he’s spoken to current players on the team as well as the equipment manager, and signed his contract with the Desert Dogs.
As a message to Desert Dog fans, Webster explained what he plans to bring to the team: You’re going to see somebody that loves the game through play and interaction, but also somebody that wants to learn. You’re going to get somebody that is the same version of themselves everyday. I’m going to come in with the same work ethic, no matter the score the day before, the way my body feels, or the record of the season. You’re going to get the same version of me – the ticker won’t stop.”
Photo Courtesy of Tom Wolf