We're No. 1! - RU at the top of the polls in lacrosse

[gef21]

I have told this story before but I have a good friend who coaches JV at Boys Latin. He had a kid last year that verballed to Unc in 9th grade. I was shocked and asked him how good that kid is for that to happen, and he said he was very athletic for his age, but truthfully, didn't even know if he liked playing lacrosse.

If you are accepting kids at that early of an age, you better know something like that. Unc, Hopkins and some others are probably done recruiting 3 years out already. Crazy.

That is crazy. Same deal with my sophomore goalie. He is our varsity backup and JV kid but has more offers than our senior (who is better than the sophomore) but the sophomore got noticed. I could not even imagine a JV kid being offered for football or basketball.

 

[mdk01]

That is crazy. Same deal with my sophomore goalie. He is our varsity backup and JV kid but has more offers than our senior (who is better than the sophomore) but the sophomore got noticed. I could not even imagine a JV kid being offered for football or basketball.

Beyond that, how many 5'7" 140 lb. sophomores on the JV bench turn into 5'11" 185 lb. seniors 'cause they're late growers?

 

[gef21]

Beyond that, how many 5'7" 140 lb. sophomores on the JV bench turn into 5'11" 185 lb. seniors 'cause they're late growers?

haha half of my junior midfielders.

 

[MozRU]

Year School Record Percentage

2005 Sienna 4-11 .267

2006 Sienna 4-10 .286

2007 Sienna 10-6 .625

2008 Sienna 10-6 .625

2009 Sienna 12-6 .667

2010 Sienna 12-5 .706

2011 Sienna 13-5 .722

2012 Rutgers 6-9 .400

2013 Rutgers 2-11 .154

2014 Rutgers 8-8 .500

2015 Rutgers 5-10 .333
2016 Rutgers 11-5 .688

Coach had to have been nervous about his job after 2015, especially after the 2013 campaign, seeing 2014 was luck. Luckily we let this play out.

In today's day and age Frank Beamer wouldn't have made it out of 1992. The rest is an amazing history for Va Tech.

 

[RU85inFla]

Beyond that, how many 5'7" 140 lb. sophomores on the JV bench turn into 5'11" 185 lb. seniors 'cause they're late growers?

When my son was playing JV as a freshman the coach was clearly working more with some kids than others and there were a few that were good youth players that he gave up on. I asked him why and he said, look at the size of their feet. Their feet are small and they will never grow. He was right.

 

[njech]

There are quite a few small attackmen running around D1 lacrosse fields. Forget probably how many are running around D2 and D3. You work with kids because that's your job as a coach. And work with the one's that love the game, and build on their own enthusiasm. I'd say he was wrong.

 

[herdof3]

RU should do a study on what it took Coach Brecht and the administration to get to this point in the journey. Though every sport is different, if you hire the right person, provide them the right resources (he still needs to more) and understand it truly is a process, good things can happen. I am starting to see some parallels between the ascension of the lax program and that what I am seeing early in hoops. Number 1 is a culture change through hard work and focus on that which you can control. Usually effort and hard work. Recruiting is second. The talent level every year under Brian has gotten better and better. After a few years those blowouts started turning into close games. In 15 our record sucked but if you were paying attention, you noticed we lost a lot of games by 1 goal, and closed the season by destroying NCAA quarter finalist OSU. That was the turning point. The winning always comes last it seems.

There have definitely been speed bumps a long the way, mostly because of the inept administration, but once Hobbs came on board things started truly humming as Brian had done the heavy lifting. With Coach Brecht delivering, I am expecting that we will see more and more resources directed to the program. As it should be.

Rutgers is now a lacrosse school.

Play a fun versi

Beyond that, how many 5'7" 140 lb. sophomores on the JV bench turn into 5'11" 185 lb. seniors 'cause they're late growers?

the early recruiting sucks. my son is a really good sophomore defenseman and his coach believes he has D-1 talent (I'm not convinced). I started doing all the recruiting crap last year. But he still isn't really sure what level he wants to play at --- and more importantly isnt sure what he wants to study in college. Since I wasn't looking at him playing lax in college for $ purposes I basically said screw it. If he makes a decision later and that limits his opportunities so be it.

 

[RUtom]

Regarding the early recruiting, the latest Lacrosse Magazine from US lacrosse has a feature story about this exact topic. There will be an upcoming vote to limit recruiting until Sept of Junior year.

 

[Caliknight]

Not sure if it was Maryland or Penn St. but one of them accepted a verbal from a kid who I believe was going into 8th grade.

 

[Caliknight]

There are quite a few small attackmen running around D1 lacrosse fields. Forget probably how many are running around D2 and D3. You work with kids because that's your job as a coach. And work with the one's that love the game, and build on their own enthusiasm. I'd say he was wrong.

Size is only part of it depending on position. Give me a small attackman against some lumbering over sized defenseman all day every day who is out there to chop arms.

The lacrosse landscape is littered now with 5'8" guys who are fast and powerful on attack. That kid Ament at Penn St., Sowers at Princeton come to mind immediately. Super quick and strong for their size. And fearless.

Midfield is where you want those longer athletes that can run like deers, though you can certainly be effective on attack like that too. Both Jules and Charalambides are able to create incredible angles on shots because of their length.

We have a kid coming in next year from Georgia who looks like a clone of Sowers and Ament. Ryan Gallagher. Check out his tape. Super quick at attack. We also have a number of others in the pipeline that are bigger and fast. Nice mix of talents.

Practices are going to continue being competitive with the kids we have coming in. It was good to see one of the current guys give props to the guys that don't play much. Competitive practices are very important. You don't want to walk on the field as the starters against Princeton and be surprised at the size and speed of the athletes you are competing against. They have been seeing it everyday in practice and it is only going to get even more competitive as these next classes cycle in.

Exactly how you build a solid program that continues to move forward.

 

[ruteelrice]

Year School Record Percentage

2005 Sienna 4-11 .267

2006 Sienna 4-10 .286

2007 Sienna 10-6 .625

2008 Sienna 10-6 .625

2009 Sienna 12-6 .667

2010 Sienna 12-5 .706

2011 Sienna 13-5 .722

2012 Rutgers 6-9 .400

2013 Rutgers 2-11 .154

2014 Rutgers 8-8 .500

2015 Rutgers 5-10 .333
2016 Rutgers 11-5 .688

Coach had to have been nervous about his job after 2015, especially after the 2013 campaign, seeing 2014 was luck. Luckily we let this play out.

In today's day and age Frank Beamer wouldn't have made it out of 1992. The rest is an amazing history for Va Tech.

Nah 2015 layed the foundation for this, a lot of close losses. One goal losses to top teams. Then they destroyed Ohio St in the last game of the season and it's gone upward ever since.

 

[mdk01]

There are quite a few small attackmen running around D1 lacrosse fields. Forget probably how many are running around D2 and D3. You work with kids because that's your job as a coach. And work with the one's that love the game, and build on their own enthusiasm. I'd say he was wrong.

Eamon McEneaney from Cornell, one of the Top 5 attackman of all time imho, was 5'9" 155 with fishing weights in his pocket and quick as lightening. Don't believe the program weight. I didn't cover him (thankfully) but was on the field at the same time his sophomore year. For anyone who doesn't know the history we lost him on 9-11.

 

[NickyNewark51]

Eamon McEneaney from Cornell, one of the Top 5 attackman of all time imho, was 5'9" 155 with fishing weights in his pocket and quick as lightening. Don't believe the program weight. I didn't cover him (thankfully) but was on the field at the same time his sophomore year. For anyone who doesn't know the history we lost him on 9-11.

Did I miss something? Eamon McEnaney from MSG? Lost who on 9/11? Eamon worked local sports shows for years with Mike Quick...ESPN too I think??

 

[mdk01]

Did I miss something? Eamon McEnaney from MSG? Lost who on 9/11? Eamon worked local sports shows for years with Mike Quick...ESPN too I think??

Two different people with slightly different spellings of their last name. Eamon McEneaney worked for Cantor Fitzgerald at the WTC.

 

[e5fdny]

Practices are going to continue being competitive with the kids we have coming in. It was good to see one of the current guys give props to the guys that don't play much. Competitive practices are very important. You don't want to walk on the field as the starters against Princeton and be surprised at the size and speed of the athletes you are competing against. They have been seeing it everyday in practice and it is only going to get even more competitive as these next classes cycle in.

Exactly how you build a solid program that continues to move forward.

At a TD Club meeting many years ago Greg spoke about the bolded above when he was at Miami when Miami was Miami.

He said the Tuesday and Wednesday practices were so competitive that when it came to Saturday the other team really didn't have chance because the "scout" team they were going against the whole week was better than the guys across the line of scrimmage.

Maybe we're getting there with MLAX? Scaaaary.:pimp:

 

[Caliknight]

Can't wait to watch a practice, that much is for sure.

 

[scarlethead]

This is amazing. I remember people here calling for a new coach and then last year was a big improvement. But suddenly #1! How did that happen and who deserves the credit?

 

[Caliknight]

Coach Brecht deserves a lot of the credit. He persevered through a lot of bullshit from the last administration. More than most people not associated with the program know. The kids he recruited and the systems that were implemented are a massive piece. You always hear him say, "players make plays". That is a powerful thing to hear if you are a player. Most coaches are control freaks and simply can't allow it to happen, even if they have the players. The players start to question the belief the coach has in them if they micromanage every move. Lacrosse is a game that is meant to flow. Can't do that like a chess game. It isn't in the DNA of most of these coaches. It takes a lot of balls to do that and the players who make it happen also show a lot of guts making it happen on the field and doing the work it takes to get into that position.

Big shout out to Hobbs too. We had 12.6 scholarships which were the maximum, but we had them with instate rate calculations. That meant we were losing out on 3-4 game changing kids every year because we didn't have the extra money that calculating those 12.6 schollies would equate to with out of state rates. Now we do.

Was fortunate enough to have dinner with Pat when he was out here and the first thing he said was, "that's an easy fix". He did in a month what Julie (she was such a putrid leader) and Pernetti before her weren't able to do. Best part is with early recruiting and such, much of the benefits of this extra money isn't even on the field yet.

Combine all of this with a very motivated alumni base (another area where Coach Brecht really excels) and the oars are all rowing in the same direction and are going to continue to get stronger and stronger. Success breeds success. With the facilities that are going to be built and everything else in place, this program is going to hit the stratosphere.

 

[scarlethead]

Awesome stuff Cali, thanks!

 

[ruteelrice]

Coach Brecht deserves a lot of the credit. He persevered through a lot of bullshit from the last administration. More than most people not associated with the program know. The kids he recruited and the systems that were implemented are a massive piece. You always hear him say, "players make plays". That is a powerful thing to hear if you are a player. Most coaches are control freaks and simply can't allow it to happen, even if they have the players. The players start to question the belief the coach has in them if they micromanage every move. Lacrosse is a game that is meant to flow. Can't do that like a chess game. It isn't in the DNA of most of these coaches. It takes a lot of balls to do that and the players who make it happen also show a lot of guts making it happen on the field and doing the work it takes to get into that position.

Big shout out to Hobbs too. We had 12.6 scholarships which were the maximum, but we had them with instate rate calculations. That meant we were losing out on 3-4 game changing kids every year because we didn't have the extra money that calculating those 12.6 schollies would equate to with out of state rates. Now we do.

Was fortunate enough to have dinner with Pat when he was out here and the first thing he said was, "that's an easy fix". He did in a month what Julie (she was such a putrid leader) and Pernetti before her weren't able to do. Best part is with early recruiting and such, much of the benefits of this extra money isn't even on the field yet.

Combine all of this with a very motivated alumni base (another area where Coach Brecht really excels) and the oars are all rowing in the same direction and are going to continue to get stronger and stronger. Success breeds success. With the facilities that are going to be built and everything else in place, this program is going to hit the stratosphere.

I figured that Brecht suspension after the Mike Rice stuff was just PR pandering BS

 

[Caliknight]

It doesn't need to be relived, only to be thought of as the dumbest thing in history. Thank God Hobbs showed up and signed him to a new contract. I imagine he would not have been too anxious to stay under the last AD.

She did leave Sarah here who has been great, so I'll just leave it at that.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

In today's day and age Frank Beamer wouldn't have made it out of 1992. The rest is an amazing history for Va Tech.

The year we had Presley and Willis as Thunder and Lightning and opened the season at Duke.. we drove down via the Blue Ridge Parkway and attended a Thursday night game: BC at VTech. The folks near us were a bit surprised to see the strangers not wearing VTech colors were not rooting for BC... or VTech. BC won a close one that night and along the way the fans were telling us how Beamer had to go. I told them that we'd take him. And that time, UCONN fans were saying similar things about Calhoun.

BTW.. the first play of that Duke game we shift out of a running formation into an empty backfield.. and I think it was an INT. Just crazy bad play call. 2 consecutive Big East freshman of the years in Presley and Willis at RB and we go empty backfield on 1st down. Even if you wanted to pass because Duke was going to stack against the run, you do not tip your hand with an empty backfield. How do OCs like that have jobs at D1 level? Yeah, I am still upset over it.

 

[RUInFlorida]

This is amazing. Probably the biggest thing to happen in RU Athletics since we entered the Big Ten.

 

[Caliknight]

I'd say THE biggest. It's pretty huge for a number of reasons.

 

[Rulax-LI-85senior st]

Not sure if it was Maryland or Penn St. but one of them accepted a verbal from a kid who I believe was going into 8th grade.

If the kid was from Long Island then it was penn state. I saw this kid and he was head and shoulders better than everyone else. He was physically bigger than everyone else but he was good. Could have played varsity. Still unacceptable to recruit that early.

 

[DowntownT_Brown]

One of my favorite RU players, Delby Powless, was ~ 5'6. He had finishing skills and was not afraid to mix it up.

 

[Caliknight]

If the kid was from Long Island then it was penn state. I saw this kid and he was head and shoulders better than everyone else. He was physically bigger than everyone else but he was good. Could have played varsity. Still unacceptable to recruit that early.

Be curious what he looks like as a senior. The best baller I knew in 8th grade was dominant. Best kid around, played varsity at Boy's Latin as a freshmen, which was unheard of back then.

Only problem was he was the same player and size as a senior. It all translated to D3 material.

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

Be curious what he looks like as a senior. The best baller I knew in 8th grade was dominant. Best kid around, played varsity at Boy's Latin as a freshmen, which was unheard of back then.

Only problem was he was the same player and size as a senior. It all translated to D3 material.

On the football side that translates to the kids who hit max speed, strength and coordination in HS.. and have no "upside" to develop in college. Its rare there is no room to improve, but it does happen. More common, of course, are those who do nothing to improve... lost motivation or always got by on just "natural" skills and strength... never worked at it.

 

[Caliknight]

The biggest thing I see from these kids from these emerging areas are how coachable they are and how much they want to get better. That is a huge asset.

Look at the kids we have from Utah. All the kids on the squad that I have seen seemingly get better every year which is a huge piece of Coach Brecht's coaching (be a year better not just a year older) but those Utah kids seem to sky rocket. They haven't had the coaching that the eastern kids have had growing up so there is just so much room to grow. They take to it like a sponge to water.

 

[RUInFlorida]

I'd say THE biggest. It's pretty huge for a number of reasons.

You're right.

 

[OrangeJC]

I wonder what media outlet gave Syracuse their first place vote. With the resumes of the other teams was thinking it was a Syracuse media outlet.

Whoever did is a joke.

Smartest guy in the room.

Cuse should be #1 this week. Beating JHU, Duke and ND in succession --two of them road wins.

 

[Rulax-LI-85senior st]

Anybody but Syracuse.

 

[Caliknight]

Good. If tradition holds, they will lose next week. Fortunately for them their conference is not the best.

Actually, it's not even a conference. Not a recognized one anyway.

 

[billorange44]

Good. If tradition holds, they will lose next week. Fortunately for them their conference is not the best.

Actually, it's not even a conference. Not a recognized one anyway.

Not likely as we play Hobart Wednesday night.

 

[OrangeJC]

Good. If tradition holds, they will lose next week. Fortunately for them their conference is not the best.

Actually, it's not even a conference. Not a recognized one anyway.

Haters are going to hate, and you are an ACC hater.

Big10 is 0-4 against ND and Syracuse. No one in the Big 10 has proven they can beat the top of the ACC.

 

[wcicci]

Haters are going to hate, and you are an ACC hater.

Big10 is 0-4 against ND and Syracuse. No one in the Big 10 has proven they can beat the top of the ACC.

Long way to go. Conference RPI will change weekly. Duke and UVA are both having down years, but have made significant jump in RPI. BIG was smart to add Hopkins. More good programming for BTN. Hopkins would have been a nice ACC addition, but it probably made sense for them to align with MD. I never thought having 6 teams was important. The entire ACC often makes the tournament and the conference performance is pretty strong. With ACC Network coming and a boost in revenue, I would think an ACC school could add lax

 

[Caliknight]

Haters are going to hate, and you are an ACC hater.

Big10 is 0-4 against ND and Syracuse. No one in the Big 10 has proven they can beat the top of the ACC.

You hate facts.

The B1G is the top dog now. Deal.

 

[DJ Spanky]

Wow, how did we attract Rotting Fruit Trolls on our football board?

 

[wcicci]

You hate facts.

The B1G is the top dog now. Deal.

Still seems early in the season to make that claim. Historically, it's not close, but BIG is making great strides. Good news is it's not just Hopkins and Maryland.

 

[Caliknight]

Looking at current RPI rankings, it definitely isn't too early to make that claim.

The acc has work to do if they want to reclaim that title.