Dartmouth College and head coach Dave McLaughlin landed a key piece for their 2023 recruitment class on Sunday when they received a pledge from Niko Abusara. Abusara is a 6’5” guard of Benet Academy (IL) and played with Team FVV this summer. 

The commitment comes after he took a visit to the New Hampshire school last week. “The visit was amazing,” Abusara said. “Campus was spectacular and the town, Hanover, is beautiful.” 

“Obviously the education is absolutely amazing. A degree from Dartmouth will help me for the rest of my life,” he first said on why he committed to the Ivy League school. Adding in, “I also loved the culture at Dartmouth. The players and the coaching staff were so welcoming, and it felt like home. My birthday was on December 5th and Coach Mac invited the entire team and staff to his house. The players got me a cake and sang me happy birthday. That moment I knew this program really cares about me and that they truly want me to be a part of it. I’ll never forget that.”

Another factor in the commitment for Abusara is how they will use him on the floor in the future. “They broke down my game as a point guard, which I absolutely love. Being surrounded by shooters at Dartmouth will not only benefit my game as a facilitator but the team as a whole.” 

The senior was initially offered from Dartmouth just last month. Abusara had also received offers from Brown, Marshall, and Radford.