Last night, Liam Banks ’98 was inducted into the Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame, joining an exclusive list of some of the most recognizable names in the history of the sport including NFL Hall of Famer and Manhasset star Jim Brown, Duke coach John Danowski, and Harborfields and Team USA legend Mark Millon.

Banks’ career began at Stony Brook where he earned a spot on the varsity as an eighth-grader, helping the Bears win the program’s first County Championship in 1994. The Bears repeated in his freshman year, ushering in a golden era for Stony Brook lacrosse during which the Brook earned a berth in five consecutive Suffolk finals. In 1996 and 1997 he helped lead the Bears to the Division II crown, earning All-County honors in each season. In one of his finest games for the Bears, his 4 goals and 3 assists powered the Brook past Harborfields, 14-6, in the 1997 Class B county semifinals.

After his junior season, Banks transferred to Ward Melville where he shattered the New York State single-season scoring record with 69 goals and 103 assists. He closed his senior season with the Patriots by claiming the Suffolk County all-time scoring record with 374 points, 202 of which were scored at Stony Brook.

Banks went on to Syracuse where he led the Orange to the 2000 National Championship with 6 goals on six shots, leaving him one goal shy of the championship scoring record. He went on to become a two-time All-American and led the Orange to four Final Four berths.

After ‘Cuse, Banks was drafted by the Bridgeport Barrage in the 7th round of the 2004 MLL Draft before moving to the New Jersey Pride where he tallied 34 points in each of his first two seasons. In 2007, he moved to the San Francisco Dragons where he set career highs in goals (26) and points (37). He spent his sixth and last MLL season with the Chicago Machine in 2009. Over his career, he tallied 75 goals, 65 assists, and 140 points in 52 games.

Though Banks hung up his cleats in 2009, he has remained close to the game. Nine years ago he founded LB3 Lacrosse, a club program based in Georgia that is seeking to reshape the landscape of Southern lacrosse. To date, its programs have yielded over 100 Division I signees. In January he was named the head coach of Major League Lacrosse’s Atlanta Blaze.

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