Hen Hud will be competing in Class C this upcoming season.
The Sailors will certainly have the star power to contend for the Section 1 championship.
Just over a month after junior faceoff specialist Matt Ledwin committed to Johns Hopkins, the Sailors saw another standout give a verbal to one of the nation’s top D-I programs.
Sophomore goaltender Eddie Gilman decided late Tuesday night that he will become a University of North Carolina Tar Heel, as reported first on Twitter @joe_lombardi.
The 5-foot-8, 145-pound right-hander is no stay-at-home netminder. He’s noted for his go all out, aggressive style of play.
“Eddie is a very athletic and technical goalie,” Hen Hud coach Craig Solomon said. “He has extremely fast hands and is excellent in the clear game. Eddie was outstanding over the summer for (Team) Superstar and went to Jake Reed and Maverick — just to name a few.”
Now, let’s hear from Eddie. Here are his thoughts on his commitment: 
What were the main factors in your decision?
The coaches, the players, a chance to go up against the likes of Maryland, Virginia, Duke, and Syracuse and, of course, UNC is one of the great universities in the country. It was just a rare combination of things. great lacrosse, great coaching, great campus, and a great business school. Also my parents have strong ties to the Carolinas.
What really made UNC stand out for me was how invested the coaching staff is in their players, not only on the field but in the classroom and in developing them as young men. I couldn’t think of a better staff combination than Coach (Joe) Breschi, (Chris) Feifs, (Pat) Myers, and I especially look forward to playing under Coach (Brian) Holman, who works with the goalies.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I visited UMass. (Assistant) Coach (Doc) Schneider and (Head) Coach (Greg) Cannella are amazing people. I was also planning a visit to Ohio State. I think I told someone I wish you could figure out how to go to all three. Any one of those schools would have been lacrosse Shangri-La.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I play with a lot of speed and I like to think of myself as an impact player who wins the race to the end line, gets the ground balls and makes the perfect outlet pass and, of course, the right save at just the right time in the game. Someone described me as Rajon Rondo on the field. I kind of liked that. I’ve always thought of myself as a player who creates opportunities for my teammates and that’s something I really want to bring to UNC.
You and teammate Matt Ledwin (pictured at left, with Gilman) will both be playing at two of the top college programs. How did you both help each other reach this level the last few years?
I think we just pushed each other to get better. We both love to practice; we both love to figure out what clinics to attend so we can work on our games. He wanted me to go to a FOGO clinic. I wanted him to go to a goalie clinic. We were actually serious. I’ve always taken faceoffs against him and he’s always shot on me. We talk lacrosse all the time.
I know only four percent of varsity players, or something like that, get to play D-I. For some reason we just assumed we’d be in that four percent and it just drove us.
It’s not only great playing together but going to camps like Jake Reed and Maverik Showtime together. I think I speak for both of us when I say it was really great to have a companion in the recruiting process. I think we both served as examples for each other throughout the whole thing.
Who have been some of the biggest influences on you during your development as a player?
OK, bear with me here. A long list. I have so many people to thank that I hope I don’t miss anyone.
Anyone who doesn’t like these sort of things, please skip to the next question. Got to start with mom and dad. There are no words to describe what they have done for me. Unbelievable.
Then there are my Hen Hud teammates, teachers and coaches- particularly Coach Craig Solomon. He’s not only a great head coach but a better person and I owe so much to him and all his efforts on my behalf.
My club team, Team Superstar, and my coaches, like the great Roy Colsey and Vin D’Andraia, made me a much, much better and smarter player and got me prepared for the showcases. I had so much confidence going into Nike Blue Chip and Maverik Showtime because of them.
And speaking of Maverik, thank you John Gagliardi and Paul Carcaterra of Maverik and the No Limits camps. I can’t tell you how much I learned from them and their incredible camps. Thanks also to my youth coaches like Carson Jacobs, Mike Lustyk and a big tip of the hat to Mark McDermott and his son Matt, who thought, in the third grade, that I’d make a good goalie.
And then there’s Army goalie (and former Hen Hud All-American) Bobby Sincero, who actually taught me to play. Finally, my goalie coach, Ithaca College and Pleasantville High School legend Dennis Butler. All I can say it was an important day when I met him. That’s it. I think.
What travel team did you play on and what were some of the big showcase events you participated in last summer?
Roy Colsey’s Team Superstar. I played on his high school elite team this fall with Matt Landis from Pelham (Notre Dame), Ledwin (Hopkins) and Chris Monteferante (Army) from Lakeland/Panas. We had it going on, I’ll tell you that. I attended two Jake Reed camps (summer and fall) this year as well as Showtime and Connecticut Super Sophs where I made the all-star team.
* For more info on Eddie, check out his player profile by clicking here.
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Posted In: Recruiting Rundown, Section 1
Congratulations Eddie! We are very lucky to get to watch you play for Hen Hud the next three years. No doubt the Sailors will be in the mix in Class C because of dedicated student atheletes like you. Keep working hard and best of luck at UNC!
You sounded very classy in this interview.
Congrats! You earned it. All the best in the future.
Great goalie, better person.
Yeh Eddie