One of the most hardworking, determined athletes to ever walk the halls of Dexter High School is Alan Flannigan. Alan is a sophomore at Lafayette University in Easton, Pennsylvania, where he plays forward for the Leopards men’s basketball team.
Few truly understand the number of hours Alan has spent preparing for this time in his life. Flannigan was always one of the "go-to" players during the young traveling team stages. However, that was not enough.The opportunity to play college basketball for the Lafayette Leopards was not something that happened by chance. Alan and his dad, Charlie Flannigan, sat down during his middle school years and established this specific goal to play division one basketball and committed to a path to give certainty to the realization of that goal.
Many of the commitments would not be considered fun. A personal daily requirement of 500 made shots every single day. Juggling daily teenage fun was always secondary to the regiment of training. In addition, Alan could be found on many of the area AAU teams and other traveling organizations throughout the summer.
Alan is proof that dreams can be realized when a well laid plan is combined with hard work. There are many sacrifices that occur on the part of not only the athlete but parents and siblings as well. The entire Flannigan family has been involved with the pursuit of this goal. Both Charlie and Jana Flanigan along with brother, Adam and sister, Selana, have always been supportive of Alan in his endeavors.
Alan is getting solid playing time averaging 18 minutes per game, and making a contribution with an average of 3.8 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game.
As for the Leopards in all, Flannigan says the team is very young, with good leadership from senior, Tony Johnson. “I feel like the whole sophomore class is progressing really well, and we are getting some help from our freshman class as well. “
Lafayette who is 6-10 on the season has faced some tough competition this year during non-conference play. During the Barclays Classic, the Leopards faced a tough University of Kentucky team who at the time was ranked #3 in the nation.
Flannigan stated that even though they did not fare too well against the Wildcats, it was a good experience playing against future NBA players.
“I’ll be able to tell my kids that I played against Nerlens Noel, when he is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame,” noted Alan.
“Everyone knows Lehigh and Bucknell are really good this year and the top of the conference." Flannigan said about the rest of the season, "If we work hard and keep improving, I feel like we could knock them off.”
With all of his time wrapped up in basketball, it is very impressive that Alan is able to maintain a 3.0 GPA while majoring in Economics at a school ranking among the top 15 in the nation in Economics. He is also pursuing a minor in Government Law with future hopes of working in the financial district of New York City.
Some might wonder how he manages his time between schoolwork and basketball, but for Alan that is something he learned from the sport. “Something we talk about in basketball, a ton, is transitioning quickly. Transitioning quickly between drills in practice, studies, and all other aspects of a day.”
Young Bearcats with a dream of college basketball can look to the path followed by Alan Flannigan. He is proof that achieving one's goals starts with a dream and is followed by hard work and dedication to achieve that goal.
