A steady stream of college commitments have been coming in the last week as the summer travel season reached the midway point.
On Sunday, we reported here that Yorktown’s leading scorer, Conor Gately, has given a verbal commitment to accept a scholarship offer from Marquette University. In case you missed that story, click here.
Gately, a rising senior, is hardly the first standout from the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut tristate area to commit to the Golden Eagles.
Head coach Joe Amplo, the former top assistant at Hofstra, we be welcoming several others a year ahead of Gately’s arrival for the 2013 season. Making their college lax debut, just like Marquette itself, in 2012 will be defensemen Liam Byrnes of West Islip and BJ Grill of Bridgewater-Raritan and midfielder Brendan Mahon of Kellenberg.
Marquette is also in the hunt for several other tristate standouts. So stay tuned for more on that.
Here now is a Q&A with Conor Gately on his commitment:
What were the main factors in your decision to attend Marquette?
An opportunity to attend a top 100 university and play lacrosse at the D-I level. With it being a new program, it makes it that much more challenging. I’m really excited to be part of Marquette’s footprint in lacrosse. It will test me as a student, and a player. On my visit, the excitement of the coaches, the campus, and the university’s commitment to the lacrosse program made it that much more appealing.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
Other schools I considered throughout this process were (in alphabetical order): Air Force Academy, Drexel, Fairfield, Hofstra, Maryland and the University of Albany. Except for the Air Force Academy, I visited each of these. Each visit was an opportunity to meet with the coach, coaching staff, and obtain a feel of the school. Each school’s coaching staff were outstanding.
What adjustments do you think you will need to make to play at the next level?
I feel to be an effective player at the next level, I’ll need to continue to grow physically and mentally. Continuing to develop my strength by a weight regimen will be very important for my success. By mentally, I mean that by being part of a team, each individual has to bring their own style of leadership and strength so the team is stronger as a whole, than the sum of each individual. I’ll also need to develop my lacrosse IQ. I hope to work on this next year and during college.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I believe my strengths are quickness, vision of the field and lacrosse IQ. I would relate my style of play to a point guard/quarterback, someone who the coaches can trust to make the right decisions with the ball.
What players have you looked up to as you have moved up through thevarsity ranks?
While I played at Yorktown, I was fortunate enough to play with some great players like John Ranagan, Ethan Fox, Kevin Interliccho, Ty Schuldt and Justin Mabus. All of whom I looked up to during my development as a lacrosse player. They were all very supportive of me. When I moved to Yorktown in seventh grade, the then varsity players of John Ranagan, Ethan Fox and Kevin Interliccho welcomed me, which helped my confidence. And of course, I have to mention, one of the best coaching staffs anywhere in the country, with Coach (Dave) Marr, (Sean) Carney, (Adam) Lodewick, (Rob) Doerr, and (Dave) Graham, who have supported me throughout my development.
I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the ongoing support I’ve had from prior lacrosse players who I’ve been involved with over the years, both on Long Island and Yorktown: John Gagliardi, Dan Denihan and Paul Carcaterra. They have always provided supportive and objective feedback and direction. They now work with the up-and-coming lax players.
When did you first realize you had the potential to play at the college level?
At the end of my freshman year, in 2009, when I was fortunate enough to have been brought up to the Yorktown varsity lacrosse team. To have been brought up as a freshman, practicing and playing with those talented players, gave me tremendous confidence.
* For more info on Conor, check out his player profile by clicking here.
Have a recruiting commitment to report? Be sure to email us at info@laxlessons.com.
You can email us at info@laxlessons.com.
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Posted In: Recruiting Rundown, Section 1
