Inside Recruiting: Players tell their stories

B eing recruited to play college sports can be a fantastic, nerve-wracking, eye-opening, stressful time, and athletes in all sports in both Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey traditionally attract major-college recruiters.

Here are some of their stories from both sides of the Delaware River:

Gloucester Catholic senior forward Danielle Sanderlin committed to Canisius College earlier this month on a basketball scholarship.

The 6-foot Sanderlin will be the third Gloucester Catholic girls' basketball player to sign with an NCAA Division I program in the last two years, following 2016 graduates Mary Gedaka (Villanova) and Maggie McIntyre (Niagara).

"I was up there on a visit, and I just knew it was the right place for me," Sanderlin said. "It was a gut feeling, more than anything."

Sanderlin, who averaged 10 points last season as the Rams went 27-2 and finished the season as the No. 1 team in the Inquirer's South Jersey Top 10, also had offers from Wagner, Appalachian State and Sacred Heart. She hopes to double-major in criminal justice and psychology.

Canisius, which is located in Buffalo, competes in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference along with programs such as Siena, Fairfield, Rider and Monmouth.

"They were the first school to offer me," Sanderlin said of Canisius. "They offered me in October [of her junior year] so it was 11 months when I committed. I just felt like they really cared about me as a person, me and my family.

"I went up there and I was like, 'That's it. I'm coming here.' "

- Phil Anastasia

It was tempting.

Boy, was it tempting for Morgan Messner.

The junior keeper for Episcopal Academy was standing on the field at Lynn Stadium, built in 2014 specifically for the soccer teams of Louisville - a state of the art soccer specific stadium.

She walked into the locker room and saw all of the gear members of the Cardinals receive for being on the team.

And then of course, there was the fact that Louisville plays in the Atlantic Coast Conference, meaning contests against the University of North Carolina, Virginia and Duke would be in her future if she committed to Louisville.

The facilities. The swag. The competition.

Why wouldn't Messner want that for her collegiate experience?

"It was so tempting," Messner said. "My sister jokes about it all the time. 'I can't believe you passed on an ACC school.' "

Sometimes Messner can't believe it herself. But in the end she "knows" she made the right choice in picking Boston University.

After making an extensive pros and cons list, Messner went with BU, citing the program's excellence in the Patriot League, including NCAA tournament berths; the school's engineering program (Messner is interested in the biomedical side); and possible playing time once she gets there.

Another point on the pro side for the Terriers was coach Nancy Feldman, who has close ties with the Boston Breakers of the National Women's Soccer League.

One of those ties is Katie Schoepfer, who has been a volunteer assistant with BU for three years and a member of the Breakers for five. Another current roster member of the Breakers, Kylie Strom, played for the Terriers from 2010-2013.

Messner isn't sure is playing professionally is in her future, but she's excited that if the option presents itself, she has a leg up.

"I had to look at everything," she said.

The school. The soccer. The coach.

Of course Messner picked BU.

- Kate Harman

The recruitment process can sometimes feel like a job.

And in some ways, according to Cherokee senior Isabella Therien, it is a job.

"Let me tell you," she said, breathing a sigh of relief, "it's hard. It can be a really hard process. You have to showcase yourself. It's like a business.

"But there comes a point where you just have to stop, take it all in, try to have fun with it and realize that you only get this time once in your life."

Therien, a forward in basketball and a defender in soccer, waited until August - the summer before her senior year - before she committed to Loyola (Md.) on a basketball scholarship.

"There were five schools that I was really considering," she said. "The coaches, of course, really helped put it over the top for me. But maybe the biggest thing was, stepping onto the campus. I just really felt like I belonged there. I felt comfortable.

"It's just the right place for me. It's close, so my parents can come to see me. I just loved the area."

Therien made her commitment far later than most, which leads to her words of wisdom for other elite athletes:

"Start young," she said. "Especially with girls. Get yourself out there. In the end, you'll be happy you did.

"For me, now that I'm committed, it's an honor. It makes you feel like all your hard work has paid off."

- Chris Melchiorre