Written by
Nancy Vines
And so, the dream of an eighth-grade boy from Dexter, Missouri, became a reality.
Alan Flannigan, a 2011 Dexter High School graduate, dreamed of attending a Division 1 school when he finished high school. His parents and high school coach believed he could realize that dream, which in turn, inspired him to believe in himself. Alan credits Coach Rob Nichols with pushing him to always take the next step to improve as a player and a leader. He says that the attraction to Lafayette College basketball program was that he saw the same passion for excellence that had been instilled in him, exhibited in that team, and in their coach."Having a strong culture of winning and expecting perfection from yourself are two things Coach Fran O'Hanlon has demanded from his players in his over 20 years as the Head Coach at Lafayette."
Basketball was not the only inviting aspect of the college -- the rigorous academic challenges also appealed to him. Forbes academic excellence rankings place Lafayette as the sixth highest among Division 1 Liberal Arts schools.
"I think one of my biggest strengths is my ability to realistically assess myself and be very self-critical. So, while every basketball player would love to play in the NBA, I knew that just wasn't in the cards for me.
While picking a school that would develop me as a player was important, I also had the foresight to realize that basketball would only last four years, and I had better have a quality back-up plan."
He adds that Lafayette has a rich history as one of the most prestigious liberal arts schools on the east coast and is always a front-runner in key post-graduation statistics such as average income, job and grad school placement, and return on investment. .
Alan is majoring in economics with a minor in government and law. He is also pursuing a certificate in financial policy and analysis, which is essentially a secondary major within the economics field.
"The focus of the certificate is to provide a challenging curriculum comprised of the most high-level classes that the department offers. These classes focus on international and domestic investment environments, as well as scientific and financial based managerial strategy," he explained.
The road from Dexter, MO, to Easton, PA, was certainly not an easy one, nor was it easy to balance athletic time commitments with the demands of a rigorous academic schedule. Alan admits that being a freshman in class and on the basketball team was a great challenge, along with the swift pace at which everything seemed to move.
"My first few days I spent trying to figure out why everyone was in such a big hurry all the time, but I soon realized that they weren't slowing down, so I had better speed up!" He says the upper class teammates helped in the adjustment to campus life, and the other freshman team members were also transplants--hailing from Australia, Minnesota, and Colorado--so they came to depend on each other when things got tough.
Players spend around 30 hours a week on basketball-related activities--weightlifting, practice, film, treatment and skill work. Finding a balance between basketball and academic demands was no easy feat; however, Alan says that the players take great pride in their ability to do just that.
He explains that pushing through the fatigue to get everything done at a high level is the norm. "If you can't do it, you can't succeed." He cites a personal story to illustrate this point. "My sophomore year we were on the road playing at the University of Kentucky, and I was slated to get my first collegiate start against the number 3 team in the nation. The night before the game, I received an e-mail from a professor asking me to prepare a 15-page Supreme Court case summary to make-up for a group project I was missing because I was on the road, and he wanted it by noon the next day.
Not only was this an extreme work deadline, but a very difficult task that covered over 100 pages of court transcripts. As any of my teammates would have done, I took it in stride, sat down, and went to work. It took me until 4 A.M., but I had done it. Later that evening my name was called for the starting five in front of a sold-out crowd against the defending national champions."
When he graduates from Lafayette College in May, many areas of opportunity will be available to Alan Flannigan. The dream that began in middle school has been realized because he had people in his life who believed in him, encouraged him, and helped him make choices that would allow him to realize the lofty goals he had set. Most importantly, however, is the fact that he believed in himself, pushed himself, and never allowed setbacks to discourage him.
As high school students from Southeast Missouri are preparing for their own graduations, and making choices about their futures, they might benefit from one who not only had a dream, but had the courage to pursue it: "Don't be afraid to dream big and aspire to accomplish things that seem unimaginable at the time."
