THE 2019 Hopkins Lacrosse Fallout Shelter (44, we want more!)

[Henpecked]

There’s a ton of talk about the small middies at JHU but none about the gigantic attackman who is shooting the ball at an 18% clip. He can’t hit the net. That’s a bigger problem. He couldn’t hit the water if he fell out of a boat.

[Homer]

Come on Petro, this is an easy recruiting fix. Pick taller/larger guys to be on your midfield. Heck, we have bigger guys in the bench, I think they deserve more play time.

Another huge weakness has been face-offs. Someone else can do the math and tell us how many guys are just sitting on the bench all game every game, not being used at all other than for moral support and practice purposes. Petro should have ALL of them doing literally nothing else other than practicing face-offs for at least 30 min EVERY practice.

Not sure where the complaint about FO unit is coming from. They got wrecked by Woodall in week one, but since then are 5-1-1 in terms of outdrawing their opponents, while the team over that stretch is just 4-3. I think there are plenty of other places to point fingers besides a unit that's actually performing above average.

As far as the point everybody's talking about -- the issue isn't exactly recruiting small midfielders. (I also notice arguably Hopkins' best offensive player the past decade was a sub-6' middie.) I've mentioned before how ER made it harder to go out and specifically try to recruit size. But the real problem is that of the guys we're running only DeSimone and Zinn were actually recruited to play the position at all. Concannon, Smith, Baskin, and Keogh were all HS attackmen. Some like Concannon have at least a few usable midfield traits, but Smith especially is completely out of place in his role. It's the mentality we've had of trying to get your best 9 offensive players on the field by running attackmen at 2nd mid, only after a couple years if you don't develop other talent then those are your only guys who've gotten the reps.

We're like a team where every linebacker is a converted box safety -- it can be a creative way to get a player on the field who otherwise might not find a spot, but if one whole position ends up just being the second string of another position with different physical requirements, you're going to have some obvious problems.

[51percentcorn]

I think Williams problems are directly connected to the mid-field - when you are an attackmen of his type - physical/dodging first primarily looking for avenues to score - you need middies that can shoot from the outside. When Kraus dodges from GLE - where's the slide coming from? You have snipers everywhere - Aitken, Moore, Laviano even Conrad. Williams comes around the corner and the defensive slides can come from everywhere except off of Marr. Tinney, Fraser and others are sorely missed.

The Hopkins offense is a mess. It can be boiled down to giving the ball to Williams - trying a multitude of big little picks then when the clock runs down giving the ball to Epstein and telling him to make something out of the mess.
The difference in the game was simple - the Virginia shortstick midfielders DOMINATED their matchups - Keogh slipped inside for the first JHU goal of the game and DeSimone got a wrap around when UVA messed up a pick play - other wise you could have left Concannon, Baskin Stagnitta and Smith out there all day and they never would have scored. Baskin and Stagnitta never shot the ball, Smith shot the ball twice (hard to remember those) and Concannon 4 times (weak velocity because he is so small he is getting crushed).

The contrast with UVA is conspicuous. Field reversal or mumbo type step downs lead to sizzling shots that Darby has little to no chance to save if they are on cage. And if you don't think our SSDMs size and weaknesses contribute to that you are crazy - Aitken just brushed Jones out of the way and dropped the hammer - we slide slide slide to cover up for the fact that against elite talent we can't cover with our SSDMs. And Darby has been fantastic on the doorstep lately - UVA probably thinks they should have had at least 20. But he gets to nothing from range offstick side. I am not asking for all of them - just one. Moore's first goal was not screened and it was from downtown - guess to that side maybe.

If Zinn doesn't get to play first mid-field - I certainly can't help Petro but there's a 99% probability that 2,3 and 4 are going to be on the firsts in Ann Arbor. If you think Mabbett, Lily whomever have any hope whatsoever - time to get them out there and let them learn from playing - I think, unfortunately they may be too slow.

As an aside - the announcement the Hopkins PA gives about sportsmanship and abusive comments and all - well somebody should tell Hopkins most celebrated current fan. He's a jerk - plain and simple. I left my "reserved seats" and went across the field so I wouldn't have to listen to him. He's an embarrassment. It's a game. If Hopkins had won last night - nobody's life but the UVA players/Hopkins players and coaches would be any different. A woman sitting right above me said "get a life" - truer words have never been spoken.

You might be able to hang with Michigan and Rutgers for Homecoming. The other 2 away games seem like stampedes - the Maryland game won't be pretty.

Homer has certainly hit it on the head - if you organize the mid-field roster(those with M next to their name) the issue is so glaring:
Seniors - Concannon/Jones (SSDM)
Juniors - Pion (was an LSM obviously now riding the bench as an SSDM)/Ernst (walk-on for god's sakes) /Coulter (aka Claude Raines) wasn't he a Ty Xanders top whatever as a prototype SSDM ground ball machine?/Hubler SSDM
Sophomore - DeSimone and Dipietro (SSDM)
Freshmen - 7 names - the one who got meaningful minutes out with an ACL now

That is HORRIBLE roster construction - your junior class will NEVER score in an offensive set from the listed mid-fielders

[zeak]

As a Maryland native, I have always been a fan of Petro as player and coach. But something I heard a few winters ago gave me pause. I was skiing and met a father of a recent star Duke player. When i asked him if his son had considered Hopkins, he told me that he never would have let his son play for Petro. I couldn't believe it. I didn't ask for an explanation and let it go. But now I wonder if this generation of players just doesn't want to deal with a personality like that, and as parity increases there are plenty of options for good players to attend. Those on this forum are much more plugged in with Hopkins than I am, but there's a recurrent theme about insufficient talent. Just wonder if this plays a part. There's so much about the school that sells itself.

[Turnandrake]

It’s time for Petro to go.

[HopFan16]

- The notion that Epstein is the only player who can draw slides is demonstrably untrue. Williams can and does draw slides all the time. The issue is he's not much better at passing out of them as he used to be, and as 51 just said, the rest of the offense isn't helping him out much or taking advantage of those slides.

- Maybe Williams should move to midfield—have Keogh, Baskin, or Smith take his place on attack—it can't get worse, can it? It would be the height of stubbornness if they don't at least try something new schematically or personnel-wise soon, but then again we're probably well past the point you'd expect any sort of change, at all.

- We're at the point where Zinn needs to play every offensive midfield shift solely so that he can run back and get in the hole to stop the other team's transition opportunities. DeSimone, Baskin, etc.—the middies who get caught on defense sometimes were way too slow to keep up with UVA's LSMs/middies who were gunning down the field after a turnover or quick outlet. Zinn obviously can. Nevermind that despite his total lack of playing time he's already demonstrated he's probably the best righty shooter on the team. His speed is needed all over the field. Quite frankly the guys at APL need to figure out how to clone him because that's likely the only way this season gets saved. But then again even if we had 10 Zinns on the field this coaching staff probably wouldn't play them.

- Re: Epstein "outworking" everyone on the team—his work ethic has been praised by countless people but I think it's a little unfair to give him that label without knowing what's going on in the weight room or before/after practice. We knew before he stepped onto Homewood that he was a special kid and while I don't at all doubt he's a ferocious worker, don't think you need to put down any of the other guys to compliment him. We have no idea what those guys are doing to improve their games when the cameras aren't on. One thing about his release: his accuracy is indeed very good but I've noticed he doesn't get much velocity on his shots. For a strong kid and clearly a very skilled attackman I thought that a bit odd. He seems to push the stick a lot of with his top (right) hand which I assume helps with accuracy as he can guide the ball into the corner of his choosing but perhaps that sacrifices some zip on the ball in the process. Also all of his shots are either high to high or low to low, doesn't seem to have much low-to-high or high-to-low in his repertoire but maybe that will come with experience.

- No one has said this yet but the UVA game was nearly the mirror image of the Syracuse game in terms of trajectory. A very close, evenly matched game for the first half before the other team completely starts pulling away in the 4th. Petro is getting out-adjusted at halftime, plain and simple. Often seems like the Jays are forced to react to changes the other teams make instead of enacting their will on them, and forcing THEM to react. Virginia has more talent in general—I'm not arguing with that—but there's no reason that game shouldn't have remained close for the full 4 quarters. The collapse at the end tells me it's a coaching issue, not a talent issue.

[Laxsmitty]

How can you say talent and size are the issues when Petro never plays many of the younger, taller (and possibly more talented) recruits? Looks to me like a lot of guys standing around the entire game. What is the reasoning behind that? If your goal as a coach is to win, then play to win. Everyone references Belichik on here, and you never see Bill leave players on the field if they aren’t performing. Most of the time they are released the next day if they cause a turnover, interception etc. Belichik isn’t afraid to give a young hungry player a chance to prove himself. It’s just insanity watching this team repeatedly make the same mistakes game after game. Also, twitter is loving the BTB goal from the fogo

[WOMBAT, Mod Emeritus]

Massey ranking drops Hopkins down from around 14th to 18th. One notch above High Point, who in my opinion is having a better season.

https://www.masseyratings.com/clax/ncaa-d1/ratings

(Just noticed Massey missed High Point’s loss to Jacksonville yesterday. Sad, another site of lesser Quality than LP.)

Larry’s tournament selection probabilities have been updated. Hopkins also 18th, and not listed among the top 17 slots obviously:

http://laxbytes.com/2019/binmenstats/ncaapb01.php

Larry, laf, is the founder of LaxPower. I’ve been reaching out to several folks to see how things are going. You can trust the accuracy of laf’s LaxBytes site. No peep from the CT oyster.

Not for one tiny split second yesterday, despite the nip and tuck first half and winning over 50% of the FOs, did I think Hopkins would win. None.

Too bad we’re not affiliated with some religion - we could call ourselves something creative like “The Little Sisters of the Poor” or “The Annual Forlorn Hope of the Lost Cause”.

We are kind of a religion though, which used to be called Hopkins Lacrosse, but it is rapidly going to Hell in a handbasket.

W

[DocBarrister]

This team has become a mystery to me. Thing is, the Blue Jays definitely could have won this game. Some really bad turnovers and a few inexplicable plays (Darby’s gift to UVA on a clearing pass) were the difference in this game. Hopkins seemed to lose their poise when Virginia ramped up the pressure on their rides.

Is there a chemistry problem on this team? Can’t imagine the freshman recruiting class is very happy. Zinn has been discussed, but what about Matt Narewski? Is he injured or is there some other reason he stopped getting more draws? It’s ridiculous that you have a large freshman class of true middies (not converted attackmen) and we never get to see them play. Why not put together a third line of freshmen middies and let them run from time to time?

I have long thought that Petro didn’t play enough players on his roster. I’m wondering if the pressure to win now has something to do with that?

As for recruiting, Petro has been getting more than his fair share of top recruits. With the exception of Epstein, who has performed just as advertised, they (Coleman, DeSimone, Zinn, others) have either run into epic slumps or haven’t received (earned?) the reps.

It’s all so bizarre. Hopkins lacrosse just doesn’t make sense anymore ... a complete enigma.

My head hurts. I’m going to trim some palm trees in my backyard and contemplate other things.

DocBarrister

[laxbro11]

How can you say talent and size are the issues when Petro never plays many of the younger, taller (and possibly more talented) recruits? Looks to me like a lot of guys standing around the entire game. What is the reasoning behind that? If your goal as a coach is to win, then play to win. Everyone references Belichik on here, and you never see Bill leave players on the field if they aren’t performing. Most of the time they are released the next day if they cause a turnover, interception etc. Belichik isn’t afraid to give a young hungry player a chance to prove himself. It’s just insanity watching this team repeatedly make the same mistakes game after game. Also, twitter is loving the BTB goal from the fogo

My only take with the younger players is that the staff had the fall and the spnng to evaluate these players, maybe it is how they practice, maybe it is their skill level... you are right that a coach will play the best, his job depends on winning

[laxbro11]

This team has become a mystery to me. Thing is, the Blue Jays definitely could have won this game. Some really bad turnovers and a few inexplicable plays (Darby’s gift to UVA on a clearing pass) were the difference in this game. Hopkins seemed to lose their poise when Virginia ramped up the pressure on their rides.

Is there a chemistry problem on this team? Can’t imagine the freshman recruiting class is very happy. Zinn has been discussed, but what about Matt Narewski? Is he injured or is there some other reason he stopped getting more draws? It’s ridiculous that you have a large freshman class of true middies (not converted attackmen) and we never get to see them play. Why not put together a third line of freshmen middies and let them run from time to time?

I have long thought that Petro didn’t play enough players on his roster. I’m wondering if the pressure to win now has something to do with that?

As for recruiting, Petro has been getting more than his fair share of top recruits. With the exception of Epstein, who has performed just as advertised, they (Coleman, DeSimone, Zinn, others) have either run into epic slumps or haven’t received (earned?) the reps.

It’s all so bizarre. Hopkins lacrosse just doesn’t make sense anymore ... a complete enigma.

My head hurts. I’m going to trim some palm trees in my backyard and contemplate other things.

DocBarrister

Doc i agree that Petro gets his recruits, but to do they mesh together as a team, or are they just individuals playing a team sport... There does not seem to be any chemistry with this team

[HopFan16]

Zinn has been discussed, but what about Matt Narewski? Is he injured or is there some other reason he stopped getting more draws?

A) Yes, I’m pretty sure he is banged up and B) Prouty has been playing well, minus an inexplicable turnover or two. Faceoffs were not the issue yesterday.

[DocBarrister]

Zinn has been discussed, but what about Matt Narewski? Is he injured or is there some other reason he stopped getting more draws?

A) Yes, I’m pretty sure he is banged up and B) Prouty has been playing well, minus an inexplicable turnover or two. Faceoffs were not the issue yesterday.

You can’t win with just one faceoff guy (with some rare exceptions). What happens if Prouty gets “banged up” or worn down? Some baseball managers get criticized for grinding their pitching staff into the ground. Petro has been doing that to his top FoGos in recent years. That’s an issue.

DocBarrister

[tech37]

I think Williams problems are directly connected to the mid-field - when you are an attackmen of his type - physical/dodging first primarily looking for avenues to score - you need middies that can shoot from the outside.

An outsider perspective...Williams isn't quick, does not have a quick first step. Guys like Epstein do and the results show. I'm not sure moving Williams to midfield is the answer but he needs to be utilized differently. Most D men covering him are quicker...it's also why he resorts to warding off so often.

[Laxsmitty]

How can you say talent and size are the issues when Petro never plays many of the younger, taller (and possibly more talented) recruits? Looks to me like a lot of guys standing around the entire game. What is the reasoning behind that? If your goal as a coach is to win, then play to win. Everyone references Belichik on here, and you never see Bill leave players on the field if they aren’t performing. Most of the time they are released the next day if they cause a turnover, interception etc. Belichik isn’t afraid to give a young hungry player a chance to prove himself. It’s just insanity watching this team repeatedly make the same mistakes game after game. Also, twitter is loving the BTB goal from the fogo

My only take with the younger players is that the staff had the fall and the spnng to evaluate these players, maybe it is how they practice, maybe it is their skill level... you are right that a coach will play the best, his job depends on winning

How can it be any worse than what’s on the field now? Again, he isn’t willing to change it up and keeps repeating the same mistakes. It would be interesting to know how the younger kids stack up against the first line when they scrimmage during practice. I doubt his unwillingness to play the younger kids has anything to do with talent. I can’t imagine he recruited these guys if they weren’t good. There is so much parity in the league now. These players made it this far, so I assume they have a decent skill set. If your job depends on winning and what your doing isn’t working, then what’s the solution? I can’t imagine the freshman class is happy.

[primitiveskills]

Come on Petro, this is an easy recruiting fix. Pick taller/larger guys to be on your midfield. Heck, we have bigger guys in the bench, I think they deserve more play time.

Another huge weakness has been face-offs. Someone else can do the math and tell us how many guys are just sitting on the bench all game every game, not being used at all other than for moral support and practice purposes. Petro should have ALL of them doing literally nothing else other than practicing face-offs for at least 30 min EVERY practice.

Not sure where the complaint about FO unit is coming from. They got wrecked by Woodall in week one, but since then are 5-1-1 in terms of outdrawing their opponents, while the team over that stretch is just 4-3. I think there are plenty of other places to point fingers besides a unit that's actually performing above average.

As far as the point everybody's talking about -- the issue isn't exactly recruiting small midfielders. (I also notice arguably Hopkins' best offensive player the past decade was a sub-6' middie.) I've mentioned before how ER made it harder to go out and specifically try to recruit size. But the real problem is that of the guys we're running only DeSimone and Zinn were actually recruited to play the position at all. Concannon, Smith, Baskin, and Keogh were all HS attackmen. Some like Concannon have at least a few usable midfield traits, but Smith especially is completely out of place in his role. It's the mentality we've had of trying to get your best 9 offensive players on the field by running attackmen at 2nd mid, only after a couple years if you don't develop other talent then those are your only guys who've gotten the reps.

We're like a team where every linebacker is a converted box safety -- it can be a creative way to get a player on the field who otherwise might not find a spot, but if one whole position ends up just being the second string of another position with different physical requirements, you're going to have some obvious problems.

Agree with these points, though even Desimone was primarily an attackman in high school (and even when he ran midfield, they ran a lot of inversion plays for him). Not sure if the staff became enamored with converted attackman based on success of Crowley and a few others, or if they've just completely whiffed on recruiting midfielders now going back several years, but the pain is going to be felt for a long time. This is not getting better any time soon, even if Zinn (who seems like a safe bet to contribute significantly) or one of the others from this years class (Mabbett? Lilly?) ultimately pan out.

[DaneFan]

I'll never forget being at a 3d National event where a dozen or so of the top programs were getting an in person look at some of 3d's best kids from across the country. I was standing next to a 3d exec, who wanted to take Petro to a field to see some kids. I forget the class, but if I recall they were rising sophomores. Petro's response was we are full and where are the 8th graders playing.

[HopFan16]

There’s nothing inherently wrong with converting attackmen to midfield if they have the size/athleticism to do it. Crawley was 6’0” 190 and while it may not have been his natural position he had the traits necessary to become a pretty good middie. He could actually shoot from the outside and do some alley dodging. Baskin, Keogh, Concannon, and DeSimone are by no means bad lacrosse players but defenses know exactly what our strategy is with them: Get them on a shortie for an iso dodge while the rest of the offense stands around and watches. It works once in awhile but it is not an effective overall offensive strategy. I don’t get why possessions aren’t STARTING in Epstein’s stick. He’s proven he has what it takes to quarterback. I’d rather he initiate offense rather than do what he’s been doing, which is bailing us out as the shot clock winds down after we’ve run 60 seconds of ineffective munchkin dodging to nowhere.

[Wheels]

The issue isn't whether or not a player was an attackman or midfielder in high school. It's how they're used in the scheme in college. A lot of teams will play traditional attackmen as college midfielders. UNC uses an open set to get their players space and allows them to get downhill. They have lots of "attackmen" playing midfield. Maryland uses their elite dodgers (Bernhardt and Fairman) to get defenses switching and rotating, which then gets favorable match ups for their secondary scorers. UVA moves players all over the field to get the match ups they want. PSU uses insane off-ball movement and a water bug behind the goal to get defenses spinning. Positions don't matter anymore in college lacrosse. Get your best six players on the offensive side of the field, put them in position to succeed given their skills, and exploit a defense's weaknesses.

JHU's offense doesn't fit the personnel. IMO, pace is JHU's only chance to turn things around. They're not going to be able to stand toe to toe with set defenses for 60 minutes (hence, keeping things close for long stretches of the game but fading down the stretch). The challenge for JHU in setting pace, though, is that your defense is struggling in the rope unit. Hard to push pace when your transition players on defense are the problem with the defense.

Things will look better after the next 2 weeks...Michigan and RU aren't going to beat you all.

[WOMBAT, Mod Emeritus]

The Hopkins Lacrosse Advisory Board met yesterday. I had a photo/tweet of it somewhere, and now can’t find it.

The photo reminded me of the deck of the Titanic.