W&L 2023

[GeneralBart]

Let me add my congratulations to Coach McCabe, his staff, and to his team. They represented themselves and their school well all season.

A couple of observations about next year. It is commonly said that players make their biggest jump in performance between the freshmen and sophomore years. If this holds true, we have a great deal to look forward to next year.

I have not seen any of next year’s in coming class but can make a few notes:

There is a great deal of buzz regarding the FOGO from Cville way.

We are apparently getting a defenseman who was coached by Stagnitta, McCabe’s mentor.

Another FOGO split time for a very good BL team.

I suspect Garrett has seen, and approved of, the middie from KC.

[Dehuntshigwa’es]

Let me add my congratulations to Coach McCabe, his staff, and to his team. They represented themselves and their school well all season.

A couple of observations about next year. It is commonly said that players make their biggest jump in performance between the freshmen and sophomore years. If this holds true, we have a great deal to look forward to next year.

I have not seen any of next year’s in coming class but can make a few notes:

There is a great deal of buzz regarding the FOGO from Cville way.

We are apparently getting a defenseman who was coached by Stagnitta, McCabe’s mentor.

Another FOGO split time for a very good BL team.

I suspect Garrett has seen, and approved of, the middie from KC.

Certainly a great season, especially when viewed within the context of getting to the Elite 8, 20 years is a long time. Curious to hear from those at the game as to the problem with face offs. Normally W&L holds their own at the dot and yet struggled mightily at season end. Lynchburg was not very pretty and only winning 6 face offs out of 24 won’t cut it against weaker teams let alone Salisbury. Generals face off units ( W&L used 3 fogo’s) winning 6 losing 18…No one had an answer. Malamphy was 59% for the year Moreland 50%. Of the 24 face offs they won 16 to themselves. Did W&L ever put 2 poles on the wings ? Instead of trying to win it outright did they try jamming Salisbury, lastly why didn’t they ever put a pole on their fogo. Maybe they did but from the webcast it sure didn’t look like it but was wondering if I missed it. Can’t help but think what could have been. Hoping Tyler Spano continues the tradition of top tier fogo’s at W&L

[Cheeseandcrackers]

I saw most of the game (arrived during 2nd quarter). My recollection is most of FO's being won by the SU FOGO to himself. I do not remember seeing W&L double pole the wings or put a pole on the FO, but I could have missed that. I did think W&Ls goalie played very strong in the second half and helped keep the game close.
One thing I can say for sure - the Dickinson vs CNU game that followed was one of the most entertaining games I have ever witnessed. Both teams laid it all on the line for 60 minutes plus with a ton of frantic up and down action. I was not surprised by Sunday's outcome because whoever advanced was not going to be bringing their best the next day.

[InsiderRoll]

Let me add my congratulations to Coach McCabe, his staff, and to his team. They represented themselves and their school well all season.

A couple of observations about next year. It is commonly said that players make their biggest jump in performance between the freshmen and sophomore years. If this holds true, we have a great deal to look forward to next year.

I have not seen any of next year’s in coming class but can make a few notes:

There is a great deal of buzz regarding the FOGO from Cville way.

We are apparently getting a defenseman who was coached by Stagnitta, McCabe’s mentor.

Another FOGO split time for a very good BL team.

I suspect Garrett has seen, and approved of, the middie from KC.

Certainly a great season, especially when viewed within the context of getting to the Elite 8, 20 years is a long time. Curious to hear from those at the game as to the problem with face offs. Normally W&L holds their own at the dot and yet struggled mightily at season end. Lynchburg was not very pretty and only winning 6 face offs out of 24 won’t cut it against weaker teams let alone Salisbury. Generals face off units ( W&L used 3 fogo’s) winning 6 losing 18…No one had an answer. Malamphy was 59% for the year Moreland 50%. Of the 24 face offs they won 16 to themselves. Did W&L ever put 2 poles on the wings ? Instead of trying to win it outright did they try jamming Salisbury, lastly why didn’t they ever put a pole on their fogo. Maybe they did but from the webcast it sure didn’t look like it but was wondering if I missed it. Can’t help but think what could have been. Hoping Tyler Spano continues the tradition of top tier fogo’s at W&L

They’re both smaller FO guys and they were physically outmatched during that game and some others. Perhaps the grind of the year wore them down, down the stretch. I didn’t see many adjustments that day besides wing placement. My guess is they look at the speed of Cohen, Albregts, and Beatty on wings and think they’re better than the poles they have at getting to the ball.

[lyira]

Evan Wyatt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVEVTnwbe9k

Always interesting to me when you get a recruit from a non traditional lacrosse area, in this case Missouri. I watched a good 20 minutes of Pembroke/ Rockhurst where Wyatt plays for Pembroke. Decent stick skills and speed. Question the lax IQ but that’s just coaching. Fun to see if he develops into a D mid initially and if he’d embrace that role after being one of the go to guys on offense as a jr.
Other 2023 grads
Evan WyattM08/01/2022The Pembroke Hill SchoolMidwest Top Gun 2023----Tyler SpanoFO07/24/2022Western Albemarle High SchoolRichmond Hawks 2023 Hofmeister----Ayden TurnerA07/22/2022Cardinal Gibbons High SchoolTeam 91 Carolina 2023----Harrison HansonA07/21/2022Austin High SchoolIron Horse Austin 2023----Nicholas De CainG07/20/2022Radnor High SchoolNXT 2023----Ryan DonahueD07/02/2022The Hun School of PrincetonBlue Star 2023----Andrew KellerM07/02/2022Rye High SchoolPrimetime 2023----Spencer SurfaceM07/01/2022The Bolles SchoolSweetlax FL 2023----William AbramsonD06/30/2022Landon SchoolNext Level 2023 Blue----Thomas MoxleyFO06/30/2022Boys Latin School of MarylandBaltimore Crabs 2023----James CardilloA06/30/2022Middle Creek High SchoolTeam 91 Carolina 2023--

It's always fascinating to see lacrosse recruits coming from non-traditional areas like Missouri. I had the chance to watch about 20 minutes of the Pembroke vs. Rockhurst game where Wyatt showcased his skills for Pembroke. His stick work and speed seem quite decent. While there might be questions about his lacrosse IQ, that often comes down to coaching. It'll be interesting to observe his development, especially if he starts out as a defensive midfielder, a shift from his role as one of the primary offensive players during his junior year.

Looking at the list of other 2023 graduates you provided, and considering their potential as a "graduation gift" to the lacrosse world:

Evan Wyatt (M08/01/2022, The Pembroke Hill School, Midwest Top Gun 2023)
Tyler Spano (FO07/24/2022, Western Albemarle High School, Richmond Hawks 2023 Hofmeister)
Ayden Turner (A07/22/2022, Cardinal Gibbons High School, Team 91 Carolina 2023)
Harrison Hanson (A07/21/2022, Austin High School, Iron Horse Austin 2023)
Nicholas De Cain (G07/20/2022, Radnor High School, NXT 2023)
Ryan Donahue (D07/02/2022, The Hun School of Princeton, Blue Star 2023)
Andrew Keller (M07/02/2022, Rye High School, Primetime 2023)
Spencer Surface (M07/01/2022, The Bolles School, Sweetlax FL 2023)
William Abramson (D06/30/2022, Landon School, Next Level 2023 Blue)
Thomas Moxley (FO06/30/2022, Boys Latin School of Maryland, Baltimore Crabs 2023)
James Cardillo (A06/30/2022, Middle Creek High School, Team 91 Carolina 2023)
This group not only showcases a diverse range of talents and backgrounds, but they also represent a "graduation gift" to the lacrosse world as they move on to the collegiate level. Their dedication and skills promise an exciting future for the sport.

[GeneralBart]

Nice article about Harris Hubbard. Wishing him the best of success in the future.

https://columns.wlu.edu/wl-outcomes-harris-hubbard-23/

[Dehuntshigwa’es]

Looks like Blair Brennan had 2 touches in the Generals loss to Salisbury. A 1 yd loss and a reception for 12. Generals in typical fashion had a huge advantage in time of possession just couldn’t punch it in

[W&Lacrosse75]

The Generals turned over the ball 4 times that led to all 4 scores for Salisbury. Salisbury had no turnovers.

It would be a similar result if W&L’s lacrosse team lost every face off. Little chance of winning.

[MarionBarry]

Just come up short...

[InsiderRoll]

Classes start later this week and the players are all on campus. This is an opportunity for the program to build on last years success and hopefully have a repeat performance. Which has really plagued this program under McCabe. They have a lot of the pieces back but there are a few major hurdles that they will need to figure out.

1. Goalie - This was a major problem for them much of the year. Seeds came in halfway through the year and it allowed the team to turn a corner, he is gone. Boyd returns, but he was flat out bad in the first half of the year. I’m not sold on him. The freshman DeCain was highly touted and was an All-American in Philly this year and also garnered state championship MVP honors. Can he adjust and be the guy in his first year? Finding an at least a serviceable option has to be priority number 1.

2. Face-Off - They should be at a minimum as good as last year. They return HM All-American and 1st Team All-ODAC player Will Bou. However he really struggled against anyone of note. He was under 50% against Salisbury, Lynchburg, York, CNU, and Denison. So obviously his stats are inflated. Freshmen Spano and Moxley may be talented enough to provide and boost. This team is not good enough to concede possessions to all of those teams and expect to win them all.

3. Close Defense - I expect them to remain well coached and organized. But they will need to replace their best defenseman from the last 3 years. Jed Heald was a breakout player as a junior and freshman Chris Datz played substantial minutes in every game last year. But new faces will need to prove they can come together. They will be aided by an elite SSDM group that will be the anchor of the defense. But finding a new goalie and breaking in a new close defense is a big challenge, especially against the strong slate of teams that W&L traditionally opens with.

4. Juniors abroad - This is not necessarily a negative. But something that needs to be managed appropriately. Speaking to one parent about 4-5 returning starters along with a few others will be abroad. W&L is hardly the only program that is in this situation and many of them have success in the spring time. It can be a great chance for young players to grow confident and create healthy competition in the spring time. But it all has to managed and handled by the players the right way.

Now on the other foot. They return a lot of their talent from last year. They return 9/14 starters and 66% of their points. Last season W&L did a complete 180 on style of play and it paid off. They became one of the fastest paced teams in the country and set program records for goals, assists, GBs, assist per game, single season individual points and assists, gpg, shots per game. What will year two look like in a system? Will they build off of it? Will teams be more adjusted to their pace? All of this is likely to be spearheaded by one of the best short stick groups in the country. They were not only talented but tremendously deep at that position. Only 1 graduates. Most of their losses come from poles, however talking to their coaches they believe they can be more athletic there this year, but admit there’s a lot of inexperience and growth that needs to happen between now and February. I am excited to see where a solid 2023 recruiting class can help this year and how many more from the excellent 2022 class can become starters as sophomores.

I expect James Haley to slide into the lone empty spot on the offense and perhaps add more versatility than Pokorny did; albeit he is not the distributor that Pokorny was. This team shared the ball second to only Tufts last year, so they are a very good passing group, but I don’t believe there is a “QB” in the wings. I also expect sophomores Irmscher and Lane to compete for time. And freshman Andrew Keller push heavily to unseat one of the first line midfielders - two of which are abroad in the fall.

On defense expect to see sophomores Chris Datz and Jay O’Keefe compete for starting roles. As well as junior Matt Ezzell. Coaches say that O’Keefe and Ezzell are among the best athletes in the program. Hopefully they can put that together into a productive year, we will see.

Late October’s VMI scrimmage can’t come soon enough

[Asgot]

I think with all of this returning talent the coaching staff will really have to step up their game. I actually thought that the talent on the defensive side of the field made up for some mediocre defensive coaching. I know that their goalie situation was fluid but they had talent on the defensive side of the ball the DC should have found a way to protect their freshman goalie better. What is the answer as Seeds is done and you are left in the same place or worse. I agree with the assessment that there ssdm are talented, but I am not sure how long it will take to replace Hubbard who was an immense talent.

Sorry, but this team is no where near the offensive team that Tufts or CNU are and while they could be the are losing a big piece plus a couple of other valuable pieces

[Nothinbutthelax]

I’m rooting for Boyd. Character development, check!
Who will replace Boots Lackey!

[InsiderRoll]

I think with all of this returning talent the coaching staff will really have to step up their game. I actually thought that the talent on the defensive side of the field made up for some mediocre defensive coaching. I know that their goalie situation was fluid but they had talent on the defensive side of the ball the DC should have found a way to protect their freshman goalie better. What is the answer as Seeds is done and you are left in the same place or worse. I agree with the assessment that there ssdm are talented, but I am not sure how long it will take to replace Hubbard who was an immense talent.

Sorry, but this team is no where near the offensive team that Tufts or CNU are and while they could be the are losing a big piece plus a couple of other valuable pieces

Im not sure I’d agree that the defensive scheme was mediocre. In games vs York and Denison for example the defensive had to completely change game plans because Boyd had save percentages of 11% and 0% in the first half. The W&L defense allowed 9 shots on goal and 8 shots on goal respectively in those first halves. They did that and allowed 2 goals to York and held them to 4 shots in the second half, and 1 goal to Denison in the second half, and won those games. Are you suggesting the defense should have been so good as to not allow any shots on goal to protect Boyd? I watched everyone of those games. I’m not sure what you want a defensive coach to do to protect their goalie, might you offer a scheme suggestion?

I never suggested they were as talented as Tufts or CNU. They are not. They had one of the most productive unsettled offenses in the country. I did say that they shared the ball second only to Tufts. That is true, they were second in the nation in assists. The only suggestion that I made was that last year was the most productive offense W&L has ever had. It should also be noted that over 100 points came from defensive personnel. Their 6v6 offense got better but still leaves much to be desired, they return 5/6 there but were blanked a number of times and were overly reliant on unsettled.

Agree on Hubbard. It’s nice to have a defender that can be left on an island. They have some good athletes on the bench, I don’t know if they have a player capable of being left alone for an entire season just waiting in the wings.

Perhaps that last point leads to this question. 2023 W&L was very resilient. A number of close come from behind wins. They often found somebody to make a play when needed. So how do they recreate that element in 2024 or better how do they avoid being in a hole constantly in 2024?

[RE6ULATOR]

I think with all of this returning talent the coaching staff will really have to step up their game. I actually thought that the talent on the defensive side of the field made up for some mediocre defensive coaching. I know that their goalie situation was fluid but they had talent on the defensive side of the ball the DC should have found a way to protect their freshman goalie better. What is the answer as Seeds is done and you are left in the same place or worse. I agree with the assessment that there ssdm are talented, but I am not sure how long it will take to replace Hubbard who was an immense talent…

100% agree. One can assume they have some athletes on the bench. Literally every top 20 DIII team does, at literally every position. But a Hubbard on the bench they do not have. It will be interesting to see what the staff does without him, because we saw what they did with him, and to hear it explained, it’s being made to sound like they couldn’t have done any better a job. Entering his third year, the coordinator will now have athletes he actually recruited (not Hubbard), and while I’m sure some of his players saw time, they had the out of being underclassmen and getting acclimated. Not anymore, so I guess it’s kind of like the moment of truth for the support staff. Pressure is on.

[GeneralBart]

[/quote]

The only suggestion that I made was that last year was the most productive offense W&L has ever had.

[/quote]

Really?? Maybe in the D3 era. Hard to compare with the ‘74 team.

[Asgot]

I think with all of this returning talent the coaching staff will really have to step up their game. I actually thought that the talent on the defensive side of the field made up for some mediocre defensive coaching. I know that their goalie situation was fluid but they had talent on the defensive side of the ball the DC should have found a way to protect their freshman goalie better. What is the answer as Seeds is done and you are left in the same place or worse. I agree with the assessment that there ssdm are talented, but I am not sure how long it will take to replace Hubbard who was an immense talent.

Sorry, but this team is no where near the offensive team that Tufts or CNU are and while they could be the are losing a big piece plus a couple of other valuable pieces

Im not sure I’d agree that the defensive scheme was mediocre. In games vs York and Denison for example the defensive had to completely change game plans because Boyd had save percentages of 11% and 0% in the first half. The W&L defense allowed 9 shots on goal and 8 shots on goal respectively in those first halves. They did that and allowed 2 goals to York and held them to 4 shots in the second half, and 1 goal to Denison in the second half, and won those games. Are you suggesting the defense should have been so good as to not allow any shots on goal to protect Boyd? I watched everyone of those games. I’m not sure what you want a defensive coach to do to protect their goalie, might you offer a scheme suggestion?

I never suggested they were as talented as Tufts or CNU. They are not. They had one of the most productive unsettled offenses in the country. I did say that they shared the ball second only to Tufts. That is true, they were second in the nation in assists. The only suggestion that I made was that last year was the most productive offense W&L has ever had. It should also be noted that over 100 points came from defensive personnel. Their 6v6 offense got better but still leaves much to be desired, they return 5/6 there but were blanked a number of times and were overly reliant on unsettled.

Agree on Hubbard. It’s nice to have a defender that can be left on an island. They have some good athletes on the bench, I don’t know if they have a player capable of being left alone for an entire season just waiting in the wings.

Perhaps that last point leads to this question. 2023 W&L was very resilient. A number of close come from behind wins. They often found somebody to make a play when needed. So how do they recreate that element in 2024 or better how do they avoid being in a hole constantly in 2024?

Well then what happened against Gettysburg, CNU, and Lynchburg? 15,16 and 14. Gettysburg scored more against that defense than they did against Stevenson, Ursinus, Denison and Haverford. Not exactly murders row of defenses.

I think that a competent DC should be able to craft a plan that will protect the freshman goalie and having an excellent defense in front of him leads me to believe that the game plans lead something to the imagination. You even say that the DC had to change plans on multiple occasions because his original plan was ineffective.

[Dehuntshigwa’es]

The only suggestion that I made was that last year was the most productive offense W&L has ever had.

[/quote]

Really?? Maybe in the D3 era. Hard to compare with the ‘74 team.
[/quote]

Let’s not compare teams to 50 years ago. Let’s just say the 2023 team would beat the 74 team .

[RE6ULATOR]

I think with all of this returning talent the coaching staff will really have to step up their game. I actually thought that the talent on the defensive side of the field made up for some mediocre defensive coaching. I know that their goalie situation was fluid but they had talent on the defensive side of the ball the DC should have found a way to protect their freshman goalie better. What is the answer as Seeds is done and you are left in the same place or worse. I agree with the assessment that there ssdm are talented, but I am not sure how long it will take to replace Hubbard who was an immense talent.

Sorry, but this team is no where near the offensive team that Tufts or CNU are and while they could be the are losing a big piece plus a couple of other valuable pieces

Im not sure I’d agree that the defensive scheme was mediocre. In games vs York and Denison for example the defensive had to completely change game plans because Boyd had save percentages of 11% and 0% in the first half. The W&L defense allowed 9 shots on goal and 8 shots on goal respectively in those first halves. They did that and allowed 2 goals to York and held them to 4 shots in the second half, and 1 goal to Denison in the second half, and won those games. Are you suggesting the defense should have been so good as to not allow any shots on goal to protect Boyd? I watched everyone of those games. I’m not sure what you want a defensive coach to do to protect their goalie, might you offer a scheme suggestion?

I never suggested they were as talented as Tufts or CNU. They are not. They had one of the most productive unsettled offenses in the country. I did say that they shared the ball second only to Tufts. That is true, they were second in the nation in assists. The only suggestion that I made was that last year was the most productive offense W&L has ever had. It should also be noted that over 100 points came from defensive personnel. Their 6v6 offense got better but still leaves much to be desired, they return 5/6 there but were blanked a number of times and were overly reliant on unsettled.

Agree on Hubbard. It’s nice to have a defender that can be left on an island. They have some good athletes on the bench, I don’t know if they have a player capable of being left alone for an entire season just waiting in the wings.

Perhaps that last point leads to this question. 2023 W&L was very resilient. A number of close come from behind wins. They often found somebody to make a play when needed. So how do they recreate that element in 2024 or better how do they avoid being in a hole constantly in 2024?

Well then what happened against Gettysburg, CNU, and Lynchburg? 15,16 and 14. Gettysburg scored more against that defense than they did against Stevenson, Ursinus, Denison and Haverford. Not exactly murders row of defenses.

I think that a competent DC should be able to craft a plan that will protect the freshman goalie and having an excellent defense in front of him leads me to believe that the game plans lead something to the imagination. You even say that the DC had to change plans on multiple occasions because his original plan was ineffective.

According to the bio, last year was just his 3rd season as a defensive coordinator, and his 2nd at W&L. After stumbling out of the gate in his 1st year, the pieces that had been handed to him were already there to easily achieve a better outcome in 2023. Some of those pieces (biggest being Hubbard) are gone. Now he will have to actually coach some of the kids he recruited. This should get interesting.

Despite our many disagreements, I would submit that nobody seems to know this program as well as InsiderRoll, right down to the defensive packages and when they’ve been changed mid game. And even he seemed to think the D staffer hit his ceiling, and couldn’t have done any better than the outcomes produced last year…

[GeneralBart]

The only suggestion that I made was that last year was the most productive offense W&L has ever had.

Really?? Maybe in the D3 era. Hard to compare with the ‘74 team.
[/quote]

Let’s not compare teams to 50 years ago. Let’s just say the 2023 team would beat the 74 team .
[/quote]

I guess you did not see the teams of the ‘70’s. The’74 team had 3 HOF players and a HOF coach. That is the US Lax HOF, not the W&L HOF. The goalie won the C Maryland Kelly award. The team had 7 D1 AA’s. They played in the D1 semifinals, losing to the eventual champ by a goal. With all due respect, I don’t think any of the ‘23 players are headed to the lacrosse HOF.

[Laxdds]

The only suggestion that I made was that last year was the most productive offense W&L has ever had.

Really?? Maybe in the D3 era. Hard to compare with the ‘74 team.

Let’s not compare teams to 50 years ago. Let’s just say the 2023 team would beat the 74 team .
[/quote]

I guess you did not see the teams of the ‘70’s. The’74 team had 3 HOF players and a HOF coach. That is the US Lax HOF, not the W&L HOF. The goalie won the C Maryland Kelly award. The team had 7 D1 AA’s. They played in the D1 semifinals, losing to the eventual champ by a goal. With all due respect, I don’t think any of the ‘23 players are headed to the lacrosse HOF.
[/quote]
What would really be interesting would be to put todays equipment (sticks and gloves) in the hands of the teams of the 70's and 80's and see what they could do...and vice versa the equipment of the 70's in the hands of todays players.