Some attackmen are known for their feeding. Others their finishing. Or their riding.
When it comes to Kieran Byrnes, he’s known for almost everything.
The rising junior from Class B state champion Garden City is as versatile as they come.
So it should come as no surprise he was a target recruit of several of the nation’s top Division I programs.
The 5-foot-10, 160-pound attackman made his choice earlier this week.
Byrnes has verbally committed to Villanova to become the second GC member of the Class of 2014 to verbal this week, joining goaltender Danny Dolan, whose decision we told you about earlier this week.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Kieran on his commitment:
What were the main factors in your decision?
There were many factors that influenced my decision. At the end of the process, I felt that Villanova was the right fit for me.
The school has a great academic reputation, a great campus environment and is close enough to home that my family and friends will be able to visit and see games. On the lacrosse side, Villanova is a nationally ranked program and I felt very comfortable with (Head) Coach (Michael) Corrado and (Assistant) Coach (Simon) Connor. They made me feel very welcome and I feel that my style of play will work well within their system.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
Duke, Penn, Brown, Towson and UNC. I visited Duke, UNC, Towson and Penn.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I believe my strengths are my quickness, lax IQ and my field vision. My ability to play with both hands allows me to feed and get shots off from either side of the cage.
What areas of your game have you been working to improve on?
I am continuing to work on my riding and off-ball play.
Who have been some of the biggest influences on you during your development as a player?
Many people have influenced my development as a player and I have been fortunate to have been exposed to some great teachers and players. Coach (Steve) Finnell and Coach (Tom) Flatley at Garden City High School and Coaches (Jack) Moran, (Gene) Isnard and (Michael) Chanenchuk with the Long Island Express have all helped me to become a better player.
Great players like Tim Goettelmann, Peter LeSueur and Dean Gibbons have given me their unique perspective which helps me develop my own style . Of course the biggest influences are my parents and brothers who constantly support me while challenging me to always keep improving.
What travel team did you play on and what were some of the big showcase events you participated in last summer?
I play for the Long Island Express. This summer we participated in Tri-State, NSCLA in Delaware and the Brine Shootout in Baltimore. Individually, I attended Jake Reed Blue Chip and Maverik Showtime where I selected to the All-Star team.
* For more info on Kieran, check out his player profile by clicking here.
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Posted In: Long Island lacrosse, Recruiting Rundown, Section 8
Nice job Kieran.Congrats
Congrats KB
I thought Kieran had committed a while back and googled it and got this story from July. For some reason Inside Lacrosse reported it today as if it just happened. Anyway, congrats Kieran.