How move to midfield changed Grant Ament’s perspective on Championship Series
By Zach Carey | Jan 15, 2025
Grant Ament was practically unguardable in his Championship Series debut in 2023. He finished third in the league in points per game (6.8), first in assists per game (3.5) and third in shooting percentage (57.1%). The Utah Archers felt his absence due to injury in a major way last February, going winless and scoring 4.8 fewer points per game than in 2023.
Entering the 2025 Lexus Championship Series, Ament is back and armed with a season and a half of midfield experience. Ament led the PLL in midfield scoring in 2024, earning a first-team All-Pro nod and becoming the second player ever (after Gary Gait) to be an All-Pro at both midfield and attack. Given the Champ Series’ condensed field size, lack of long poles and shortened two-point arc, Ament’s success at midfield should only further unlock his talents in Sixes.
“It’s a huge benefit to me that I did play midfield,” Ament said, highlighting how he feels more attuned to playing above the goal.
“Playing midfield forced me to extend my range a little bit deeper,” he added. “I had to be more comfortable with taking shots from a little further out than I was taking in years past.”
Ament was a revelation in 2024 as a dodger to score for himself. His 16 unassisted goals were the second-most in the league behind only Brennan O’Neill. He abused short-stick matchups all summer long, punishing teams who didn’t slide to him out of fear for his feeding ability.
Given the 13-yard two-point arc and defenses’ hesitancy to slide to even the most imposing one-on-one dodgers because of the fear of letting up two-balls, Ament is primed to wreak havoc at The St. James in February. Throw in his added familiarity with shooting from range, and he is a pick-your-poison conundrum for opposing defenses.
“He’s going to be tough [to stop],” Archers head coach Chris Bates said. “I think he will be that much more comfortable up on a wing or up in two-man situations just because he’s done more of it.”
Ament also pointed out that playing midfield over the summer has made him more aware of his defensive responsibilities in Sixes.
“It’s put me in a position where I am a little bit more defensively focused,” he said, explaining that running out of the box meant he had responsibilities to prevent transition going in the other direction.
Learning from Utah’s legendary defensive coordinator, Tony Resch, has ensured that Ament knows what he’s doing when he has to buckle down and defend.
“I was caught on defense a couple times throughout the summer,” he noted. “So being coached up by Coach Resch will certainly benefit me as I’m playing on that side of the floor in February.”
The Archers are the only team to qualify for the Champ Series in all three years of its existence. While Ament didn’t play last year, his time playing Sixes in 2023 and since with opportunities such as the USA Lacrosse Experience in October have opened his eyes to the nuances of the Olympic format.
“Pace is probably the biggest thing that I learned,” he said. “You can’t sprint a Sixes game because of roster size. You’ll burn yourself pretty quickly.”
He noted that it’ll be crucial for the Archers to know when to push and when to slow down. The shorter shot clock can tempt players to hunt early offense. But, according to Ament, finding balance between attacking the cage from the jump and being conservative with energy expenditure is critical.
“The shot clock, yes it’s shorter, but it’s a shorter field,” he said. “So the ability to get a shot off, especially without poles, is a lot easier. Putting that into our mindset, it’s kind of hard to pull back and to pull any of us away from wanting to make an athletic play. But I think knowing when to push and knowing when to pull out is a huge key.”
Ament is, of course, not the only addition to the Utah roster since last year. His longtime partner, Mac O’Keefe, is joining the party, as are rookies Beau Pederson, Mason Woodward and Jack VanOverbeke. Ament believes this year’s squad is the best Champ Series group Utah has had.
“When you look at our strengths and who we have this year, I think this is our best roster,” he added. “When you add a guy like Mac into the roster, that makes the defense play us differently. And then, defensively, when you have three short-stick defensive midfielders and one of our most talented poles in transition, you can put a little bit more trust in those guys.”
With those new pieces and a healthy Ament who can dodge from anywhere, Utah projects to be back as a contending force at the Champ Series. The Archers' first game is Feb. 12 against the Boston Cannons.
