For junior lacrosse player Louis Dubick, the pressures of recruitment began before he even started high school when colleges started to contact him the summer before his freshman year.
As a varsity athlete since his freshman season at CHS, Dubick was faced with the immediate attention of college coaches and assistants, adding to the everyday stress of classes and teachers.
“The whole process was a little overwhelming,” Dubick said. “I tried to just not let it get to me and be patient, but at the same time the experience flew by.”
Though there are rules set by the NCAA in order to prevent colleges from contacting athletes earlier than deemed allowable, coaches, trainers and assistants have perfected the art of using the many loopholes in the recruitment process.
“The weird part is until July 1 or Sept. 1, the athlete has to call the coach and the coach can not call the athlete,” Dubick said. “On Sept. 1 the coach can email the athlete but still cannot call him.”
According to Dubick, the process for lacrosse begins too early and is unfair to athletes who do not develop until they are upperclassmen.
“I think they should push back the whole process so you can’t commit until junior year at least,” Dubick said. “Kids haven’t matured yet so it’s almost unfair to the ‘late bloomers’ as we call them.”
While Dubick was given offers by many schools across the county, he decided to play locally after high school, committing to University of Maryland the summer before his sophomore year. When deciding whether to become a Terrapin, a number of factors came into play, including a desire to remain close as a role model for his younger brother.
“I committed to the University of Maryland for a few reasons,” Dubick said. “The coaches were guys that I knew I could look up and learn from as a person not just on the field. The atmosphere and tradition at Maryland for lacrosse is second to none. A lot of my family members went to Maryland. Lastly I have little brother who looks up to me, so it will be nice to stay close to home for him.”
