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When Jake Piseno describes himself as a “Ric Beardsley-type player,” it’s pretty clear both to him and his coach at the Upstate Lacrosse Club what exactly the sophomore defender at Liverpool (NY) High School means.

“The kid’s a throwback animal,” said Beardsley, the former Syracuse University All-American, of Piseno said of the athletic and aggressive dynamo moments after Piseno verbally committed last week to St. John’s University, a decision first reported by Joe Lombardi on LaxLessons.com’s Lacrosse Insider premium coverage section.

The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Piseno’s verbal marks the first 2019 tristate commit for St. John’s.

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

What were the main factors in your decision?
The main factors were it’s close to home. They expressed interest in me and wanted me and also that the criminal justice program which I want to major in is great at St. John’s.

What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
The other schools that I was considering were Marquette, Le Moyne, Fairfield. I visited Le Moyne, Air Force and Hartford. I was also in contact with Syracuse and Notre Dame.

Have you decided what academic major you plan to pursue?
Criminal justice.

What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
Definitely a Ric Beardsley-type player. I love takeaway checks and playing on ball.

What area of your game do you need to work on?
Off ball, I need to stop ball watching.

How did you get introduced to lacrosse?
I play basketball and I got introduced to lacrosse in second grade it was just another thing in the summer my friends as kids were doing and I signed up and actually was going to quit that year because we didn’t play any games against other teams. I kept with it though and I’m happy I did.

What travel team do you play on?
Upstate Lacrosse Club.

What showcase events did you participate in?
I attended the Philly showcase my freshman and sophomore year. I attended the NLF showcase at IMG academy last year then got invited to the follow up for the top 120 players from that showcase. I attended the FLG showcase also.
Any final thoughts and people you want to thank for helping you reach this point?

I want to thank my dad (Juan Piseno) and Ric for being my hardest critics and even if I did everything right in my eyes they always told me to fix something. I’ll never be perfect but with them always telling me ways to be better I’ll be pretty close.

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