No one should be surprised about Jack Gannon’s success at the Division I level. He was a talented athlete at Sachem North and an early commit who generated a ton of interest in recruiting circles. He was garnering headlines as a sophomore with the Flaming Arrows.
Now a sophomore at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Gannon just wrapped up a strong season as the lead playmaker on a team that lost in the America East Conference (AEC) championship game to Albany. He recorded 41 points (18 goals, 23 assists) and started all 15 games at midfield.
In a story written in the Baltimore Sun newspaper last week, Gannon credited his days as a Sachem basketball player with his playmaking ability.
“When I played basketball growing up, I was a point guard. So I was always looking to feed and that translated into lacrosse,” Gannon told The Sun. “Whenever I dodge, I’m always looking. But this year, you can tell that with our crease guys in [senior attackman] Matt Gregoire and [sophomore attackman] Nate Lewnes, they’re not sliding off. So sometimes I just have to take it myself. But I’m always looking to have my eyes up for the open man.”
As a senior at Sachem, Gannon scored 26 goals and had 24 assists. He’s on the same scoring stride now in college and only getting better as his career progresses. With Gregoire graduating from UMBC after this season, Gannon will be the main offensive weapon for another two years. AEC beware.
“He has great vision, and that’s what you want from a playmaker,” UMBC Coach Don Zimmerman told The Sun. “So it doesn’t surprise me. Jack came back this year and as a lot of sophomores do, he had more confidence, was more mature and more determined. That has all contributed to his success.”
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro