Reilly Signs with Furman for Lax
Patrick Reilly is getting in on the ground floor of the newest NCAA Division I men's lacrosse team in the country. The Huntington High School senior has signed a national letter of intent to attend Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, which is in the process of creating top-notch men's and women's lax programs.
Reilly has been on the Blue Devil varsity team for the past three seasons, starting at midfield in 2011 and 2012. He has scored 24 goals and added eight assists. "His offensive skills are excellent along with great field sense," said Paul McDermott, Huntington's head coach. "He has a strong dodge from up top left or right and his defensive skills for a short stick midfielder are exceptional. His dedication and positive attitude will contribute to any teams' success."
The Huntington senior earned Suffolk All-Division honors last spring. "I consider Patrick to be among the top Long Island midfielders for the 2013 season," McDermott said. The teenager has been voted a team captain this year.
Furman is regarded as one of the country's premier undergraduate liberal arts colleges. "The university offers outstanding academics, its campus is nationally acclaimed for its beauty and the residential student body is the ideal size to enhance scholarly activities, personal growth and leadership development," said Caroline Reilly, the Blue Devil star's mother. "Furman is currently not as well-known as it should be in the northeastern part of the country, but with the addition of Division I lacrosse for both men and women that fact should change quickly."
Reilly picked Furman following an intense recruiting process. He was initially pursued by then Stony Brook coach Rick Sowell, after the making the all-star team at the Seawolves Sunday camp. When Sowell took the head coaching position at the US Naval Academy, Navy started recruiting Reilly, as did many other Division I, II and III colleges.
After Reilly joined Steve Jacobs' highly regarded Recon team last summer, he was spotted by several college coaches, including former Navy head coach Rich Meade, who Furman hired to launch its new Division I program. "After a long and agonizing decision process, feeling heavy recruiting pressure, the decision was made to go with Furman and Richie Meade," Mrs. Reilly said.
The senior has played on soccer, football, basketball and lacrosse teams for Huntington, including being a highly capable placekicker for the Blue Devil gridiron team and a key scorer for the hard court squad this winter.
Known as a hard worker, Reilly has gotten along famously well with his coaches, developing close relationships with John Pagano, Jason Suarez, Steve Muller, Todd Jamison, Ron Wilson, Jim McCabe, Brad Reminick, Tim Madden, Brian Carey, Paul McDermott, Eric Triolo and the late Mike Schmitz along the way. The teenager has been guided by various coaches and mentors behind the scenes and said he is "grateful" to the entire group that has helped him.
The teenager's path to Furman went through Huntington alum and community resident Hutch Vanderschuyt, who coached Reilly in youth lacrosse from fifth grade through summer play in high school. Vanderschuyt introduced Reilly to Steve and Harry Jacobs of Recon Lacrosse, which led to being recruited by Furman.
Reilly also offered his thanks to Jerome Merkerson, his lacrosse trainer and to Huntington athletic coach Kevin Zaharios for his help in making contact with Meade. He also expressed appreciation for Huntington Director of Athletics Georgia D. McCarthy for the role she played in "reinforcing what's expected from a student athlete" and for Blue Devil coach Kevin Thorbourne for teaching the senior about community awareness and respect.
"Furman seemed to be a good fit for Patrick," said Caroline Reilly, the Huntington senior's mother. "It has a great learning atmosphere with good teacher to student ratio. It has a mild climate which is a plus, since Division I lacrosse is played year round."
Meade's fine reputation and the Navy-style discipline he favors also factored into Reilly's decision. Furman will field its first NCAA men's lacrosse team in 2014 and Reilly is excited to be on the ground floor of the new program.
The new Furman men's and women's lacrosse teams are being funded by a gift from an anonymous alumnus who pledged $5 million to the university in October 2011, the single largest outright commitment by an individual in the school's history.
"From our students to our alumni and the greater lacrosse community, there is tremendous momentum around the addition of these two teams to our Division I athletics program," Furman President Rod Smolla said. "We intend to be competitive at the national level and reward our fans with an exciting brand of the fastest game on two feet." NCAA Division I lacrosse currently features more than 90 women's programs and 60 men's programs.
Founded in 1826, Furman is a private, co-educational university of 2,700 students. The school is noted for its rigorous academic program and strong faculty and its 750-acre campus is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful in the nation. The university has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and ranks among the nation's top colleges in the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled.