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Chris Fake

Chris Fake’s transition breakout fuels hope for Redwoods’ future

By Jerome Taylor | Aug 15, 2024

When Chris Fake joined the California Redwoods last offseason, he was already known for his impressive strength, particularly his ability to use his muscle as a one-on-one cover defender.

With a powerful upper body, a max hang clean of 305 pounds and a love for leg day at the gym, Fake is a defender who’s pretty hard to shoulder off his spot.

Now, as he approaches the end of his first real season in the PLL, Fake has proven that his legs are not just crucial for holding his ground but also for making impactful plays in transition.

“I love weight training as a hobby,” Fake said. “But I have definitely embraced cardio and endurance training more. Lacrosse is just more fun when you don't get tired. So, coming into this season, I definitely put a lot of emphasis on my conditioning.”

The emphasis on cardio and endurance has paid off throughout the season, as Fake’s been a catalyst for the Redwoods’ transition all season. Like in this play from last weekend’s win over the Philadelphia Waterdogs:

Fake got the ball off the ground, carried upfield and made a good read to pass the ball to a trailing Jared Conners, who zipped it to Chris Gray. Gray got a look but ultimately was denied by the crossbar. 

This is the type of pressure that makes the Redwoods fun to watch when they are at their best, and it’s a result of Fake’s increasing comfortability with the ball in his crosse. 

“It's just part of maturing for me. In my last year at Notre Dame, I became more comfortable with [carrying the ball past midfield],” Fake said. “Now that I'm [in the PLL], I think I’m just more and more comfortable with the ball in my stick. … The field being shorter definitely entices me to run up it. … I think getting on that offense side of the field a bit more has been a blast.”

Notre Dame might have sparked Fake’s instinct to push forward, but his time out of college—with a less rigid practice schedule—has taken it to the next level.

“Now that I'm not in school anymore, a lot of my free time isn’t spent doing a team practice every day. Anytime I can just go hit the wall, fiddle around with my stick,” Fake said. “It's something I've become a lot more appreciative of, just having a stick in my hands, really just appreciating the sport.”

Beyond his improved stick skills and comfort, Fake’s decision-making in transition has also been impressive. While he hasn't recorded an assist yet, he’s made several crucial passes that set up the assist opportunity, as he did in the clip above, or even notching an unofficial hockey assist like he did against the Maryland Whipsnakes in San Diego.

In that same game, Fake matched his collegiate point total with this two-pointer:

And you could tell he wasn’t used to scoring.

“My goal [against the Whipsnakes] was enjoyable, but I didn't really know what to do afterward. So I kind of just walked straight,” Fake said. 

One of the first players to greet Fake after his first career goal was rookie and fellow Chris, Chris Conlin. Conlin and Fake are just two of the four people on the defense sharing the same first name, adding a unique dynamic to the team and increasing the importance of nicknames. 

“I'm Fake, Conlin's ‘Con,’ Chris Merle is ‘Mer’ or ‘Meek,’ Coach [Chris] Collins is ‘CC’ or ‘Cs.’ The word Chris doesn't get thrown around much. It's a lot of nicknames. It keeps it easy,” Fake explained. 

Sitting at 3-6 and needing a miracle to make the playoffs, the Woods' season hasn’t gone as planned. However, Fake’s development as a threat in transition, combined with the improved chemistry among the "Chrises" and other members of the defense, has him feeling upbeat about the future.

“We are young as a defense. ... I think it does help that we all played in the same scheme at Notre Dame, and we're all just tight, and that helps a lot with the on-field chemistry,” Fake said. “It's been awesome playing with [Conlin and Arden Cohen] both on and off the field, getting to spend time with them. I think it’s very helpful for what's coming in the future.”

With the anticipated additions of 2023 first-round pick Owen Grant and the towering 6-foot-7 Cole Kastner next season, this young defense is poised to grow even stronger.

But before looking too far ahead, the Woods have one more challenge: a regular-season finale against the Archers on Friday at 8 p.m. ET at Zions Bank Stadium, kicking off Utah’s Homecoming weekend.

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