Peter, I've enjoyed your posts and our interaction on the board, so I want this to be respectful. But, aren't you the guy posting on the Loyola thread that losing Pat Spencer isn't that big of a deal and that Olmstead and Lindley will pick up all the slack? If so, I think you have a problem. Pat Spencer was one of the greatest players in NCAA history and he was THE solution to Loyola, so I don't know if I trust your opinion on which teams need what to be successful.Peter Brown wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2019 9:04 amOCanada wrote: ↑Wed Jul 03, 2019 7:38 am So what is the academic upgrade he wanted to get out of his transfer? This is not a knock on Cuse which is an excellent uni.
In the event he now has a full ride, gets to wear 22, returns to proximity to the Rez. All strong motivations on their own. I was thinking more of the Thompsons when I voted for Albany. At least I had the general geography right.
Great spot for him. I never understood LC. That is not a knack on LC. Also an excellent uni with a top coach but culturally it seemed an odd choice
The reason for his choice of Loyola was, as I understand it, when Chase initially decommitted from 'Cuse, almost no D1 school had a spot/scholly available to Chase at that late stage, except for Loyola, hence he took the Loyola offer. It was never going to be a great cultural fit, as Loyola is not a great cultural fit for many folks...smaller Jesuit school and all that.
There are two issues I am somewhat unsold on which I believe in the fervor of the moment are easy to overlook: 1) it seems somewhat unusual to offer #22 to an incoming transfer sophomore who initially decommitted from your school; shouldn't he 'earn' that jersey first? and 2) I do not think Chase is a natural attackman, nor a natural middie, so the choice to start at attack by Desko may not be the magic pill you good folks are assuming.
Let's deconstruct a bit. I am not a 'Cuse expert, though let's be real: I did call the eventual choice of 'Cuse for Chase early and often so perhaps I am an expert. Has Cuse ever put the #22 on a sophomore? If so, did that sophomore play for Cuse his freshman year and earn that jersey? Theoretically, I am just not a huge fan of giving great things to people who have not earned them. is there a chance anyone on Cuse might resent this somewhat-unearned designation? Would you?
Two, I am a Loyola fan who saw almost every game last year. I hope the kid does great at Cuse. But, and this is a big but and said respectfully, Chase is not Gary Gait. I do not think you are getting this generational talent that I've been reading about. Chase is a great player, but he is not THE solution for any team. I'm not going to parse every goal he scored last year, but on the squad coming back to the Hounds next year for offense, he would be our #3 choice so far as importance to the team for offense, and #4-5 for the whole team. I'd slow the roll somewhat before we put too much pressure on this kid as the Savior of Syracuse.
That is all. Ratio me.
Regarding #22, it was put on the shelf for a bit and I think however it was going to be handed out to a player would cause a lot of disagreements. If Syracuse had Joey Epstein or Connor Shellenberger coming in out of HS there still would've been people saying that they hadn't proved anything. On one hand, if #22 can be used as a recruiting tool, that's great for Syracuse. On the other hand, it's a lot of pressure and it makes sense to see what a player can do in college before giving it to him. The Scanlan case kinda fulfilled both of these. SU used it to recruit him this time around and he's proven to be a very productive college player. Syracuse gave #22 to Cody jamieson for his senior season in 2010 after a shortened 2009 season. In 2010 Jojo Marasco wore #1 and had a good season until he got injured and switched to #22 in 2011.
On whether he will fit in on the field, he likes to play on the righty wing. Syracuse didn't have anyone with that skill set. Syracuse has been playing with a crease attackman the past few years with Bomberry and Voigt. Scanlan has a more well-rounded skill set than those guys. I think he will fit in on offense.
On whether he will get along with the other players or whether any will resent him, that's hard to say. As a Syracuse fan, I haven't noticed many problems with players getting along. It seems like they enjoy playing with each other. I watch Scanlan's freshman highlights and it seems like his Loyola teammates liked him. I don't think there will be any talk among the team of Scanlan being a savior, just a great piece to a team that is close to taking the next step in the post season.
While #22 has expectations, I think the expectations put on Scanlan by himself, his teammates and coaches will be what matters most as I think it has for all #22's before him.