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For Tommy McCormick, the summer was hardly a time to leisure.
After missing nearly the entire spring varsity season with a shoulder injury he sustained playing football in the fall of 2013, McCormick worked hard to re-establish himself as a college recruit.
It paid off.
The Class of 2015 midfielder from John Jay High School (NY) has verballed to Division III power Nazareth College, a decision first reported when it was made by Joe Lombardi on LaxLessons.com’s Lacrosse Insider premium coverage section.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound McCormick, a lefty, is a powerful offensive weapon and an effective dodger who is dangerous in the open field.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Tommy on his commitment.
What were the main factors in your decision?
My parents really pushed me to look at schools that I would go to even if I wasn’t playing lacrosse.
Nazareth College had everything I was looking for in a college and offered the business and sports management programs that I plan on studying.
Couple the academic fit with the great lacrosse program, liking (Nazareth Head) Coach (Rob) Randall and the fact that a number of relatives went there, Nazareth was easy choice for me.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
I did prospect days at Siena and Fairfield and visited Sacred Heart and Siena for tours & to meet the coaches.
My college search/recruiting process was upended last year when I was injured playing in a John Jay football playoff game.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
My strengths are my size, my open-field speed and north/south dodging ability.
I would describe myself as a power player.
What area of your game do you need to work on?
I am working on becoming completely ambidextrous.
How did you get introduced to lacrosse and what other sports have you played?
My first exposure to lacrosse was watching my older brother play at The Harvey School. It looked fun so I got my parents to sign me up to play for JJYL.
I was lucky because one of my first coaches was Roy Colsey. He was still playing MLL at the time and really got me excited about the game. I played soccer for a number of years and football for two years.
What travel team do you play on what showcase events did you participate in?
Prime Time and Moonlight. When I was younger, I played for Superstars (one year) and the Connecticut Chargers (two years). Due to my injury, I only did the Moonlight Showcase last year.
Any final thoughts or people you want to thank for helping you reach this point?
A lot of coaches have been helpful to me through my career: the JJHS coaches — Coach Tim Schurr and Coach Jeremy Guski — and Nick ad Chris Daniello from Prime Time and a bunch of youth coaches, including Chris Maxmin and Ed Pray.
I’d like extend a special thanks to Moonlight Coach Sean O’Rourke (a JJHS alum and Nazareth alum) for his insight and for advocating for me and a special thanks to Dr. Ross Henshaw (a JJHS and John Hopkins lax alum) for his expertise, his kindness and belief in me.
As Dr. Henshaw warned me, it’s taken a full year to recover from my shoulder injury and surgery. I am finally back to my pre-injury weight and strength, and having a lot of fun this fall shaking off the rust and playing for Moonlight. I can’t wait for the spring JJHS season to start.
Have a recruiting commitment to report? Send an email to info@laxlessons.com, contact Joe Lombardi directly at joe@laxlessons.com or send a Tweet to @Joe_Lombardi or @LaxLessons.
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Posted In: Hudson Valley, Recruiting Rundown, Section 1
