Exlaxbro wrote: ↑Mon Aug 15, 2022 11:52 am Middleton is an LSM too. I think he and Roman could be a good 1-2 punch. Hughes and Wyers are solid there and with an inexperienced goalie they need stability. Especially with the third guy being a wild card.
I just don’t like Dwan’s style. He has always had good players. My impression is that he is lazy. He is easy to figure out which is partially why the d mids always seem to be an issue. I used to be a fan of Toomey but I think the game is changing and he and his staff have not. Good recruiting has not translated into Memorial Day. Even when they had a generational player a few years ago. I hope I am wrong but the needle is pointing down for me in evergreen.
My only point playing devils advocate is that they’ve been to Memorial Day before Pat, and they got to Memorial Day with him. They just ran into 3 buzzsaws Ohio state, Yale, and Penn state.
Talent can only get you so far but it needs excellent coaching to go hand in hand. The game has changed due to the shot clock and the dive. Let’s not forget that in 3 full seasons with this change he’s made two quarterfinals. In the entire 2010 decade he’s made 2 finals fours, won 1 chip, 3 first rounds, 2 quarters and won 5 conference tournaments. Most would dream of achieving something like this.
I’ve heard that playing D-mid at loyola is almost like a badge of honor where they put some of their toughest athletes because the position is such a bear to play. It’s worked out well for razanka currently and even when they had mintzlaff, begley, and the guys on their 2012-2014 teams excelled at the spot.
Sure, could Toomey have had a better result in 2022 with 3 years removed from Pat? Probably, but has the game passed him and his staff by? I don’t think so and so so many coaches. There is a reason why every year when rival coaches are asked about them, they say this staff is one of the best in the country. They get the absolute most of their kids and they bleed green and grey for this program