McGlynn


Sometimes the best decisions aren't always the easiest ones to make.

Former Dallastown High School boys' basketball standout Four McGlynn is finding that out first hand.

McGlynn, who just finished leading Vermont into the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament this past year, never really considered just how difficult playing more than 800 miles from home would be.

His family, which has always supported him throughout his basketball career, found it impossible to attend his games as regularly as they would have liked.

Around the midway point of his freshman year, McGlynn knew that he needed a change. Getting that change, however, was far from a certainty. It required Vermont signing off on his release from a full scholarship.

Eventually the Catamounts obliged. McGlynn will now continue his collegiate career at Towson. While the former Wildcat standout will attend a school that is much closer to home, he will, however, have to sit out this upcoming season under NCAA rules.

That might be the most challenging part of the process. But it's one that McGlynn, who led Vermont with a 12.0 point-per-game average last year, believes will be in his best interests. Not only will he get to play his games in front of his family on most nights, he will also join a program that figures to become a bigger player in the much-respected Colonial Athletic Association.

We caught up with McGlynn recently to discuss the transfer, his time at Vermont and his future in this week's edition of Sports Q&A.

What led to your de cision to leave Ver mont in favor of Towson?

"Being close to my family was something that I really wanted to do. My mom, my dad, my brothers, my sister have been to all of my games since I was growing up and this year was kind of different not having them there at every game. I know that if I'm just 35 minutes away that they'll probably come to most of my games, especially when I start playing. That was the main reason."

When you chose to commit to Vermont in high school, did you factor distance into your consideration?

"I actually didn't, and that's something that I realized about halfway through the year. It was kind of a hassle for all of my family to come to the games and it was kind of hard not having them there. I mean they've been there for so long."

Because of the NCAA transfer rule, you will be forced to sit out the upcoming season. What limita tions are on you be sides not playing?

"I can do everything that the team does. The only things I can't do is travel and play in games."

How difficult do you think that will be for you?

"It's going to be really hard. I've talked to some of my friends that I played AAU with that transferred and they all said it was awful. But I'm kind of looking forward to it. I'll be playing in the CAA, which is a really competitive league. So I'll have an entire year to work on my game and get better and stronger and be that much better for the years that I can play. That's the exciting part about it."

What drew your in terest to Towson, be sides distance from home?

"They recruited me out of high school. I didn't really take a visit down there just because of how the basketball team did. (Towson was 1-31 last season.) But when I got my release, Coach (John) Skerry called me and told me that I should come down on campus and give it a look. When I came down, it was unbelievable. The campus was ... all the buildings were brand new. And they're building arguably one of the nicest basketball facilities in the East Coast, which will be done by the end of this year. Coach Skerry did a great job of recruiting and they have the No. 6 recruiting class for non-BCS schools this year, so they're trying to turn the program around. Coach Skerry told me that the year that I can play that we're going to be really good. That was one thing that he did a really good job of, by assuring me that he's getting really good players. That's really exciting to be part of turning a program around."

What was your year like at Vermont this past year?

"It was a lot of fun. Obviously we were really good (the Catamounts finished 24-12) and it was fun to travel to all these places, and to play on TV at the end of the year was awesome. It was just great learning experience for me and one that I'm going to remember for the rest of my life."

What is your goal, basketball-wise, after your college career ends?

"Coach Skerry and I actually talked about that when I went down on my visit. One thing that I've always wanted to do was either play in the NBA or play overseas. So especially with this year off, I'm going to work to get better and try to make that a reality, because that's ultimately what I want to do."

How difficult was it to say goodbye to your teammates at Vermont when you made your decision to transfer off the team?

"It was really difficult. I had a lot of really good friends. I know that I'll miss a lot of the guys on the team. We bonded really well together this year and we shared a lot of experiences that I never had before. It was really tough to say goodbye to them, but I know that in the end it's going to be for the best."

What was the big gest difference that you saw between play ing in high school as opposed to NCAA Divi sion I basketball?

"(In college) everybody was a basketball player. They're all talented and athletic. In high school (a team) may have had one player (that was Division I caliber), but in college everybody is really good and you have to play your 'A' game every single night you step on the floor. That was the main difference."

-- Reach Ryan Vander sloot at sports@yorkdis patch.com.