Christian Zawadzki didn’t have to look far to see what attributes it takes to be Division I lacrosse player.
His brother, Anthony, is a junior midfielder at Lafayette.
He also learned at an early age the dedication and commitment it takes to reach the highest level in a sport.
His father, Tony, is a football coach at St. Anthony’s.
Now, as a sophomore at Smithtown West, Zawadzki has taken the first step toward attaining the ultimate goal for a high school player.
As we reported here yesterday, the midfielder gave a verbal commitment to accept a scholarship offer from the University of Maryland.
Maryland is the alma mater of Zawadzki’s personal trainer, Doug Schreiber, who was a two-time All-American for the Terps and captain of Maryland’s 1973 national-title team.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Christian on his commitment to Maryland:
What were the main factors in your decision?
The academics, coaches, facilities and location. (Head) Coach (John) Tillman, (Assistant) Coach (Ryan) Moran and (Assistant) Coach (Kevin) Warne are great and made me feel so comfortable. They were very helpful during the recruiting process.
During my visit to campus, I immediately felt so welcomed by the team and staff. I loved the campus and academic opportunities that Maryland has to offer for my future education. Playing for the Terps has always been a dream I’ve had.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I was honored to be recruited by and able to strongly consider North Carolina, Virginia and Penn State.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I think my strengths as a player are my strong shot and field vision. I also think my speed and quickness help me to get up and down the field to contribute on both offense and defense.
My style of play is to be a good team player and always looking to do what’s needed to contribute to the success of my team is also strength that I have.
What areas of your game do you think you need to improve on?
In my opinion, I think I need to improve my off-ball defense and to get my right-handed shot to be as strong as my left.
When did you first realize you had the potential to play at the college level?
I always knew I wanted to play college lacrosse. The first time I knew I had the potential to play Division I college lacrosse was fall of freshman year. I was playing at the SWR tournament with Team Smithtown West. I got to play with and against great players that were already committed to great lacrosse programs. I realized I was able to play and compete at their level.
After playing at Jake Reed’s Rising Sophomore Camp, playing with the top talent in the country, I knew I had Division I potential. After that camp, the amount of interest I received from college coaches was incredible.
What were some of the big summer showcase events you’ve competed in the last couple of years and how did you do at them?
The last couple of years I was able to play with Team Smithtown West. We attended several tournaments. I helped contribute to some great games at Champ Camp, TriLax, SWR, Hofstra Blue & Gold and some others.
Over this past summer, I attended individual showcases such as Jake Reed’s Nike Blue Chip where I had a very good camp and I also tried out for the Underarmour Underclassman Team and received alot of positive comments from coaches.This fall, I had very good showings at the Philly Showcase, Stony Brook tournament and SWR Classic.
For more info on Christian, check out his player profile by clicking here.
Have a recruiting commitment to report? Be sure to email us at info@laxlessons.com.
Follow Joe Lombardi on Twitter @joe_lombardi or by clicking here. Follow LaxLessons @LaxLessons or by clicking here.
LAXLESSONS Links
Recruiting coverage
* Updated recruiting review and commitment rundown (for classes of 2012, ’13 and ’14)
* 2011 NLI Fall Early Signing Period commitment rundown
* Class of 2011 commitment rundown
* For a list of committed players with their profiles up, click here.
* To get your profile up, click here.
Connect with us
* Follow LaxLessons on Twitter by clicking here.
* Become a Fan of LaxLessons on Facebook now by clicking here.
Posted In: Long Island lacrosse, Recruiting Rundown, Section 11
Christian,
This is a tremendous honor and I know Coach Tillman is thrilled to have you lined up! Can’t wait to watch you in a Final Four. Have a great Christmas and we’ll see you in February.
Best,
The Stearns Family
Congratulations Christian!! You are a great player,but even better young man! Maryland made a great choice! Good Luck this season to you and the Smithtown West Bulls!
Tom