Re: Harvard Crimson 2013-2014
Perhaps although only Ms. O'Connor can answer that for us. The coaching staff may well have asked her but if she wanted to play right away, then it was her choice to de-commit. Too bad because after next season, she would have gotten a chance to play quite a bit with Edney, Gedman and Pucci graduating.
Based on the commitment thread, this player was the first Harvard commitment (almost 2 years ahead! --look it up)--to play in 14-15. It was only after the early application deadline, when most of a players other options have moved on, that she was suddenly asked by Harvard to defer another year. You can say this was her choice to go to Cornell instead...but I'd be willing to bet her first choice would have been to have the original commitment honored.
Unless you have had children go through the process, you can't imagine the stress associated with making these decisions, even when things end up going reasonably well (very few end up at their first choice school). But when they later fall apart at the 11th hour like this one did, the heartbreak is incredibly devastating for players and their families. It can affect a player for a really long time. It's very discouraging that coaches apparently make (and unmake) these decisions so lightly.
It is certainly not a given that she would have eventually got lots of ice time at Harvard. If she was really valued that highly, the rug would not have been pulled out from her so abruptly. As an earlier poster alluded, she can be thankful that she found out her true value prior to matriculating, rather than sitting on the bench. That is blessing, though it may not seem like it now. I hope looking back on it, Ms O'Connor believes she ultimately ended up in a better place for her.
It is a sad commentary on the state of ethics and integrity in D1 hockey that many coaches are increasingly making such early advance commitments without ever intending to follow through on all of them. Whether it's because someone better came along later, or whether they know the player will have difficulty gaining admission but want to keep them from signing with a competitor, who knows.
Unfortunately, this has become a regular recurring theme at Harvard: there were 2 prominent late de-commits last fall, and at least one player the previous year who was asked to defer like O'Connor that I am aware of, along with a few more in previous years. Given that 3 of these latest 4 ended up at other Ivies (and the other at a good academic school), it would seem that academics were unlikely to have been much of a problem. Regardless, such early commitments IMO should not be extended by coaches in the first place to players with borderline academics--without gaining buy-in from Admissions. It's dishonest. I was told by a very reputable coaching source that Harvard had given an early commitment this year to a player with a 19 ACT. Are Harvard Admissions standards are dropping that much? Are commitments that meaningless?
Unfortunately too many players and parents continue to be so unknowledgeable and naive (and/or egotistical) to choose to "commit" to coaches so far in advance without getting any assurances from admissions. Coaches play into this. There is no upside to taking yourself off the market so early. If you are a highly valued commodity (and that's all you are apparently), you will still find a spot in the summer/fall after Junior year. There's truly no rush. If you are not a top recruit, you are even more vulnerable to the de-commit if a more highly prized prospect comes along later, as we are seeing all too often.
