Burns & Kabiri: the sophomore duo driving the Tigers’ attack

Princeton’s 2023 men’s lacrosse recruiting class was special. Ranked No. 1 by Inside Lacrosse, there were high expectations for them.

Just a year before, in 2022, the Tigers had made a postseason run to the final. And then in came four recruits ranked within the top 25 prospects for that year, and two of them were the attacking duo Colin Burns and Nate Kabiri.

The pair had known each other for a while, playing together for the Madlax DC Dogs club lacrosse team in 2021 and 2022 before reuniting at their high school, Georgetown Prep.

With a partnership dating back to 2021 that comprised both high school and club lacrosse, Burns and Kabiri had a strong setup to develop their on-field connection coming into Princeton. And they did not disappoint, combining for a mighty 56 goals and 33 assists in their first year alone.

Now in their sophomore season, the duo is building on their strong foundation, anchoring Princeton’s offense and propelling the Tigers to new heights.

A Duo Preps for Princeton

Burns started his high school lacrosse career at Georgetown Preparatory School during the 2020 season, when the team only played three games total due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Burns was already showing out in his sophomore year, putting a senior-heavy class on his shoulders and scoring 29 goals and 27 assists.

Kabiri, on the other hand, was at Episcopal High School in Virginia, where he remained until he joined Burns during their junior year in 2022.

“When I came over, I was lucky enough to have just such a great group of guys at [Georgetown] Prep that welcomed me right away,” Kabiri told The Daily Princetonian. “[They] brought me in as part of their friend group, even beyond lacrosse, then on the field.”

Their connection blossomed during their high school years as the two had more and more time to play together and hang out off the field. This duo was already being recognized by scouts, impressed with their game and partnership.

“Not only do I feel like our connection on the field was really good, but he was one of my best friends at the time and continued to be one of my best friends,” Burns told the ‘Prince’ about his and Kabiri’s friendship. “It’s really just been a joy. I mean, those memories at [Georgetown] Prep were unbelievable.”

The duo showed out on the field, too, taking their team to a 14–6 record in 2022 before upping it to a 16–2 record in their senior year. They would guide their team to a 13-game win streak to end their senior year, yet again proving to scouts why they were among the top recruits in the country. That season would end in glory for the Georgetown Prep Hoyas, claiming the Interstate Athletic Conference boys’ lacrosse championship with a 14–9 victory. Naturally, Burns and Kabiri proved vital to that victory.

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From the Hoyas to the Tigers

It didn’t take until their senior year for colleges to start looking at Burns and Kabiri. By September 2021, the start of his junior year — and before the start of his junior lacrosse season — Burns announced his commitment to Princeton in an Instagram post.

Burns would end as the No. 20 ranked high school recruit in the 2023 class, and one of just 21 five-star prospects that year.

Kabiri would follow a slightly different path, however, initially committing to Georgetown University at the same time as Burns before decommitting and joining the Tigers later in his junior year.

“We ended up finding that we were gonna end up playing together in the spring of our junior year,” Burns remarked to the ‘Prince.’ “So we got to finish that season knowing we were going to play together and train, and that offseason, knowing not only we were going to have our spring season together, but the next four years after that.”

Kabiri was another highly-coveted recruit, No. 3 in the 2023 class and on the radar of many after his standout performances at Episcopal High School.

The transition to Princeton, thus, would be an exciting one for them both. Following the success of their senior year, the pair, along with Princeton’s 10 other recruits, were immediately welcomed into the team.

“The seniors at the time when we were freshmen invited us to come in the summer before our freshman year, invit[ing] us to come stay at the lacrosse house, train with the guys for a few days, and just really get to know [them].” Burns continued.

With the team gelling before the season even began, things looked exciting for Burns and Kabiri’s first year.

But despite any pressure that may have come with being the No. 1 ranked class and the success that Princeton’s men’s lacrosse team had had in 2022, neither Kabiri nor Burns was fazed.

“You just come in here, you know, just excited to play. I think I’ve gotten that question before. And I kind of laugh, because I don’t think any of us really talked about it,” Burns said to the ‘Prince’ about their expectations as the No. 1 ranked class.

“And I think that’s kind of the beauty of it,” Burns added.

These high expectations didn’t faze the team, but they also didn’t make them complacent. The recruits knew it was a long four years ahead and that they had much to achieve.

“We had really high expectations,” Kabiri echoed to the ‘Prince.’ “And I remember our class sitting down with our coaches and just them harping to us that we really haven’t done anything yet, that we had to really prove it every day.”

A Start for the Record Books

The expectations may have been high, but the duo rose to the occasion.

Across the season, Kabiri scored 32 goals and assisted 24 times, leading the team in assists, ranking second all-time among first-years for goals scored in a season, and becoming just the sixth Princeton men’s lacrosse player to ever record those numbers.

Burns showed out too, scoring 24 goals and assisting nine times. He had the fifth-best scoring season by a first-year player, as well as the eighth-best points total among the bunch.

Again crediting the team, both Burns and Kabiri pointed to the seniors, in particular, as the reason for their success and the team’s success at large.

“Last year, we had a great senior class: Bear Lockshin … Pace Billings, and Michael Gianforcaro,” Kabiri said to the ‘Prince.’ “They were all big brothers to us and helped us out a lot to make the transition smoother and just always telling us, telling me and Colin before game days … ‘I trust you, this team trusts you.’”

The former seniors’ legacy on the team remains to this day.

“The captains last year not only really helped us transition, but I think they played a factor in our early success this year,” Burns concurred. “They did such a good job with us last year, keeping us disciplined, keeping us focused, and just keeping the locker room having a great culture.”

The Tigers had a solid season, going 11–5 overall and making it to the NCAA tournament, before falling out in the first round to Maryland. Despite a good season overall, a loss always stings, especially one so far along. Burns, Kabiri, and the rest of the returning team knew that they wanted more.

A Duo for Princeton’s Present and Future

The 2025 season is well underway, and the Tigers are currently 8–2 overall and 2–1 in Ivy League play. Their only losses so far have been against No. 1 Cornell and No. 6 Maryland, respectively. Three crucial Ivy League games remain against Brown, Penn, and Yale as they make their push for the NCAA tournament.

None of these teams are ranked in the top 20. While the Tigers cannot be complacent about these games, their minds may already be on avenging last season’s loss in the NCAA tournament.

As for Burns and Kabiri, they have once again stepped up their game, continuing to develop both as an attacking partnership and as individual players. Kabiri already has 15 goals and 17 assists, and Burns has 18 goals and six assists, both across 10 games and with the hardest strength of schedule in the country.

After the Harvard game, however, Burns knew the team had yet more to give.

“I don’t really think anyone on the team personally feels like they’re playing the best lacrosse they can play,” Burns told the ‘Prince.’ “It’s great to still be able to come up with some wins … but at the same time, like we need to start tuning things up a little more and start to play it better, frankly, if we want to get to those final goals.”

“But we definitely need to start clicking, clicking a little more right now,” Burns continued.

After winning three games in a row comfortably, the team certainly appears to be clicking more, as do Burns and Kabiri. In the last three games combined, the duo has stepped up their game, scoring a combined 24 points — 12 points each — and playing massive roles in the Tigers’ victories.

With a partnership on the field that dates back over four years, Burns and Kabiri are special and already have a leg up on the competition. They have known each other for just as long off the field, and they play like it.

The future is bright not only for them but also for Princeton men’s lacrosse. The team’s previous final four success may indeed become a sharp reality for all this season, with this sophomore duo helping to lead the way.

Alex Beverton-Smith is a head Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com

Saturday, April 12

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