May 4, 2005

Rich D'Andrea is a senior captain and three-year starter at goalie for the Hoya men's lacrosse team. He hails from Belle Mead, New Jersey, where he was a two time New Jersey Goalie of the Year at the Peddie School. We sat down with Rich to talk about Georgetown, lacrosse, and of course, Georgetown lacrosse.

Interview by Dan Carroll, Sports Information Student Assistant

DC: Why did you decide to come play lacrosse at Georgetown and what other schools were you considering?
RD: I was kind of interested in Duke because I used to go to lacrosse camp down there, but then I came down here in the fall of my senior year and just fell in love with the place and that was it. Georgetown was actually the only school I applied to.

DC: You were also an all state receiver at Peddie, what made you choose lacrosse over football?
RD: I had only played football for a few years--for those four years, and I was actually looking at places such as Hobart where I could maybe play both but it honestly didn't make much sense because my heart was definitely with lacrosse.

DC: How has this year been different for you as a senior and a captain?
RD: It's been nice because you wait so long to be a senior and you play your heart out the whole time but it's also bittersweet because you're a senior leader and we have such a great class but it's also sad to see those guys go. I have a fifth year of eligibility I'm going to pursue next year, but its been great knowing these guys for four years and it's going to be sad when they go.

DC: OK, let's get away from the lacrosse stuff for a minute. What has been your favorite class here at Georgetown?
RD: I've taken Professor Corrigan for three different English courses now, her New York Stories course, Detective Fiction and the basic gateway course. I'd say all of those have been my favorites. I'd maybe throw Rabbi White in there too.

DC: What's you favorite place to eat in Georgetown?
RD: I go to Clyde's a fair amount, I enjoy that, and I've been to Morton's once and that was pretty awesome.

DC: You said you have a fifth year of eligibility, are you going to play as a post-grad?
RD: No, I'm just taking a lighter course load now and I'm going to take four classes in the fall and one in the spring and I'll have an internship during that time. I'm in no rush to get out of here.

DC: What was your best athletic moment at Georgetown?
RD: Probably my sophomore year, my first year as a starter. There was a lot of pressure that year and we ended up beating Duke 6-5 in overtime. We didn't have great weather that year and that was the first game it was really sunny and we had about 3,000 people out there watching us. That was probably my most memorable moment here.

DC: What about a non-athletic moment at Georgetown?
RD: I had a lot of great times in the fall, just your buddies hanging out. Those Saturdays could be pretty fun and those weekends in general could be pretty fun so I'd probably take any one of those.

DC: Which one of your teammates would you least want shooting at you in a game?
RD: Strangely, it would probably be Brodie (Merrill) just because it's weird seeing a long pole shot and on top of that he just puts a lot of heat on it. I don't like getting hit by his shots.

DC: Non-teammates, who's the toughest player you've played against?
RD: Mike Powell is certainly up there. He's tough--he's definitely the most talented I've played against. I played against him three times and I don't think we won any of those--we finally beat Syracuse this year. He's just one of those players who has the ability to go out there and take over a game.

DC: What are the keys going to be for the Hoyas to make a run in the postseason?
RD: Us buckling down on defense; we had a little problem last week against UMass, but that's fine. If we just play our game in all honesty I think we're going to be fine. When our guys are stepping up--(Andy) Corno, Brodie (Merrill), Nick (Miaritis), Dave Paolisso, Mike White--when those guys are stepping up I genuinely think we are one of the best teams in the country. So if everyone goes out there and plays our game I think we have a great shot at making a run at this thing.

DC: What advice would you have for younger players?
RD: Just have fun with it. You see a lot of guys going out there and putting so much pressure on themselves and there are times here when even I lose track of things. So always remember to have fun with it. It's a great sport and you can great things in college with it or wherever but the reason you do it is for fun.

DC: If you had the opportunity, what would you say to your fellow classmates next month before graduation?
RD: I don't even know, I still have another year here so I can't even begin to think about what I'd say. Let's see...we've certainly had our share of good times here and that's something you don't want to ever forget. If you enjoyed your time at Georgetown then hopefully you learned a lot too and can go on to do great things.

DC: I'd probably say "So long suckers, I have another year here; you guys have to go and get jobs while I'm playing lacrosse."
RD: I like that better. Go with that answer.