Kaneland's Dudzinski commits to Holy Cross
ELBURN – David Dudzinski has decided to expand his horizons and head east.
The Kaneland High School senior said Tuesday he has chosen Holy Cross over Loyola of Chicago in announcing his verbal commitment to the Patriot League school, which is located in Worcester, Mass., a suburb of Boston.
(Sun-Times Media File)
"I got to visit both (along with Austin Peay) and lay them side by side and I fit in with Holy Cross a little bit better," said the 6-foot-9 forward/center, whose father (football) and mother (swimming) were both college athletes at Northwestern.
"I kept saying, 'Distance is not a factor.' But then all of a sudden distance is a major factor. It was a big hangup, but I have cousins out there (on the East Coast), so it's not like I'll be out on an island somewhere. I'll get to spend summers back here and, at the same time, it's a pretty cool city."
Worcester (pronounced Wooster) is a 40-minute drive or short train ride from Boston, said Dudzinski.
"It's a really cool city and it's similar to being in the suburbs of Chicago," he said.
Dudzinski will sign his national letter of intent next Wedneday, two days after starting practice for his senior season. He decided he wanted to make his choice before practice began.
"Recruiting is really stressful," he said. "To drag it out a couple more months would be ridiculous. I couldn't go wrong with either one." He said his parents provided support and guidance but let him "figure it out myself."
He noted they were helpful with small details he wouldn't have thought about.
"My mom got recruited by a coach who left before she got (to Northwestern)," he said. "She did not like the new coach, but when you sign, it's with the school. She suggested I try to make sure the coach I sign with will be there for a few years."
He should be OK, since Holy Cross just hired Sean Kearney this past summer. The Crusaders are coming off an 18-14 season in which they finished second in the league and conference tournament. They are favored by many to win the league this year with four of five starters back from that team.
Kearney replaces Ralph Willard, who left to rejoin Rick Pitino as associate head coach at Louisville. Kearney comes to the school from Notre Dame, where he has spent the past nine years as Mike Brey's associate head coach. He also worked for Brey at Delaware, spent three seasons at Northwestern with Bill Foster and was even a Pitino assistant the year he took Providence to the Final Four.
"His style of play is consistent with my skill set and he has ties in the Midwest," Dudzinski said. "Basically, I'll be a 4-man, a true power forward. It fits in the direction the way my game is going. It's not like I'm gonna be on the perimeter all the time. I'll still go inside, but probably with a true 5 (center) on the floor."
