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Considering his sport of choice in the spring started out as baseball, and the fact that he is now an accomplished diver, it may come as a surprise that Dobson Cooper’s college future is in lacrosse.
The two-way sophomore midfielder at Staples (CT) verbally committed late last week to the University of Vermont, a decision first reported by Joe Lombardi on LaxLessons.com’s Lacrosse Insider premium coverage section.
The 5-foot-9, 160-pound Cooper, a righty, combines skills with speed on the lacrosse field. He is also a key contributor on faceoffs.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Dobson on his commitment.
What were the main factors in your decision?
The things I loved about UVM was the location, the town of Burlington was beautiful, the academics that UVM provide are excellent, and the coaching staff is fantastic and always very engaging.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
UVM was always my top choice, but I was looking at Lafayette and Fairfield as well. I live very close to Fairfield so I got the chance to tour the campus with my family, and I got the chance to walk around Lafayette when I was there last fall.
Have you decided what academic major you plan to pursue?
I would like to keep an open mind on what I am going to study just in case my thoughts change but as of right now I’m planning on studying business.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
My strengths include my speed, I am able to take the ball from one end of the field to the other and start to create offense right away. I also believe that my on the run shooting is very good, along with wing play (when I’m not facing off).
What area of your game do you need to work on?
There is always room for improvement, but my goals as a player is to really become the best two-way midfielder that I can be to fit perfectly into UVM’s 2 way midfield system. Not only playing offense, but being able to play defense is very important to me. But to be perfectly honest, I would like to improve everything about my game to become the best player that I can be.
How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
When I was younger I was a very good baseball player, playing on the best teams in my area. But when lacrosse came into my like in the 4th grade I just couldn’t put my stick down. That first year of lacrosse I knew this is what I wanted to do.
At that point I quit baseball and took the time to become the best lacrosse player that I could be. But along with lacrosse and baseball I also swim and dive for my high school. I got into diving at my country club and became very good. As a freshmen at Staples I set school records becoming the seventh all time leading scorer in diving.
What travel team do you play on what showcase events did you participate in?
I am a part of CT Chargers run by Jeff Brameier and coached by Jackson Kiniry. Last summer I participated in the Baltimore Summer Kick-Off, Liberty Bell Challenge, Crab Feast and Nat 175 Best of the Best. I didn’t participate in many showcase events because I was getting the looks I needed with Summer and Fall lacrosse.
Any final thoughts and people you want to thank for helping you reach this point?
I have so many people to thank for helping me along this process:
First off I would like to thank my family and friends for all of the support given to me throughout my lacrosse career.
Secondly, I would like to thank my high school coaches, Paul McNulty, Matt Johnson and Drew Smith for always pushing me on and off the field to become the best lacrosse player/ person that I can be.
Finally I would like to thank my chargers coaches, Jackson Kiniry and Jeff Brameier for helping me with the recruiting process and always lending a hand.
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