bsternWe’ve brought you a steady stream of stories involving football standouts whose college futures will be in lacrosse at major Division I program.

Here’s another. But it’s a bit different.

After all, Brandon Stern, the starting quarterback on the football team at Cherry Hill East (N.J.), picked up lacrosse thanks to his sister, Samantha Stern, a midfield attacker who was a standout at the University of Vermont, where she graduated in 2012.

“When she started in high school, I started becoming interested in the sport,” said Brandon.

Now a rising junior, the 5-foot-10, 165-pound Stern has developed into an offensive-minded midfielder who is strong with either hand.

He’s also developed into a major D-I player, having verbally committed to Penn State.

recruiting_updateNow, here’s a Q&A with Brandon on his commitment.

What were the main factors in your decision?
Athletically, I wanted a big school with big time sports programs.  I also wanted a program that had a chance to compete for a national championship and that played in a big conference.

Academically, I wanted a school with a great business program and which had a great track record of placing graduates in good jobs.

Penn State fit all those criteria. I also really felt really comfortable with the coaching staff and was very impressed with the facilities. Once I visited, it was a very easy decision.

What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
Penn State was my only visit, although I had scheduled or was in the process of scheduling visits with Bryant, Binghamton, Siena, Villanova, Towson and Brown.

What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I am pretty fast through the midfield, and can shoot equally hard both lefty and righty. I am probably more offensively minded than defensively minded and like to play at a fast pace.

What area of your game do you need to work on?
I could probably use work on my defense and accuracy of my shots.

What travel team do you play on what showcase events did you participate in?
I am on the South Jersey Shamrocks Orange team. I played in the Blue Chip 225 Rising Sophomore, Nike Blue Chip Fall and Rising Junior and the Brine All America Tournament on the South Jersey team. This summer, my travel team played in the Delaware MVP, Kick-Off and Summer Sizzle.

Any final thoughts?
First I would I like to thank my family and friends for all of their support and encouragement. In particular, I would like to thank my sister, a Division I lacrosse player, who got me interested in lacrosse in sixth grade.

I would like to thank my parents (Rich and Dawn Stern) and twin brother (Matthew) for their time and effort in helping me achieve my goals and for taking time to drive me to the events and tournaments.

I would also like to thank my summer coaches Bill Keane, Mike Yarusso, and Steve Picot and the rest of the Shamrocks’ coaching staff for sharing their knowledge of the game with me, for helping me grow as a lacrosse player and guiding me through the recruiting process.

I would like to thank my high school coach Eric Wood for his support and teaching me how to play lacrosse at the highest level.

Finally, I would like to thank my youth coach Damon Legato for teaching me the basics of the sport at a young age.

 

Posted In: New Jersey lacrosse, Recruiting Rundown

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One Response to “Standout NJ quarterback’s college future is in lacrosse at Penn State”

  1. Lax Rat says:

    Another awesome article on your website, keep up good work!

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