Jon Ober’s introduction to lacrosse came when he was 9 or 10 years and something caught his eye at a Dick’s Sporting Goods store — a plastic lacrosse stick.
Ober persuaded his mother to buy it for him, but never would have guessed at the time where it would take him.
Ober, a rising and relentless junior defenseman at Episcopal High School in Virginia, has verballed to the University of Denver, a commitment that was first reported earlier today by Joe Lombardi on LaxLessons.com’s “Lacrosse Insider” section.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound Ober, a righty who also plays longstick midfielder, is a takeaway defensive especially effective in getting groundballs. He is plays with an aggressive, all-out style.
Now, as we continue to venture “Beyond the Northeast,” here’s a Q&A with Jon on his commitment.
What were the main factors in your decision?
One of the main factors I had with going to Denver is that when I was doing my homework on the school, and I was asking my friends and family what they thought of the school and the state, there was never anything close to a negative response. Everyone had something good to say about it, and at the end of whatever they said, they would say “Jon, you would love it there.”
As soon as I arrived at Denver, I fell in love with the atmosphere of the state and city, and I knew within 15 minutes after getting off the plane that I would love it there.
Also the first NCAA tournament in Baltimore I went to, which was in 2011, I was amazed at all of the talk about this up-and-coming team from the West, that could compete with all of the big-name Eastern schools.
My family is all about being the underdog, and no matter the name of the jersey, coming out and playing hard is what its about. I believe Denver is a poster child for that mentality.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I also considered and visited Navy, Lehigh and Boston University.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
One of my main strengths from what I’m told, is my heart and hustle. I’ve never felt like a play would end fruitlessly, and good things happen when you don’t give up.
My other strength as a player, is my quick feet. I was taught at a young age that lateral quickness is key to success in sports. My style of play is pursuit, to be relentless on someone’s hands and body until they have no choice to either pass the ball or drop it.
What area of your game do you need to work on?
An aspect of my game that I need to refine is my ball watching habit. I’m good on-ball, but off-ball is something you can always work on to become better at.
How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
When I was around 9 or 10 years old, I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods, and saw a small plastic lacrosse stick for little kids. I was fascinated at the fact of the ability to keep the ball in the stick and I begged my mom to get it for me. She did buy it for me and I never put the stick down.
I again asked my parents to sign me up for youth lacrosse, and it all began from there. I have always been playing sports since I was a little kid, and I taught myself almost all of them. I started off playing baseball, but the sport became boring so I taught myself how to skate, and picked up playing travel ice hockey. In 7th grade I started playing school football, and when I got to high school Ive done both wrestling and track.
What travel team do you play on what showcase events did you participate in?
I play for Amped lacrosse, and I played in Jake Reed’s Nike Blue Chip, the Under Armour underclass tournament playing for Washington, D.C., and Brine National Showcase (I made the all-star team there) playing for team Virginia.
Any final thoughts?
I would like to thank my parents, for dealing with the stress and rigors of traveling to tournaments everywhere, supporting me every day, and teaching me how to be a leader in every situation.
I would also like to thank some of the best coaches I’ve ever had: my school coaches and mentors, Coach Conklin and Coach Farrar, my Amped coaches, Coach Leahy and Coach Rusbuldt, and Coach Disceplo for teaching me how to be the best player and person I could be.
Have a recruiting commitment to report? Email us at info@laxlessons.com or joe@laxlessons.com or send a Tweet to @Joe_Lombardi or @LaxLessons.
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Posted In: Beyond the Northeast, Recruiting Rundown, Virginia lacrosse
