(Photo Courtesy of Pro Caliber Lacrosse)

Andy Whitley and the Bellarmine Knights have landed a commitment from Delta, B.C., attackman Silas Richmond.

A 2021 reclass, Richmond is the fifth commitment in the class of 2022 for the Knights and third on the offensive end. He is also the second within the past eight days, following Southern Regional, N.J., junior defenseman Nathan Committee who committed on New Years Eve.

Richmond’s commitment to the Knights marks a revamped effort to recruit British Columbia, and Canada as a whole, where the program developed strong ties for the better part of the 15-year old program’s first decade of existence. Greats such as Kyle Sorensen, Bob Snider, Shawn Evans, and Dillon Ward all once donned the Scarlet and Silver. Bellarmine has gotten away from that model a bit in recent years, as they only have four players from Canada on their 2021 roster (two freshman, two seniors). They also have a pair of Ontario natives committed in the 2021 class.

“I love Bellarmine’s size and location,” Richmond told Lacrosse Bucket. “They’re a team that plays against great competition and could be on the uprise in the next upcoming years.”

The Knights’ coaching staff has been in contact with Richmond for the past couple of months. Due to the NCAA extending the recruiting dead period, which prohibits in-person recruiting and official visits through April 15th of 2021, as well as the American-Canadian border remaining closed except for essential travel, Richmond has not been able to get down to Louisville at all.

Standing 6-foot-3, 180-pounds, Richmond can put some more on his frame and will benefit from a college weight program. On film, he shows some very promising traits. Richmond shows good range as a shooter and can also operate close to the cage or behind at ‘X’ as both a feeder, dodger, and shooter. Additionally, the hustle plays that he is able to make on the ride or just fighting for a ground ball clearly shows a sense of toughness that he plays with.

Richmond stated that footwork and dodging are two areas of his game that he most wants to improve. “I’m working hard every day to get my footwork and dodging better and will continue to do so!”