By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/24/09
Conestoga junior midfielder Tanner Scott has made a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse at Duke University.
Scott scored 17 goals while helping the Pioneers finish 24-2 and advance to the state finals last year. Conestoga won the first District 1 championship and finished 12th in the nation in the final LaxPower Coaches/Computer Ratings, 15th in the Lacrosse Magazine rankings and 19th in the Under Armor/Inside Lacrosse Rankings.
Scott becomes the second junior member of the Pioneers to commit to Duke this month; recently, defenseman Brian Dailey committed to Durham, N.C. A third Conestoga junior, defenseman Benn Karr, committed to Ohio State last month.
Conestoga now has 10 players signed or committed to Division I colleges and five more seniors committed to Division III schools.
Scott also considered Notre Dame, Harvard and Georgetown. He is undecided on a major, but said the combination of strong academics and the quality of the lacrosse program at Duke was enticing.
“I mean, you have the best of both worlds; it’s one of the top schools in the country and it’s a team that wins championships,” said Scott. “The first thing I looked at is, ‘If I got injured, would I be happy at the school?’ Plus, Duke happens to be one of the best teams in the country.
“The campus is probably the most beautiful one I have seen. The church is awesome, it’s all stone and symmetrical and the Cameron indoors (Duke basketball) is a great experience.”
Scott, who plays club for Mesa Fresh 2010 and the Duke’s Lacrosse Club, also competed in the Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association Showcase last June.
Scott – whose team went undefeated in winning the Central League last year – said the Pioneers understand that expectations will be high in 2010. But he feels the team can stay grounded.
“We have the highest of expectations, but we’re not getting too ahead of ourselves,” he said. “There are a lot of great teams in the Central League and we can’t take anybody lightly. But having the target on our backs can only make us play better.”
