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Family ties and location.

Those were the two keys in Ryan Ozsvath’s college choice.

The rising junior attackman at Half Hollow Hills West has verbally committed to Stony Brook University, where both his father and uncle graduated.

The 6-foot, 160-pound Ozsvath, who has outstanding field vision, is an excellent feeder and off-ball player who moves well without the ball. He earned a starting spot at Hills West his freshman year, finishing that season with 25 goals and six assists.

Now, here’s a Q&A with Ryan on his commitment.

What were the main factors in my decision?
When I started this process, Stony Brook was one of my top choices right from the beginning. Stony Brook has an excellent academic reputation.

My father graduated from Stony Brook and has always spoken highly of how well Stony Brook had prepared him for his future.

My uncle, who also attended Stony Brook, was a starting attackman there in the late ’90s. I have watched many Stony Brook games and Suffolk County High School Championship games at LaValle Stadium and I always thought it would be a great experience to play there one day myself.

Stony Brook is also close to my hometown, so my family can come and continue to watch my games as I play at the college level. After my initial meeting with (Stony Brook Head) Coach (Jim) Nagle, (Assistant) Coach (Craig) Gibson and (Assistant) Coach (Andrew) Watkins, my choice was an extremely easy one. I felt very comfortable around them and they made me feel very welcomed.

I felt like it was a perfect fit for me and I knew instantly that there was nowhere else that I would rather play college Lacrosse than at Stony Brook. I am looking forward to the opportunity to be coached by Coach Nagle, Coach Gibson and Coach Watkins.

What others schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I was considering several other schools.  I had visited Boston University and was planning trips to Loyola, High Point and UMass.

However, after my visit to Stony Brook, my mind was made up. While I was on the tour and speaking with the coaches, I envisioned myself fitting into their program.

When I walked on the turf field at LaValle Stadium, I immediately knew it was the right place for me.

What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
My ability to finish. I have worked many hours on my shooting and I love letting a big shot go from the wing.  My style of play to this point has been a lot of off-ball play, moving without the ball, and finding space and room to get my shot off.

I also pride myself in my ability to see the field well and I am a very accurate feeder.

What area of your game do you need to work on?
For the past two varsity seasons, I haven’t been asked to do a lot of dodging. I plan to work very hard to improve this part of my game this summer. Since I have committed, I decided to pull out of the various showcase camps I had planned on attending so that I can focus on improving my skills as a player.

I will be attending a box lacrosse camp in Canada this July where I will look to gain the fundamentals to improve my faking and finishing in tight confines.

How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
I was a baseball player first and did not start playing lacrosse until the third grade. That spring, my dad decided to sign me up to play PAL Lacrosse. Once I started playing lacrosse, I quickly forgot about baseball.

I played many years of football, which included PAL and middle school. I was a starting running back and cornerback during middle school. Once I entered high school, I decided to use the fall season to really focus on speed and weight training.  I also spend a lot of time playing pickup basketball games with my friends.

What travel team did you play on last summer and what showcase events did you participate in?
I have played for the South Shore Ballers the past three summers. I have really loved my time playing with the Ballers and I am very thankful that I was seen and asked to play on this team a few years back. Our team is made up of kids from all over Long Island and we all play a very unselfish game. We are taught the importance of ball movement and we always look to make the extra pass.

One of my best highlights from last summer was winning the Southeast Regional U15 Championship and qualifying for the National Championships in Disney World.  I didn’t attend any showcase events last summer due to any injury and my planned showcases for this summer diminished after committing to play at Stony Brook.

I’m very happy to be able to focus my free time this summer that I would have been at showcases on really working to improve my game and working equally as hard towards my goal of helping my high school team get to the next level.

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