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 focuses on early decisions that 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: Transfer of Power
by Andy Krauss | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
Although college lacrosse hasn’t become the big-time
business that college basketball and football have, many common
threads between these sports have developed over the years.
Two of those threads are transfer students and the
increasingly-pressurized world of recruiting.
Lacrosse Magazine explored the connection between the two,
although certainly not every transfer is the result of a mistake
made during the recruiting process. Research indicates students
transfer for any of a multitude of reasons — academic
pursuits, homesickness, college settings and religion among
them.
Some case studies:
A Brand New Program
In the summer before her senior year in high school, Brittany
Poist received a unique opportunity. The University of Louisville
was starting a program in the spring of 2008 and decided to target
Poist as part of its first recruiting class.
“I thought they were kidding,” said Poist. “Why
would anyone want to start a lacrosse program in
Kentucky?”
Poist visited the campus in September and was immediately turned
on. She noticed the excitement that lacrosse was building all over
campus. After numerous discussions with head coach Kellie Young,
she knew that Louisville was the school for her.
“The allure of starting a new program became a big
draw,” said Poist. “It was something different and I
always wanted to do something different.”
Later that month, Poist made a commitment to become a Cardinal. At
the onset of her freshman campaign, she enjoyed the freshness of
the program: the first goal, the first win and so on. She even made
a name for herself, leading the nation with 56 caused
turnovers.
However, Poist struggled with her decision as time went on. She
was frustrated that the program lacked tradition, legacy or alumni.
She also was bothered that her parents had to make the long trek
from Hampstead, Md., for every game.
Late in the season, she decided to walk into Young’s office
and tell her that Louisville wasn’t the school for her. Young
granted Poist her release immediately.
On her ride back to Maryland with her parents, Poist realized
where she wanted to wind up. She wanted a place with tradition and
proximity. The University of Maryland fit that bill rather nicely.
With 10 national championships and alumna Cathy Reese at the helm,
wanting to become a Terrapin was a no-brainer.
Today, the sophomore is starting at defense for the Terps and
couldn’t be happier. Although Poist feels happy about her
move, she holds nothing but respect for Louisville.
“I wouldn’t be at Maryland now if I hadn’t gone
to Louisville first,” she said. “It makes you
appreciate all of the aspects of Maryland, when you’ve been
somewhere else.”
The Landing Pad
Most teams only claim a handful of transfer students on their
roster, if any at all. However there is one Division II men’s
program in Old Westbury, N.Y., which thrives off of athletes who
are looking for second chances.
The New York Institute of Technology has won three of the last six
NCAA titles, including last year’s. This season, its 37-man
roster includes 14 transfers. Ten of them come from four-year
schools.
Jack Kaley has been at the helm of the program since 1993. In that
time, he realized that he will rarely get commitments from all of
his top recruits, but also knows that they can eventually come back
to become a Bear some day.
“Some of our recruits coming out of high school look at
Division II as Division 22. We tell them that Interstate 95 has two
lanes, north and south,” said Kaley about his New York-based
recruits that may choose to play at Division I schools off of Long
Island.
He thrives on the players that are eager to go away after high
school and then realize that life isn’t always greener on the
other side. His style of run-and-gun lacrosse and school of second
chances often attracts the Long Island talent to come back.
Current senior midfielder Matt Messina was an All-American at
Sayville High School on Long Island. The lure of Division I brought
him to the University of Delaware. He felt pressure from most
schools to commit before Aug. 1 of his senior year in high school,
so he made a verbal commitment on July 21 to become a Blue Hen.
“I started to second-guess myself in the fall of my senior
year, but there was nothing I could do about it,” said
Messina. “I had a verbal, binding agreement.”
Agreements between prospects and schools are only binding when
both parties sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI), which
prospects in lacrosse can do in early November of their senior
years in high school.
As his freshman season went on, Messina realized that the D-I
style wasn’t for him and realized it was time for a change at
the end of the season. That summer, he became a Bear. Last season,
as a junior, he scored two goals in the national championship
game.
“In my freshman year of college, I really matured a
lot,” said Messina. “I learned a lot about
myself.”
Teammate Matt Sullivan went through a similar experience. The
attackman was an All-American at nearby West Islip High School and
also was heavily recruited. Towson University was the first school
to contact him on July 1 and Sullivan felt he had to act fast.
“A lot of coaches wanted an early decision,” he said.
“They want it in early August if you want to keep your
scholarship money.”
Additionally, all of his friends on the Empire State Team were
committing, putting more pressure on Sullivan.
Sullivan was glad to be a Tiger, but in the fall, he tore an ankle
ligament. He took a medical redshirt in the spring and never fully
recovered. After a year and a half, he felt it was time to come
home.
Since returning to New York, Sullivan also has thrived, scoring 58
points in his first two seasons as a Bear.
“Looking back, I may have made my decision a little too
quickly,” said Sullivan. “I should have taken more
time. Originally, I wanted to go away, but I just realized it
wasn’t for me.”
Obviously, Sullivan, Messina and Poist are not alone in
transferring. There’s a perception among a considerable
sample of coaches and others involved in the game that the number
of transfers is on the rise, and the accelerated recruiting
timeline plays a role in that.
Deciding where to attend college can be the most important
decision of a young person’s life. It becomes a lot harder
when they feel they need to make it long before any of their
classmates.
