2023 Fall Ball

[DoctahLexus]

Shouldn't have a shorty on Dobson or Schutz. Ryan Terafenko is one of the best and he's not tall. I don't think it's a big deal for a shorty no matter what he's at a disadvantage with a short stick so most important is foot speed and toughness. Terefanko plays solid tough defense and has great footwork. I'm excited about this new group just still a little nervous with Rosa. Love the kid he's tough but he doesn't have the foot speed. Would rather see him play man down and someone like Spallina play ahead of him.

Feel fairly similar about size of ssdms. A unit that had decent success last year without a lot of height was UVAs. Chizmar Sallade and Connor are all under 6 foot. Zinn probably over, but not a physical bruiser either. Speed is the most important factor. Slides will need to happen with short sticks. Can we be disciplined enough when sliding is the real question. The only time I would really like Rosa out there is if a team has a guy who is a little slower but is big and strong and likes to take the body on dodges. He is good at physical play, but a waterbug type dodger can gain separation on him too easily.

 

[AD31]

Feel fairly similar about size of ssdms. A unit that had decent success last year without a lot of height was UVAs. Chizmar Sallade and Connor are all under 6 foot. Zinn probably over, but not a physical bruiser either. Speed is the most important factor. Slides will need to happen with short sticks. Can we be disciplined enough when sliding is the real question. The only time I would really like Rosa out there is if a team has a guy who is a little slower but is big and strong and likes to take the body on dodges. He is good at physical play, but a waterbug type dodger can gain separation on him too easily.

Yeah a bigger slower physical guy he matches up well with. U love his heart so like to see him out there just the right matchups. Conner Maher from UNC was a top shorty in the ACC and I can't see him being bigger then 6 ft. Gotta have foot speed and play physical to be a good shorty.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Yeah a bigger slower physical guy he matches up well with. U love his heart so like to see him out there just the right matchups. Conner Maher from UNC was a top shorty in the ACC and I can't see him being bigger then 6 ft. Gotta have foot speed and play physical to be a good shorty.

Was probably most happy with Rice out of our ssdms last year. Probably the least physical of the top 4 but his foot speed was enough to keep his man in check. Getting bigger and stronger every year with more D1 weigh lifting. Good in transition too. Think he will have a great year for us.

 

[AD31]

Was probably most happy with Rice out of our ssdms last year. Probably the least physical of the top 4 but his foot speed was enough to keep his man in check. Getting bigger and stronger every year with more D1 weigh lifting. Good in transition too. Think he will have a great year for us.

Rice is definitely fast and athletic. His freshman yr he was confused a lot but last yr he really took a big step forward. I agree if he got a little stronger he can really have a great yr. He so fast in transition I think it was Albany not sure where he scored two goals last yr. He blew by everyone down the sideline and just ran free in front of the cage. I'm curious to see how Titus plays if he can be in the top two with Rice. I think Kempey moving to shorty was a great move and he can be big in transition too. I said before Spallina was a tough football player too and has foot speed so he has all the tools to be a good SSDM. That's not even mentioning Trujillo with a yr under his belt now. I'm excited about all the options on defense this yr and all I been hearing about this new coach. If this grroup is strong there is no reason this team can't make big noise in May. Could be a lot of fun to watch. Can't wait

 

[Powellfan]

Conner Maher from UNC was a top shorty in the ACC and I can't see him being bigger then 6 ft.

Maher is listed as 6'1 187. I was really impressed with Duke's shorties last year, both Gray and McGuire were listed as over 6 foot as well. Freakishly athletic. To me that's kind of the standard you should look for, though those guys do not grow on trees.

I don't think you have to have all your shorties listed as 6'3 but I do think it helps to have guys who handle themselves in a more physical matchup. I understand Schutz and Dobson will draw the LSM most every possession, but there will be times that matchups get mixed up. Sometimes there is nothing you can do about it, but it helps to have a guy who can hold is own out there physically.

Additionally Notre Dame will most likely rollout a midfield of Dobson (6'4), Devon McLane (5'11) and Reilly Gray (6'4). Even if you put a shortie on McLane, which is scary, you are leaving one of the other two gigantic midfielders with a short stick. Are you comfortable if that shorty is giving up five inches and 20 pounds?

 

[nyclax]

5'10'' is perfectly fine for an ssdm, but 5'10'' 170 lbs aint going to cut it against alpha ACC/big ten middies no matter how good your footwork is. they will just back you down. if you're gonna be sub 6'0'' you better be, as they used to say, built like a brick sh1thouse

the fact is its really hard to play ssdm no matter what size or speed you are. an organized defense to support you makes a lot of bad ssdms look average and a lot of average ssdms look elite. a lot of Ds these days are sliding real early to their shorties and the good ones are able to recover behind those slides. that may be where odierna's less complicated approach comes in so players can make quick instinctual decisions. in theory, its the right approach, but it requires high IQ players to execute

 

[sholokov2]

Interesting comment that caught my eye as well. One would think that if things are planned out so much, that would make things easier for a defender? "If the ball goes to X, then you have to slide here". But I guess if something unexpected happens then all heck breaks loose. Or with so many variables it just becomes too confusing.

I think we had a discussion during last season that some defenders looked scared in Petro's system, that they became frozen in certain situations. I think hearing from Gait and some of the players this was indeed the case. I wouldn't say the players or Gait are "slamming" Petro but it does seem telling that they haven't gone out of their way to say how much they miss him.

My understanding of Oderina's coaching philosophy is to give the players the tools to make their own decisions. I keep thinking of Brendan Krebs saying that "Odierna gives you the tools to be your own boss". It seems like the players have been given some freedom to make to their own decisions, based on his coaching. Less pressure, and they make decisions that much quicker. I wouldn't expect them to say unkind things about their new coach, but they do seem genuinely happy playing for Oderina. We will see when the season starts for real.

In his not so subtle way, Gait headed Petro for the bus a few times in his after game comments last year. He persists rolling him under the bus in this presser. Reminds of the many times he pointed at the players as inadequate in his first year pressers. As I said last year, I will always root for SU, not so much for Gait.

 

[sholokov2]

Maher is listed as 6'1 187. I was really impressed with Duke's shorties last year, both Gray and McGuire were listed as over 6 foot as well. Freakishly athletic. To me that's kind of the standard you should look for, though those guys do not grow on trees.

I don't think you have to have all your shorties listed as 6'3 but I do think it helps to have guys who handle themselves in a more physical matchup. I understand Schutz and Dobson will draw the LSM most every possession, but there will be times that matchups get mixed up. Sometimes there is nothing you can do about it, but it helps to have a guy who can hold is own out there physically.

Additionally Notre Dame will most likely rollout a midfield of Dobson (6'4), Devon McLane (5'11) and Reilly Gray (6'4). Even if you put a shortie on McLane, which is scary, you are leaving one of the other two gigantic midfielders with a short stick. Are you comfortable if that shorty is giving up five inches and 20 pounds?

I could not take my eyes off McGuire last year. He is exceptional. Makes it look easy at times.

 

[AD31]

Maher is listed as 6'1 187. I was really impressed with Duke's shorties last year, both Gray and McGuire were listed as over 6 foot as well. Freakishly athletic. To me that's kind of the standard you should look for, though those guys do not grow on trees.

I don't think you have to have all your shorties listed as 6'3 but I do think it helps to have guys who handle themselves in a more physical matchup. I understand Schutz and Dobson will draw the LSM most every possession, but there will be times that matchups get mixed up. Sometimes there is nothing you can do about it, but it helps to have a guy who can hold is own out there physically.

Additionally Notre Dame will most likely rollout a midfield of Dobson (6'4), Devon McLane (5'11) and Reilly Gray (6'4). Even if you put a shortie on McLane, which is scary, you are leaving one of the other two gigantic midfielders with a short stick. Are you comfortable if that shorty is giving up five inches and 20 pounds?

Duke shorties were definitely impressive last yr. I do agree u can't be under 6ft and light because u will get pushed around. I think Trujillo realized last yr the jump from HS were he was a top shorty to the ACC he had to put some muscle on. I mentioned Terafenko earlier u can just tell he's a strong dude. Also having one taller shorty for certain matchups would be nice. I also hope the new DC rotates his shortys more. Petro used his top two to much I rather mix em in so you have ur top two for the 4th Q especially most ACC games are close battles. Keep 'em fresh so there at there best still the end of game not worn out. Seems like we have 5 this yr that can mix in so no reason to overwork Rice and Titus or whoever else is with Rice. Want Rice full speed with 5 mins left in a two goal game.

 

[315Upstate]

In fact most of the top Short sticks who played for team USA and PLL aren't very tall. They all have great footwork and tough. I think Spallina can be a great shorty I'm excited to see him this yr. I think Trujillo with a yr under his belt can really contribute this yr too. Rather see those two and slower Rosa on man down.

This position is where I believe Syracuse will see the biggest jump in performance love them or not Rosa and Rice and known returners Kempney will be an athletic upgrade a great athlete and also is skilled enough to a threat in transition Jake Spallina i have heard great things super fast and tough and skilled while I’ve been told he isn’t facing off right now he is on wings which probably helps the FOGOs with his knowledge of position on wings The other spots will likely be Trujillo and Titus overall this will be a much more capable group

 

[DMVCuseLax]

This position is where I believe Syracuse will see the biggest jump in performance love them or not Rosa and Rice and known returners Kempney will be an athletic upgrade a great athlete and also is skilled enough to a threat in transition Jake Spallina i have heard great things super fast and tough and skilled while I’ve been told he isn’t facing off right now he is on wings which probably helps the FOGOs with his knowledge of position on wings The other spots will likely be Trujillo and Titus overall this will be a much more capable group

The defense as a whole will be better this spring from what I'm hearing. Heard they looked very good against the 1s during the last scrimmage this week.

 

[Powellfan]

This position is where I believe Syracuse will see the biggest jump in performance love them or not Rosa and Rice and known returners Kempney will be an athletic upgrade a great athlete and also is skilled enough to a threat in transition Jake Spallina i have heard great things super fast and tough and skilled while I’ve been told he isn’t facing off right now he is on wings which probably helps the FOGOs with his knowledge of position on wings The other spots will likely be Trujillo and Titus overall this will be a much more capable group

Thanks for the insight. It sounds like the SSDM position is going from this:

Aviles, Rice
Murphy, Rosa
Trujilio

to something like this:
Rice, Rosa
Titus, Trujilio
Spallina, Kempney

Sounds like if nothing else there will be more depth. SU really struggled when Aviles was hurt last year, and I believe, seemed to only rotate about three guys when he was out. Sounds like they could reasonably deploy six guys this year. I like Rice as a defender. He is not the best at groundballs however and even if he doesn't take wings this year he'll havhe to work on that part of his game. I agree with others who find Rosa's athleticism lacking a bit. He is beyond gritty however and I can see why coaches like him.

Kempney seems like the biggest x factor. Spallina looks like a good athlete, and I can definitely see him excelling as a wing player. Titus I don't know much about other than his DIII accolades. It will be a jump for him but I think he should be at least as good as Murphy was last year. Trujilio looked like he struggled a bit last year in limited playing time but perhaps with a year under his belt he will get some confidence. He was a Top 100 recruit, which you don't see often from SSDMs.

There doesn't seem to be a Peter Dearth\Kevin Drew type guy who can shut down his matchup. Perhaps Kempney grows into that role with some time. I also wonder if the shorties will get more license to push it in transition. When Gait took over he said he wanted to get back to Syracuse's run and gun ways, but as some have stated, Petro really didn't want his shorties playing offense. With Kempney, Rosa and Titus and Spallina it seems they would have some guys who could do some damage. Not sure if it's something that Odierna focuses on.

 

[nyclax]

manhattan rarely pushed transition and was one of the slowest paced teams in the country under odierna. though that may have been due to personnel...so it doesnt mean that will carry over to cuse necessarily. but if you are trying to identify what odierna's "system" has been then it's not one where the rope unit is running up and down the field

on the flip side they were one of the best clearing teams in the country. 2nd behind only maryland last year and 4th the year before. but that was thanks to slow, patient clears off clean saves/defensive stops and not transition play

cuse's ssdm group will be improved from last season but it still looks like a possible weak point to me. that group is going to get picked on by some big, fast midfielders. doesnt matter if the coach is petro, odierna or bill tierney in his prime, if you constantly have to slide to support your shorties the defense will suffer

 

[DoctahLexus]

Thanks for the insight. It sounds like the SSDM position is going from this:

Aviles, Rice
Murphy, Rosa
Trujilio

to something like this:
Rice, Rosa
Titus, Trujilio
Spallina, Kempney

Sounds like if nothing else there will be more depth. SU really struggled when Aviles was hurt last year, and I believe, seemed to only rotate about three guys when he was out. Sounds like they could reasonably deploy six guys this year. I like Rice as a defender. He is not the best at groundballs however and even if he doesn't take wings this year he'll havhe to work on that part of his game. I agree with others who find Rosa's athleticism lacking a bit. He is beyond gritty however and I can see why coaches like him.

Kempney seems like the biggest x factor. Spallina looks like a good athlete, and I can definitely see him excelling as a wing player. Titus I don't know much about other than his DIII accolades. It will be a jump for him but I think he should be at least as good as Murphy was last year. Trujilio looked like he struggled a bit last year in limited playing time but perhaps with a year under his belt he will get some confidence. He was a Top 100 recruit, which you don't see often from SSDMs.

There doesn't seem to be a Peter Dearth\Kevin Drew type guy who can shut down his matchup. Perhaps Kempney grows into that role with some time. I also wonder if the shorties will get more license to push it in transition. When Gait took over he said he wanted to get back to Syracuse's run and gun ways, but as some have stated, Petro really didn't want his shorties playing offense. With Kempney, Rosa and Titus and Spallina it seems they would have some guys who could do some damage. Not sure if it's something that Odierna focuses on.

Wonder if Rosa will actually be one of the starting ssdms or not. Feel like he could be passed by one of the younger guys or Titus as a starter. As we have mentioned before it is a nice boost to have Stevens taking a lot of wing duties and should help with fatigue of our ssdms down the stretch in games. If Spallina at least shows enough to be a quality player on the wing then that will help too.

With transition I am sure some of the relative lack of run and gun was at least partially encouraged by Gait, not just Petro. With our offense as efficient as it was it is not the worst strategy to get them out on the field once nothing gets going in transition. Dont think we necessarily need a guy like Connor for UVA or McMahon for ND unless we are fully confident in someones play on both ends. Could hopefully be a role for Kempney at some point, since he is certainly qualified on the offensive end of things.

 

[sholokov2]

Thanks for the insight. It sounds like the SSDM position is going from this:

Aviles, Rice
Murphy, Rosa
Trujilio

to something like this:
Rice, Rosa
Titus, Trujilio
Spallina, Kempney

Sounds like if nothing else there will be more depth. SU really struggled when Aviles was hurt last year, and I believe, seemed to only rotate about three guys when he was out. Sounds like they could reasonably deploy six guys this year. I like Rice as a defender. He is not the best at groundballs however and even if he doesn't take wings this year he'll havhe to work on that part of his game. I agree with others who find Rosa's athleticism lacking a bit. He is beyond gritty however and I can see why coaches like him.

Kempney seems like the biggest x factor. Spallina looks like a good athlete, and I can definitely see him excelling as a wing player. Titus I don't know much about other than his DIII accolades. It will be a jump for him but I think he should be at least as good as Murphy was last year. Trujilio looked like he struggled a bit last year in limited playing time but perhaps with a year under his belt he will get some confidence. He was a Top 100 recruit, which you don't see often from SSDMs.

There doesn't seem to be a Peter Dearth\Kevin Drew type guy who can shut down his matchup. Perhaps Kempney grows into that role with some time. I also wonder if the shorties will get more license to push it in transition. When Gait took over he said he wanted to get back to Syracuse's run and gun ways, but as some have stated, Petro really didn't want his shorties playing offense. With Kempney, Rosa and Titus and Spallina it seems they would have some guys who could do some damage. Not sure if it's something that Odierna focuses on.

I am skeptical about four of the six, Rosa, Trujillo, Spallina and Kempney, three of whom have played very little college ssdm. Trujillo looked lost in his brief appearances last year. Rosa is a tough guy, no doubt, but not equipped athletically to play against the better middies. Spallina was a fine high school all around middie. Does it translate? Kempney? He's a maybe? I do not get the optimism for the position. Were I the coach, I would have Stephens ready every minute.

 

[Laxfanshutt]

Just thought these were funny!!

 

[Powellfan]

Were I the coach, I would have Stephens ready every minute.

I can't see Stevens playing much defense. I imagine he didn't come to Syracuse to play defense. He probably could have gone to any number of highly ranked schools and been able to pick his position. Could he do it in a pinch if he's "caught" on defense? I think so yes, definitely. But I wouldn't expect to see him as one of the guys out there coming out of a timeout.

In the LaxFactor podcast, Ted says doesn't think Stevens will take many face-off wings because Syracuse is well stocked in that department. Not sure if he heard that from a source or if he's just guessing. I'd be surprised if that were the case, and if pictures from the recent scrimmages are any indication, it does seem like he took more than a few face-off wings.

 

[nyclax]

In the LaxFactor podcast, Ted says doesn't think Stevens will take many face-off wings because Syracuse is well stocked in that department. Not sure if he heard that from a source or if he's just guessing. I'd be surprised if that were the case, and if pictures from the recent scrimmages are any indication, it does seem like he took more than a few face-off wings.

i cant stress enough that he has no clue what hes talking about

 

[Whitey23]

i cant stress enough that he has no clue what hes talking about

He did say that "Cusefan.com" was a good source of info so it can't be all bad.

 

[CuseAlum87]

i cant stress enough that he has no clue what hes talking about

agreed

 

[JeremyCuse]

I can't see Stevens playing much defense. I imagine he didn't come to Syracuse to play defense. He probably could have gone to any number of highly ranked schools and been able to pick his position. Could he do it in a pinch if he's "caught" on defense? I think so yes, definitely. But I wouldn't expect to see him as one of the guys out there coming out of a timeout.

In the LaxFactor podcast, Ted says doesn't think Stevens will take many face-off wings because Syracuse is well stocked in that department. Not sure if he heard that from a source or if he's just guessing. I'd be surprised if that were the case, and if pictures from the recent scrimmages are any indication, it does seem like he took more than a few face-off wings.

Stevens is one of the best wing players in the country (short sticks) and SU has been a mess on the wings for the better part of a decade, it would be malpractice for him not to be the lead shorty on the wings.

Agree on stevens playing defense, I assume he will get caught there a few times but I don't see him getting regular runs barring perhaps a matchup issue SU feels he can solve for a one off against say ND or UVA. Even then as Nyclax has pointed out he hasn't played D full time or for extended minutes since his frosh year, hard to now ask him to play there a majority of the time.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

Is Syracuse already a wagon?

After taking a sabbatical from the firm, I am back. I got the chance to speak to some insightful sources who gave me a very in depth scoop for the fellas in orange this year. Don't forget that the upper Decky lax store is closing on November 6th forever. Go buy shirts, hats, flags, posters...

www.upperdeckylacrosse.blog

 

[AD31]

i cant stress enough that he has no clue what hes talking about

Yeah I can't see how he can say SU is well stocked at that position when it was a major issue last yr. Love Rice as a defender and clearing with his speed but he's not a GB guy. He definitely played wing the most when Aviles was out and then played it more then he should have after he came back. He had the least GBs out of all the shortys last yr. Rosa is tough but doesn't have the speed so for sure the plan has to be to play Stevens on the wing especially with questions still at FOGO. Also Stevens might not mind playing some defense this yr as that might be what gets him drafted to the PLL as a two way middie. He's a very good middie on offense but the talent level in the PLL and limited roster spots his best chance to get drafted and play a lot might be as shorty like Bubba Fairman is doing. Even tho he hasn't played much D in yrs I mean if he can play solid D that won't matter its like riding a bike he will pick it right back up. If he's very good on D why not in a close game use him some on defense? This team has enough offense on the bench to help him out if he's playing some D in a big game. If no one else steps up as a lockdown defender to play with Rice then no not to start games or play it a lot but to play it some especially in big close games if he's better then the others why not? Im sure he also wants to win and make a run in May his final season of college lacrosse so If that's what is best for the team I would hope he's willing to do it. He also would be lethal in transitions. Like I said he should play offense mostly but no reason he can't play some D if it's needed and he is a better option then anyone else.

 

[AD31]

Thanks for the insight. It sounds like the SSDM position is going from this:

Aviles, Rice
Murphy, Rosa
Trujilio

to something like this:
Rice, Rosa
Titus, Trujilio
Spallina, Kempney

Sounds like if nothing else there will be more depth. SU really struggled when Aviles was hurt last year, and I believe, seemed to only rotate about three guys when he was out. Sounds like they could reasonably deploy six guys this year. I like Rice as a defender. He is not the best at groundballs however and even if he doesn't take wings this year he'll havhe to work on that part of his game. I agree with others who find Rosa's athleticism lacking a bit. He is beyond gritty however and I can see why coaches like him.

Kempney seems like the biggest x factor. Spallina looks like a good athlete, and I can definitely see him excelling as a wing player. Titus I don't know much about other than his DIII accolades. It will be a jump for him but I think he should be at least as good as Murphy was last year. Trujilio looked like he struggled a bit last year in limited playing time but perhaps with a year under his belt he will get some confidence. He was a Top 100 recruit, which you don't see often from SSDMs.

There doesn't seem to be a Peter Dearth\Kevin Drew type guy who can shut down his matchup. Perhaps Kempney grows into that role with some time. I also wonder if the shorties will get more license to push it in transition. When Gait took over he said he wanted to get back to Syracuse's run and gun ways, but as some have stated, Petro really didn't want his shorties playing offense. With Kempney, Rosa and Titus and Spallina it seems they would have some guys who could do some damage. Not sure if it's something that Odierna focuses on.

I can't see Rosa being in the top two. He's tough and gritty but we all know he's not athletic and fast enough. He will get burned way to much playing so much as a top 2. My hope is Titus makes the jump and is solid. I also think maybe not to start the yr but after he gets some experience I think Spallina might be able to be that guy too. No matter what tho any of them are more athletic then Rosa. If it was up to me Rosa would just play man down and then just for certain matchups like a bigger slower middies which he can match up and play physical with. Guys like Balsamo on Duke will make him look silly and have a field day. Not trying to put him down I love the kids heart and do think he has a role on the team just he can't be on that top line with Rice.

 

[clayman32]

Just thought these were funny!!

Matty Palumb had a hole in one!

Holes-in-one for Central New York golfers as of Oct. 27

See who shot an ace!

www.syracuse.com