Richard "Tabby" Cunningham had a decision to make. He could play Division I basketball at Siena College in Albany, N.Y., but that would mean leaving behind his girlfriend, family, friends and coaches.
The St. John Neumann High senior also was considering a spot with the La Salle University Explorers — another Division I team — which would mean staying closer to home.
Cunningham, a returning First Team All-Catholic point guard, didn’t expect to deliberate much. But after official visits to both campuses in mid-September, the 18-year-old took three weeks to think about where he wanted to spend the next four years. Cunningham, of 21st and Moore streets, said he felt comfortable in both settings and liked what La Salle coach Billy Hahn and Siena’s Rob Lanier had to offer, which made the decision even more difficult.
Finally, the home court advantage led the player to pick La Salle.
"It was real tough," said Cunningham, who made his verbal commitment to the Atlantic-10 school last week. "I just couldn’t leave my family support system, coaches and girlfriend."
It’s good news for Neumann basketball coach Carl Arrigale, who won’t have to travel very far to see his player at home games. The coach guided Cunningham through the extensive recruiting process, but just as with all his athletes, he didn’t push him in any particular direction.
"My biggest thing is I want them to graduate and be happy," Arrigale said. "He would’ve probably been OK going away, but he wanted to stay close to home."
The next step is to qualify academically. The 5-foot-8 guard is waiting for his SAT scores. He needs at least an 820 to qualify for the La Salle program.
On the court, Cunningham is hoping to lead Neumann to its third Catholic League title in four years. Last season, the local squad ended up losing to North Catholic in the semifinals.
"I definitely want to end my high-school career on a good note," Cunningham said, taking a break from a PlayStation game of Madden NFL football. "I am going to work hard."
The player, who also was being recruited by Dayton, Akron, Central Connecticut State and Wagner, also has the potential to be a key component of a La Salle program on the rise. Hahn is well known throughout college basketball ranks as a master recruiter. His recruiting efforts as the University of Maryland’s associate head coach helped the Terrapins become the 2002 NCAA champions.
Entering his third season at La Salle, Hahn is trying to develop the Explorers into an NCAA Tournament-caliber squad. The program’s last winning season was 1992-93.
Under Hahn, La Salle has compiled a 27-34 record, but had a solid young core that includes Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Year Gary Neal and All-Rookie Team selection Steven Smith. Even though Cunningham still has a year before he arrives on campus, the player is confident he can help the Explorers bound into the national spotlight.
"They are young and have a good chance to do some things," he said. "I bring speed and court vision."
The recruit already is quite familiar with La Salle’s Tom Gola Arena, the regular site for Catholic League playoff games.
Cunningham is aware of the sharper competition he will face in Division I, which was part of his motivation for playing in national tournaments with the Amateur Athletic Union this summer.
The player also wanted to push himself after coming off a disappointing junior year during which he averaged just 10 points a game — a five-point drop-off from the 15 points per contest he tallied as a sophomore. Cunningham, who earned First Team All-Catholic and Second Team All-City honors, led the Pirates with eight assists per game that season.
Arrigale said the summer conditioning has paid off.
"Right now he is playing as well as he has ever played," the coach said.
If things stay that way, the Pirates could get back to the Catholic League championship game, a situation Cunningham is anticipating as much as any on the La Salle court.
In fact, the player is still trying to absorb that his longtime dream of getting a college scholarship to play basketball is finally about to come true.
"I haven’t had time to sit back and say I am a Division I recruit. It all came really fast."
