UVA 2024

[wgdsr]

Just look at UV
Lars gets there in 2017.. Takes Lars 2 seasons and then he is off and running.
2019- 17-3 NC
2020- Covid
2021- 14-4 NC
2022- 12-4 2nd round
2023- 13-4 final 4.

Last 4 complete season its 2 NCs and 1 final four. 2nd round is was the "failure". IF UVA continues this run, this will be a solid decision. I know it has happened in sports, but it is hard to bet on any team to continue that level of success for another 4 years.

If we’re being honest, this season was a failure for Virginia. They had easily the best team, with a superstar at FOGO. They had the best player, Shellenberger. Ridiculously talented transfers.

To not win imo was a hit. They should’ve gone undefeated. And before you jump on me, the players feel the same.

you didn't interview all the players. there were other capable teams. all the same, i hope they feel they should've won. maybe that'll be part of what leads to good things in 2024.

[10stone5]

If we’re being honest, this season was a failure for Virginia.

It wasn’t.

They lost a close winnable game to the National Champions.

[coda]

Just look at UV
Lars gets there in 2017.. Takes Lars 2 seasons and then he is off and running.
2019- 17-3 NC
2020- Covid
2021- 14-4 NC
2022- 12-4 2nd round
2023- 13-4 final 4.

Last 4 complete season its 2 NCs and 1 final four. 2nd round is was the "failure". IF UVA continues this run, this will be a solid decision. I know it has happened in sports, but it is hard to bet on any team to continue that level of success for another 4 years.

If we’re being honest, this season was a failure for Virginia. They had easily the best team, with a superstar at FOGO. They had the best player, Shellenberger. Ridiculously talented transfers.

To not win imo was a hit. They should’ve gone undefeated. And before you jump on me, the players feel the same.

Hard to say a final 4 is a failure. The truth is most NCs get some luck along the way. Big break in a game or healthy season.

[The Orfling]

Sounds like you found your Offensive Coordinator.
The news has already hit- have fun with that.

For a grad year?

On a serious note, not a big fan of this, but I can understand him wanting to get out of Bethlehem.

Clever move by Cassese. A few good years at the steering wheel of the Maserati that is the UVA offense with the personnel they have currently and coming in the door will put Cassese back in the conversation for the big head coaching jobs in the future.

It really depends. I am not sure he can do much to improve his reputation at Virginia. Perhaps, it is a good move if Lehigh is going to be a rebuild. How do you improve the offense at UVa? It is a role that has mostly downside. You finish outside the top 5 in scoring and it is bad result. Is he going to recruit better? Unlikely. Improve the offense? unlikely.

What he does get is a higher probability of coaching on Memorial Day. Being on a staff that has won a national championship is a very significant differentiator. With HC and AHC and a ring, he becomes a different type of candidate.

Exactly. He's tried it one way: program building head coach at a program that has a lower ceiling year-to-year than an ACC team. Now he'll try the Associate Head Coach re-boot running an offense with off-the-charts talent for a team that looks to continue to be a perennial Memorial Day weekend contender, with an eye to getting the head gig at a big time program like Duke. If that doesn't pan out, he's no worse off -- he can get other HC program-building opportunities. Given that he's reuniting with a friend with whom he's coached before, and presumably making a competitive salary even before camps are taken into account -- and oh by the way Charlottesville is fairly idyllic -- it seems like an out of the box but smart move to me by both Lars and KC.

Editing to add: It may be one heck of an adjustment for Cassese, however. He's been the head honcho for a long time. Even when the HC is a friend and mentor, not having the final word or being the lead voice in the locker room (even if you are an important voice) can take some getting used to.

[blue angels]

Sounds like you found your Offensive Coordinator.
The news has already hit- have fun with that.

For a grad year?

On a serious note, not a big fan of this, but I can understand him wanting to get out of Bethlehem.

Clever move by Cassese. A few good years at the steering wheel of the Maserati that is the UVA offense with the personnel they have currently and coming in the door will put Cassese back in the conversation for the big head coaching jobs in the future.

It really depends. I am not sure he can do much to improve his reputation at Virginia. Perhaps, it is a good move if Lehigh is going to be a rebuild. How do you improve the offense at UVa? It is a role that has mostly downside. You finish outside the top 5 in scoring and it is bad result. Is he going to recruit better? Unlikely. Improve the offense? unlikely.

What he does get is a higher probability of coaching on Memorial Day. Being on a staff that has won a national championship is a very significant differentiator. With HC and AHC and a ring, he becomes a different type of candidate.

Exactly. He's tried it one way: program building head coach at a program that has a lower ceiling year-to-year than an ACC team. Now he'll try the Associate Head Coach re-boot running an offense with off-the-charts talent for a team that looks to continue to be a perennial Memorial Day weekend contender, with an eye to getting the head gig at a big time program like Duke. If that doesn't pan out, he's no worse off -- he can get other HC program-building opportunities. Given that he's reuniting with a friend with whom he's coached before, and presumably making a competitive salary even before camps are taken into account -- and oh by the way Charlottesville is fairly idyllic -- it seems like an out of the box but smart move to me by both Lars and KC.

Editing to add: It may be one heck of an adjustment for Cassese, however. He's been the head honcho for a long time. Even when the HC is a friend and mentor, not having the final word or being the lead voice in the locker room (even if you are an important voice) can take some getting used to.

Hmm. Not sure it will be that significant of an adjustment since he has worked with Lars before. He will also be responsible for running the entire offense. Lars, Kip and Greco are all defensive coaches.

[stupefied]

UVA O was more impressive than their D. Gonna miss Kirwan

[FMUBart]

I thought they had the ball with about 1:30 left and pretty much a full shot clock..taking a shot clock violation probably would've won them the game..

the game was tied up with over 2 minutes left. uva won the face and then scored with under a minute left to go up 1, with no timeout taken. they never saw the ball again.

the legend grows.

Legend boy- UVA with the ball with 3 mins left up 11-9 with 1 minute on shot clock and they had just successfully cleared. The UVA midfielder attacked the ND short stick and dove into 2 additional Irish defenders--not sure why he is attacking there when the clock is now your opponent(especially when you consider the position before they held the ball in the corner). I was wrong on the time left, but would've been a GREAT time to call timeout; perhaps KC would've told Lars to do just that

3+ minutes.
50+ seconds on shot clock.
beat the nd short stick.
dove to get additional angle on entenmann well before running into any other defenders.
ftfy

if kc wants to take their best shot away in 3 possessions by stalling... after disastrous stall ball resulting in bad turnovers in the previous 2 possessions... with over 3 minutes left... i wanna coach against that guy.

"wants to take their best shot away" --even though they held the ball til late in the shot clock on the prior possession? "after disastrous stall ball"--they ate almost 70 seconds and the turnover was at GLE... Why go to the goal in that spot(3 mins left, 1 minute on shot clock)? Carc & Quint, both adamantly, echoed that thought. "dove to get additional angle"--yes, and therefore got no umph on his shot, and shot right into Entemann's stick. Agree to disagree, but I'd guess he'd like to coach against you, too!!

[stupefied]

Respect all vantages but I had no issue with Schultz high % shot with 35 secs left on clock as it would have iced game being up three. UVA o had just came off two possessions with turnovers . Loss came down to ND making plays down the stretch while UVA didn't . They lost last three face-offs and UVA d collapsed giving up four goals in three minutes .. ND earned it.

[FMUBart]

I believe the majority of lax folks feel the clock is more important than scoring there(and it was proven true)..the announcers were "stupefied" that they attacked in that spot. Running the clock down, taking a T.O. would've have been the play--in 20/20 hindsight..

[coda]

Sounds like you found your Offensive Coordinator.
The news has already hit- have fun with that.

For a grad year?

On a serious note, not a big fan of this, but I can understand him wanting to get out of Bethlehem.

Clever move by Cassese. A few good years at the steering wheel of the Maserati that is the UVA offense with the personnel they have currently and coming in the door will put Cassese back in the conversation for the big head coaching jobs in the future.

It really depends. I am not sure he can do much to improve his reputation at Virginia. Perhaps, it is a good move if Lehigh is going to be a rebuild. How do you improve the offense at UVa? It is a role that has mostly downside. You finish outside the top 5 in scoring and it is bad result. Is he going to recruit better? Unlikely. Improve the offense? unlikely.

What he does get is a higher probability of coaching on Memorial Day. Being on a staff that has won a national championship is a very significant differentiator. With HC and AHC and a ring, he becomes a different type of candidate.

Exactly. He's tried it one way: program building head coach at a program that has a lower ceiling year-to-year than an ACC team. Now he'll try the Associate Head Coach re-boot running an offense with off-the-charts talent for a team that looks to continue to be a perennial Memorial Day weekend contender, with an eye to getting the head gig at a big time program like Duke. If that doesn't pan out, he's no worse off -- he can get other HC program-building opportunities. Given that he's reuniting with a friend with whom he's coached before, and presumably making a competitive salary even before camps are taken into account -- and oh by the way Charlottesville is fairly idyllic -- it seems like an out of the box but smart move to me by both Lars and KC.

Editing to add: It may be one heck of an adjustment for Cassese, however. He's been the head honcho for a long time. Even when the HC is a friend and mentor, not having the final word or being the lead voice in the locker room (even if you are an important voice) can take some getting used to.

I find it interesting that everyone assumes that being a stud OC for UVa leads to great HC opportunities. I guess people did not notice Kirwan taking the Dartmouth job, which is pretty much on par with Lehigh. People seem to be confusing Football and lacrosse.

[FMUBart]

This will be Kirwan's First HC job, big difference.

[coda]

I believe the majority of lax folks feel the clock is more important than scoring there(and it was proven true)..the announcers were "stupefied" that they attacked in that spot. Running the clock down, taking a T.O. would've have been the play--in 20/20 hindsight..

I have no issues taking that shot. The issue was it was poor execution. He had a point blank shot on the goal. Keep in mind it was tied with over 2 minute to go. UVA went up one with 58 seconds left. If we are playing the hindsight is 20/20 game and everything plays out the same, then ND still ties it up even if you run a minute off the clock. Difference in the final 5 minutes of the game was at the faceoff. ND dominated the draw late. Hot day and Petey wore down as the game played out. He was second in face-offs taken per-game at 28.53 (Quinnipiac guy was #1 @ 29.7) last year. One of UVa weaknesses was their over-reliance on Petey and their failure to develop any depth there. The biggest surprise of the final 4 was Will Lynch winning ~60% of his draws. If you told 100 lacrosse fans the ND would win at the X in the final four, 90 of them would have picked ND to win the NC. Will Lynch was the biggest factor in the final 4, that nobody talks about. He turned a perceived weakness into a strength. He came into the tournament with a 46.6% win percentage and won almost 60% of his draws in the tournament (59.5%) and 58.5% in the final 4.

[coda]

This will be Kirwan's First HC job, big difference.

The difference between the 2 is stark. Cassese will need to improve a program that has made 3 of the last 4 final fours. Good luck with that. Kirwan needs to win a couple Ivy games to elevate his current program. IF both do well, than I would take Kirwan over Cassese. If both do poorly, Kirwan can easily get a high-level OC job. Cassese can not easily get a HC job. The risk/reward is slanted in Kirwan's direction. That does not mean that it will work out that way, but I like his position much better. The best thing for UVa is if Cassese does a solid job and stays 5 years. They are currently the best program in lacrosse, they do not want volatility.

[MDlaxfan76]

Just look at UV
Lars gets there in 2017.. Takes Lars 2 seasons and then he is off and running.
2019- 17-3 NC
2020- Covid
2021- 14-4 NC
2022- 12-4 2nd round
2023- 13-4 final 4.

Last 4 complete season its 2 NCs and 1 final four. 2nd round is was the "failure". IF UVA continues this run, this will be a solid decision. I know it has happened in sports, but it is hard to bet on any team to continue that level of success for another 4 years.

If we’re being honest, this season was a failure for Virginia. They had easily the best team, with a superstar at FOGO. They had the best player, Shellenberger. Ridiculously talented transfers.

To not win imo was a hit. They should’ve gone undefeated. And before you jump on me, the players feel the same.

you didn't interview all the players. there were other capable teams. all the same, i hope they feel they should've won. maybe that'll be part of what leads to good things in 2024.

My thought exactly. If the zeitgeist on the team was they "should have won it" that provides fire in the belly for next year. I'd want them to feel that way as intense competitors who believe in themselves and in each other.

But it's rather silly for us couch potatoes to say that it was a "failure" for Virginia and Lars.

As to the missed opportunity to can that shot, I think that the slowdown probably was too soon...OR... the shot should not have been taken, the approach never made. Either keep the hammer down or stay disciplined on the decision to play the clock. It wasn't an open net opportunity, it required a ton of athleticism to even get the shot off and thus risked what happened.

I think that UVA was just a little undisciplined in some ways they can consider improving upon next year. This was just one such moment in that game...it was the most dramatic one, but just one missed opportunity to make a better decision, make a better play. And it was an issue other times in the season.

And I'm someone who really appreciate the wide open, go-go philosophy that the coaches brought back to UVA.

I think what can sometimes happen with a super team, and I think this was the case this year, is that they get so used to being able to step on the gas at will, that they can get a little sloppy and be assuming it'll just happen. It's such a fine line...

So, here's hoping for the fire in the belly.

Meanwhile, I'm super excited to have Sean in Hanover.

[MDlaxfan76]

This will be Kirwan's First HC job, big difference.

The difference between the 2 is stark. Cassese will need to improve a program that has made 3 of the last 4 final fours. Good luck with that. Kirwan needs to win a couple Ivy games to elevate his current program. IF both do well, than I would take Kirwan over Cassese. If both do poorly, Kirwan can easily get a high-level OC job. Cassese can not easily get a HC job. The risk/reward is slanted in Kirwan's direction. That does not mean that it will work out that way, but I like his position much better. The best thing for UVa is if Cassese does a solid job and stays 5 years. They are currently the best program in lacrosse, they do not want volatility.

Not for nothing, I'm hoping Kirwan's next 5 years puts Dartmouth in contention for Ivy League titles and into the NCAA's. And I'm hoping that we make it worth his while to stay 10+ years doing so, ala a Shea situation where deep runs and actual shots at Memorial Day are possible. I'm hoping we can make it a really happy situation for him and his family.

It's going to be a huge challenge, notwithstanding the commitments Dartmouth seems to be willing to make, as I think the Ivy programs we compete with are all pushing hard in that same direction. Lots of excellent coaches.

Yeah, I don't think Cassese can "improve" upon the past recent times for UVA, but he can certainly contribute to continuing success at a significantly higher level program with much more resources than his prior. That experience, which is different, would put him in good stead to run another such high level, fully resourced program at some point. No guesses as to which ones. But also in position for other mid-tier should he want to do so if the others don't open.

[Gorilla Fan]

D3 Player of the year Jack Boyden from Tufts transferring in: https://twitter.com/tyxanders/status/16 ... _jxZLgpS5g

[lorin]

D3 Player of the year Jack Boyden from Tufts transferring in: https://twitter.com/tyxanders/status/16 ... _jxZLgpS5g

All those 5 stars and you still need recruit from D3 school, LMAO

[PulpExposure]

The biggest surprise of the final 4 was Will Lynch winning ~60% of his draws. If you told 100 lacrosse fans the ND would win at the X in the final four, 90 of them would have picked ND to win the NC. Will Lynch was the biggest factor in the final 4, that nobody talks about. He turned a perceived weakness into a strength. He came into the tournament with a 46.6% win percentage and won almost 60% of his draws in the tournament (59.5%) and 58.5% in the final 4.

Agreed - he was Notre Dame's Jon Garino this year. Both were unexpected dominant players.

[ChopMan23]

D3 Player of the year Jack Boyden from Tufts transferring in: https://twitter.com/tyxanders/status/16 ... _jxZLgpS5g

All those 5 stars and you still need recruit from D3 school, LMAO

Bertrand Pt 2

[Laxguy703]

D3 Player of the year Jack Boyden from Tufts transferring in: https://twitter.com/tyxanders/status/16 ... _jxZLgpS5g

All those 5 stars and you still need recruit from D3 school, LMAO

Not sure if this is a jab at D3, but considering how well some D3 guys over the last few years have been doing in D1 and the PLL, why would you not take a chance on the D3 POY who put up 290 in the past 2 years??