The recruitment of TWHS lacrosse player Ramsey McCreary

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- Not too long ago, if you thought young athletes being recruited at the age of 12 was way over the top and that the whole sports industry needed their collective heads examined, you may have been in your right mind.

It wasn't until I was covering a big preseason high school basketball tournament in 2006 at the M.O. Campbell Center within the Aldine Independent School District Complex that I finally started developing a clue as to the whole recruiting picture. In sitting courtside, I was stationed next to an older gentleman who owned a website that kept stats and background information on young athletes from the age of ten through high school. During halftime of a competitive TWHS/Madison game that saw The Woodlands lose to an excellent Madison high school squad, 68-58, I glanced over at this man's site and noticed he had information on a kid that was born in 1995. I looked at him incredulously and asked him if he was serious. He proceeded to educate me as to how it all worked. Here I was covering a big preseason tournament thinking I was cool and "in the know" because I got in with a press credential and ate free food in the press room. Little did I know the guy sitting next to me had forgotten more than I knew about youth sports.

So, this brings me to why I am writing today's article. We are proud to announce that The Woodlands High School rising sophomore lacrosse sensation, Ramsey McCreary has committed to play for the Loyola University Greyhounds in Maryland. As you will read in this week's Woodlands Online Profile of the Week, the recruitment of Ramsey started the summer before he started 8th grade at McCullough Junior High School.

This profile will not only show you how great a young man Ramsey is, it will also show you how even a non mainstream American sport such as lacrosse is very much involved in the nationwide recruiting picture. After reading how the process was for Ramsey, just think how crazy it must be for a young basketball or football player.

Meet heavily recruited, Ramsey McCreary...

How long have you been playing lacrosse? How did you become interested in lacrosse?
I started playing lacrosse in second grade for Cy-fair. My best friend played and always tried to get me to quit baseball so after about a year of him telling me to, I finally did.

You play middie and attack...describe why you like playing those positions.
I like playing middie and attack because I love playing offense and creating my own moves to beat my man and hopefully get a nice shot off. Basically, whether I am scoring or assisting, I like to put points on the board for our team.

You chose Loyola. What other colleges were interested and why did you settle on Loyola? Describe for us how it all works.
Besides Loyola, I was getting recruited by Denver, Maryland, UPenn, Princeton, Hofstra, Furman, and Michigan. The process really started at the beginning of the summer before 8th grade. The first time I started to get contacted by coaches was towards the end of the summer after my last tournament of the year. To get recruited, I think the best thing to do is go to as many things as you can and constantly play really well because coaches will recognize you are a good player. Showcases are a huge part of getting recruited but they aren't the end of the world if you don't play well. Its extremely hard to stand out at showcases these days because almost everyone plays "ME" ball and just thinks they're the best player in the world, but don't get me wrong showcases are great if you stand out. The goal of all these events is to get a college coach to contact you, and once they contact you the only way you can talk to them where they can talk to you back is over the phone. They can't text back, can't call you and can't talk to you over email. The only way is if you call them and they pick up. I honestly think its the best feeling ever when a coach calls your club coach or high school coach about you. Typically, after they contact you a few times and you talk to them over the phone they will invite you up for a visit and hopefully show how interested they are. You will then make decisions to figure out where you are gonna go after you have seen a couple schools.

What will your major be?
At this moment, I don't know what I am going to major in but one good thing about Loyola is that there are so many options for me so there is no rush.

What do you hope to be doing after you graduate from college?
Ask me that question in a few years.

Do you like TWHS?
I love TWHS. It is by far the best school I've been to. I've been to three schools so far and this is the best....easily. I like TWHS so much because it has everything to include a good education, good people, great teachers and we are outstanding at sports. Plus, all the sports support each other.

Describe the lacrosse team and why you enjoy playing for the Highlanders?
Our team is by far a special team to me because of how easy it was for me and all the other freshman to fit in and make a difference on the field. But, it was mainly because all the upperclassmen trusted us and helped us adjust to playing at the Varsity level. The main reason for all of our success comes from our coaches. Coach Al (Christopher) and Coach T (Tintle). They prepared us for every single game like it was the state championship. We always had a one to two page scouting report on each team, film from the last time we played them, and we always ran the upcoming team's offense and defense in practice which really set us up for success. In my opinion, our coaching staff is one of the best in Texas.

What do you enjoy doing away from school and lacrosse?
I like hanging out with my friends and family.

Who is your role model for lacrosse?
In lacrosse, my role model since I first started playing has been Mikey Powell because he always stood out for me. His stick skills are awesome and I always wanted stick skills like him. Also, I want to be able to juke and confuse people like he could.

Describe how supportive your family is in everything you do in your life.
My family is the main reason why I am who I am today. My parents have been so supportive of me since day one and gave me every opportunity to be the best player/person possible.

You play with an edge which is needed to play at a high level. Yet, you are humble off the field. How do you pull this off?
My parents really wanted me to be a humble person, but when I was younger I was way too cocky. In the past couple of years my parents really taught me to be a humble person in regards to everything to include lacrosse.

Three things that people don't know about you.
I love to snowboard, I'm ambidextrous and I played lacrosse for Cy-Fair for three years and the Houston Outlaws for four years before I played at the Woodlands.

One more impressive tid-bit about Ramsey is he will be playing for the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) National Team at the National Lacrosse Championships in Richmond, Virginia this summer. We asked him how that came to be:
It's a great honor and a goal I have had since I saw them play a couple of years ago. FCA is a great organization and I went to their summer camp last year with some friends from the Woodlands team as well as some kids from Dallas and Austin. After the camp, we played in Gettysburg as FCA Texas which was a great experience. The FCA National Team coach coaches at Calvert Hall in Maryland and I got to meet him and his son who is going to UNC and he really complimented how I played. Next thing I knew I got the invite to play with them this summer.

TWHS Head Coach, Keith Tintle talked about Ramsey...
"Ramsey is a special player. He's one of these natural players who seemed to realize early on that lacrosse is an ambidextrous game and had no problem with it. When we got him in junior high school ball, he played with a big time edge and was amazing. However, in order to be well rounded he really needed to know that being humble comes right before having an edge. Thankfully, he learned that pretty quick and he is a walking sportsmanship billboard. Now, he is the total package as evidenced by his being recruited by major D-1 programs at an early age. The sky is the limit in regards to potential for Ramsey because he always knows he can get better. Ramsey and several other freshmen made up the best freshmen class this school has ever had."

Ramsey is one in a long line of gifted athletes who go or have gone to school within the walls of the Conroe Independent School District. When the time comes for Ramsey to go off to Loyola, he'll be more than prepared in every aspect to include having a snowboard in tow.