All Orange Staff
Sep 16, 2020
Perhaps the hottest lacrosse program in recruiting in Syracuse, who has added five new commitments over the last four days. One of those was 2022 defender Chuck Kuczynski who stars for Allentown Central Catholic High School in Pennsylvania and his club team Big 4 HHH.
"Syracuse was the right fit, what really stood out about Syracuse to me, was they have great academic support," Kuczynski said. "The family environment on the team with all the guys, all treating each other like family. That really stood out. They also have amazing facilities there."
Syracuse is one of the blue bloods of college lacrosse. They have the most national championships of any program and have produced some of the sport's all-time greats.
"That was definitely a good factor to my decision," Kuczynski said. "They really just put in the back of my mind that there's a huge opportunity to be a part of that program and possibly be one of the All-Americans. They are such a powerhouse there, it was really hard to pass that up."
Kuczynski's primary recruiter was Syracuse assistant Lelan Rogers. The two developed a strong relationship throughout Kuczynski's recruitment.
"He was pretty important," Kuczynski said. "He's a great guy, a lot of energy. He really understands the game. He has a great plan set up for the defense right now. They're really improving every season so I definitely love talking to him."
Head coach John Desko also had an impact on the final decision.
"He was definitely involved in my recruitment," Kuczynski said. "I had a few conversations with him. Coach Desko is an amazing guy and I really enjoyed talking to him. Hearing about the Syracuse program as a whole from him."
Once Kuczynski's mind was made up, his next step was information the Syracuse coaches.
"They were really happy," Kuczynski said. "Rogers was pumped to have me on the team. Syracuse was definitely one of my top schools that I was looking at. They were definitely just pumped to have me on the team."
Beyond his own decision, Kuczynski has taken notice of what is developing as a loaded recruiting class for Syracuse.
"I think they really took an aggressive path this year in recruiting," Kuczynski said. "Obviously with the number one recruit and a lot of great other guys, I think they're trying to set us up on a path to possibly win national championships."
Kuczynski is rated a four star prospect by Inside Lacrosse.
