Part One (Sept. 2008) Free Fall? | Peer Review: Shannon
Smith
Part Two (Oct. 2008): Passport to Campus |
Peer Review:
Gordie Wells
Part Three (Nov. 2008): Too Vested in Verbals?
| Peer Review:
Lily Ricci
Part Four (Dec. 2008): Piece of the Pie | Peer Review: Ilyssa
Meyer
Part Five (Feb. 2009): Best Foot
Forward
Part Six (March 2009): Camp
Stories | Peer
Review: What Camp Best Fits Me?
Part Seven (April 2009): Be
True to Your School?
Part Eight (May 2009): Transfer
of Power | Peer
Review: Q&A with an Early Commit
Part Nine (October 2009): Are
You the Diamond in the Rough? | Think
D-III
Part Ten (November 2009): Me Time |
Peer
Review: Kayleigh Hynes
Recruiting is a topic on which families, prospects, coaches
and others expend considerable resources, time and emotion.
Lacrosse Magazine will delve into many of the sub-topics involved
in a series of articles, augmented by personal stories from young
men and women that have recently completed or are in the midst of
the recruiting process.
Part Eight of the series examines case studies in which early
decisions are not always the best decisions. This article appears
in the May issue of LM. Don't get the mag? Join US Lacrosse
and its 300,000-plus members today to start your monthly
subscription.
Recruiting U: A Q&A with an Early Commit
by Clare Lochary | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
|
| Rex Sanders of Eastview (Minn.) High School committed early to play lacrosse at Johns Hopkins. |
Rex Sanders, a junior midfielder at Eastview (Minn.) High
School, made waves when he made a verbal commitment to Johns
Hopkins in November 2008. Besides being one of the first in his
high school class to make a commitment to college, Sanders is the
Blue Jays’ first recruit from Minnesota. He spoke with LM
about the early decision process.
How did you decide Hopkins was the school for
you?
I actually was a North Carolina recruit, and then they called me
and said the class was full up. After UNC told me not even to come
and visit the campus, that day my mom got on the phone with Dave
Pietramala and set up a trip for that next weekend. I went up there
as soon as I could. I got on a plane and went out, and Coach
Pietramala told me a lot about the [Hopkins] family and stuff, and
I really liked that. It made my decision pretty easy.
Was there a particular reason that you made your decision
early?
I just wanted to secure a spot at a good school, pretty much.
[After the North Carolina incident], I was getting nervous and
thinking Johns Hopkins would make its final cut before I had the
chance to make my commitment.
What other schools were in the running for
you?
Denver, Dartmouth, Princeton, Navy, Hofstra and Siena.
Did you feel pressure to make the decision
early?
Oh yeah, definitely. Not so much when I got out there [for the
campus visit], though. I knew I was going to be playing for the
best school in country and getting a good education.
How did you feel after you made the decision?
I felt pretty relieved and happy. And pretty honored,
actually.
Have you ever reconsidered the decision?
Not at all. I went up there again this month and watched a
lacrosse game against Hofstra, and that secured my decision even
more.
Is it weird to be done early compared to everyone else in
your high school class?
It’s very weird, how far away it is and stuff. It’s
almost two years. But all the pressure’s off pretty much,
other than maintaining my grades. Pretty much, if I don’t get
Fs, then I’m in.
I never even had a clue that this would happen to me. I never
thought in a million years, just because I’m from Minnesota
and I’m pretty much the only guy in the history of Minnesota
lacrosse to go through the early decision process.
How involved were your parents in the
process?
When I was out there and that was the first school I visited, I
pretty much made the decision for myself and it was pretty easy for
me. My mom and dad helped me out, talking to coaches and stuff
before I even visited.
Was there any one moment that helped you make a
decision?
It was right after the visit was over, I got back from the dorm
room where I was staying with some guys on the team, and I went and
talked to him [Pietramala] for the last time and thought to myself,
“That’s the best decision for me. I don’t have to
look at any other schools.”
What advice would you give to kids going through the
process in the future?
Definitely kids that aren’t on the East Coast, they
definitely have to go out East. There’s no other chance to
get recruited. College coaches aren’t coming to your high
school games. Go to camps and get on travel teams or you’re
not going to get recruited. I went to the Hotbed tournament in
Delaware. That’s where I got the most recruiting attention,
because I made the all-star team at that.
Definitely you have to be involved. The coaches aren’t going
to come out and talk to you. You’re going to have to e-mail
and call coaches, and that’s going to be the best way for
kids to do it.
