Ian committed to Proefriedt St Johns not UMass '17 Recruiting Profile

My love for lacrosse and the teammates who I play with allows me to continually further my skills in both the social and athletic aspects of a team. I'm approaching my third year as a Lynbrook High School lacrosse play and my second year on the Varsity team and am excited to say that I will be the starting goalie this year. Lynbrook High School has produced numerous quality student athletes in the past including Tom DaNapoli, both Doneger brothers, and Quint Kessenich. Coaching me for the last year, and for two more years to come are head coach Bill Leighley and assistant coaches Brian Hetrick and Larry Glenz. Through their mentoring I am not only expanding my knowledge of lacrosse, but we have also focused immensely on the brotherhood between ever player on the team.

Regarding my club experience I have played for the Turf Island Oilers for what will be five years come this summer. I have been coached by Donny Borges, the owner of Turf Island, and a member of the Long Island Metropolitan Hall of Fame. The summer heading into my junior year of high school I was brought up to play on the all senior Oilers team and competed against teams where many of the players were at times two years older than myself.

My quick hands, agility, and flexibility allow me to see and stop the ball even when the shot is placed perfectly. This, paired with my athleticism when outside the net, give my team, whether it be school, or club, an advantage when clearing the ball and making quick transition plays. I pride myself on my ability to stay calm in any situation and not allowing my emotions to take over the way I play or communicate with my teammates. The skills I have learned from playing basketball for ten years along with lacrosse have served me well too. I have played every position on the court and my strength in the post, as well as my court vision from playing as guard have both translated to my field vision and strength in lacrosse. I feel as though the way basketball is played is very similar to lacrosse in that both are fast pace games that require a great deal of composure, communication, and quick decision making.

In terms of my academics I am taking two Advanced Placement classes, those being English and U.S. History and Government. Complimenting these classes is my cumulative GPA, which is a 3.7 and includes classes such as Pre-Calculous and Physics. My extra curricular actives include consistent volunteering at a local preschool summer program in which my main job is to help various children who have an especially difficult time adapting to a classroom environment. I have also volunteered my time at multiple basketball clinics held at my high school where aspiring basketball players from Lynbrook, ages 7-13 come to work on their skills and get a brief feel for what it is like to play at a high school level.

My hopes in attending college are to pursue a career in either psychology or computer science. I have obviously prioritized my education over anything else in my college experience but regardless of this I believe that for me, playing lacrosse is a must have to enjoy my college experience.