Johns Hopkins 2023

[flalax22]

So good to see this program on the rise and back in the top 5. Say what you will about Milliman, he has put together an outstanding staff (all Blue Jays) and a solid plan.

This is not Benson's offense (as the MD coach said on national tv the other night), it is Crawley's, and he deserves ASST. Coach-of-the-Year, imo!

John Crawley has made highly significant contributions to this team that not everyone realizes or appreciates.
Kudos for recognizing his accomplishments.

I would argue the best work that Crawley has done has little to do with Xs and Os and has actually been around culture and attitude.

these read like indictments of grant jr, epstein and deso.

I’m not going to crap all over former players but let’s just say if you ask around the difference between the senior leadership group currently in place it is night and day compared to the last few years. Part of that is them and part of that is Crawleys leadershaip and stewardship. Milliman gets the credit for hiring Crawley but he also wears it for hiring Grant and the associated disaster that was.

[jhu06]

Lions beat the Jays. If we win that game, I'd bet the honor goes to Millman.

tambroni has been there longer than millman and didn't have his president nunchucking his season a few years ago, but you're right.

I don't really remember how PM, Tambroni and Tillman have done over the years the second time facing teams, especially after defeats but I assume we'll see a number of adjustments the next 2 weeks.

[51percentcorn]

i dont know what he has to wear. it's not like Junior was the JV coach at Little Sisters - he was the OC of a service academy that was a bit on the rise and beat a good Duke team and looked very good offensively doing it. I seem to recall a crap ton of posters pretty excited about the recruiting prospects of the great John Grant Jr. as well. So it wasn't like putting Faust in charge of Notre Dame football - the hire had logic behind it. Plus PM may have been under some pressure in the COVID S storm to get a body to fog the mirror - I have zero clue who the eligible and willing candidates were. So it didn't work out happens all the time. Crawley could have been there from May, 2020 and very little would have changed until the talent changed.

[HopFan16]

Collison is probably not a Blue Jay if not for Junior, so there's that.

Gonna be a long week until the B1G semi. Things are going too well so of course we have to relitigate the past yet again. By "we" I mean 06 who needs the drama like he needs air to breathe.

Maryland is not going to lose to Rutgers so it'll be the Terps again, but this time at Homewood. The narrative, if you believe in such things, will be on the side of Maryland. The road team has played very well in this series as of late. And then you've got the old "hard to beat the same team twice" thing too so the Jays will have to block out the noise. Saw some Maryland fans complaining that we over-celebrated the rivalry win or something as if the Terps didn't do the exact same thing on Homewood last year. Anyway I'd really like another crack at PSU. Shoulda been 5-0 in the B1G. We gave that game to them.

[DocBarrister]

Collison is probably not a Blue Jay if not for Junior, so there's that.

Gonna be a long week until the B1G semi. Things are going too well so of course we have to relitigate the past yet again. By "we" I mean 06 who needs the drama like he needs air to breathe.

Maryland is not going to lose to Rutgers so it'll be the Terps again, but this time at Homewood. The narrative, if you believe in such things, will be on the side of Maryland. The road team has played very well in this series as of late. And then you've got the old "hard to beat the same team twice" thing too so the Jays will have to block out the noise. Saw some Maryland fans complaining that we over-celebrated the rivalry win or something as if the Terps didn't do the exact same thing on Homewood last year. Anyway I'd really like another crack at PSU. Shoulda been 5-0 in the B1G. We gave that game to them.

Let’s beat the Terps again like we did in 2019.

The Blue Jays didn’t play a particularly good game and still took Penn State to double OT at Penn State.

DocBarrister

[steel_hop]

B1G Honors: https://bigten.org/news/2023/4/26/gener ... unced.aspx

Mazzone and Melendez on 1st team, Smith and Degnon on 2nd team.

Putting OSU's Myers and Rutgers' Scott on 2nd team over Angelus is certainly a choice. I would have went with the better attackman who plays for the better team, but maybe that's just me. Not sure how the conference leader in assists who averages more points per game in a better offense than both of those guys gets left out, especially for Scott, who has been an absolute ghost since B1G play started. And yes I probably would have put Angelus in over Degnon too but maybe they felt bad for OSU and Rutgers and had to get their guys in there.

Also think Collison shoulda been freshman of the year, but whatever. The Erksa kid has had a good year and played well last weekend after Smith sent his stick into orbit.

They were never not going to give Makar DPOY but we all know it's Mazzone.

Can someone tell the B1G's SID to organize the list the way everyone else in lax organizes 1st and 2nd teams - by position and not by school. Good grief that is hard to read who was placed where.

[steel_hop]

Lions beat the Jays. If we win that game, I'd bet the honor goes to Millman.

Correct. Trambroni gets it because he won the conference title for a team (and I'm just speculating) was likely to be picked at the back end of the conference. Hopkins wins that game, Hopkins goes 5-0 in the conference and he gets the award. Not that big of a deal.

[flalax22]

i dont know what he has to wear. it's not like Junior was the JV coach at Little Sisters - he was the OC of a service academy that was a bit on the rise and beat a good Duke team and looked very good offensively doing it. I seem to recall a crap ton of posters pretty excited about the recruiting prospects of the great John Grant Jr. as well. So it wasn't like putting Faust in charge of Notre Dame football - the hire had logic behind it. Plus PM may have been under some pressure in the COVID S storm to get a body to fog the mirror - I have zero clue who the eligible and willing candidates were. So it didn't work out happens all the time. Crawley could have been there from May, 2020 and very little would have changed until the talent changed.

To be clear it wasn’t necessarily the hire, what he wears is the absolute distraction that their strained relationship became to the team

[molo]

Grant Jr had an impressive resume as a player. As a coach, not quite as much. How long was he am assistant at USAA, a service academy whose history is not exactly on the level as USNA and AWP? Didn’t he also coach at a Christian academy in Colorado?

[51percentcorn]

From the Hopkins web-site

"In two seasons at Air Force, Grant, Jr. helped the Falcons to a 14-8 record, including a 10-5 mark in 2019. Air Force won the 2019 Southern Conference regular season title and the Falcons opened the 2020 season with a 14-13 win at fifth-ranked Duke.

Grant, Jr. coached at Air Force while simultaneously coaching the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse (MLL). He served as the Outlaws’ offensive coordinator from 2017-19 and spent the 2019 season as a player-coach as he came out of retirement to play for Denver. The Outlaws won the 2018 MLL title with Grant. Jr. directing the offense and advanced to the championship game in 2019.

Prior to his stints with the Outlaws and Falcons, Grant, Jr. was the head coach at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. There, he guided the Eagles to three consecutive appearances in the Colorado 4A State Championship game and the team claimed back-to-back-titles in 2016 and 2017; those were the first two state titles in program history."

So was he Vince Lombardi? NO - was he a reasonable hire in the middle of a global pandemic - probably. While it is not an excuse - the fact that Hopkins changed its entire coaching staff - replacing a legend who did not want to go and amongst the most stringent protocols around likely had a pretty important impact. If Milliman and Grant eventually got on different pages again it happens and if you say Milliman has to wear that - then fine - I'd love to know which of the UNC/UVA/Georgetown/Rutgers/Maryland/Ohio State/Marykand #2 games in '22 would have been conquests with that line-up if they had been all flowers and sunshine. Again, I am sure Crawley has done great things and deserves a bunch of credit - the major difference in the product is the talent on the field.

[Hoponboard]

Read into it what you want for his availability on Thursday, but Zapitello’s right arm was in a sling on the sidelines tonight.

[Wheels]

Read into it what you want for his availability on Thursday, but Zapitello’s right arm was in a sling on the sidelines tonight.

He's out at least until the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament with a hand injury (remember when Angelus burned Schaller and everyone wondered by Schaller was in for Zappitello?). Geppert also re-aggravated a leg injury and didn't play in the second half. I would not be surprised if Geppert sat on Thursday. He sat against Albany early in the season with the same injury.

I'm not Tillman, but if I was, I'd sit every dinged up player on Thursday so they'd have 2 weeks to recover before the NCAA Tournament. He's not going to...but I wouldn't mind it if he did. But that's why he's John Tillman and I'm a rando message board poster!

[HopFan16]

Read into it what you want for his availability on Thursday, but Zapitello’s right arm was in a sling on the sidelines tonight.

Looked like he broke his hand on Collison's back after Collison beat Trader and Zappitello slid in to help

Didn't watch the Rutgers-Maryland game but very much the expected result. Should be another close one at Homewood on Thursday. Hopefully there is a decent crowd but I wouldn't count on it. Such a terrible day/time for a big game.

[jhu06]

Read into it what you want for his availability on Thursday, but Zapitello’s right arm was in a sling on the sidelines tonight.

Looked like he broke his hand on Collison's back after Collison beat Trader and Zappitello slid in to help

Didn't watch the Rutgers-Maryland game but very much the expected result. Should be another close one at Homewood on Thursday. Hopefully there is a decent crowd but I wouldn't count on it. Such a terrible day/time for a big game.

Tillman teams against teams they previously played that year. Whether his kids are healthy or not his record playing teams a 2nd or third time is pretty good with the exception of us. Murphy played yesterday and they'll be better thursday. Hop kids might have more confidence having beaten them already and better health.
23-Rutgers W
22-Hop/Rutgers/uva/princeton w
21-Hop/Hop/Michigan/Michigan/OSU/Rutgers/PSU W
19-Hop L
18-Rutgers W-Hop L (but beat them first time)
17PSU W
16 PSU W Rutgers W UNC L but beat them earlier

Tillman against teams they'd lost to previously that year
19-Hop L
17-OSU W OSU W

www.baltimorebanner.com has a story written by cory mclaughlin who got a degree from Hopkins, has written for the school magazine and covers lacrosse for lacrosse magazine on 5th year players experiences including degnon. It's up on their site.

[steel_hop]

From the Hopkins web-site

"In two seasons at Air Force, Grant, Jr. helped the Falcons to a 14-8 record, including a 10-5 mark in 2019. Air Force won the 2019 Southern Conference regular season title and the Falcons opened the 2020 season with a 14-13 win at fifth-ranked Duke.

Grant, Jr. coached at Air Force while simultaneously coaching the Denver Outlaws of Major League Lacrosse (MLL). He served as the Outlaws’ offensive coordinator from 2017-19 and spent the 2019 season as a player-coach as he came out of retirement to play for Denver. The Outlaws won the 2018 MLL title with Grant. Jr. directing the offense and advanced to the championship game in 2019.

Prior to his stints with the Outlaws and Falcons, Grant, Jr. was the head coach at Valor Christian High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. There, he guided the Eagles to three consecutive appearances in the Colorado 4A State Championship game and the team claimed back-to-back-titles in 2016 and 2017; those were the first two state titles in program history."

So was he Vince Lombardi? NO - was he a reasonable hire in the middle of a global pandemic - probably. While it is not an excuse - the fact that Hopkins changed its entire coaching staff - replacing a legend who did not want to go and amongst the most stringent protocols around likely had a pretty important impact. If Milliman and Grant eventually got on different pages again it happens and if you say Milliman has to wear that - then fine - I'd love to know which of the UNC/UVA/Georgetown/Rutgers/Maryland/Ohio State/Marykand #2 games in '22 would have been conquests with that line-up if they had been all flowers and sunshine. Again, I am sure Crawley has done great things and deserves a bunch of credit - the major difference in the product is the talent on the field.

I am not sure exactly why we are bringing up JGJR but most on this board thought the hire was a good one, if not a great one. Millman and Grant didn't get along or the offensive philosophies didn't mesh or what have you. Didn't work out. That's life.

I wish nothing for the best for Grant but at least Millman recognized the issue and made a correction. I'd rather have a coach pull the plug on something and make a change than sit with the same coaching style/philosophy/teaching points for years and not getting the same results. Millman's not only done that on his staff but has certainly shown the ability to be more flexible in moving kids up and down the starting line up. Loyalty has its place in the world but so does flexibility.

[51percentcorn]

I am not sure exactly why we are bringing up JGJR

Well he got brought up because some on this board can't stand the thought that Milliman has created anything positive so let's go with the narrative that John Crawley can cure cancer.

Didn't watch the Rutgers-Maryland game but very much the expected result. Should be another close one at Homewood on Thursday.

I did watch a fair bit in and out - I think if Zapitello and maybe Geppert don't play that can't do anything but help Hopkins chances on the offensive side. Murphy's return, however, has livened up the Terps a fair bit. His mobility looks to be about 100% and I was impressed with his assists in that game. Hopefully Smith can play a more complete game and they won't forget Erksa is on the field.

[jhu06]

I am not sure exactly why we are bringing up JGJR

Well he got brought up because some on this board can't stand the thought that Milliman has created anything positive so let's go with the narrative that John Crawley can cure cancer.

Didn't watch the Rutgers-Maryland game but very much the expected result. Should be another close one at Homewood on Thursday.

I did watch a fair bit in and out - I think if Zapitello and maybe Geppert don't play that can't do anything but help Hopkins chances on the offensive side. Murphy's return, however, has livened up the Terps a fair bit. His mobility looks to be about 100% and I was impressed with his assists in that game. Hopefully Smith can play a more complete game and they won't forget Erksa is on the field.

Grant Jr affair showed that PM is accountable and in the moment. 2 things lacking from the prior era. I don't know if he went Crawley because he was an alum and he felt pressure to hire from the alumni base, he actually liked his work, or he just didn't have the network to draw someone more experienced from.
Tillman is healthy this week, that's bigger than those players. My major questions for Thursday are how long of a leash does Marcille get, do they start Dunn given the success he had, and what adjustments do they make with Maryland particularly on crawleys side of the field.

[Sagittarius A*]

I am not sure exactly why we are bringing up JGJR

Well he got brought up because some on this board can't stand the thought that Milliman has created anything positive so let's go with the narrative that John Crawley can cure cancer.

No, but he sure made this team better. PM was 8-18 before he got here together with Mr. Kelly.
Figure it out.

[51percentcorn]

You need to do some figuring - Big Time. I already figured it out - it's called TALENT - Melendez/Collison/Mazzone/Grimes for a full year/Peshko healthier for a full year - no injury compromised players taking over 250 shots - it's not hard.

[Chitown]

I don't know which team will win on Thursday. BUT I expect it to be close (like Mark Dixon said during the last game, "This is Great".) I will be disappointed if it isn't a well played competitive nail-baiter.

I guess everyone is entitled to an opinion, but I really don't understand the criticism Of Peter Millman. I think that he has done a very good job. It is clear that he has the players' trust. It is clear that he has credibility and trust from both the Asst. Coaches and the Players.

Hopkins is a little different from most other lacrosse playing schools. You will rarely see "show-boating" or an attempt to embarrass another team on the field. If you did, then that player would be running laps for years. For 135 years there is an emphasis on team play and the execution of fundamentals. I don't think any one single asst. coach is the difference maker this year. Same with the players.
We have never "retired" a numbered jersey. Every player gets a Johns Hopkins jersey. I know that all the Asst. Coaches (all former JHU players) bleed Hopkins blue. All the players bleed Hopkins blue. It runs deep. JHU has always played as a Team. Players have each others back on the field.
It is a wonderful thing.

Don't criticize the players or coaches. You haven't earned the right. This is the time of year to appreciate the competitive play and effort, and as Mark Dixion said, "This is Great!"

I am now going to coach little 10 year old boys. One of whom put me in my place when he asked me if I had played in college, I said yes, he asked where, and when I told him Johns Hopkins, he said that he had never heard of it.