“Never waste a day.”
Major League Lacrosse MVP Bryce Wasserman is all about making the most of the moment.
Don’t try to take anything away from Bryce Wasserman ’18, ’19M. If you do, he’ll likely come back at you with a vengeance.
An ACL injury disrupted Wasserman’s lacrosse career at Monmouth University, and he responded by becoming the all-time scoring leader in program history. Major League Lacrosse (MLL) suspended its season due to COVID-19 before condensing it into a nine-day sprint in Annapolis, Maryland. So what did Wasserman do? He led the Boston Cannons to the championship title while being named the league’s Most Valuable Player.
When Wasserman is put into a holding pattern, he returns to action like a Hawk seeking prey.
“My dad always told me ‘never waste a day’—that your final day of playing will come; you just don’t know when,” says Wasserman, the first Monmouth lacrosse player to be drafted in the MLL. “The ACL injury was a wake-up call, and the situation with the pandemic was a challenge. It seems like when things go wrong—when the sport is taken away—my work ethic and desire to get better intensifies.”
Wasserman was determined to establish himself as a premier player entering the 2020 season. He was drafted by the Denver Outlaws in 2018 but made his pro debut later that year with the Ohio Machine. The franchise relocated to his home state of Texas, where he played his first full season in 2019, appearing in 16 games and tallying 35 goals.
In February 2020, Wasserman was traded to a Boston team that was loaded with offensive talent. At first it seemed the biggest challenge would be that there was only one ball to be shared on the field. Then COVID-19 emerged, and the preseason was canceled.
“I went home to Texas, and the quarantine led to more training time,” says Wasserman. “I trained with my brother (Casey, who plays at Towson University) at our old high school. I knew we’d only have a couple days of practice in Annapolis before opening day, so arriving in peak condition was key.”
Wasserman led Boston with 15 goals in six games, as the Cannons defeated Denver 13–10 in the title match. He was named league MVP, propelling himself to MLL star status as an offensive threat from behind the net.
Following the championship, Wasserman returned to Florida to continue building his second career as an attorney. He’s attending law school at the University of Miami, studying sports and entertainment law. Wasserman also has an internship with the Orange Bowl Committee and is revising sponsorship and vendor contracts for the 2021 Capital One Orange Bowl to ensure they adhere to the fluid COVID-19 requirements.
A career in sports and entertainment law appears to be Wasserman’s future calling. In the meantime, he’ll continue wearing an MLL uniform and competing in the sport he’s loved since middle school. Preseason 2021 is slated to begin next April.
“I’m in no rush to grow up,” jokes Wasserman. “I want to play as long as I can. If I have to put my law career on hold, I will, because I want to play this out.”