Cornell 2023

[faircornell]

As one added note, I agree that it is in Cornell's interest to diversify the box scores so that CJ Kirst isn't so heavily relied upon. I would note that his size, strength and explosiveness make him a very difficult player to shut off through a simple face guarding strategy. A team would require a multi-player approach to such a shut off. If a team tries this, Piatelli, Coyle, Lombardi, Blake, Dalton, Wertheim and Kelleher (and others) would need to be left open. Until we get to the playoffs, it might be difficult in the regular season for many teams to do this. OSU may certainly try this... they have the athleticism and defensive depth.

[joewillie78]

As one added note, I agree that it is in Cornell's interest to diversify the box scores so that CJ Kirst isn't so heavily relied upon. I would note that his size, strength and explosiveness make him a very difficult player to shut off through a simple face guarding strategy. A team would require a multi-player approach to such a shut off. If a team tries this, Piatelli, Coyle, Lombardi, Blake, Dalton, Wertheim and Kelleher (and others) would need to be left open. Until we get to the playoffs, it might be difficult in the regular season for many teams to do this. OSU may certainly try this... they have the athleticism and defensive depth.

It's an interesting discussion. He is much bigger and stronger than Teat was, and Teat as I have said before was the best passer of the Ball I ever saw in Lacrosse so taking away Teat took away much of his incredible vision and passing. Different game than Kirst who to me is just an incredible assassin with the ability to get shots on goal from anywhere at any angle. He showed tonight however that he can be a great feeder also.
It also seemed that Milliman didn't have a good plan when teams shut off Teat, but I have the feeling that this staff may be preparing better if teams try to do this against Kirst.
Becomes even more difficult should we get Long back as he is our QB on offense.
GOBIGRED
Joewillie78

[semsox]

I think fears of defenses locking off Kirst the way they did Teat are misguided, as they are different players. Teat at Cornell never had a G:A ratio > 1.0, so locking him off had secondary benefits of really stagnating an offense that ran through him. And though it obviously had not mattered at the Pro level where Jeff is enjoying immense success in the indoor game, to be frank, his physical statue compared to Kirst are not comparable. To my eye, Kirst's game is much more comparable to Pannell than to Teat, both in terms of physical stature and overall style of play.

Regarding this year's team, I'm very heartened by the way Buczek and Stevens continue to develop depth, which I feel is a stark departure from the last several coaching staffs. I think some of the most successful Cornell teams of the past few decades have been guilty of running their horses into the ground, so to be able to generate opportunities for players who we will need to rely on in big spots down the stretch is a huge benefit. Last year's team is the first team in a while to truly embrace an incremental approach to getting better week-to-week, and they ended up minutes away from a National Championship to show for it. I hope they continue to embrace that mentality throughout this season, even knowing what that might mean as they enter a truly difficult stretch of games.

[faircornell]

As one added note, I agree that it is in Cornell's interest to diversify the box scores so that CJ Kirst isn't so heavily relied upon. I would note that his size, strength and explosiveness make him a very difficult player to shut off through a simple face guarding strategy. A team would require a multi-player approach to such a shut off. If a team tries this, Piatelli, Coyle, Lombardi, Blake, Dalton, Wertheim and Kelleher (and others) would need to be left open. Until we get to the playoffs, it might be difficult in the regular season for many teams to do this. OSU may certainly try this... they have the athleticism and defensive depth.

It's an interesting discussion. He is much bigger and stronger than Teat was, and Teat as I have said before was the best passer of the Ball I ever saw in Lacrosse so taking away Teat took away much of his incredible vision and passing. Different game than Kirst who to me is just an incredible assassin with the ability to get shots on goal from anywhere at any angle. He showed tonight however that he can be a great feeder also.
It also seemed that Milliman didn't have a good plan when teams shut off Teat, but I have the feeling that this staff may be preparing better if teams try to do this against Kirst.
Becomes even more difficult should we get Long back as he is our QB on offense.
GOBIGRED
Joewillie78

Very wise analysis, JoeWillie. CJK reminds me of Mike French with his size, physicality and shooting ability. Also (and not to take anything away from Pete Milliman), the current coaching team is extremely strong, and their game planning is at another level. I'm confident that they have the play-making ability to counter a CJK shut-off. I also agree with Semsox's comment about bringing new names on the field early in the game, and early in the season. This will help us along the way.

[another fan]

Many insightful comments have already been made, and the team continues to improve. An ongoing issue is our short sticks. After the Lehigh game, I commented that Kyle Smith did not look like himself, and he did not dress for Hobart. Freshman Charlie Box got playing time and had a decent debut. We need 4 good d mids to compete against our toughest opponents. Psyllos is so scrappy-- I'd even consider him at short stick, something made more feasible by Cascadden's emergence.

We all know our offense will improve and diversify somewhat when a healthy Michael Long returns. Several posters have speculated about whether Coyle would stay at attack or bump back down to the first midfield line when Long returns. I'd like to see him stay at attack, and I would also consider moving Lombardi to the first midfield. A first 6 of Kirst, Long, Coyle, Kelleher, Blake and Lombardi could be scary good. Our first midfield line is still struggling, and Lombardi's excellent play could help turn that around. My reservation is that the second line has been playing very well and I'd hate to disrupt that by replacing Lombardi with Wirtheim. On the other hand, Wirtheim, Sheehan and Holmes played well together last year. There's no reason to think Wirtheim, Sheehan, and a reinvigorated Dalton (with Holmes also getting some run on that line) would not be effective, as well.

[CU88]

Highlights: Cornell Men's Lacrosse at Hobart - 02/28/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAqfphZaj9k

[VeryRustyRed]

I concur with 2 suggestions teed up by another fan.
-Work Psyllos into the ss rotation. The reality of the matter is that now that he's in the FO wing rotation, whenever Cornell loses a faceoff, he's in effect playing ss. Additionally, his physical attributes and physical mentality fit the role. Sure he's lacking experience as a shortie, but with a dinged up Smith, and Davis logging a ton of shifts, an additional reliable 4th ss will be very important going forward.
-I'd move Lombardi to the 1st line and Wirtheim to the 2nd. This is not a "promotion/demotion." The two lines are pretty much splitting PT, 50-50. My reasons for this move are "fit" and "skill set." Lombardi is being asked to downhill dodge on the 2nd line. That's not what he does best. He plays well off ball, wing dodges, inverts well, and has a great intermediate shot with lots of whip. He would compliment 27 and 2 well in this regard. As another fan stated, Witheim really excelled last season on the 2nd line playing with Holmes and Sheehan. He dodges well, left and right. And inverts well. He really hasn't done much of this on the 1st line, for whatever reason. Possibly a better fit with 42/18/29 than with 27 and 2.

Concerning a more balanced scoring load... Yes, Kirst scored 7 yesterday (the fact is, he's an exceptional offensive player), but Cornell's goal scoring was about as balanced as one can expect. All three attackmen scored (Coyle 2, Piatelli 2), on the 1st middie line, Blake had 2 (should have been 3!) and Kelleher had 1. On the 2nd line, two mids scored - Dalton had 2 and Lombardi 1.
Also, while a team might experiment in locking Kirst off, as another poster wrote, he's a different player than Teat. More physical, more able to separate, etc. Also, Milliman's initial strategy on the Teat lock off was pretty much - okay, we'll play 5 v 5. The defense will have less flexibility to slide/show/double. My guess is that Buczek will have a more aggressive, definitive approach.

[Farfromgeneva]

Highlights: Cornell Men's Lacrosse at Hobart - 02/28/2023

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAqfphZaj9k

Let’s makes sure that doesn’t get amplified in a viral fashion!

[Gobigred]

Many insightful comments have already been made, and the team continues to improve. An ongoing issue is our short sticks. After the Lehigh game, I commented that Kyle Smith did not look like himself, and he did not dress for Hobart. Freshman Charlie Box got playing time and had a decent debut. We need 4 good d mids to compete against our toughest opponents. Psyllos is so scrappy-- I'd even consider him at short stick, something made more feasible by Cascadden's emergence.

We all know our offense will improve and diversify somewhat when a healthy Michael Long returns. Several posters have speculated about whether Coyle would stay at attack or bump back down to the first midfield line when Long returns. I'd like to see him stay at attack, and I would also consider moving Lombardi to the first midfield. A first 6 of Kirst, Long, Coyle, Kelleher, Blake and Lombardi could be scary good. Our first midfield line is still struggling, and Lombardi's excellent play could help turn that around. My reservation is that the second line has been playing very well and I'd hate to disrupt that by replacing Lombardi with Wirtheim. On the other hand, Wirtheim, Sheehan and Holmes played well together last year. There's no reason to think Wirtheim, Sheehan, and a reinvigorated Dalton (with Holmes also getting some run on that line) would not be effective, as well.

Agree on flipping Lombardi and Wirtheim. Lombardi plays like Licciardi did and Licciardi worked well with Kelleher and Blake. Wirtheim was effective as the "big dog" on the second midfield line with Sheehan and Holmes and maybe he operates best in that role.

[laxjuris]

Many insightful comments have already been made, and the team continues to improve. An ongoing issue is our short sticks. After the Lehigh game, I commented that Kyle Smith did not look like himself, and he did not dress for Hobart. Freshman Charlie Box got playing time and had a decent debut. We need 4 good d mids to compete against our toughest opponents. Psyllos is so scrappy-- I'd even consider him at short stick, something made more feasible by Cascadden's emergence.

We all know our offense will improve and diversify somewhat when a healthy Michael Long returns. Several posters have speculated about whether Coyle would stay at attack or bump back down to the first midfield line when Long returns. I'd like to see him stay at attack, and I would also consider moving Lombardi to the first midfield. A first 6 of Kirst, Long, Coyle, Kelleher, Blake and Lombardi could be scary good. Our first midfield line is still struggling, and Lombardi's excellent play could help turn that around. My reservation is that the second line has been playing very well and I'd hate to disrupt that by replacing Lombardi with Wirtheim. On the other hand, Wirtheim, Sheehan and Holmes played well together last year. There's no reason to think Wirtheim, Sheehan, and a reinvigorated Dalton (with Holmes also getting some run on that line) would not be effective, as well.

I thought Box performed well and I imagine he'll continue to be worked into the ssdm rotation, much like Bozzi was last year as a freshman.

[laxjuris]

Here’s a game story from the Finger Lakes Times with some quotes from Coach Raymond https://www.fltimes.com/sports/mens-la ... 190a1.html

[another fan]

I thought Box performed well and I imagine he'll continue to be worked into the ssdm rotation, much like Bozzi was last year as a freshman.

The Box/Bozzi comparison is a good one. Both were all around mids in HS with good speed, although Box was more of an offensive threat. Bozzi is not big, but is bigger than Box. Box did play bigger than his size in HS, though. By the way, Box’s younger brother, Brian, is a real sniper on attack and would be a nice addition down the road.

[Ezra White]

Here’s a game story from the Finger Lakes Times with some quotes from Coach Raymond https://www.fltimes.com/sports/mens-la ... 190a1.html

Great picture, too!

Well worth the trip off-site. Thanks.

[Ezra White]

I think fears of defenses locking off Kirst the way they did Teat are misguided, as they are different players. Teat at Cornell never had a G:A ratio > 1.0, so locking him off had secondary benefits of really stagnating an offense that ran through him. And though it obviously had not mattered at the Pro level where Jeff is enjoying immense success in the indoor game, to be frank, his physical statue compared to Kirst are not comparable. To my eye, Kirst's game is much more comparable to Pannell than to Teat, both in terms of physical stature and overall style of play.

Regarding this year's team, I'm very heartened by the way Buczek and Stevens continue to develop depth, which I feel is a stark departure from the last several coaching staffs. I think some of the most successful Cornell teams of the past few decades have been guilty of running their horses into the ground, so to be able to generate opportunities for players who we will need to rely on in big spots down the stretch is a huge benefit. Last year's team is the first team in a while to truly embrace an incremental approach to getting better week-to-week, and they ended up minutes away from a National Championship to show for it. I hope they continue to embrace that mentality throughout this season, even knowing what that might mean as they enter a truly difficult stretch of games.

In addition to what everyone has said about the current coaching staff, take a look at the after-halftime statistics. Going back to Memorial Day, I've been impressed by how these coaches have made fantastic second-half adjustments.

BTW, if you're from another school and looking for a coach, don't even bother looking at Cornell. Our coaches suck.

[CU77]

That's right! Our coaches are really bad. Getting to the national championship last year was pure luck, and alas those awful coaches are probably under long-term contracts. Of course our new AD will never realize what needs to be done and buy them out so that we can get some good ones instead. And of course no other school would ever go after them, since they're so so bad.

Just really really REALLY bad.

Tell all your friends in lax world.

[CU88]

Two GREAT posts in a row!

LOL

[10stone5]

Penn State is speed dialing as we speak.

[CU77]

Once bitten twice shy.

[Farfromgeneva]

I think fears of defenses locking off Kirst the way they did Teat are misguided, as they are different players. Teat at Cornell never had a G:A ratio > 1.0, so locking him off had secondary benefits of really stagnating an offense that ran through him. And though it obviously had not mattered at the Pro level where Jeff is enjoying immense success in the indoor game, to be frank, his physical statue compared to Kirst are not comparable. To my eye, Kirst's game is much more comparable to Pannell than to Teat, both in terms of physical stature and overall style of play.

Regarding this year's team, I'm very heartened by the way Buczek and Stevens continue to develop depth, which I feel is a stark departure from the last several coaching staffs. I think some of the most successful Cornell teams of the past few decades have been guilty of running their horses into the ground, so to be able to generate opportunities for players who we will need to rely on in big spots down the stretch is a huge benefit. Last year's team is the first team in a while to truly embrace an incremental approach to getting better week-to-week, and they ended up minutes away from a National Championship to show for it. I hope they continue to embrace that mentality throughout this season, even knowing what that might mean as they enter a truly difficult stretch of games.

In addition to what everyone has said about the current coaching staff, take a look at the after-halftime statistics. Going back to Memorial Day, I've been impressed by how these coaches have made fantastic second-half adjustments.

BTW, if you're from another school and looking for a coach, don't even bother looking at Cornell. Our coaches suck.

Let’s hope you don’t pay them like “sucky” coaches then…

[Farfromgeneva]

Once bitten twice shy.

That’s a song by a group that’s starter a tragic fire in a club so be careful on your metaphors!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d5uREHucnsE

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sta ... tclub_fire