When it comes to midfield play, being steady is better than being spectacular almost every time.
“My style of play is not flashy,” Jake Kaiser said. “It’s more of a simple and a textbook style of playing lacrosse.”
And it’s landed the Byram Hills High School (N.Y.) rising senior a chance to play Division I lacrosse.
The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Kaiser has committed to Fairfield University.
While Kaiser may not always be the player on the highlight film (although his own highlight film has plenty of impressive plays), his lacrosse IQ and work in the faceoff X often directly translates into wins.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Jake on his commitment.
What were the main factors in your decision?
The main factors that made Fairfield seem like the right fit for me were the strong Division I lacrosse program, the small classroom size and a beautiful campus. When I went on my visit to Fairfield, (Head) Coach (Andy) Copelan and (Assistant) Coach (Andy) Whitley were great and made me feel at home. They told me about all of the great things that Fairfield University and the lacrosse program had to offer.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I visited St. Joseph’s and Holy Cross. I also considered Hobart and some NESCAC schools.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I have quick hands and good technique which helps me a lot on faceoffs. In addition, I have a good lacrosse IQ, I make good decisions with the ball and I am a hard worker. My style of play is not flashy. It’s more of a simple and a textbook style of playing lacrosse.
What areas of your game have you been working to improve on?
From stick skills to being stronger and faster, every facet of my game can always be improved. A few things I would like to work on the most are my faceoff mechanics and my strength and speed.
At the next level, there will be many great athletes and it will be important to put a lot of work in the weight room to become stronger and faster in order to be able to compete at the highest level.
Who have been some of the biggest influences on you during your development as a player?
The biggest influences to me as a player are my mom and dad. They have always stressed the importance of hard work and practice. In addition, they have always challenged me to set goals for myself and try new things.
I would also like to thank Matt Schomburg and Tyler Fritz for my success this year in face-offs. Their knowledge of faceoffs has been extremely beneficial in my development as a player.
I have been fortunate to have been a part of many different programs and have been coached by some of the best locally, including Sun Ho Lee of the John Jay Youth program.
In addition I would also like to thank my high school coaches Jeff Fritz, Tyler Fritz, Jake Sheeley and Damion Didominico. Finally, I would like to give a big thanks to Gerald Fay and Graham Niemi of the Bulldog Elite program.
What travel team did you play on and what were some of the big showcase events you participated in this summer?
This past summer, I played on Bulldog Elite. We had a really good summer competing at some of the best tournaments in the nation. We participated in King of the Hill, The Bulldog Bash, Brine Shootout, and the Chargers tournament and we won the King of the Hill tournament.
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Posted In: Fairfield lacrosse, Recruiting Rundown
Hey Jake – Congrats to you man. Great job.
Congrats Jake!! Great Job. All that hard work and playing with JJYL for a few years with Werlow, Bondi, Beck and Lambert has paid off!! You are going to love your goalie at Fairfield!!