How did the school you chose separate itself from the others you considered?
Bates separated itself because of the location of the school and the competitive atmosphere. Maine contrasts to the city life of Charlotte as it is very untouched by man. I love spending time outside, whether its fishing, hiking or a number of other activities I always enjoy the outdoors: Maine is the perfect place to experience all of these things. The NESCAC conference is also extremely competitive academically and athletically, which is something I had always wanted from my college experience.
How would you describe your recruiting process overall?
My process kept me honest. My target schools were all very strong academic schools that wanted to wait for grades from my junior year. This pushed me to work hard in the classroom, while also pushing myself to continue improving to be the best player I could be. Knowing my process would be longer from the beginning helped me adopt the mindset that I would need to work as hard as possible, academically and athletically, every day.
What was your favorite part of the recruiting process?
My favorite part of the process was the Fall season of my junior year. I didn't hear from many schools on September 1st and I hadn't been in contact with too many schools until the Fall recruiting events. It was extremely rewarding to hear from dozens of coaches after putting in the work in the Fall. I will never forget some of those first phone calls.
What opportunities and information assisted you during your recruiting process?
I would say prospect camps helped me the most in my process. Being on campus in those competitive environments while getting hands-on coaching from college players and staff definitely made me a better player. I also got to learn more about which schools I liked and what I didn't like.
Did you feel like you had support from the Team 24/7 Staff during your process? If so, how?
I think the support from the entire 24/7 Staff helped me more than anything throughout the whole process. They always kept me updated with any interactions they had with coaches and made it very clear what I needed to do to take my game to the next level. Coach Flanagan was extremely available for any questions my family and I had and was always giving me advice. It can be a weird process, but having the staff and all their experience in the process at my disposal made it so much easier for my family.
The other thing I appreciated with 24/7 was how I was always treated like I had more potential. Without that I don't think I would be where I am today. I feel like every step of the way we were always told what and how we needed to do certain things if we wanted to play at the next level. That went a long way for our entire team.
What individual or showcase events, if any, did you find the most beneficial during your process?
I did not attend a lot of showcases but felt like attending prospect days at target schools was beneficial to me. It helps to immediately start a relationship with a coach, which I found to be helpful in the long run. You get instant feedback from coaches and have a chance to see the campus.
What would you tell younger players or parents to help them prepare for the recruiting process?
Just be patient. There's no science to recruiting and everyone's process is going to be different. If you work hard, things will work out. I would also say to never hesitate to reach out for help from the 24/7 staff, it's new to everyone and a little bit of advice can go a long way. They have a ton of experience, take advantage of it.
