Big Ten 2020

[Cooter]

I said in-state tuition gave RU a leg up in recruiting certain NJ lacrosse players.

I don't disagree with that. I just wonder about how much overall value it is.

[Cooter]

Quite a few Big Ten incoming freshmen competing in the Adrenaline All-American game on 6/16 at 3pm
https://www.adrln.com/event/2019-adrena ... -american/
North
Henry Carpenter Midfield MICDS Penn State
Cole Finley-Ponds, LSM, Denver East Hopkins
Diego Zimmerman*, Defense, Woodlands Ohio State
Gabe Galbraith, Defense, Highland Park Ohio State
Zach Groff, Goalie, Fort Collins Rutgers
Robert Almand, Midfield, Vandergrift, Rutgers

South
Oliver Mirrer, Midfield, Cathedral, Michigan
Michael Mines, Midfield, Torrey Pines, Maryland
Jacob Jackson, Midfield, Dallas Jesuit, Michigan
Walt Alexander, Defense, Austin, Michigan
Carson Raney, Defense, Episcopal of Dallas, Ohio State

* Inside Lacrosse has Zimmerman in their 2020 list for OSU.

[gymman1031]

I was about to mentioned yesterday that Rutgers, without a doubt, is the hardest sell for recruiting among Big Ten programs. This right here is the latest example. Every other Big Ten program has at least one.

Help me understand this. NJ is second in the number of high school lacrosse players that go on to play in college. The State itself is a fertile breeding ground for talent. Combine that with the chance to pay in-state tuition (at a substantial discount to virtually every other D1 program) and Rutgers should have its choice of late-developing or dark-horse NJ talent. Rutgers also offers a high quality education in a number of "in demand" fields. For the academic high achievers, the Honors College presents a substantial opportunity to excel in a uniquely tailored academic environment.

That "latest example" may be correlation but it is not causation. Many other factors are in play. And finally, the value of using Under Armour AA selections as proof of athletic quality or as a predictor of future value is dubious at best.

Yes, NJ produces fine talent. But still, that doesn't mean that Rutgers isn't the hardest sell for talent in the Big Ten. Think about it. Most Big Ten programs have it better when it comes to:

1. venue
2. facilities
3. campus
4. college town atmosphere
5. academics
6. yuppie environment that so many lax players love
7. other successful sports programs that are exciting to follow and watch


Rutgers Lacrosse has proven me wrong about how high they can go recently. And I think they can go higher. But still, they will, probably continue to always be the hardest sell for recruiting top talent in the Big Ten, regardless of how much talent NJ produces. The top key is to keep improving on getting top in-state players to stay at home.

[Drcthru]

Under Armour AAs for the Big Ten:
Maryland
A Dylan Pallonetti, Ward Melville (N.Y.)
G Logan McNaney, Salisbury (Conn.)
A/M Jack Sawyer, Calvert Hall (Md.)

PSU
A Canyon Birch, Manasquan (N.J.)

Michigan
M Josh Zawada, Hill Academy (Ont.)
M Jake Bonomi, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.)
D Ryan Schriber, Wilton (Conn.)

OSU
M Grant Mitchell, Calvert Hall (Md.)
G Christian Tomei, Oxbridge Academy (Fla.)


JHU
G Tim Marcille, Gonzaga (D.C.)

And this translates to what?

[Cooter]

Under Armour AAs for the Big Ten:
Maryland
A Dylan Pallonetti, Ward Melville (N.Y.)
G Logan McNaney, Salisbury (Conn.)
A/M Jack Sawyer, Calvert Hall (Md.)

PSU
A Canyon Birch, Manasquan (N.J.)

Michigan
M Josh Zawada, Hill Academy (Ont.)
M Jake Bonomi, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.)
D Ryan Schriber, Wilton (Conn.)

OSU
M Grant Mitchell, Calvert Hall (Md.)
G Christian Tomei, Oxbridge Academy (Fla.)


JHU
G Tim Marcille, Gonzaga (D.C.)

And this translates to what?

Just getting Big 10 fans used to some of the new names entering the league this coming season. The UA AA list contains some of the more highly thought of recruits. I have also listed the U-19 tryout invitees and Adrenaline AAs for the Big Ten.

[Cooter]

Georgia connection.
The Big Ten has 6 Georgia HS All-American commitments:
Ben Hull, A, Kennesaw Mountain High School (2020) - Michigan
Eli Ensor, M, Lassiter - Ohio State
Eric Malever, A, Woodward (2020) - Maryland
Gerald Kane, A, Lambert (2020) - Ohio State
Justin Sherrer, LSM, Etowah - Maryland
Ryan Siracusa, A, Centennial - Maryland

Hopefully, they will all be peaches.

[HopFan16]

Georgia connection.
The Big Ten has 6 Georgia HS All-American commitments:
Ben Hull, A, Kennesaw Mountain High School (2020) - Michigan
Eli Ensor, M, Lassiter - Ohio State
Eric Malever, A, Woodward (2020) - Maryland
Gerald Kane, A, Lambert (2020) - Ohio State
Justin Sherrer, LSM, Etowah - Maryland
Ryan Siracusa, A, Centennial - Maryland

Hopefully, they will all be peaches.

7—Patrick Deans is committed to JHU.

[Cooter]

Georgia connection.
The Big Ten has 6 Georgia HS All-American commitments:
Ben Hull, A, Kennesaw Mountain High School (2020) - Michigan
Eli Ensor, M, Lassiter - Ohio State
Eric Malever, A, Woodward (2020) - Maryland
Gerald Kane, A, Lambert (2020) - Ohio State
Justin Sherrer, LSM, Etowah - Maryland
Ryan Siracusa, A, Centennial - Maryland

Hopefully, they will all be peaches.

7—Patrick Deans is committed to JHU.

They don't seem to Deans up on the IL site yet. (Get with it, Ty!)

Patrick Deans, D, Lambert (2020) - Hopkins

All-County Boys Player of the Year even.
https://www.forsythnews.com/sports/lamb ... s-lambert/

7 US HS AAs must be close to the most from any state. Perhaps PA or NY would beat it.

[Cooter]

Hm... my tentative lists for PA and NY both stand at 6
New York:
Jack Brennan, A, Irondequoit - Monroe, NY - Maryland
Garrett Gibbons, M, Massapequa - Nassau, NY - Maryland
Conor Calderone, FO, Smithtown West - Suffolk NY - Maryland
Stephen Zupicich, D, Fordham Prep - NY Catholic - Ohio State
Sutton Boland, D, Victor - Monroe NY - Penn State
James Ringer, M, Bayport Blue Point - Suffolk NY - Rutgers

Pennsyvania -
Luke Wierman, FO Henderson High School - Eastern PA - Maryland
Gabe Goforth, M, Bishop Shanahan - Eastern PA - Maryland (2020)
Scott Smith, D, Conestoga - Eastern PA - Johns Hopkins (2020)
Kohl Wesner, A, Hempfield - PA Central - Penn State
Grant Haus, M, Palmyra - PA Central - Penn State
Jake Morin, A, Garnett Valley - Eastern PA - Penn State (2020)

[Cooter]

Penn State already seems to have bios up on their freshmen.
https://gopsusports.com/roster.aspx?ros ... &path=mlax

So Grant Haus is the younger brother of John and Will Haus.

[HopFan16]

Hm... my tentative lists for PA and NY both stand at 6
New York:
Jack Brennan, A, Irondequoit - Monroe, NY - Maryland
Garrett Gibbons, M, Massapequa - Nassau, NY - Maryland
Conor Calderone, FO, Smithtown West - Suffolk NY - Maryland
Stephen Zupicich, D, Fordham Prep - NY Catholic - Ohio State
Sutton Boland, D, Victor - Monroe NY - Penn State
James Ringer, M, Bayport Blue Point - Suffolk NY - Rutgers

Pennsyvania -
Luke Wierman, FO Henderson High School - Eastern PA - Maryland
Gabe Goforth, M, Bishop Shanahan - Eastern PA - Maryland (2020)
Scott Smith, D, Conestoga - Eastern PA - Johns Hopkins (2020)
Kohl Wesner, A, Hempfield - PA Central - Penn State
Grant Haus, M, Palmyra - PA Central - Penn State
Jake Morin, A, Garnett Valley - Eastern PA - Penn State (2020)

Missed Hunter Jaronski for JHU in PA

[Cooter]

So that gets us up to 7 for PA.

[Cooter]

As expected the Big Ten Men's lacrosse tmt will be at Penn State, April 30 - May 2.
https://bigten.org/sports/2019/7/8/cham ... .aspx.aspx

[10stone5]

Hm... my tentative lists for PA and NY both stand at 6

Pennsyvania -

Luke Wierman, FO Henderson High School - West Chester PA - Maryland
Gabe Goforth, M, Bishop Shanahan - West Chester PA - Maryland (2020)

Scott Smith, D, Conestoga - Eastern PA - Johns Hopkins (2020)
Kohl Wesner, A, Hempfield - PA Central - Penn State
Grant Haus, M, Palmyra - PA Central - Penn State
Jake Morin, A, Garnett Valley - Eastern PA - Penn State (2020)

Missed Hunter Jaronski for JHU in PA

ChesMont Lacrosse

[FannOLax]

As expected the Big Ten Men's lacrosse tmt will be at Penn State, April 30 - May 2.
https://bigten.org/sports/2019/7/8/cham ... .aspx.aspx

When Cooter posted this a bit over a month ago, I said, "I'm going" (I have a relative in State College, PA I should visit at least once a year). So....

Penn State and Maryland must be pre-season favorites to make the conference tourney. After that, well, I'd expect JHU to qualify, but I think every school has a decent chance. Ohio State looked terrific OOC last year, but didn't perform in the Big 10 and didn't qualify. Could 2020 be the year that Michigan qualifies? Any other thoughts or comments?

[Wheels]

OSU brings back quite a bit all over the field. With Hop losing a lot on defense...a defense that struggled quite a bit...they'll battle it out with RU and UM for that 4th spot. RU will be interesting, as they bring back a ton of offense and quite a bit on defense but lose a goalie that stole games for them over the past few years. If UM can figure out FOGO play and tighten up their defense, they have some good offensive pieces.

PSU
Maryland
OSU
JHU
RU
UM

[HopFan16]

OSU brings back quite a bit all over the field. With Hop losing a lot on defense...a defense that struggled quite a bit...they'll battle it out with RU and UM for that 4th spot. RU will be interesting, as they bring back a ton of offense and quite a bit on defense but lose a goalie that stole games for them over the past few years. If UM can figure out FOGO play and tighten up their defense, they have some good offensive pieces.

PSU
Maryland
OSU
JHU
RU
UM

No issue with putting PSU and Maryland as #1 and #2 in the conference but it kind of seems like a lot of people are selectively forgetting that the Jays handily beat Maryland twice last season. Perhaps, on paper, Maryland is the better team, but there was clearly something about the 2019 Jays that, despite having a mediocre season overall, posed a matchup problem for the Terrapins. My guess is that it begins with "Joey" and ends with "Epstein." 11 points in two games vs. the arch rivals. The law firm of Corley, Welding, and Makar looked overmatched against the precocious freshman. Now Corley is gone and the consensus seems to be Makar will start covering the opposing teams' best guys. Is he up to the task?

On the other hand, now that Pat Foley is gone, I don't think the Jays have anyone who can cover Jared Bernhardt. The upside is they only have to deal with him for another year, while the Terps get Joey Ep for three.

I do like OSU this year, they bring back quite a bit from a team that was already pretty good. Rutgers brings back most of their weapons on offense but lose Edelmann in cage and Michaeli on D...not sure what to expect of them. Michigan probably still has to be #6 by default but I don't think anyone would be shocked to see them finish 5th or make a run at a berth in the conference tourney for the first time. It's going to happen sooner or later.

[Wheels]

No issue with putting PSU and Maryland as #1 and #2 in the conference but it kind of seems like a lot of people are selectively forgetting that the Jays handily beat Maryland twice last season. Perhaps, on paper, Maryland is the better team, but there was clearly something about the 2019 Jays that, despite having a mediocre season overall, posed a matchup problem for the Terrapins. My guess is that it begins with "Joey" and ends with "Epstein." 11 points in two games vs. the arch rivals. The law firm of Corley, Welding, and Makar looked overmatched against the precocious freshman. Now Corley is gone and the consensus seems to be Makar will start covering the opposing teams' best guys. Is he up to the task?

On the other hand, now that Pat Foley is gone, I don't think the Jays have anyone who can cover Jared Bernhardt. The upside is they only have to deal with him for another year, while the Terps get Joey Ep for three.

I do like OSU this year, they bring back quite a bit from a team that was already pretty good. Rutgers brings back most of their weapons on offense but lose Edelmann in cage and Michaeli on D...not sure what to expect of them. Michigan probably still has to be #6 by default but I don't think anyone would be shocked to see them finish 5th or make a run at a berth in the conference tourney for the first time. It's going to happen sooner or later.

It is true that if Hopkins played Maryland 16 times, they might fare better than 8-8 on the season like they did last year. Hop's offense isn't what caused Maryland so much trouble, although Epstein is a Top 5 player in the country. It was Hop's defense. Petro and crew have figured out a way to control Maryland's offense like few teams have been able to do. Kudos to them, and I think you're right that Foley had a lot to do with it. They also controlled Bubba pretty well, turning him into an iso dodger. Maryland's offense works best when they're getting assists. Hop turned that off two games in a row. Made the Terps one dimensional. Their slide and recover on Jared and Bubba were pretty damn good. Yet, Hop couldn't maintain any of that consistency against anyone else. So...

I'd say the Terps can take care of their conference schedule better than Hop can. If Hop needs 2 season-ending wins against Maryland again to make the NCAA tournament, whew...

[FannOLax]

No issue with putting PSU and Maryland as #1 and #2 in the conference but it kind of seems like a lot of people are selectively forgetting that the Jays handily beat Maryland twice last season. Perhaps, on paper, Maryland is the better team, but there was clearly something about the 2019 Jays that, despite having a mediocre season overall, posed a matchup problem for the Terrapins....

Well, no, I didn't forget those two Blue Jays's wins, or how much better they were the second time against PSU; as I said a few posts ago, it seems to me that Hop will find a way to qualify for the tourney. Maryland just seems like a better bet; but a lot of things can change in a year: season before last, with Ament out injured, Penn State failed to make the conference tourney. This is a terrific conference top-to-bottom, and I won't be overly surprised by any "surprise" results. Last-chance saloon for Petro? I'm really looking to finding out, and seeing some more Big 10 lacrosse.

[Cooter]

I tend to look at PSU and UMd as frontrunners by a large step.
Penn State does lose 2 All-Americans in Sabia and Spillane. PSU brings in a highly touted attackmen in Canyon Birch, might have Kevin HIll back as a red-shirt senior, and has some other nice offensive players waiting to move up, so with Ament and O'Keefe back the PSU offense should be outstanding. Things should be solid on the defensive end, and of course you have Arceri to dominate on face-offs.
For Maryland, one can see Tillman working hard with the transfers to help fill in weak areas on the team. Maryland adds a number of highly touted freshmen, attackmen - N.DeMaio, Pallonetti, Sawyer; FOman - Conor Calderone; and goalie Logan McNaney. UMd returns 4 AAs on the offensive end, so they should have a pretty strong offense - and if one of those freshmen were an impact freshman it could get really strong. Calderone steps in to bolster the FOs with the loss of Henningsen. Defense seems to be the main question mark. Tillman has brought some transfers to help.