LaxPower Back-Up Stick

Some significant NESCAC seniors have entered the transfer portal per Ty Xanders. Obviously we have to wait on the NCAA's decision, but it will be interesting to see what kind of opportunities these guys get if an extra year is granted.

Jimmy McAfee, Amherst
Jon Coffey, Amherst
Brendan Hoffman, Williams
Michael McCormack, Middlebury

How does the transfer application process actually work for these guys? My understanding is that college incoming transfer deadlines have already passed. How do they get around that?

SixBySix wrote: ↑Wed Mar 11, 2020 12:11 am Many, many of these posts are not going to age well.

Yep.

Is mcafee looking to play d1? I can see Hoffman getting some good looks. Coffey can finish so he’ll find a spot. Mcafee probably not likely to make it through a d1 fall though (assuming he’s look to play something like big East). Good athlete, plays hard between the lines but not sure if his defensive prowess plays at a higher level.

I have no idea on that, but spots will be hard to get. D1 has an incoming class of freshmen that is considered quite strong, seniors looking to return to their schools, plus a lot of seniors entering the portal from schools where a 5th year isn't an option. For D2/D3 guys to garner interest they'll have to have had fantastic college careers, and probably need to have been on the radar of D1 coaches in high school. And that's all before finding something to study, applying, etc.

I took a look at Hoffman's high school senior year highlights (yup, I'm that bored). Looked a little righthand dominant but with that production in such a strong league, combined with the size/skill/athleticism on the highlight reel, I wouldn't have blinked if you told me the kid on the tape had developed into a two or three year impact player for a high-level D1 program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkbUYwaShfQ&t=

https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... cans/56248

Maybe i'm old fashion but adding 4th team seems like its pure trophy generation thing...feel bad for the kids not getting their season but do we really need a 4th team???

baltlaxdad1966 wrote: ↑Fri Apr 03, 2020 6:02 pm https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/ ... cans/56248

Maybe i'm old fashion but adding 4th team seems like its pure trophy generation thing...feel bad for the kids not getting their season but do we really need a 4th team???

I don’t see it as old fashioned or not. From a practical standpoint, if you are going to name teams like this after 1/4 of the season, there are more players clumped together and at least deserving of serious consideration. This is not trophy generation stuff, IMO, but just the evaluators doing the best they can.

I'm a Tufts homer for many reasons and any list that does not include Robby Atwood from Ithaca is forfeit IMO. That kid made 32 saves in his last game this year.>

The NESCAC doesn't have grad schools and can't offer fifth years to its players. But I'm wondering if anyone knows how the following hypothetical would play out.

Say a kid was freshman a strong academic D1 this year, but between the 5th year seniors that return and the freshmen who show up next year his path to playing time looks uncertain after fall ball. If he enters the portal next spring, and arrives at Williams in the fall of 2021, would he have two years of eligibility in the NESCAC or three?

Laxxal22 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:35 pm The NESCAC doesn't have grad schools and can't offer fifth years to its players. But I'm wondering if anyone knows how the following hypothetical would play out.

Say a kid was freshman a strong academic D1 this year, but between the 5th year seniors that return and the freshmen who show up next year his path to playing time looks uncertain after fall ball. If he enters the portal next spring, and arrives at Williams in the fall of 2021, would he have two years of eligibility in the NESCAC or three?

If I understand your hypo correctly, he’d be coming in as a Junior so he’d effectively have 2 years in NESCAC. If for some reason he came in as a soph (by leaving his DI school for a gap year or semester), he should have 3 years Of NESCAC but am guessing his folks will be ponying a lot more $$

Most NESCAC schools are colleges and do not offer graduate degrees. Tufts University has a number of graduate study programs.

While this won't be the trend at most NESCAC schools it is a possibility. This situation really only applies to Juniors and below using the extra year, it could apply to the Seniors but really requires more leg work.

To get to the 5th year the Fresh-Jrs could in theory extend there classes as long as possible. Each school is different so it's difficult to tell how to best do this from school to school. But a Full Time student at a school is dependent on the credits they carry. To remain eligible from the student needs to maintain Full Time enrollment. However often times the "Full-Time" enrollment credit load doesn't match up to finishing your degree in 4 years. You need to carry a few more a couple times during the course of your academic career. So if say a sophomore at Conn College wants to play the 5th year at Conn and just finish his degree, he could in theory drop to the minimum of full time enrollment credits carry 12 consistently rather than 15. Then at the end of his actual senior year see how many credits are leftover to take. A 5th year can be used for less than a full time credit load, so he only needs 2 classes. Take the fall off from school and return in the spring and take those two classes that are needed to complete his degree. Seniors can also use this method if they have a class or two to take left, even 1.

The caveat to all this, is that the student needs to have the means to pay for another year of school. Which is obviously the tricky parts for families and what not.

The Amherst Lacrosse Team penned a letter to the Amherst Community and this was the most powerful statement for me:

When you read this statement and reflect on the events that you are hearing and reading about, we want to make it clear that we stand with the community in our wholehearted condemnation of our teammates’ actions. These actions represent a grave failure to uphold the culture of respect and inclusivity that the other members of our team and Coach Thompson have worked diligently to create. As Bryan Stevenson writes in “Just Mercy,” “each of us is more than the worst thing we have ever done,” and, as such, we hope that you will not judge our team on the mistakes of a few but instead on the efforts of many to engage in redemptive and restorative behavior in the future. Similarly, membership in any group does not constitute the entirety of one’s identity. We are more than just lacrosse players. We are first and foremost Amherst students. We think individually; we act individually; we deserve to be judged individually. While we are far from perfect, we love our Amherst community and strive to contribute in many ways outside of the sport that we play. Accordingly, we humbly request that each member of our team be evaluated based on their engagement with and commitment to the Amherst community at large.

While our primary concern is healing the harm caused to our community as a whole, we also offer our heartfelt support to our now former coach, Jon Thompson, and his family. He is an incredible leader and this incident is not at all reflective of the principles of respect, accountability and inclusivity that he lives by and imparted to us every day. His presence will be sorely missed in our program and our community.

Out of the mouths of babes.

Biddy take note.

One possible way to do it would be to transfer in as a Feb/second semester instead of starting in the fall. Intern or work the fall that your in between schools and save a semester's worth of tuition and take a relatively normal course load for the five to seven semesters you're there. Obviously the colleges have to be down with this course of action. Might be some brow furrowing if one or two schools get more aggressive than the others.

Any of the guys in the portal looking to get a masters degree from a great school and wants to play 2021 on a contender can think about pursuing a graduate degree from Tufts. :-)

Just curious, how are the NESCAC schools handling Spring tuition for this year. Are they giving reimbursements or credits or is it status quo?

Are they all doing the same thing or does it vary school to school?

Thanks.

MA Lax Fan wrote: ↑Mon Apr 06, 2020 8:11 pm Just curious, how are the NESCAC schools handling Spring tuition for this year. Are they giving reimbursements or credits or is it status quo?

Are they all doing the same thing or does it vary school to school?

Thanks.

Amherst gave pro-rated refunds of room and board. Not tuition. Max for a full-pay family was $3800.

I saw that Michael McCormack posted highlights of his 2020 season. As has been mentioned, with such short notice and a lot of D1 guys either returning or looking for homes next year, it'll be real hard for NESCAC seniors to find opportunities worth taking. McCormack is an interesting prospect though. 3rd team AA in 2018 with a big-time shot, his left handedness making it a more sought after ability. I'll leave the assessment of what level of D1 contributor his feet will allow to those who've seen him play in person, but he looks like he could be a lefty EMO guy just about anywhere. Doubt he gets money or even much of an admissions push (not sure how relevant that is with grad schools), but some "hey if you find and get into the right program here I think you'll make this team" conversations could happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Suk4w5tg4NA

Looks like the recruiting fallout from the Amherst incident/punishment has begun: 2020 FO flipped to Tufts https://www.insidelacrosse.com/recruiting/profile/46770.