Rhode Island may not be considered a high school lacrosse hotbed, but there’s one squad in the Ocean State with an array of Division I talent that would rival many teams in the tristate.
It’s La Salle Academy in Providence.
There’s one of the nation’s top rising juniors, Duke-bound attackman Joseph Manown. Rising senior midfielder Brady O’Donnell is bound for Bryant.
And the Rams added another D-I bound player when rising senior midfielder Jack Collins committed to the admissions process at Brown, as reported at Twitter.com/Joe_Lombardi.
Brown, of course, is located in Providence, just like La Salle.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Collins is an adept dodger who excels in transition.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Jack on his commitment.
What were the main factors in your decision to commit to Brown?
Growing up in Rhode Island, Brown University has always been my dream school. I have been going to Brown lacrosse games since I was a kid. The combination of high level academics and athletics at Brown was something of which I wanted to be a part. Also, the history and tradition of the Ivy League was very appealing to me.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
Other schools I considered were Notre Dame, Johns Hopkins, Cornell, Holy Cross and Amherst. I had always been interested in the Ivy and NESCAC schools, but gained interest from other schools such as ND, Hopkins, Ohio State and Rutgers after the King of the Hill tournament. In the end, I felt that Brown University was still the best fit for me.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I had spent nearly a year working on strength and conditioning following an ACL repair. Ironically, what I think got me noticed on the summer circuit was my ability to move the ball up the field in transition as well as dodging from up top. (Assistant) Coach (Kip) Turner at Brown wants to see me develop my left hand a little more and that is what I will be working on in the offseason.
How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
My mother played women’s lacrosse at the University of Rochester and introduced me to the sport at a young age. In addition to lacrosse, I have also played football, basketball and run indoor track. My events in indoor track were the 300, 4×200, and 4×400.
What travel team do you play on and what showcase events have you been in and which ones do you plan on attending?
This summer I played with 3d Lacrosse. Dave Jenkins of the 3d program and my Taft coach, Casey D’Annolfo, are responsible for my commitment to Brown. I could not be more appreciative of their efforts.
The only showcase I attended was the Prep School Showcase at Brunswick. I then played three tournaments with 3d: the Denver Shootout, King of the Hill and Best of the Best.