Greeley's Brian Dubs Commits to Hamilton for Lacrosse

Horace Greeley's boys lacrosse program has produced an impressive array of players who have gone on to become defensemen at the collegiate level.

Add another name to that growing list.

Senior Brian Dubs has given a verbal commitment to attend Hamilton College, a Division III program in upstate Clinton, N.Y.

"Hamilton is the best all-around fit," Dubs said. "The most important aspect in making my decision was going to be the academics. Hamilton offers excellent academics and it has the competitive level of lacrosse that I was looking for.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound Dubs also considered several other highly regarded Division III programs, including Middlebury, Colby, Amherst and Bowdoin, and was in touch with the coaches at those schools. But Hamilton coach Scott Barnard communicated exactly what Dubs wanted to hear during the recruiting process.

"Coach Barnard has shown a ton of interest in me and has been really positive about me playing a large role on the team," Dubs said. "I also visited the campus multiple times and I have always left feeling like it would be a great place to spend the next four years."

The last four years, Greeley has churned out a steady stream of talented defenders.

Hunter Bastian, a standout on last season's Quaker team who is now a freshman at Wittenberg College in Springfield, Ohio, is among the former teammates Dubs says helped him develop his skills, along with one of the Quakers' top offensive players the last few years, fellow 2010 grad Nate Becker.

"Hunter Bastian and Nate Becker taught me a lot about lacrosse last season," Dubs said. "Hunter really led the defense and taught me a lot about the game and how to play it at the next level. Nate is one of the toughest attackmen I have ever faced and showed up to practice every day to make me look bad and help me get better at the same time."

Three defensemen that graduated from Greeley in 2009 have also moved on to college programs.

Derek Katchis is set to start his first season for Division I Colgate after spending a post-grad season at the Deerfield Academy. Jake Jessup is a sophomore at Denison. Ben Litwak is set for his second season on at the University of Colorado, which competes in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association.

Dubs plans on working hard to continue to improve as he prepares to join his former teammates at the next level.

"I think I need to work on my agility and my stamina to keep up with the fast pace of the college level. I will also need to get stronger so I can handle the bigger attackmen," Dubs said.