With the accelerated recruiting process leading to players making verbal commitments as early as freshman year of high school, it’s important to remember those commitments are not binding.
Circumstances change, and sometimes, decisions are altered as a result.
Case in point, Alec Dunn.
Following his sophomore season at the Westminster School (Conn.), the standout defenseman verbally committed to the University of Maryland.
But as the weeks passed, he began to reflect on his choice, and eventually decommitted from Maryland.
Now a senior, Dunn decided this past week to commit to the admissions process at Dartmouth, as first reported on Dec. 7 at Twitter.com/joe_lombardi.
Dunn is an aggressive and physical defender who is especially effective in the clearing game.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Alec on his decision.
What were the main factors in your decision to commit to Dartmouth and decommit from Maryland?
Over the last year, I really began to think about my future and how I should use my lacrosse to get into the best possible academic school possible, so I decided to look at other schools last winter.
Even though I loved (Maryland) coach (John) Tillman and have the utmost respect for him, I chose to change my commitment to Dartmouth because of the amazing academic opportunity there and the great passion (Dartmouth) Coach (Andy) Towers has for the game of lacrosse.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
Throughout my process, I considered UVa, Duke, Maryland, UNC, Georgetown, Dartmouth, Brown and Yale.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I believe my biggest strengths as a player are the ability to run a defense and clear the ball, but I still have to work on a lot of parts of my game. I am extremely aggressive defenseman that really likes to handle the ball.
Who have been some of the biggest influences on you during your development as a player?
There have been many different people that have helped me develop as a player throughout my high school career, like my high school coaches Peter Newman, Scott Duddy and Todd Eckerson, as well as my summer coaches Gery Fay and Graham Niemi. I also largely credit my development as a player to longtime coach and teacher, Denis Daly.
What travel team did you play on and what were some of the big showcase events you participated in last summer?
I played for the Yale Bulldogs and Sweetlax over the summer. I attended the Under Armour Underclassman games and a few other tournaments over the summer.
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Posted In: Recruiting Rundown
Good move Alec!
Sounds like this young man has a good head on his shoulders to go along with his obvious talents on the field. All the best to you Alec.