John Bishop ‘22
Many EA student-athletes want to keep playing sports beyond EA and they want to know if EA can help prepare them in doing so. In order to find out how other student-athletes from EA have successfully done this in the past, a few alumni who continued their athletic careers in college or professionally were interviewed.
The following interviews were conducted, edited, and condensed for clarity by John Bishop ‘22.
Photo courtesy of Ashley Kennedy
Matt Freese ‘17: Philadelphia Union
Matt Freese is a professional goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Union who attended Harvard and graduated from EA in 2017. He was also an editor for the Scholium while at EA.
Q: How do you feel EA helped you to play sports beyond high school?
A: EA helped prepare me for the challenges of college sports, especially time management and the balance of academics and athletics. Coach Knox also helped develop my soccer IQ for the next level beyond EA.
Q: How did EA help you with the process of getting recruited? And what made you choose Harvard?
A: Coach Knox really helped me get recruited. He called a number of college coaches to come to watch my games. The reason I chose Harvard is because of its academics and I had relatives who attended Harvard.
Q: What was the transition like going from playing soccer at EA to college?
A: The transition itself was not a big issue since EA prepared me so well to play sports in college. I would say the biggest change was that I went to the gym way more often in college and the length of the schedule went from 3 months of soccer to around 9 months of soccer.
Q: What was it like playing in your first college game?
A: I was definitely nervous, but it meant a lot to me that I could play for the school that I chose and that all my relatives were able to be there to watch me play.
Q: What was the transition like from college to playing professionally?
A: It was a very hard transition and was certainly the biggest leap for me. I went from practicing 4 times a week in college to 2 times a day all year round, but it was worth it and the effort I put in helped me prepare to play soccer professionally.
Q: What was it like playing soccer professionally for the first time?
A: It was the best day of my life. It was so surreal because all my friends and family were there and it meant so much to me because all the hard work and sacrifice finally paid off.
Q: Is there any quote that you would like me to include in this article?
A: My family and the people who helped me, especially coaches and teachers; their support is the reason I made it so far in soccer and I owe it all to them.
Conner Delaney ‘17: John Hopkins University
Conner Delaney is a star basketball player for John Hopkins University and graduated EA in 2017.
Q: How did you decide to play basketball at John Hopkins rather than lacrosse at Villanova?
A: I realized that it is what I love to do more every day. My number one passion is basketball.
Q: How do you feel EA helped you to play basketball beyond high school?
A: EA did a great job of helping me balance academics and athletics through time-management…
There is little free time [at John Hopkins] and EA helped me prepare to use that free time efficiently.
Q: Was there a coach at EA that really helped you achieve your goals of playing basketball beyond EA?
A: Coach Conlin helped me mature as a person and a player. He also taught me how to play the right way, play hard, and play efficiently on offense and defense.
Q: What was the transition like going from playing at EA to college?
A: It was tough, especially being new to the team, but I was prepared to work really hard and not to expect anything to be handed to me. I had to earn my success.
Q: What was it like playing in your first college game?
A: It was definitely nerve-racking. I wanted to impress the coach, but once I got in the game and a few minutes went by, it became much easier and I was able to play really well.
Todd Harrity ‘09: Professional Squash Player
Todd Harrity is a professional squash player who attended Princeton University and graduated EA in 2009.
Q: How do you feel EA helped you to play squash beyond high school?
A: I had a lot of fun playing squash at EA. I always loved the team all through high school and since we had such a strong team with so much talent, my squash definitely improved.
Q: How did EA help you with the process of getting recruited? What made you decide to play at Princeton?
A: It was a difficult decision and a stressful one. I was deciding between several universities and colleges. I was expected to be a big contributor to their squash programs. Ultimately, it came down to a gut feeling. I remember one visit to Princeton in particular during my junior year in High School. I could see myself enjoying life there, more than at the other places, and that was when I knew it was where I wanted to be.
Q: Was there a coach at EA that really helped you achieve your goals of playing sports beyond EA?
A: I loved the squash coaches at EA. There was one coach, Cam Hopkins, who I really enjoyed and then when he left, another coach, Joe Russell, was also fantastic. I still keep in touch with them a little bit now. Both of them took an interest in me and helped me improve. Most importantly they made playing squash at EA fun.
Q: What was the transition like going from playing at EA to college?
A: College squash was definitely a step up from high school squash. I had to be fitter and tougher because in college there weren’t really any easy matches. Every match was hard work and there was also a little more pressure.
Q: What was it like playing in your first college game?
A: I remember being very nervous before my first college game. I was the new kid on the block at the time and I didn’t know how I would do against these older university players.
Q: What was the transition like from college to playing professionally?
A: Playing squash professionally was a big step up from university (much harder than the step from high school to uni). Everyone is playing for their livelihood on the pro tour. It’s your job, and winning or losing determines your paycheck. Everyone is so fit and strong. It is a very difficult way to make a living, but also a very exciting and rewarding one.
Q: What is it like playing squash professionally?
A: It is a tough life, but also an exciting one. There is nothing that beats the feeling of winning a tough match. It’s a great feeling to be stretched to your limits and somehow find a way through. I love the satisfaction I feel after overcoming a difficult challenge.
Q: Is there any specific quote that you would like included in the article?
A: One of my favorite things about pro squash is that the players are from all over the world. I’ve loved being friends with people from countries I would never have visited otherwise.