2023 Preseason Top 20 Lookahead

[upperdeck]

actually, my youngest is a student at an ivy and I know how financial aid works. I said attending an ivy could be cheaper depending upon aid package--we didn't qualify for any aid and know exactly how much it costs.

pretty much like any school though. each ivy has different rules on how they can attach financial aid that goes beyond the actual application.. a few have cart blanche on who they can give aid to beyond the needs blind process.. others have more strict rules. it helps explain why a couple of them have done so much better than others in getting the athletes they want into the school.

 

[CuseAlum87]

pretty much like any school though. each ivy has different rules on how they can attach financial aid that goes beyond the actual application.. a few have cart blanche on who they can give aid to beyond the needs blind process.. others have more strict rules. it helps explain why a couple of them have done so much better than others in getting the athletes they want into the school.

Ok, I see the point you were making, I was grouping all the Ivies together even though there is a disparity on how each individual institution allocates aid.

 

[Zack80]

i have a little bias here bc i only saw him play in person once, tho a couple other times in all star games... if mencke is good enough to start with the other guys shooting for moore's spot -- then uva may be outstanding. only live was scrimm vs psu -- in 3 quarters he went like 2 and 6 and got by his guy with ease. he plays a lot like kraus, and if the hoos went shellenberger, cormier, mencke and a 1st mid of schutz, dickson, conner and mcconvey 4 rotating 3... they might be scary. 2nds to be filled by last year's guys all back + terenzi/sunderland/ or colsey.

you'd have shellenberger and mencke and conner, as well as dickson hoo can all feed it. if they go with schutz down at attack, they might become too dodge-to- shoot heavy and too much on playmaking from just shellenberger/conner. sunderland if he's physical enough and competes for the att spot is a 50/50 g/a guy, too.
here's some of mencke:

maybe he'll break thru, maybe not.

Mencke looks like he is stuck in the same sort of position behind Cormier, that Danny Kelly has been in behind Wisnauskas. Menke seems to be primarily a left-hand finisher.
A coach can often get away with playing one such player on the midfield, and if Schutz did move to attack that could be a possibility. Of course, with McConvey coming in that looks unlikely.

Mencke did not seem to play last year, so I assume he red-shirted - although he seems to be listed as a sophomore now. Shellenberger is listed as a red-shirt junior, for example.

Virginia seems to have added their freshmen and transfers to their roster:

Men's Lacrosse

The Official Athletic Site of the Virginia Cavaliers, partner of WMT Digital. The most comprehensive coverage of Virginia Cavaliers Men’s Lacrosse on the web with highlights, scores, game summaries, schedule and rosters.

virginiasports.com

 

[DMVCuseLax]

Mencke looks like he is stuck in the same sort of position behind Cormier, that Danny Kelly has been in behind Wisnauskas. Menke seems to be primarily a left-hand finisher.
A coach can often get away with playing one such player on the midfield, and if Schutz did move to attack that could be a possibility. Of course, with McConvey coming in that looks unlikely.

Mencke did not seem to play last year, so I assume he red-shirted - although he seems to be listed as a sophomore now. Shellenberger is listed as a red-shirt junior, for example.

Virginia seems to have added their freshmen and transfers to their roster:

Men's Lacrosse

The Official Athletic Site of the Virginia Cavaliers, partner of WMT Digital. The most comprehensive coverage of Virginia Cavaliers Men’s Lacrosse on the web with highlights, scores, game summaries, schedule and rosters.

virginiasports.com

When does Cuse normally update roster?

 

[Powellfan]

When does Cuse normally update roster?

It was updated on January 18th last year. Maybe with a new SID they do it earlier this year.

 

[wgdsr]

Mencke looks like he is stuck in the same sort of position behind Cormier, that Danny Kelly has been in behind Wisnauskas. Menke seems to be primarily a left-hand finisher.
A coach can often get away with playing one such player on the midfield, and if Schutz did move to attack that could be a possibility. Of course, with McConvey coming in that looks unlikely.

Mencke did not seem to play last year, so I assume he red-shirted - although he seems to be listed as a sophomore now. Shellenberger is listed as a red-shirt junior, for example.

Virginia seems to have added their freshmen and transfers to their roster:

Men's Lacrosse

The Official Athletic Site of the Virginia Cavaliers, partner of WMT Digital. The most comprehensive coverage of Virginia Cavaliers Men’s Lacrosse on the web with highlights, scores, game summaries, schedule and rosters.

virginiasports.com

it's a slow news day so i'll keep chiming in. imo, mencke is nothing like cormier other than they're lefties and sometimes would want to occupy the same space on the low left wing, similar shot mechanics, too.

cormier spends 95% of his time sliding from low left wing to crease and left pipe. occasionally taking a matchup from the wing.

virginia used mencke in 1st fall as the qb of their 2nd attack. from behind and wing. dodger, shooter and feeder.

here is what they said about him - "Passionate to be an impactful offensive threat… Surveys the field superbly while dodging, making pinpoint passes to teammates’ sticks… Anticipates openings in the crease really well… Does not let the opposing defense relax as he is always probing, ready to feed or let it rip himself.”

in high school, he had ~170 gs and ~140 assists.

having 2 lefties is somewhat unorthodox, but it can be done. syracuse did as much, and virginia did the same in reverse with laviano/moore/kraus w similar skillsets. even shellenberger/moore/laviano at times in 2019 all righties. a good oc can figure it out, a mencke and cormier would have to make sure they're not stepping in each other's way on the wing. fast breaks maybe not perfect but there aren't a ton of those and mencke does have a right.

anyway... this is all hypothetical, he may never see the field. i'm saying if he does, he's overcome all the thinking you're talking about bc he is that good and that may mean uva could be a problem for anyone.

 

[Zack80]

it's a slow news day so i'll keep chiming in. imo, mencke is nothing like cormier other than they're lefties and sometimes would want to occupy the same space on the low left wing, similar shot mechanics, too.

cormier spends 95% of his time sliding from low left wing to crease and left pipe. occasionally taking a matchup from the wing.

virginia used mencke in 1st fall as the qb of their 2nd attack. from behind and wing. dodger, shooter and feeder.

here is what they said about him - "Passionate to be an impactful offensive threat… Surveys the field superbly while dodging, making pinpoint passes to teammates’ sticks… Anticipates openings in the crease really well… Does not let the opposing defense relax as he is always probing, ready to feed or let it rip himself.”

in high school, he had ~170 gs and ~140 assists.

having 2 lefties is somewhat unorthodox, but it can be done. syracuse did as much, and virginia did the same in reverse with laviano/moore/kraus w similar skillsets. even shellenberger/moore/laviano at times in 2019 all righties. a good oc can figure it out, a mencke and cormier would have to make sure they're not stepping in each other's way on the wing. fast breaks maybe not perfect but there aren't a ton of those and mencke does have a right.

anyway... this is all hypothetical, he may never see the field. i'm saying if he does, he's overcome all the thinking you're talking about bc he is that good and that may mean uva could be a problem for anyone.

I think playing Menke behind to goal is something one would do if they didn't have another outstanding option for the spot. UVa already has Shellenberger, and has one of the top feeder recruits in Sunderland.

I have my doubts about Menke really beating a top defenseman like Makar from behind. As an opponent, I would be much more worried about him playing midfield and having to cover him with an ssdm.

How good is the competition down there in Texas anyhow?

 

[Powellfan]

Maybe Vegas knows something we don’t? Probably not and I should lean how to short sites like these. But Syracuse has better odds than Cornell, Princeton and Penn. Times like these are when I really wish gambling were legal where I live.

 

[AD31]

Wow that's surprising. It's a good sign because Vegas is always usually somehow close with there lines. Lol

 

[nyclax]

Wow that's surprising. It's a good sign because Vegas is always usually somehow close with there lines. Lol

not with lax. they are sometimes astoundingly wrong

didn't cuse also have similar odds last year?

 

[AD31]

not with lax. they are sometimes astoundingly wrong

didn't cuse also have similar odds last year?

Oh ok I never bet lax so no idea. Lol

 

[wgdsr]

I think playing Menke behind to goal is something one would do if they didn't have another outstanding option for the spot. UVa already has Shellenberger, and has one of the top feeder recruits in Sunderland.

I have my doubts about Menke really beating a top defenseman like Makar from behind. As an opponent, I would be much more worried about him playing midfield and having to cover him with an ssdm.

How good is the competition down there in Texas anyhow?

dunno, probably spotty but some athletic with excellent prospects on some teams. a bunch are in the nc$$. uva has 2 1/2 in their starting lineup. mencke played with saustad at hp, where pressler is headed. there's about 5-10 teams that are trying to spend their way in, and are semi-succeeding. teams that could hang mostly with v good high school teams, and they all play each other.

there's probably more competition bt those teams than in oregon (dordevic, zappitello) and likely georgia.

anyway, i threw his h.s. stats in for the ratio, not the volume. we'll see. it'd be tough to squeeze in at attack given everything.

 

[Powellfan]

ND losses breakout player Jake Taylor (who of course us SU fans are unfortunately very familiar with), for the foreseeable future. The Irish were struggling on offense before Taylor was inserted into the offense.

 

[JeremyCuse]

ND losses breakout player Jake Taylor (who of course us SU fans are unfortunately very familiar with), for the foreseeable future. The Irish were struggling on offense before Taylor was inserted into the offense.

Seems doubtful he will be back in time to play the 23 season. He just had surgery last week. Big loss for ND

 

[DoctahLexus]

ND losses breakout player Jake Taylor (who of course us SU fans are unfortunately very familiar with), for the foreseeable future. The Irish were struggling on offense before Taylor was inserted into the offense.

Damn. Feel bad for the guy. Bad knees are a killer.

 

[4evaOrange]

Could this shift some late summer early fall moves around?
More than likely could see a move but how big is unknown…

 

[Laxfanshutt]

ND losses breakout player Jake Taylor (who of course us SU fans are unfortunately very familiar with), for the foreseeable future. The Irish were struggling on offense before Taylor was inserted into the offense.

Hate to see anyone get hurt.. great player and agree..ACL = Full year recovery.. best of luck on his rehab

 

[Zack80]

Apparently, the Terps and Cornell are having a fall scrimmage:

 

[Zack80]

You seem to be getting a little carried away there on fanlax, wgdsr:
"they'll [Virginia] be loaded as can be coming into a season on offense."

Virginia actually only has 3 All-Americans on offense coming into the season: Shellenberger (1st), Cormier (HM), and McConvey (HM). Virgniia has a lot of talent and has the potential to be outstanding on offense.

 

[wgdsr]

You seem to be getting a little carried away there on fanlax, wgdsr:
"they'll [Virginia] be loaded as can be coming into a season on offense."

Virginia actually only has 3 All-Americans on offense coming into the season: Shellenberger (1st), Cormier (HM), and McConvey (HM). Virgniia has a lot of talent and has the potential to be outstanding on offense.

the transfer portal has allowed some teams to bring in production to replace, in droves at times. you're aware as anyone about turnover and how that puts questions into a season for guys to step up (or mix in post-portal frenzy).

virginia lost one guy, essentially. he was very good. they bring in one known guy, at a position of arguably greater need last year and this. and yeah, in the america east, but he scored 60! from the midfield, 3+ gpg.

there are at least 4 other new candidates to snag roles to big roles, imo. on paper. i don't really evaluate this based on all-american voting. ymmv.

 

[Zack80]

the transfer portal has allowed some teams to bring in production to replace, in droves at times. you're aware as anyone about turnover and how that puts questions into a season for guys to step up (or mix in post-portal frenzy).

virginia lost one guy, essentially. he was very good. they bring in one known guy, at a position of arguably greater need last year and this. and yeah, in the america east, but he scored 60! from the midfield, 3+ gpg.

there are at least 4 other new candidates to snag roles to big roles, imo. on paper. i don't really evaluate this based on all-american voting. ymmv.

Your use of "as loaded as can be" tends to imply a comparison with teams of other years. At the moment, UVa doesn't look to have a "generational" offense.

 

[wgdsr]

Your use of "as loaded as can be" tends to imply a comparison with teams of other years. At the moment, UVa doesn't look to have a "generational" offense.

i said preseason. they scored @ #3? ppg for the year, and if you were watching that thread, part of it was an answer to a poster asking what they had, espec in the midfield (which unless someone moves is all 3 #1s back and mcconvey added, and 2's).

there was also a decent amount of terps questioning uva's offense (imo w little knowledge or foundation) which i declined to address directly. there was a very large lovefest going on all spring by terp backers, a good deal justified. and a bit nauseating. as were some of the posts recently. so we'll see.

after years of an alpha middie or 2, it was fully expected we needed an alpha mid in 2022 and one wasnt going to be available, likely. now, they may have one. this is the year you could point to after mcconvey's transfer setup as loaded as a team and an offense, even with the loss of moore. vs 2022. 2022 rope unit, goal ? that became a frosh, depth at fogo and no alpha mid left holes. then injuries didn't help because they didn't have enough depth.

they will have two top 5 offensive 2022's that it's questionable if they'll see the field. last year (schutz) that wasn't a question. i think that says volumes.

you don't have to agree.

 

[Zack80]

i said preseason. they scored @ #3? ppg for the year, and if you were watching that thread, part of it was an answer to a poster asking what they had, espec in the midfield (which unless someone moves is all 3 #1s back and mcconvey added, and 2's).

there was also a decent amount of terps questioning uva's offense (imo w little knowledge or foundation) which i declined to address directly. there was a very large lovefest going on all spring by terp backers, a good deal justified. and a bit nauseating. as were some of the posts recently. so we'll see.

after years of an alpha middie or 2, it was fully expected we needed an alpha mid in 2022 and one wasnt going to be available, likely. now, they may have one. this is the year you could point to after mcconvey's transfer setup as loaded as a team and an offense, even with the loss of moore. vs 2022. 2022 rope unit, goal ? that became a frosh, depth at fogo and no alpha mid left holes. then injuries didn't help because they didn't have enough depth.

they will have two top 5 offensive 2022's that it's questionable if they'll see the field. last year (schutz) that wasn't a question. i think that says volumes.

you don't have to agree.

I think UVa's offense will be loaded with respect to teams like Quinnipiac, and will allow them to dominate mid-majors like High Point and Richmond as usual. Does UVa's offense set them apart from other top teams? At the moment I would say, probably not. I guess UVa has to play Duke and Notre Dame twice next year, and probably plays UMd again.

UVa has a lot of potential on the offense, and it is possible they could become an offensive juggernaut. This would involve players stepping forward, impact freshmen, ...

 

[wgdsr]

I think UVa's offense will be loaded with respect to teams like Quinnipiac, and will allow them to dominate mid-majors like High Point and Richmond as usual. Does UVa's offense set them apart from other top teams? At the moment I would say, probably not. I guess UVa has to play Duke and Notre Dame twice next year, and probably plays UMd again.

UVa has a lot of potential on the offense, and it is possible they could become an offensive juggernaut. This would involve players stepping forward, impact freshmen, ...

they don't dominate high point. imo, uva has fewer questions about being a top offense than any other top teams save maybe cornell and yale.

all the teams you mention lose moore or much moore on o. their issue(s) that need to be addressed are defense and not expecting lasalla to be healthy taking a million faceoffs. i wouldn't trade their '23 offensive personnel for anyone at this point. that's just me.

 

[Zack80]

A few other teams seem to have 2023 rosters up beside UNC and UVa
Cornell

2025 Men's Lacrosse Roster - Cornell University Athletics

The official 2025 Men's Lacrosse Roster for the Cornell University Big Red

cornellbigred.com

Denver

2025 Men's Lacrosse Roster - University of Denver Athletics

The official 2025 Men's Lacrosse Roster for the University of Denver Pioneers

denverpioneers.com

Georgetown

2024 Men's Lacrosse Roster - Georgetown University Athletics

The official 2024 Men's Lacrosse Roster for the Georgetown University Hoyas

guhoyas.com