Bross Turns Lessons from Lacrosse into Professional Success
Dealing with adversity, performing under pressure, possessing a next play mentality and perhaps most importantly, working successfully within a team. These are only a few of the life lessons and tools individuals can learn from playing sports both at the high school and collegiate levels. When playing sports comes to an end and one must pivot to working professionally, student-athletes can utilize these skills.
Former Blue Devil standout and All-American Scott Bross is the perfect example.
Bross, a leader at the X and as a defensive midfielder, recently spoke to how sports and particularly playing lacrosse at Duke has impacted him in the professional world.
“For me, sports were really the whole backbone of my work ethic and the ability to compete, as well as learning about teamwork and leadership,” Bross said of how sports influenced his life. “I think it instills all of those qualities that in life are incredibly helpful, whether it is professionally or personally. From how to handle adversity to a variety of other aspects, I think being a part of a team is incredibly helpful and beneficial for personal and professional development.”
Described as a grinder on the field, Bross honed that work ethic, leadership skills and the unique ability to communicate effectively within a team. He moved to the West Coast where he attended Pepperdine for law school, earning his Juris Doctorate in 2006.
Bross remained in the Los Angeles area and worked as the general counsel for a few companies until he moved to Florida for his current role as the Managing Director of Capital Markets for Waypoint Real Estate Investments in 2019.
Waypoint Real Estate Investments is an investment company that primarily buys apartment buildings in the Southeast region. Bross is a part of the team that works to raise money to eventually buy, sell and hold real estate investments.
The move from legal counsel to capital markets was a change from his previous jobs, but it was an opportunity that came along at a great time and one he relished. And just like in the faceoff game where you have to learn and adapt over the course of the game, Bross did the same. He built on what he learned from previous roles while also utilizing his original base of knowledge to provide different insight for his current company.
“The transition to a full-time capital markets role with my current firm, Waypoint Real Estate Investments, was more about an opportunity and timing, but the legal background is something that always is useful and relevant,” Bross said.
Before Bross, a native of Ellicott City, Md., found success in the business world, he was winning faceoffs and playing d-middie for Duke teams that perennially earned spots in the NCAA Tournament. A four-year letterwinner, Bross helped the Blue Devils win 46 games over four years which was the most in a four-year span in program history at the time.
The three-sport athlete at Centennial High School committed to Duke in 1996 and stepped on campus in the fall of 1997. If those next four years had to be captured in one word, Bross said it was “special.”
“I would say it was a special unique opportunity I will have with me forever,” Bross said of his experience at Duke. “Even being able to come back here brings back so many great memories. The people I played lacrosse with are still the people I’m in touch with today. They are friendships that will last forever, so it’s pretty special.”
After playing in eight games as a freshman, Bross stepped into the primary faceoff role for the Blue Devils in 1999. He finished the year with an impressive 65 percent win rate (123-of-190, .647) and picked up 50 ground ball in helping Duke to a 13-3 record – the most wins in program history at the time
The rest was history as Bross continued to excel as an athlete and as a team leader. Duke went 11-5 in 2000 and again advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal before suffering a narrow 10-9 loss to Virginia in Baltimore.
With one more year to soak up the joys of lacrosse with some of his best friends, Bross saved the best for last. In 2001, he was elected as one of four team captains, helped guide Duke to the ACC Tournament title and scored a goal in a home win over Virginia – personally his most memorable moment at Koskinen Stadium.
With Bross leading the charge for the Blue Devils at the X – he finished the season 171-of-260 for an incredible .658 win percentage – Duke earned the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament. The 12th-ranked Blue Devils edged North Carolina in the semifinal before pulling off the 10-6 upset victory over third-ranked Maryland to win the program’s second ACC Tournament crown.
Bross won 22-of-34 faceoffs on the weekend, including 11-of-16 in the title game. His success at the draw was instrumental in the Blue Devils’ back-breaking 6-1 run in the second quarter, while Duke held the Terrapins to their second lowest goals total of the season. His efforts earned him the ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player Award and helped cement a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the Blue Devils.
“I’d say the feeling after we won was the moment I remember best,” Bross said. ”I was definitely a little surprised, because the faceoff position was not usually a heralded role back then. I played D-middie as well, so I think that helped the cause,” he humbly said about winning the MVP award.
Bross and the Blue Devils rode the championship into a spot in the NCAA Tournament, losing to eventual NCAA Semifinalist Towson in Baltimore. The honors rightfully rolled in for Bross his final year as he earned All-ACC recognition and honorable mention All-America accolades.
While the memories on the field – especially his goal against the Cavaliers at Koskinen – remain vivid, for Bross it is the relationships he built that have better stood the test of time. His teammates developed into some of his best friends and those he remains close with nearly 20 years later.
But it isn’t just about those relationships he built during his time at Duke. It’s also about the larger Duke lacrosse family – all the former players and the incredible alumni network Duke lacrosse has. It is nearly incomparable.
“There are very few places I think would remotely compare or be up for consideration if [a young lacrosse player] had the opportunity to play at Duke,” Bross said. “You’re often battling for a championship every year, you’re going to an awesome campus, community and family and you have a great alumni network to support you as well.”
Bross then turns and looks at the current crop of Blue Devils and smiles when asked about the growth of the game and the caliber of players in the sport. While unlikely to be true, his humble nature leads him to surmise he wouldn’t be able to step on the field with the level the game has risen so precipitously over the years.
However, one thing he certainly has in common with this current crop of Blue Devils, is he’ll always have the moniker of being a Duke man. He can return to campus, look at these players, some of whom might have been born when he was graduating from college, and know he’s home with his Duke family. That bond can’t be broken.
#GoDuke