Cornell 2024

[DMac]

No Flower Power, think Labatt, Yeungling, maybe others. Bit pricey, they priced me out a few years ago, rarely do I buy one. Edibles are nice.

[Chousnake]

There is a recent (very positive) article on Peter Milliman and Hopkins in Inside Lacrosse.
There are a number of quotes from Jen Baker (formerly Cornell's Asst. AD) who overlapped with Coach M when he was at Cornell), Hopkins' AD who hired him. She references...if I can paraphrase, the very significant gap in resources that exist at Cornell...as compared to what the team has been able to achieve.
It's certainly a compliment, but one I'd prefer not to have.

Here's the Baker quote

"Look no further than the success that was created at Cornell. That was very appealing to me, candidly, because I was at Cornell, so I understood what his resources were there, and I understood the level of success that was created around those resources. And there's a bit of a mismatch there, if I'm being totally candid.”

First of all, Milliman isn't the only coach to have success at Cornell with the level of resources. In fact, every coach other than Kerwick has had a .750 winning percentage and some level of post-season success since Petro. And Tambroni, DeLuca, and Buczek all brought Cornell to the final four, but Milliman didn't (who knows how the 2020 team would have fared). So Milliman's success was hardly unique.

More importantly, the way Milliman left Cornell was far from endearing. He left at the outset of the Covid pandemic, in the middle of unprecedented uncertainty for the players he recruited at a time when Cornell had a hiring and wage freeze and was unable to negotiate. The players just had the rug pulled out from them on so many levels and many were struggling to maintain eligibility and to put their futures on some semblance of solid ground. Many were considering whether to forego job and graduation to stay. And he just waived bye bye after essentially two seasons. I lost some respect for him for the timing of this decision and how he left the program in a crisis. The other coaches who left Cornell since Petro have not had more success after leaving than they had in Ithaca.

I understand that people need to do what is best for themselves at times and that he is likely earning more money at Hopkins, but sometimes you have to think of the 18-21 year olds whose lives you impact. Yes, coaches leave all the time, just not in the middle of an unprecedented societal and institutional crisis. I was certainly disappointed when Petro left, but understood the pull of his alma mater. I was very sad when Tambroni left, but understood the reasons (without agreeing with them). DeLuca's dismissal was a shock, but that was a different issue. Milliman's decision made me angry. I don't think I am alone in feeling that way. The silver lining was that it brought Buczek to the helm and, under the circumstances, I think what Buczek has accomplished since the Spring of 2020 is far more impressive than what Milliman has accomplished. The zoom meeting Buczek held shortly after being named coach in 2020 made it clear Cornell had a gem in this young man.

Bottom line - the success of the Cornell program is a multi-faceted and Milliman was by no means unique. And Buczek is a phenomenal coach that needs to be retained so the program doesn't go through another upheaval. Whatever Yale is doing with Shay, replicate it here so Buczek stays for a very long time.

[joewillie78]

There is a recent (very positive) article on Peter Milliman and Hopkins in Inside Lacrosse.
There are a number of quotes from Jen Baker (formerly Cornell's Asst. AD) who overlapped with Coach M when he was at Cornell), Hopkins' AD who hired him. She references...if I can paraphrase, the very significant gap in resources that exist at Cornell...as compared to what the team has been able to achieve.
It's certainly a compliment, but one I'd prefer not to have.

Here's the Baker quote

"Look no further than the success that was created at Cornell. That was very appealing to me, candidly, because I was at Cornell, so I understood what his resources were there, and I understood the level of success that was created around those resources. And there's a bit of a mismatch there, if I'm being totally candid.”

First of all, Milliman isn't the only coach to have success at Cornell with the level of resources. In fact, every coach other than Kerwick has had a .750 winning percentage and some level of post-season success since Petro. And Tambroni, DeLuca, and Buczek all brought Cornell to the final four, but Milliman didn't (who knows how the 2020 team would have fared). So Milliman's success was hardly unique.

More importantly, the way Milliman left Cornell was far from endearing. He left at the outset of the Covid pandemic, in the middle of unprecedented uncertainty for the players he recruited at a time when Cornell had a hiring and wage freeze and was unable to negotiate. The players just had the rug pulled out from them on so many levels and many were struggling to maintain eligibility and to put their futures on some semblance of solid ground. Many were considering whether to forego job and graduation to stay. And he just waived bye bye after essentially two seasons. I lost some respect for him for the timing of this decision and how he left the program in a crisis. The other coaches who left Cornell since Petro have not had more success after leaving than they had in Ithaca.

I understand that people need to do what is best for themselves at times and that he is likely earning more money at Hopkins, but sometimes you have to think of the 18-21 year olds whose lives you impact. Yes, coaches leave all the time, just not in the middle of an unprecedented societal and institutional crisis. I was certainly disappointed when Petro left, but understood the pull of his alma mater. I was very sad when Tambroni left, but understood the reasons (without agreeing with them). DeLuca's dismissal was a shock, but that was a different issue. Milliman's decision made me angry. I don't think I am alone in feeling that way. The silver lining was that it brought Buczek to the helm and, under the circumstances, I think what Buczek has accomplished since the Spring of 2020 is far more impressive than what Milliman has accomplished. The zoom meeting Buczek held shortly after being named coach in 2020 made it clear Cornell had a gem in this young man.

Bottom line - the success of the Cornell program is a multi-faceted and Milliman was by no means unique. And Buczek is a phenomenal coach that needs to be retained so the program doesn't go through another upheaval. Whatever Yale is doing with Shay, replicate it here so Buczek stays for a very long time.

I am worried that eventually, Buczek will be pilfered from Cornell, BUT the one big difference from the rest is that he is an alumnus,( I believe DeLuca may have been but he was fired, or asked to resign).
We all understand that the other schools can offer gobs of money compared to Cornell, but hopefully being an alumni is important to Connor, and we have him as coach for a very long time.

Gobigred
Joewillie78

[FMUBart]

Never will understand the Hopkins hire of Milliman...I still feel he is way over-rated and was only hired due to the personal connection he had with the AD.

[laxfan1313]

There is a recent (very positive) article on Peter Milliman and Hopkins in Inside Lacrosse.
There are a number of quotes from Jen Baker (formerly Cornell's Asst. AD) who overlapped with Coach M when he was at Cornell), Hopkins' AD who hired him. She references...if I can paraphrase, the very significant gap in resources that exist at Cornell...as compared to what the team has been able to achieve.
It's certainly a compliment, but one I'd prefer not to have.

Here's the Baker quote

"Look no further than the success that was created at Cornell. That was very appealing to me, candidly, because I was at Cornell, so I understood what his resources were there, and I understood the level of success that was created around those resources. And there's a bit of a mismatch there, if I'm being totally candid.”

First of all, Milliman isn't the only coach to have success at Cornell with the level of resources. In fact, every coach other than Kerwick has had a .750 winning percentage and some level of post-season success since Petro. And Tambroni, DeLuca, and Buczek all brought Cornell to the final four, but Milliman didn't (who knows how the 2020 team would have fared). So Milliman's success was hardly unique.

More importantly, the way Milliman left Cornell was far from endearing. He left at the outset of the Covid pandemic, in the middle of unprecedented uncertainty for the players he recruited at a time when Cornell had a hiring and wage freeze and was unable to negotiate. The players just had the rug pulled out from them on so many levels and many were struggling to maintain eligibility and to put their futures on some semblance of solid ground. Many were considering whether to forego job and graduation to stay. And he just waived bye bye after essentially two seasons. I lost some respect for him for the timing of this decision and how he left the program in a crisis. The other coaches who left Cornell since Petro have not had more success after leaving than they had in Ithaca.

I understand that people need to do what is best for themselves at times and that he is likely earning more money at Hopkins, but sometimes you have to think of the 18-21 year olds whose lives you impact. Yes, coaches leave all the time, just not in the middle of an unprecedented societal and institutional crisis. I was certainly disappointed when Petro left, but understood the pull of his alma mater. I was very sad when Tambroni left, but understood the reasons (without agreeing with them). DeLuca's dismissal was a shock, but that was a different issue. Milliman's decision made me angry. I don't think I am alone in feeling that way. The silver lining was that it brought Buczek to the helm and, under the circumstances, I think what Buczek has accomplished since the Spring of 2020 is far more impressive than what Milliman has accomplished. The zoom meeting Buczek held shortly after being named coach in 2020 made it clear Cornell had a gem in this young man.

Bottom line - the success of the Cornell program is a multi-faceted and Milliman was by no means unique. And Buczek is a phenomenal coach that needs to be retained so the program doesn't go through another upheaval. Whatever Yale is doing with Shay, replicate it here so Buczek stays for a very long time.

Thanks, Chousnake. I couldn't have said it better. Sometimes it feels like we are the coach minor league for other programs. Connor & Jordan are a unique team. One intangible Connor has is that the kids he is recruiting recently saw him starring in the pro leagues and want his autograph and a photo with him. A recruiting advantage that has been paying dividends. Given that Connor & Jordan are dedicated Cornell grads, extra effort should be exerted to retain them, including by salary & resources. The upcoming fieldhouse will be a game changer.

[CU77]

the way Milliman left Cornell was far from endearing.

The way Milliman became HC was far from endearing. AN stuck him with an interim tag for a year, which I thought at the time was a very dumb idea.

But I think CB is a better coach, so I'm glad it turned out the way it did.

[VeryRustyRed]

Cornell scrimmaged Albany this weekend. Given that UA is not on the schedule this year, they are a good team to fine-tune things against, prior to the season opener.
Any feedback on how the boys looked?

[Ivyman]

Given that Connor & Jordan are dedicated Cornell grads, extra effort should be exerted to retain them...

Along these lines, it is my understanding from an authority in the Development Office that it is NOT illegal or against NCAA rules for individuals to contribute or "gift" coaches (or professors ) for outstanding performance personally to augment what they receive from salary & endowment.

[oldbartman]

Heard from a friend that it was 9-7 Cornell at the end of Q3 with starters in. was 15-7 final, though not sure if there was a 5th Q. Firth "is legit" and may be "the best freshman in the country" Sorry , that's all I've got.

[joewillie78]

Heard from a friend that it was 9-7 Cornell at the end of Q3 with starters in. was 15-7 final, though not sure if there was a 5th Q. Firth "is legit" and may be "the best freshman in the country" Sorry , that's all I've got.

If Long is healthy and Firth is indeed the 3rd attack man and as lethal as we think he is, the Cornell attack, though always scary, will be even scarier. I don't know if they can accommodate 2 lefty sharpshooters, but if anyone can integrate Kirst, with Firth, it would be this coaching staff. And if not, he is probably just as lethal as a middie.
Gobigred
Joewillie78

[10stone5]

Heard from a friend that it was 9-7 Cornell at the end of Q3 with starters in. was 15-7 final, though not sure if there was a 5th Q.
Firth "is legit" and may be "the best freshman in the country"
Sorry , that's all I've got.

That was my thinking coming into this season, from what I’ve seen of that guy - or Duffy,

except that now,
Millon looked pretty dammm good on Saturday.

And I’m still looking forward to Kabiri.

[Velvet.Fog]

In response to requests for a debrief on the Albany scrimmage and the broader question of the Big Red 2024 prospects - I thought I would provide a few thoughts. Just one fan's impressions!

The scrimmage was five quarters - with starters playing roughly 3 quarters. At the conclusion of Q3 it was 14-6 in favor of Big Red. 5-0 after Q1; 7-2 at half; 14-6 after Q3. The score got to 9-6 (maybe) at its closest point in Q3. Without denigrating Albany - I do not think this is a high level Great Dane team. They simply do not have the offensive punch from recent years nor the imposing defenders. #45 (Hogg) is their main weapon and a good player - but honestly Alb really struggled to get any quality shots in the 6x6. Numerous shot clock violations. They got several man up and unsettled goals - and played some solid defense at times. But I do not think they are close to a top 20 team at this point. Sorry to any great dane fans - just my impressions. I trust they will improve as the season goes along and be a fine team.

A very high level takeaway (position groups below): a strong showing top to bottom. Excellent goaltending and faceoff work! Very solid defense all around - incl close, lsms and ssdms. Offense was quick and really slinging it around. Shooting was just ok - but lots of talent. our #15 did not have a great shooting day and was hounded all day - but the offense still performed well. He will be fine. #51 (5G) was outstanding running at midfield! Middies all looked fine and only really took what was given. Very unselfish, smart offense all day; Scoring: 51 (5G), 15 (1G,4A), 1 (2G,2A), 27 (2G,1A) and individual goals by 40, 42, 23 and 5. If there is one area of need: clearing the ball in settled clearing situations!

Goalie: Very high level play by both Knust and Tully. Great stoppers of the ball. Knust played 3 quarters, Tully 2. I think Tully completely stoned them. He is a big talent. And Knust is every bit as good. Hard to say anything negative. A couple of tough rebounds on great saves led to at least 2 Alb goals. Breakouts were good - clearing not so much. But the clearing issues are not really the goalie's fault although they will be called on to direct the clear. A real luxury to have two such excellent stoppers. Hoping they can both get meaningful time this year.

Faceoffs: Big Red #20 dominated through Q3. Prob 75-80%. Cascadden is quick and strong. Made very good decisions with ball also. Wing play very good with 46/50 (LSM) and 7/5/13/6 (SSDM) being the wings. Then 3 took a few draws followed by 28. But here is where to be careful - this did not look at all like a strength of Albany.

Defense: Starters were 33, 45 and 43 with 88 part of the top 4 nucleus. I think any of these 4 will be the close defenders at any given time. My guess is 33 and 45 are givens. The next group looked to be 41 and 93. Again - very strong showing against an underwhelming offense. No issues to note - aggressive, smart and good off ball play. No one lost a matchup all day. The clearing (as noted above) needs work among the poles at all levels. It remains to be seen how this group with gel without Gavin Adler - and hopefully it will stand up in week 1 and beyond. LSMs were 46 and 50. We know that 33 and 43 can also play there in a pinch. 46 looked fast and sharp. 50 looked more relaxed. No issues to note. The ssdms were also sharp - 7 and 5 are the top two. 7 is a monster and if he stays healthy is an AA. 5 is becoming a strong transition player. 13 and 6 the next two - and the freshman Gilmartin got some very good runs. He belongs on the field at this level and will help the Red for sure this spring. A very solid showing by the defense all around. let's hope we are saying the same thing in 3-4 weeks!

Attack: Starters were 15, 40 and 1. Goldstein was not dressed (I overheard it is a minor issue). Hard to know the exact combination that will start - but this group looked very capable with 15 on left wing, 1 at X and 40 on right wing. As noted, 15 was getting a lot of attention and didn't get a ton of good looks and was still 1G, 4A. He's an excellent passer and took on more of that role for this game. No issues at all there. He is big and fast. Long looked very good. Quickness was there. He turned the corner at least 2-3 times and could have buried a few more. He is an excellent QB and calming presence at X. If Goldstein plays (prob X) my guess is #1 goes to right wing. Hard to know however. 40 looks good also. Good righty shooter/finisher. He will not need to dodge and seems to know exactly his role. One bad pass to crease - which I'm sure will be focused on with coaches. Others who can contribute at attack certainly include 23 (great lefty low to high rip on man up), 26 and 11. They are all fine players.

MIdfield: A ton of talent here with an emerging star!! First line was 27, 31 and 51. And 51 was fantastic!! 5 goals in a variety of ways - he can dodge, shoot with great finesse and the ball is barely in his stick. He scored from the middle, left side and right side with ease. He also exposed an SSDM match up with an incredible underneath dodge for a goal. I hesitate to say this too casually - but I could have sworn I was watching Jeff Teat playing midfield!! I know that is an incredible comparison. He will benefit greatly from the attention that 15, 27, 1, 31 and others will get - and will get shorties an awful lot. 27 looked very good and played very smart. Two very nice step down goals and a beauty assist. Second line looked to be some combination of 2, 42, 16 and 18 - with Lombardi and Holmes not dressed. Add in Graham - and there are likely 7 additional high level midfielders in the second group. We all know we need 2 to be himself - and he should be fine. 16 looked good - big and gets separation down the alleys - and best of all made very good decisions. All of these players can be effective at midfield. Just will be hard sometimes to get on the field!!

In sum, a good chance to see the full team in action. Lehigh will bring a higher level challenge come Saturday. But the teams looks good - nearly all seem to understand their roles and don't overextend themselves. There is enough star power to make a deep playoff run - but will need to stay healthy and have the young guys step up and get some breaks!! But plenty of talent on the East Hill and there looks to be another young star in the making from the Canadian pipeline.

GBR!! Respectfully submitted,

VF

[another fan]

Great report and analysis. In my mind, the best news is Long's return to health and form followed by Firth's unofficial debut and as a midfielder. Other highlights--improvement of the d mids with a freshman, Gilmartin, who can help; dominance facing off and improved wing play; solid defense despite loss of a great one; two excellent goalies; multiple good possibilities as the third attack; and depth all over the field. Your caution that Albany is not currently the test we will be facing throughout the season is certainly important, so expectations should be tempered this early despite the multiple reasons to be optimistic. GBR

[Chousnake]

Thanks VF for the detailed recap. Notwithstanding the competition, it appears that this year's team is extremely deep. Looking forward to Saturday

[10stone5]

Nice writeup, and especially, the continuing validation of how talented evidently Willem Firth is.
Then again, my general impression is possibly Connor Buczek’s greatest strength among many has been his ability to recruit.

[joewillie78]

Thanks VF for the detailed recap. Notwithstanding the competition, it appears that this year's team is extremely deep. Looking forward to Saturday

Sort of looking forward to Saturday. Latest forecast: high 25, low 20, windchill in the teens.
However in Joewillies living room, 75 next to woodstove, flower power at a perfectly chilled 38.
So yeah, can't wait until Saturday, but if the game was this past Saturday, it was a balmy 55.
Gobigred
Joewillie78

[CoachBeard]

Cornell scrimmaged Albany this weekend. Given that UA is not on the schedule this year, they are a good team to fine-tune things against, prior to the season opener.
Any feedback on how the boys looked?

Caught the scrimmage against Albany and Cornell looked really good (and I'm not a Cornell fan). I agree with most of the other writeup on the scrimmage, but a couple of points I would add. First, Firth was the best player on the field...hard stop. He is not a midfielder per se, but rather Cornell is doing what many other teams are doing which is running a fourth attackman out of the box (much like Albany does with Hogg). It's smart because he is a matchup nightmare against just about any SSDM and does his best work from up top. He is physical and a deadly shooter - if he gets his hands free in space he will make you pay. Again, not a Cornell fan, but he is one of the most impressive freshman I have seen play in a long long time. Worthy of the 51 jersey.

Also, it not sure how this will hit with the Cornell faithful, Knust is a huge upgrade over Chayse Ierlan. IMO, while Chayse was really good at getting the ball upfield after the save, as a stopper he is average at best (and he was abysmal the last part of 2023). His last name is the only reason he was honorable mention AA last year. Knust, on the other hand, was outstanding - granted it's only one game but he made three point blank saves and saved just about every outside shot.

Cornell looked to be in midseason form - Albany was trying different combinations and a lot of freshman saw significant time (including Matt Palumb's son) - got the impression that they are still figuring things out. But they have a lot of talent and are one of the two best teams in the AE (for whatever that is worth). Game definitely got away from them in the second half, but late in the second they closed it to 9-7 (scoreboard operator screwed up on the final score as I think it was 15-7).

Overall, Cornell looked big and athletic - a lot to like if you're a Big Red fan.

[10stone5]

I’d add,

there are many freshmen to choose from in this year’s class. Could be as good and impactful as Teat’s freshmen class where you had also Sowers, Dox Aitken, Jared Bernhardt among others.

The progression of Willem Firth is interesting to me as well, where he went from an unrated Canadian (they often get rated later in the game), to 4 star rating, to 5 star top ten, to now projected/possibly best in class.

[bearlaxfan]

Thanks, Chousnake. I couldn't have said it better. Sometimes it feels like we are the coach minor league for other programs. Connor & Jordan are a unique team. One intangible Connor has is that the kids he is recruiting recently saw him starring in the pro leagues and want his autograph and a photo with him. A recruiting advantage that has been paying dividends. Given that Connor & Jordan are dedicated Cornell grads, extra effort should be exerted to retain them, including by salary & resources. The upcoming fieldhouse will be a game changer.

Heh. Speaking as an alum of Virginia's AAA coaching franchise, I understand the feeling.

[ICGrad]

Caught the scrimmage against Albany and Cornell looked really good

Overall, Cornell looked big and athletic - a lot to like if you're a Big Red fan.

Thanks for the write-up. Good stuff!