2024 Preseason Thread

[bjred]

We're in here talking about a scrimmage. I mean, listen, we're talking about a scrimmage. Not a game! Not a game! Not a game! We're talking about a scrimmage. We're talking about a scrimmage., man. I mean, how silly is that? We're talking about a scrimmage.

 

[nyclax]

I was told Figueiras was on him and played well. He had 3G when starters were in. One on a switch. He beat FOGO and no slide and the other 2 were man up.

Never scored on Figueiras.

Our biggest issue was clearing the ball.

i guess that makes sense. if the other teams best player gets matched up onto your fogo, you should prob consider sliding

 

[DoctahLexus]

We got people breaking down and criticizing plays/coaches and the only information they have is a one line description that the person heard from somebody else! L. M. . A. O. Impossible levels of fanatic on display. And some of them are not even cuse fans!

 

[PhatOrange]

while i await further info, my one question about terry foy's info is, who was covering boehm? if it was figueiras and boehm scored 5 goals, then figureias probably did not have a good game as suggested...but if someone else covered boehm then i suppose i would wonder why fig did not get that assignment. "boehm scored 5" + "fig played well" raised an eyebrow for me...

how were his 5g’s scored? Man-up, loose balls, transition, slides, 1v1 ?

lotta different ways goals are scored without being a knock on the defender.

 

[DoctahLexus]

how were his 5g’s scored? Man-up, loose balls, transition, off ball, 1v1 ?

Nobody knows! Even the people who know the most are just getting brief vague descriptions from someone else. But the closest we are to any actual facts is this from DMV yesterday:

"I was told Figueiras was on him and played well. He had 3G when starters were in. One on a switch. He beat FOGO and no slide and the other 2 were man up.

Never scored on Figueiras."

 

[4evaOrange]

We're in here talking about a scrimmage. I mean, listen, we're talking about a scrimmage. Not a game! Not a game! Not a game! We're talking about a scrimmage. We're talking about a scrimmage., man. I mean, how silly is that? We're talking about a scrimmage.

Fined 100 k for this comment.

 

[Powellfan]

No surprise but looks like English is the third man on the first line.

 

[DoctahLexus]

For example, in that description with the "no slide" to Boehm when covered by the FOGO. Maybe the slide was just half a beat late and checking his stick down on Boehms hands a fraction of a second after he released his shot. Or maybe the slide was smoking a joint and scratching his asz while coach Odierna was on the sideline yelling "ITS TOTALLY FINE THAT THE FOGO IS GUARDING THEIR BEST PLAYER! NO SLIDE NEEDED EVERYONE JUST CHILL!" Or maybe it wasn't even the FOGO guarding him and the source got numbers mixed up!

If your goal is to see the negative in everything then you might imagine it went down more like the second option. But nobody. Knows. Jack. Totally silly to criticize or assume the worst based on nothing but the small crumbs of info we receive. You are just fishing for negativity if you do that.

 

[Laxfanshutt]

No surprise but looks like English is the third man on the first line.

Looks like Thomson Leo English in That line…
Hiltz Mule Spallina at attack.. would make me believe Stevens Birtwhistle and Rhoa.. just guessing .. but I like those lines

 

[JeremyCuse]

Looks like Thomson Leo English in That line…
Hiltz Mule Spallina at attack.. would make me believe Stevens Birtwhistle and Rhoa.. just guessing .. but I like those lines

I believe that's accurate and what I think most of us opined was likely. As NYC and a few others noted we will likely see the team modify and switch things up as we get into the season and we see who thrives, who struggles, who excels in practice etc.

I fully expect Stevens to get run on the 1st line and we could see someone not yet on either line get some run with the 2nd line as they could use another dodging threat and Rhoa and Birtwistle are more scorers/shooters.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Much too little real info to judge this team. But in my role as Debbie Downer, I suggest that performances in scrimmages correlate with season performance. Just an impression developed over the fifty years I have rooted for SU. Maybe Petro wasn't all that bad. But it is the offense that worries me. Kol has never impressed me. If he is the third close d, look out. 6 goals from the offense. Yikes. Why the optimism? In advance, I apologize for the skepticism.

Scrimmage performances can be a foreshadow of what's to come. IF SU was down at 10-1 at half I'd say we definitely have a problem. In this case you don't want to overreact to essentially one bad half against another top 10 program. Certainly there are some reasons to be concerned ie issues with clearing the ball again and again the struggles with the 10 man. Those issues definitely need to be addressed.

As for Kol, there are plenty of potential options behind him at close, SU won't hesitate to move to Caccamo or to bump Olexxo if needed.

 

[AD31]

Looks like Thomson Leo English in That line…
Hiltz Mule Spallina at attack.. would make me believe Stevens Birtwhistle and Rhoa.. just guessing .. but I like those lines

I can see Stevens on the 2nd line in case he has to jump back on D some. Especially with the injury at SSDM.

 

[AD31]

Has there been any word on what SSDM got hurt and how bad yet?

 

[sholokov2]

Scrimmage performances can be a foreshadow of what's to come. IF SU was down at 10-1 at half I'd say we definitely have a problem. In this case you don't want to overreact to essentially one bad half against another top 10 program. Certainly there are some reasons to be concerned ie issues with clearing the ball again and again the struggles with the 10 man. Those issues definitely need to be addressed.

As for Kol, there are plenty of potential options behind him at close, SU won't hesitate to move to Caccamo or to bump Olexxo if needed.

More than almost everything in SU lacrosse, I lament the relegation of scrimmages to closed competition. I looked forward to the preseason double scrimmages almost as much as the games. Watching Roy Colsey as a freshman, Cherokee Park through high school to SU, all those wonderful players before their first seasons was a thrill every year. They also offered a basis for analysis, assessment of individual talent and season team potential. We could discuss these factors then from slightly educated viewpoints. I realize how stupid I am when I draw conclusions based on hearsay evidence. The pleasure of sports for me has always been witnessing the development of players over time. Now a quarter of the team are individuals I have not seen play much at all.

Allow me an aside. For years on the west coast I rooted for University of Washington teams. Two years ago Kalen De Boer became the coach of UW football. Better coaching I had not witnessed over almost a century. In the Seattle Times, he promised "My wife and I are here to stay." What the ... He lives now somewhere in Alabama having brought most of the UW team with him. Part of me resents the callous indifference, the thoughtlessness of college administrations that build a practice facility without stands for people like us who support these teams. A scrimmage without fans. What the... It started a few years ago when SU and other teams began trying to fool other teams by switching uniform nos. during the scrimmages. What the ... This is all by way of saying that I know everyone is hungry for info on the team because we all love to anticipate, prognosticate, but all we have are scraps. Poor us. End of the pity party.

 

[RoofBeam]

More than almost everything in SU lacrosse, I lament the relegation of scrimmages to closed competition. I looked forward to the preseason double scrimmages almost as much as the games. Watching Roy Colsey as a freshman, Cherokee Park through high school to SU, all those wonderful players before their first seasons was a thrill every year. They also offered a basis for analysis, assessment of individual talent and season team potential. We could discuss these factors then from slightly educated viewpoints. I realize how stupid I am when I draw conclusions based on hearsay evidence. The pleasure of sports for me has always been witnessing the development of players over time. Now a quarter of the team are individuals I have not seen play much at all.

Allow me an aside. For years on the west coast I rooted for University of Washington teams. Two years ago Kalen De Boer became the coach of UW football. Better coaching I had not witnessed over almost a century. In the Seattle Times, he promised "My wife and I are here to stay." What the ... He lives now somewhere in Alabama having brought most of the UW team with him. Part of me resents the callous indifference, the thoughtlessness of college administrations that build a practice facility without stands for people like us who support these teams. A scrimmage without fans. What the... It started a few years ago when SU and other teams began trying to fool other teams by switching uniform nos. during the scrimmages. What the ... This is all by way of saying that I know everyone is hungry for info on the team because we all love to anticipate, prognosticate, but all we have are scraps. Poor us. End of the pity party.

τὰ πάντα ῥεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει- Heraclitus

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Powellfan]

 

[Powellfan]

 

[DoctahLexus]

Loool screw these guys!! UNC over us is a total joke

 

[OrangeXtreme]

9. Syracuse O/U 9.5 (15 games)​

Pick: Over
Reactions were all over the board to Syracuse’s “loss” to Michigan in Saturday’s scrimmage. On the negative side, the Orange struggled with the Wolverines’ 10-man ride which, to me, undercuts the concern because I think teams can clean up their clear vs. the 10-man. It was suggested that they held back because English and Stevens either didn’t play that much or didn’t impose their will much when they did play. One observer described the defense to me as “not ACC-ready.”

On the positive side, they faced off well, and Joey Spallina looks to be in midseason form.

I’m picking the over because the Orange will be favored in eight games.

I’ve written and spoken extensively about Syracuse this season, and I’m sure I’ll have more to say after seeing them vs. the Terps in the Dome on Feb. 17. I’m aiming to do the double-dip — Cornell-Lehigh at 3:30, Cuse-Maryland at 6. Anyone want to lend me a helicopter or a police escort as I bomb up Route 11 (or, as I like to call it, the Joel White Expressway)? Or, change the start times an hour either direction?

 

[Powellfan]

9. Syracuse O/U 9.5 (15 games)​

Pick: Over
Reactions were all over the board to Syracuse’s “loss” to Michigan in Saturday’s scrimmage. On the negative side, the Orange struggled with the Wolverines’ 10-man ride which, to me, undercuts the concern because I think teams can clean up their clear vs. the 10-man. It was suggested that they held back because English and Stevens either didn’t play that much or didn’t impose their will much when they did play. One observer described the defense to me as “not ACC-ready.”

On the positive side, they faced off well, and Joey Spallina looks to be in midseason form.

I’m picking the over because the Orange will be favored in eight games.

I’ve written and spoken extensively about Syracuse this season, and I’m sure I’ll have more to say after seeing them vs. the Terps in the Dome on Feb. 17. I’m aiming to do the double-dip — Cornell-Lehigh at 3:30, Cuse-Maryland at 6. Anyone want to lend me a helicopter or a police escort as I bomb up Route 11 (or, as I like to call it, the Joel White Expressway)? Or, change the start times an hour either direction?

The note about the defense is a bit concerning. We heard a lot last year that they weren't "ACC caliber", don't really love hearing that phrase again. Still time to gel and finesse things, I can't imagine it is easy to start over with a new coordinator while incorporating a bunch of new faces. Still, would like there to be more positive comments coming out preseason.

I'm guessing English and Stevens stayed out for precautionary reasons? Don't like to draw too many conclusions (even Terry's "report" is second hand), but perhaps Michigan was taking this matchup a bit more seriously than Syracuse was.

Any word on who the SSDM who was hurt? There isn't much to distinguish our best from our fifth best, but still would hurt to lose someone. Fingers crossed it isn't Carter Rice.

 

[CuseNHouse]

The note about the defense is a bit concerning. We heard a lot last year that they weren't "ACC caliber", don't really love hearing that phrase again. Still time to gel and finesse things, I can't imagine it is easy to start over with a new coordinator while incorporating a bunch of new faces. Still, would like there to be more positive comments coming out preseason.

I'm guessing English and Stevens stayed out for precautionary reasons? Don't like to draw too many conclusions (even Terry's "report" is second hand), but perhaps Michigan was taking this matchup a bit more seriously than Syracuse was.

Any word on who the SSDM who was hurt? There isn't much to distinguish our best from our fifth best, but still would hurt to lose someone. Fingers crossed it isn't Carter Rice.

I predict Olexxo will be down at Close by the time Maryland roles around...maybe sooner...what cards are we holding

 

[nyclax]

The note about the defense is a bit concerning. We heard a lot last year that they weren't "ACC caliber", don't really love hearing that phrase again. Still time to gel and finesse things, I can't imagine it is easy to start over with a new coordinator while incorporating a bunch of new faces. Still, would like there to be more positive comments coming out preseason.

I'm guessing English and Stevens stayed out for precautionary reasons? Don't like to draw too many conclusions (even Terry's "report" is second hand), but perhaps Michigan was taking this matchup a bit more seriously than Syracuse was.

Any word on who the SSDM who was hurt? There isn't much to distinguish our best from our fifth best, but still would hurt to lose someone. Fingers crossed it isn't Carter Rice.

close d and lsm will be improved with the addition of wright and the return of figureias among others, but the ssdm personnel is still not acc or top 10 caliber. look at the preseason all americans...i know they dont mean much but its useful to compare ssdms to other schools. michigan, notre dame, hopkins, penn state, georgetown, virginia, yale, duke, and cornell all have a guy on there. thats the entire top 12 except maryland, army, and cuse. "you are only as good as your shorties" is not a cliche...its true most of the time. most of the teams on the orange schedule have players who are capable of exploiting those shortie matchups. better x's and o's and an improved scheme will help some but at the end of the day there is almost no way to cover up a lack of quality or depth at that position.

now having said all that i do think the defense will show some strides as the season goes along. and it will be good enough to beat a lot of teams on the schedule. but is it good enough to beat the top 10 teams, that is a legitimate question

 

[DMVCuseLax]

close d and lsm will be improved with the addition of wright and the return of figureias among others, but the ssdm personnel is still not acc or top 10 caliber. look at the preseason all americans...i know they dont mean much but its useful to compare ssdms to other schools. michigan, notre dame, hopkins, penn state, georgetown, virginia, yale, duke, and cornell all have a guy on there. thats the entire top 12 except maryland, army, and cuse. "you are only as good as your shorties" is not a cliche...its true most of the time. most of the teams on the orange schedule have players who are capable of exploiting those shortie matchups. better x's and o's and an improved scheme will help some but at the end of the day there is almost no way to cover up a lack of quality or depth at that position.

now having said all that i do think the defense will show some strides as the season goes along. and it will be good enough to beat a lot of teams on the schedule. but is it good enough to beat the top 10 teams, that is a legitimate question

Slides will need to be called out and clear before they are needed. They cant hesitate or send two (happened alot last year). Hopefully Figueiras will bring IQ and vocals that will help the D (SSDM). Him and Dwan will need to play ahead of their years against the high level teams. Are they capable? I think so but we shall see.

They may need to change the mentality of having a different defensive unit for mandown. I don’t understand how you take out your starters. The offense doesn’t take out the starting attack when they are man up.

 

[DoctahLexus]

The note about the defense is a bit concerning. We heard a lot last year that they weren't "ACC caliber", don't really love hearing that phrase again. Still time to gel and finesse things, I can't imagine it is easy to start over with a new coordinator while incorporating a bunch of new faces. Still, would like there to be more positive comments coming out preseason.

I'm guessing English and Stevens stayed out for precautionary reasons? Don't like to draw too many conclusions (even Terry's "report" is second hand), but perhaps Michigan was taking this matchup a bit more seriously than Syracuse was.

Any word on who the SSDM who was hurt? There isn't much to distinguish our best from our fifth best, but still would hurt to lose someone. Fingers crossed it isn't Carter Rice.

Would say Rice is definitely the best. Not sure why we brought in two quality lsm transfers if we are just going to keep Olexo at LSM. He has quality experience at close from last season and can still push transition when the time comes. I am hoping that the upgrades at long pole help cancel out any downgrades at ssdm, but how do we do that if one or two of them are not even going to play? Would also love to see some two way minutes from English and Stevens. We have a boatload of depth on O and a ssdm problem. Need to use our athletes where they are most needed.

Face off/wing improvement will also help the D. Offensive improvement will help them too. Capitalize our opportunities on O and put the other team on the ropes.

Foy comments should still be taken with a grain of salt, as should anything with this scrimmage.