For Alex Concannon, the Long Island Showcase marked the start of something big.
As in the summer travel season.
The attackman/midfielder from Syosset High School (NY) earned MVP honors in the Rising Sophomore game at the showcase, and caught the eye of one of the coaches in attendance, Dave Pietramala of Johns Hopkins.
Two years ago at the Long Island Showcase, Syosset goaltender Ryan Feit, now a rising senior, caught the attention of Pietramala and by summer end’s became one of the first-ever rising sophomores to make a collegiate verbal commitment.
Just over a month after Concannon’s LI Showcase performance, the sharpshooting lefty has verbally committed to the Blue Jays.
Though small at 5-foot-6, 145 pounds, Concannon is both speedy and shifty. He also has exception stick skills and is a relentless rider.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Alex on his commitment.
What were the main factors in your decision?
Some main factors were how the education was at the school and how good the school was at lacrosse.
Fortunately, Hopkins has both great education and great lacrosse. It is one of the top-ranked schools in the country and they’re always in the tournament every year.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
Other schools I was interested in were UNC, Duke, Michigan and Lehigh. I was able to visit Hopkins and Lehigh. Once I visited the campus, I fell in love with it.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
Some strengths I think that I bring to the field are my quickness, shiftiness and my vision behind the cage. I like to take a middie behind and invert. I’m able to skip passes to the midfielder and let them take a solid 10-yard shot. The goalies are never ready for them.
My stick skills are another asset to my game. I’m able to throw fakes and make my defender turn giving me the chance to even feed or shoot.
What areas of your game have you been working to improve on?
I’ve been working on my first step off the dodge. Also trying to get more shifty as I work my man behind the cage.
Who have been some of the biggest influences on you during your development as a player?
My dad and my two other PAL coaches. Also my coaches on the varsity squad. My (Syosset head) coach, John Calabria, always pushes me and critiques something whenever I do something wrong. Those little things help me become the player I am today.
What travel team did you play on and what were some of the big showcase events you participated in last summer?
I played for FLG (For The Love of The Game ). I was at Top 205 and made the all-star game. Also, Maverick Showtime.
* For more info on Alex, check out his player profile by clicking here.
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Posted In: Recruiting Rundown, Section 8
Congrats to you Alex and can’t wait to watch you in action for 3 more years at Syosset!
It will be interesting to see if he winds up getting bigger, but he is one of the quickest and elusive attack players I’ve seen in a long time.