Re: Tewaaraton Award 2024
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2024 10:59 am
Who gives a s--t about any of this...!!!
Couldn't agree more, it's the best attack man of the year award in the ultimate team sport. Waste of time.
Well the traditional answer to a question like this typically would be:
Well-played, lorin.
It may not be fair, but will Yale definitely be in the NCAA Tournament, and if so, will they be around more than a game or so? Those questions seem pivotal as to whether he will be a serious candidate or not.The Orfling wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 7:35 pmWell-played, lorin.
Matt Brandau also had a 13 point game this year against Colgate but it was the proverbial tree falling in the forest with nobody watching -- inexplicably the Yale-Colgate game was a neutral site game with no streaming. I'm glad that this 11-point game for #41, coming on a Tuesday, may have been seen by more folks. Brandau isn't flashy, he just has fantastic vision, is a great decision-maker, and is a pinpoint passer and shooter. Really glad that the educated lacrosse fans out there (many of whom are Fanlax regulars) are appreciating his game.
I agree, blue angels. I think Yale has a decent shot at an at-large bid at this point, having beaten 5 currently ranked teams (Denver, Penn, Colgate, BU, Harvard) and having only lost to ranked teams thus far (Cornell and Penn State), but the Bulldogs' defensive efficiency numbers make it hard to imagine that they could make a deep run into the tournament. Under those circumstances (possible 1 and done), even without regard to Brandau's "quiet" style of play (not the biggest, the fastest, the slickest dodger or the hardest shooter, nor the best player on a presumptive Memorial Day team), I would be hard pressed to imagine him coming away with the Tewaaraton. I think he's making a good case for (top 5) finalist, however.blue angels wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 8:07 pmIt may not be fair, but will Yale definitely be in the NCAA Tournament, and if so, will they be around more than a game or so? Those questions seem pivotal as to whether he will be a serious candidate or not.The Orfling wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 7:35 pmWell-played, lorin.
Matt Brandau also had a 13 point game this year against Colgate but it was the proverbial tree falling in the forest with nobody watching -- inexplicably the Yale-Colgate game was a neutral site game with no streaming. I'm glad that this 11-point game for #41, coming on a Tuesday, may have been seen by more folks. Brandau isn't flashy, he just has fantastic vision, is a great decision-maker, and is a pinpoint passer and shooter. Really glad that the educated lacrosse fans out there (many of whom are Fanlax regulars) are appreciating his game.
Thanks, HopFan16, good thoughts. And Joewillie, gracious as always!HopFan16 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 8:35 pm The tournament will ultimately decide this but right now Brandau is my pick. Yale plays no defense to speak of, they're down two starting attackmen, and yet they've barely skipped a beat, largely because Brandau is dominating his matchup every week. I do think some of his outsized production is because they don't have Johnson or Lyons, so they've relied on him to produce even more than usual, but I don't hold that against him. Playing really, really good lacrosse this season.
Doesn’t Brandau have another season of eligibility?The Orfling wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 9:24 pmThanks, HopFan16, good thoughts. And Joewillie, gracious as always!HopFan16 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 8:35 pm The tournament will ultimately decide this but right now Brandau is my pick. Yale plays no defense to speak of, they're down two starting attackmen, and yet they've barely skipped a beat, largely because Brandau is dominating his matchup every week. I do think some of his outsized production is because they don't have Johnson or Lyons, so they've relied on him to produce even more than usual, but I don't hold that against him. Playing really, really good lacrosse this season.
Some food for thought: in his freshman year, 2019, Brandau had 50 goals, 24 assists (playing with Morrill and Gaudet). In his next full season, 2022 (Ivy cancelled in 2021), Brandau had 99 points (57 goals, 42 assists) playing with Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons, both in their freshman year (Lyons became a starter about a third of the way through that year). Last year, with Johnson and Lyons even more confident in their second seasons, Brandau unselfishly shared the ball and the totals were Lyons 74 points (62G/12A); Brandau 70 points (37G, 33A); and Johnson 62 points (40G, 22A).
This is a guy who is a 2-time 50-goal scorer in his career, but he does whatever he needs to do to make other guys better, whether it's sharing the ball and the QB role more (as in '23) or playing the QB role more full-time this year, in which his fellow attackmen are less experienced: Carson Kuhl was a midfielder before this season and David Anderson is in his second season but first one with meaningful playing time. (Both Kuhl and Anderson have done a great job, too -- just making the point about the experience level at the attack position.)
Again, HopFan16 and Joewillie and others taking note of Brandau after tonight's great showing, I appreciate your appreciation for a player that Yale fans love.
This might be a joke question but since some are curious: Brandau played a full season in 2019 (1); 4 games in 2020; zero games in cancelled 2021; full season in 2022 (2); full season in 2023 (3); final 4th season including COVID eligibility this year (4). Many Ivy players -- like Chris Fake or Brian Tevlin -- couldn't use their last season of COVID eligibility at Yale because you have to graduate in 8 semesters. Brandau wanted to "retire as a Yalie" so he took off enough semesters so that this spring is his 8th semester. A lot of the Twitter goofballs mock his supposed advanced age but Brandau graduated from HS the same year as Pat Kavanagh, who took a PG year, then has been at ND for five years and is a grad student this year. It's not Brandau's fault the Ivies (stupidly) cancelled the 2021 season, and he sacrificed a lot by putting his life on hold to stay at Yale for his COVID year.DocBarrister wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 9:38 pmDoesn’t Brandau have another season of eligibility?The Orfling wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 9:24 pmThanks, HopFan16, good thoughts. And Joewillie, gracious as always!HopFan16 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 09, 2024 8:35 pm The tournament will ultimately decide this but right now Brandau is my pick. Yale plays no defense to speak of, they're down two starting attackmen, and yet they've barely skipped a beat, largely because Brandau is dominating his matchup every week. I do think some of his outsized production is because they don't have Johnson or Lyons, so they've relied on him to produce even more than usual, but I don't hold that against him. Playing really, really good lacrosse this season.
Some food for thought: in his freshman year, 2019, Brandau had 50 goals, 24 assists (playing with Morrill and Gaudet). In his next full season, 2022 (Ivy cancelled in 2021), Brandau had 99 points (57 goals, 42 assists) playing with Leo Johnson and Chris Lyons, both in their freshman year (Lyons became a starter about a third of the way through that year). Last year, with Johnson and Lyons even more confident in their second seasons, Brandau unselfishly shared the ball and the totals were Lyons 74 points (62G/12A); Brandau 70 points (37G, 33A); and Johnson 62 points (40G, 22A).
This is a guy who is a 2-time 50-goal scorer in his career, but he does whatever he needs to do to make other guys better, whether it's sharing the ball and the QB role more (as in '23) or playing the QB role more full-time this year, in which his fellow attackmen are less experienced: Carson Kuhl was a midfielder before this season and David Anderson is in his second season but first one with meaningful playing time. (Both Kuhl and Anderson have done a great job, too -- just making the point about the experience level at the attack position.)
Again, HopFan16 and Joewillie and others taking note of Brandau after tonight's great showing, I appreciate your appreciation for a player that Yale fans love.
DocBarrister
I don't know. His first college season was 2019 but because the Ivies lost two seasons to COVID his second full college season was 2022. He's no older than Pat Kavanagh; he's no older than Chase Yager of UVA who played 2 years at Amherst, 2 years at Harvard after COVID, then another grad year; he's no older than Chayse Ierlan -- the only difference is that Ierlan is playing his 4th lacrosse season at Hopkins, not at Cornell. He's no older than Brian Tevlin and Chris Fake were last year when they played for Notre Dame as 2017 high school grads who played their fourth full season of college lacrosse in 2023. He's no older than some of the Army lacrosse 5th year seniors who also did a year at USMAPS before college (like Reese Burek).