Following a dazzling career at Penn State, Grant Ament has already lived up to lofty expectations in the Professional Lacrosse League.

Back in March, Penn State men’s lacrosse had just wrapped up its 22-7 victory against Furman. Little did Ament know the coronavirus would put his senior season on hold just a few days later. While the season was eventually canceled, Ament and the rest of the seniors were given another year of eligibility.

With that in mind, Ament now faced a very important decision: enter the PLL Draft or stick around for another year at Penn State.

Ament decided to go pro, and with the first pick in the draft, the Archers added another weapon to their already deadly offense.

As the first-overall pick, Ament was deemed the best player of his class. Some might think this would come with added pressure, but for Ament, it’s business as usual.

“I don’t think it added pressure,” Ament said. “It just gave me a lot of confidence that a team believed in me that much.”

Confidence would be one way to describe Aments stellar play. In the PLL’s Championship Series, he finished with six goals and 14 assists in six games. From flashy passes, to the simple shot on goal, Ament was spectacular.

Ament rounds out an already-stellar offense consisting of Marcus Holman, Will Manny, and Tom Schreiber. Together, he and his teammates make up one of the most feared offenses in the PLL.

“I look at them as teammates, but also big brothers. Tom is, in my opinion, not even a question the best player in the world,” Ament said. “He’s so good and plays so confidently, but yet is such a humble guy. I tried to pick his brain as much as I could because I have aspirations to be in his shoes one day.”

Ament’s aspirations of being the best in the world might come to fruition sooner rather than later. He’s been called the future face of lacrosse, and his performance in the Championship Series would support that claim.

Nonetheless, Ament remains humble as ever.

“To be described as the next up is certainly flattering, but I have a lot of work carved out for me to get there,” Ament said. “My offseason plan is to put the head down and go to work. Try to continue to learn and grow.”

Learning for Ament isn’t complete without his trusty notebook. He started keeping notes during his junior year at Penn State during team meetings and has used it ever since.

“There was a lot going on in those three weeks, and a lot for a new guy to pick up on,” Ament said. “I was just trying to write as much as I could in team meetings, and it definitely allowed me to comprehend different information about my teammates, different things about the upcoming opponent, and what I needed to work on.”

The three weeks Ament alluded to is the PLL’s Championship Series. Like other professional sports leagues, this tournament was played in a bubble. Players were isolated from the outside world, and Ament had little time to meet and practice with his new team.

Ament’s time at Penn State prepared him for his debut in the PLL. While this year has been unconventional, Ament mentioned the lessons head coach Jeff Tambroni taught him in Happy Valley as pivotal to his success.

“On the field, we played in an offense that was essentially a professional offense. The way that we played was so fast, the moment I stepped on the field it wasn’t really any different,” Ament said. “In fact, it was probably easier to score on defenses, because team defense isn’t a huge thing in the PLL.”

Ament found that off the field is where he really learned life lessons essential to his success at the next level.

“All the little things that [Tambroni] and I talked about, whether it’s using your cell phone in the locker room, wearing a hat inside, tucking in your shirt in,” Ament explained. “Different things like that I didn’t think were important at Penn State, but once I got there people notice those things.”

What’s next for Ament? He was picked 65th overall in the National Lacrosse League by the New England Black Wolves but hasn’t made a decision yet on whether we’ll see him in a box lacrosse league.

Ament and the Archers have championship aspirations next season, as he continues to develop as one of the best lacrosse players in the world.