Playing Division I isn’t a new goal for Hill basketball player Gabe Dorsey ‘21. Now that he has committed to Vanderbilt, he is one step closer to achieving that lifelong goal. 

“As soon as I was born, to be honest, my dad just had that vision ever since I was young, and I fell in love with the game,” Dorsey said. 

Many of the athletes around Hill’s campus feel the same as Dorsey does: that they were born to become Division I athletes and play the sport they grew up on. As they go through the ups and downs of the recruiting process, one goal remains certain: to play in college. 

Maryland men’s lacrosse commit Will Schaller ’22 advised his fellow recruits to be patient and take it slow. “Just enjoy it because it does only happen once, and it’s over in a blink of an eye. Then once you obviously commit, or you walk on or wherever it is you find your home, it’s kind of like you’re ready to go,” he said. 

Just as Schaller said, the recruitment process is over in a blink of an eye. For all of the commits at The Hill School, the recruitment process is the time where college coaches really see all the hard work they put in as they got older. Once their time at Hill is over, they will look back on the recruitment process with a fresh perspective.

See below for the full interview with Will Schaller ‘22:

For Dorsey, he reported that during the recruitment process he felt “blessed.” Dorsey was highly recruited during his high school career, receiving offers from Wake Forest, Providence, Virginia Tech and Miami. Dorsey ultimately chose Vanderbilt, as he believed it was the best place for him. 

Dorsey reported that getting a Division I offer is a “great feeling” and that finally choosing a school was his favorite part. 

“Sometimes the phone calls get a little annoying, just when it’s so many people reaching out to you. But you know, on the other hand, you realize that it’s a blessing and that not a lot of people have that going on so,” he explained. 

See below for the full interview of Gabe Dorsey ‘21:

In the recruiting process, promoting yourself is everything for an athlete. Those who don’t know how to promote themselves might find it is more challenging to be recruited. 

Josephine Palde, a 2021 Duke field hockey commit, said “reaching out and talking to coaches and putting yourself out there is the best thing you can do.”

See below for the full interview of Josephine Palde ‘21:

People start the recruiting process at different times and ages. Some people don’t receive recognition until junior year, and some start hearing from schools in middle school. 

However, it might not always be healthy for a middle school student to be focused on college.

Susanna Soderman, a 2021 Villanova soccer commit, said, “It was a lot in eighth grade to constantly hear from colleges; I just felt that I wasn’t ready for it.” She added that “it was a fun process but very stressful.”

In today’s world of recruiting, many athletes are molded into a mindset of “D1 or nothing.” Soderman even mentioned that during her childhood, “I didn’t know anything other than to go D1.” She also talked about how she missed many of her childhood moments because she was wrapped up in college recruitment in middle school.

See below for the full interview of Susanna Soderman ‘21:

After an athlete verbally commits, the next step is just starting, and athletes must prepare for the application process and connect with coaches. 

Before taking the head coaching job at Hill for boys lacrosse, Mike Murphy was previously the head coach at Colgate in upstate New York. Murphy holds the position at Colgate for the third-most wins as a head coach and has had numerous players get drafted into the pro lacrosse leagues. 

“When I was a college coach, we had 10 spots, and we had to make sure those guys met the academic requirement and could play up to the teams’ standards,” Murphy said.

See below for the full interview of Mike Murphy:

He explained that it is most common for athletes to go into the early decision pool so the schools can “get them out of the way,” adding that colleges try to find students who will excel academically while also excelling on the field and fitting into that school’s program.  

“Just because you verbally committed doesn’t mean the work is over,” Murphy said.