LaxPower Back-Up Stick

Hubler, Smith, Concannon and Baskins are productive players so maybe they could be showered in a positive light. Is Stagnitta going to see the field this year?

Sagittarius A* wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 9:17 am

OCanada wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 9:10 am Hop fan 16. In other words you don’t watch practices where PT is earned. Probably never coached or played. And from your posts don’t have a good grasp of it either. I have eyes??? Lololol

Practice is one thing. Games are another. If a kid can light it up in practice but chokes in games, what good is he?

Apparently good enough to run on the first and second line midfield the last 5 years. Bobby Benson likes undersized and under performing guys. Can't wait to see the 6'3 + club languishing on the sidelines while the munchkins eat up minutes.

flalax22 wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 12:25 pm

Sagittarius A* wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 9:17 am

OCanada wrote: ↑Thu Oct 24, 2019 9:10 am Hop fan 16. In other words you don’t watch practices where PT is earned. Probably never coached or played. And from your posts don’t have a good grasp of it either. I have eyes??? Lololol

Practice is one thing. Games are another. If a kid can light it up in practice but chokes in games, what good is he?

Apparently good enough to run on the first and second line midfield the last 5 years. Bobby Benson likes undersized and under performing guys. Can't wait to see the 6'3 + club languishing on the sidelines while the munchkins eat up minutes.

So it's Bobby Benson?

Interesting turn. Well done.

Is who plays solely a coach's decision? The team knows who should play. In my experience in the wooden stick era, if the coach was seeing it differently, the captains would have a word, or in more than one case I recall, the starter went to the coach and said "Joey is better". (In current JHU circumstances, Joey is starting already, but I am not using the name for a particular individual.)

steel_hop wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 6:43 pm

WOMBAT, Mod Emeritus wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 3:25 pm

a fan wrote: ↑Wed Oct 23, 2019 11:36 am

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 22, 2019 9:48 pm Note I didn't say Petro is "horrible" at coaching—but to take your argument to its logical conclusion, apparently he is utterly infallible and bears absolutely no responsibility whatsoever for how his team performs. Coaching does not exist, it is a figment of the imagination. There is no such thing as strategy, X's and O's, player development, film, scouting, matchups, teaching, learning, improvement, motivation, personnel decisions. None of these things are real. Once players join a team, the entire season plays out in a simulation. Whatever the final rankings are, that's also exactly how cumulatively talented each team was. No team with more talent has ever lost to a team with less talent in the history of sport. If that happens, that means that the team that won in fact had more talent. It is thus impossible to lose a game with more talent.

Nice rant.

I'll cut through the chaff for you.

If you had to reach the Final Four consistently over 10 years, which would you rather have:

-your choice of Division I rosters, or

-your choice of Division I coaches.


You know the answer.

Sure. Both.

Lavell Edwards (the esteemed BYU football coach) was once asked whether he would rather have in his receivers. Would he rather have quick receivers or fast receivers.

Lavell answered, "Both. But, if they did they would be going to USC."

Or Ohio State

I think you need to look in a mirror because you are a broken record trying to justify a simplistic narrative that makes you feel better and fails to address the complexities of the issues.

Sag. Another person who never played a team sport? PT is earned in practice almost100 % of the time. Neither of you has made any kind of case you know why FR isions were made and why they were wrong. It’s sort of required to know both and you know neither. Pathetic what this topic has devolved to over the years.

It’s the difference between bleating and incisiveness.

In the past there were guys like Roger Jay who attended virtually every practice year after year and could cite chapter and verse as to why something was ot wasn’t happening. The amusing part was how often a few would tell him he was wrong. I recall telling the fans Adam Donegar was moving to midfield his soph year. A few fans decided that was crazy, but he did and he became a first teamer.

But my eyes..,, JC help

OCanada wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 6:43 am Sag. Another person who never played a team sport? PT is earned in practice almost100 % of the time. Neither of you has made any kind of case you know why FR isions were made and why they were wrong. It’s sort of required to know both and you know neither. Pathetic what this topic has devolved to over the years.

It’s the difference between bleating and incisiveness.

In the past there were guys like Roger Jay who attended virtually every practice year after year and could cite chapter and verse as to why something was ot wasn’t happening. The amusing part was how often a few would tell him he was wrong. I recall telling the fans Adam Donegar was moving to midfield his soph year. A few fans decided that was crazy, but he did and he became a first teamer.

But my eyes..,, JC help

PT may be earned in practice but it’s lost in games. If you have players underperforming week after week and another guy tearing it up on the wings and outscoring your starters just playing on the WINGS and you don’t give him a larger role I’ll show you a stupid coach who’s not getting a contract extension. If your goalie is saving 25% in big games and you don’t give someone else a chance I’ll show you another coach who’s not getting a contract extension. You can blame injuries and bad luck but over a ten year span the luck evens out. Complacency. I’m sure there are a lot of coaches out there who would relish the chance to coach at Hopkins and would make the most of the opportunity.

Pretty sure we have all seen PT won/lost at practice, during games, via injuries, via suspensions, via reputations and maybe even via last names. I think with JHU, like the Yankees, due to their past success, their present success is measured only in championships. I am not a JHU grad but I have been around that stinking band long enough to know the expectations there are always the highest in lax. That and that alone is the yardstick to measure Petro.

OCanada wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 6:43 am Sag. Another person who never played a team sport? PT is earned in practice almost100 % of the time. Neither of you has made any kind of case you know why FR isions were made and why they were wrong. It’s sort of required to know both and you know neither. Pathetic what this topic has devolved to over the years.

It’s the difference between bleating and incisiveness.

In the past there were guys like Roger Jay who attended virtually every practice year after year and could cite chapter and verse as to why something was ot wasn’t happening. The amusing part was how often a few would tell him he was wrong. I recall telling the fans Adam Donegar was moving to midfield his soph year. A few fans decided that was crazy, but he did and he became a first teamer.

But my eyes..,, JC help

OCanada wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 6:40 am I think you need to look in a mirror because you are a broken record trying to justify a simplistic narrative that makes you feel better and fails to address the complexities of the issues.

Hahahah oh god, where do I even start.

I played a team sport AT Hopkins. You clearly don't know me very well. Sure, playing time might begin with being earned in practice, but when certain guys perform or don't perform *in actual games*, then playing time is adjusted. It's not quantum physics.

Calling me a broken record is rich. How many times have you said the "complexities of the issues"? A hundred? A thousand? I'm not talking about the administration or budgets or changing demographics or anything other than the fact that one particular player should have gotten more of an opportunity to play offense last season—god help us all if that's really such a complex issue. The kid is a size/speed athletic freak with a cannon of an outside shot—two things the offensive midfield desperately needed in 2019. He had more goals in one game against Virginia than another guy had in his entire career up until that point. He finished the season with more goals than a first-line middie, for christ's sake. Again, not rocket science.

This brown-nosing, sycophantic idea that the staff can do no wrong and everything is totally out of their control is truly what's pathetic here. I'm not sure if you'll be able to process this, but maybe they made a mistake. Maybe they are humans capable of error, like all of us.

Since you know literally everything that goes on behind the scenes why don't you share with us what went into the decision? Or, let me guess, we'll just get get more vague and mysterious references to things occurring, but the details of which you will not actually ever share.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 9:41 am This brown-nosing, sycophantic idea that the staff can do no wrong and everything is totally out of their control is truly what's pathetic here. I'm not sure if you'll be able to process this, but maybe they made a mistake. Maybe they are humans capable of error, like all of us.

And you are incapable of considering---even CONSIDERING-----that other teams have simply had better players over the last several years, and that's why Hopkins is not doing as well as YOU want them to do.

If I, or anyone else, so much as brings up that possibility....you go bananas. Pot. Meet kettle.



Btw, you left out that the player in question can't hit water falling out of a boat with that shot of his.

a fan wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:25 pm

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 9:41 am This brown-nosing, sycophantic idea that the staff can do no wrong and everything is totally out of their control is truly what's pathetic here. I'm not sure if you'll be able to process this, but maybe they made a mistake. Maybe they are humans capable of error, like all of us.

And you are incapable of considering---even CONSIDERING-----that other teams have simply had better players over the last several years, and that's why Hopkins is not doing as well as YOU want them to do.

First of all, the discussion about this particular player has nothing to do with any of that. I also acknowledged like three times in previous posts that some teams have had better players. Please go back and read. It's right there. I have never remotely insinuated anything to the contrary. I can't believe this actually needs explaining. The logical conclusion of your position on this issue is that coaching has no impact on the game. Every team could be coached by a monkey, and the results would be exactly the same. If that's incorrect, please tell us why. You completely ignored that point and called it a "rant," perhaps to mask the fact that you have no good answer for it? I don't know. I'm all ears.

Btw, you left out that the player in question can't hit water falling out of a boat with that shot of his.

Look I know you clearly like to spend time in this thread which is totally fine but if you want to discuss Hopkins personnel I suggest you know at least an inkling of what you're talking about. He still had a better overall shooting % than two mainstays on the offensive midfield. He also had a better shots-on-goal % than those same two, plus Concannon, Williams, and Marr. So he was hitting something—at a rate better than many of his teammates. And that was with the vast majority of his shots being taken on the run in transition because they never actually let him play within the rhythm of the offense. On the few occasions that he did, his impact was felt almost immediately. I think he took a shot with his feet set a total of one time on the season and it sniped the top right corner.

a fan wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:25 pm Btw, you left out that the player in question can't hit water falling out of a boat with that shot of his.

A fan - you know I buy into the talent issue more than some Hopkins posters but I have to agree with HF16 on this one - Zinn's shooting percentage was also skewed by the low number in the denominator - if he scores 2 more goals his shooting percentage is likely near or at 30% and then he's in the discussion as a sharpshooter from the mid-field? No - not at all - same works the other way - sample size is too small to pull out the water/boat saying.

I also have to agree with HF16 (and I don't always) on the playing time issue. My perception - he was given residence in the back yard next to the Petro family dog after botching the easy pass and getting his lunch money stolen leading to the first Syracuse goal and it took a long time to get back in the house. The issue? There was no plan B. Doesn't matter what Zinn did or did not do - the alternatives did not produce at all were never going to produce and did not have anywhere near his athletic ability. And then you risked potentially losing him in the portal. The mid-field - even if Zinn has a great year - is an identifiable weakness on the team - did I mention Hopkins 1st mid-field combined for 69 POINTS? With Keogh either out for the year or recovering from an apparent bad knee sprain - the mid-field can sustain no further losses - where would this season be if Zinn wasn't around?

Edit - went back and actually looked - Zinn took 28 shots so 2 more goals would have been an easy 25% calculation. Point still holds

Don't forget Coulter. He got on the field the last few games of his career and played well. Where was he all this time?
He could have helped a team that was struggling at the ssdm position.
The goalie situation was also a hot mess.
To their credit, it does seem like the staff is heading in another direction there for next spring.

There is a key word being forgotten here: loyalty.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:51 pm==
First of all, the discussion about this particular player has nothing to do with any of that. I also acknowledged like three times in previous posts that some teams have had better players. Please go back and read. It's right there.

Sure. But that's not what you're complaining about. You're complaining that you think Hopkins has better talent than all the teams that made it further in the NCAA tournament over last decade. So to get real specific here: I think that Petro has done a solid job given the talent level that has arrived on campus. I think he's finished well with who he has out there. Again, this isn't looking at one year. Flukes happen. Bad bounces happen. But over a decade, you've got a solid idea as to where your recruiting classes are relative to the competition.

Same goes for my Orange, if that helps. They haven't had the horses. Period. Petro and Desko are getting outrecruited. It's that simple.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:51 pm==
The logical conclusion of your position on this issue is that coaching has no impact on the game. Every team could be coached by a monkey, and the results would be exactly the same. If that's incorrect, please tell us why.

I'm saying that any top division I coach----over a ten year period----is going to make their share of Final Fours with Final Four talent.

So, to be specific, if you hand Desko or Petro this year's UVA roster? Or Penn State's?

They're gonna make the Final Four more often than not.

Frankly, I find the idea that Shay or Tiffany are somehow better at x's and o's or better at developing talent than Desko or Petro laughable.

What evidence do I have to back up this belief? Hardware. Rings. What happened when you had two Stanwicks and Brown? FInal Four. What happened when Desko had Donahue and Rice? Final Four.

This is not a complicated sport. Few are, actually.

Btw, would you like to add Bill Tierney to your list of "coaches who forgot how to coach", who's been a fat lot of nowhere the last two seasons because, obviously, he's got second rate talent relative to the other teams in the NCAA ?

These are all not only great, but also proven, coaches. They're interchangeable. But they need talent to advance in the Tournament.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:51 pm You completely ignored that point and called it a "rant," perhaps to mask the fact that you have no good answer for it? I don't know. I'm all ears.

I already answered this point with a question that you didn't answer.

Which would you rather have if you had to make Final Fours for a decade: your choice of D1 rosters, or your choice of D1 coaches?

Easy answer, and it's not even close. THAT is my point.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:51 pm He also had a better shots-on-goal % than those same two, plus Concannon, Williams, and Marr. So he was hitting something—at a rate better than many of his teammates.

Yea....so, that's worse. What's the worst possible outcome of a shot? Goalie save and a turnover. So that means Zinn caused more turnovers with his shooting than he did goals. Sensing a problem yet?

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:51 pm Look I know you clearly like to spend time in this thread which is totally fine but if you want to discuss Hopkins personnel I suggest you know at least an inkling of what you're talking about. He still had a better overall shooting % than two mainstays on the offensive midfield.

Great. Problem is, there's more to playing middie than shooting. And you're a better judge of this than Petro. Good for you.

I'm not blessed with such an understanding of our sport.

HopFan16 wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:51 pm And that was with the vast majority of his shots being taken on the run in transition

So this middie you like can't shoot on the run? And that's a feature, not a flaw? Um. Okay. I guess I don't have a comment here.

51percentcorn wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 3:37 pm

a fan wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 2:25 pm Btw, you left out that the player in question can't hit water falling out of a boat with that shot of his.

A fan - you know I buy into the talent issue more than some Hopkins posters but I have to agree with HF16 on this one - Zinn's shooting percentage was also skewed by the low number in the denominator - if he scores 2 more goals his shooting percentage is likely near or at 30% and then he's in the discussion as a sharpshooter from the mid-field? No - not at all - same works the other way - sample size is too small to pull out the water/boat saying.

That's true, but so is this: you have no way of knowing if his shooting would be better or worse if he took more shots.

Reporting what actually happened on the field is always a more solid choice than speculating.

51percentcorn wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 3:37 pm I also have to agree with HF16 (and I don't always) on the playing time issue. My perception - he was given residence in the back yard next to the Petro family dog after botching the easy pass and getting his lunch money stolen leading to the first Syracuse goal and it took a long time to get back in the house.

This is the part OCanada is taking issue with....you have no earthly idea if that's what happened. This is a wild guess based on nothing. You don't know why Petro played him less. None of us do. OCanada is suggesting that you guys stop posting speculations and acting like they are facts.

51percentcorn wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 3:37 pm TThe issue? There was no plan B. Doesn't matter what Zinn did or did not do - the alternatives did not produce at all were never going to produce and did not have anywhere near his athletic ability. And then you risked potentially losing him in the portal. The mid-field - even if Zinn has a great year - is an identifiable weakness on the team - did I mention Hopkins 1st mid-field combined for 69 POINTS? With Keogh either out for the year or recovering from an apparent bad knee sprain - the mid-field can sustain no further losses - where would this season be if Zinn wasn't around?

Dunno. But aren't you voting for my assessment, not Hop16's? That Petro has not recruited well, and better players are on other teams?

51percentcorn wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 3:37 pm Edit - went back and actually looked - Zinn took 28 shots so 2 more goals would have been an easy 25% calculation. Point still holds

Yeah. Problem is, he DIDN'T score two more goals. You don't get to add goals to a player's stats because you don't like them.

Hopkins fans obsess about coaching in a way that Syracuse fans don't. Why? Because at Syracuse, you never have over-coaching...you just roll out the ball and say "Let's go!"

But at Hopkins, we worry that players are "tight"; "afraid to make mistakes", etc. At LP, there was a long post that seemed to argue this was a particular problem with goalies.

Regarding Zinn ... it’s my understanding from others on this forum that he was pretty banged up last season with nagging injuries. Hopefully, he’s made a good recovery.

It doesn’t require watching every practice to see that Zinn has a lot of upside. He can blow by just about every defender guarding him and the young man has skill. His groundball, dodge, and assist to Joey Epstein late against Penn State last season was pretty amazing to watch.

There’s no question that Zinn could improve his defense and shooting. Still, I don’t think Petro kept him off the field because he thought Zinn was a liability. I think the kid had some injuries and that may have delayed his development freshman season. The way Petro talked him up, I really do think Petro gave him as much playing time as he thought Zinn could handle.

I expect big things from Zinn this season if he’s healthy. Would not be surprised if he became the Blue Jays’ top middie in 2020. I can see him scoring 20 to 25 goals with 10 to 15 assists.

DocBarrister

44WeWantMore wrote: ↑Fri Oct 25, 2019 9:13 pm Hopkins fans obsess about coaching in a way that Syracuse fans don't. Why? Because at Syracuse, you never have over-coaching...you just roll out the ball and say "Let's go!"

But at Hopkins, we worry that players are "tight"; "afraid to make mistakes", etc. At LP, there was a long post that seemed to argue this was a particular problem with goalies.

There’s no question that the defensemen need to think a bit too much in Petro’s defensive system. Heck, Coach has even said himself that he wants his players to react faster and simplified things to facilitate that. I recall reading an article where a Hopkins defenseman tried to describe the Hopkins sliding system to high schoolers. It reminded me of a nightmarish advanced theoretical physics class I took where I got a 5 out of 100 on a test once (open book, all notes allowed) ... class average was a 17/100 despite there being a full contingent of physics graduate students. Way too complex.

I think the Hopkins goalie gig is one of the toughest in lacrosse. Stopping the ball seems to be the easy part. Directing a really complex defense is the hard part. I can see how Darby can fall short if he’s not comfortable barking out orders.

There’s way too much discussion of the Hopkins offense here. The offense is fine.

The 2020 Hopkins team will rise or fall on its defense. That’s squarely on Petro.

Wishing Petro and the team success.

DocBarrister