2025 Transfer Thread

[Powellfan]

Xanders responded to a question about him ending up at Cuse and essentially said No. Jives with what we thought yesterday after breaking it down.

Yep, that seems to make sense. Too bad, at least it made for an interesting couple of hours.

If everyone expected comes back in 2025, and Payton Anderson is slotted for a spot in the top nine, the offense will have one open spot. I think it's really imperative that Syracuse get the third attack spot right. We saw what happened when Mule ran into trouble last year. The offense is exceedingly more dangerous when the player being guarded by shortsticks can cause damage.

It could be Michael Leo. That might be the most straightforward thing to do, and you'd be able to reward either a player like Luke Rhoa or Jackson Birtwistle with a spot on the first line. I know posters were high on moving Leo for a while last season, I'm not sure it's a solves-all though. He's a very good player, but in a perfect world, I'd like to see them bring someone in with either elite size, or speed. Anderson could be the size guy, but it's a lot of pressure to put on a freshman (no matter how good). Still, those are two good options to have for next year.

I think if SU is going to lure an additional transfer to campus on offense, it would have to be an attackman, or a player okay with playing second-line midfield (for chemistry issues, don't think it says the right message to have a transfer come in and play over someone like Birtwistle or Rhoa). Luke Grayum (Richmond), Matthew Keegan (Binghamton), Chris Patterson (Hobart), Bryce Ford (Fairfield) and Johnny Hackett (Bryant) are the big name attackmen in the portal as of now.

All that to say, perhaps Balsamo wouldn't have been the right fit - he'd either start at attack (perhaps a Mule reprise?), or he might take a starting spot over one of the longstanding second line middies who have been biding their time.

 

[Powellfan]

Didn’t see this one coming. He was trained in high school by SU alum John Zulberti and Liam Banks. Wore #11 when the Terps played in the Dome his freshman year to honor “Z”.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Didn’t see this one coming. He was trained in high school by SU alum John Zulberti and Liam Banks. Wore #11 when the Terps played in the Dome his freshman year to honor “Z”.

Ya wow that's surprising

 

[4evaOrange]

Umd picked ford from Fairfield as grad transfer.

 

[Powellfan]

Umd picked ford from Fairfield as grad transfer.

 

[Gettysbrg10]

How the transfer portal works in my brain.
Kid picks an Ivy League school: have fun, neird. Don't have to worry about you likely ever again.
Kid picks ND: don't tear your ACL jumping on the bandwagon.
Kid picks Hopkins or any other ACC school:
Say to myself, "Good! I never wanted that kid any way. Probably kicks dogs for fun" and immediately worry about him crushing us the following year.
Kid picks Cuse: Just a great kid really, definitely going places in life. Parents did a hell of a job raising him. Probably helps elderly people walk across the street.

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

All jokes aside, are we thinking that we may have a shot with Malever? IMO, he’s EXACTLY what our offense needs, a two-handed, dual-threat, QB from X to allow Hiltz & Joey to play their natural roles as wing attackmen. He can work from X & we can still allow Joey to take a couple turns from X to switch things up while Hiltz probes the lefty wing & finishes inside. Malever, like Hiltz in ‘22, took this year to work back from injury & looks poised for a monster senior year. Hell, Fig may even let him wear #11, how fricken cool would that be in honor of Z? That’d likely be the best attack in the nation & paired with English, Finn, & Leo would be magic.

A second mid line of Rhoa, Birt, & Bear Anderson with a 3rd of Hottle, Kellogg, & McCarthy while Deere takes a developmental RS (if he’s up for it) would be my hope. Not a knock on Deere at all, I just think he’s a pure attack stuck behind Hiltz next year & Leo the following year & RSing would give him a chance to finally start for 2 years at lefty attack in ‘27-‘28.

The key to our offseason, assuming everyone with eligibility returns until we have a reason not to, is finding an athletic, speedy, dodging threat from X to pair with Hiltz & Joey. If not Malever, I’d honestly go with Bear. I believe he’s physical & skilled enough to consistently beat ACC shorties as a frosh &, again, could defer to Joey at X if need be. It just presents so many matchup problems for the opponent’s D.

Lastly, I’ll end this rant by adding that it’s so damn hard to leave Rhoa off the 1st line because I think he has AA potential next year (love to see that he’s playing some BoxLa this summer). He’s deadly with both hands & is such a crafty dodger who needs little time/room to get his rocket shot off. I just feel that the English-Finn two-man action is too good to break up. Honestly, we alternate 1st & 2nd mid lines regularly even in crunch time, save for a few occasions, & only play a 3rd in blowouts so I’ve always wondered how much the Top 6 really care, especially with our FO & possession success.

Regarding Leo, I just don’t like him at attack with Hiltz because they each prefer to operate from the same real estate on the lefty wing & I'm just not sure Leo’s forté is operating from X after watching him in HS & these past 2 years. It worked in spurts when we tried it late in the year but I feel teams would adjust. Add Bear every other shift & it’s a lefty overload. Leo plays lefty attack as a senior then it’s 2 years of Deere.

FWIW, Malever is a Business Management major so I’m sure a Whitman grad degree could be enticing. How sweet would this look alongside Hiltz & Joey?:

 

[Powellfan]

Vorgang kind of sort of local. Have had success with Nisky kids in the past (Lucas Quinn, Nick Fratterigo).

 

[DoctahLexus]

All jokes aside, are we thinking that we may have a shot with Malever? IMO, he’s EXACTLY what our offense needs, a two-handed, dual-threat, QB from X to allow Hiltz & Joey to play their natural roles as wing attackmen. He can work from X & we can still allow Joey to take a couple turns from X to switch things up while Hiltz probes the lefty wing & finishes inside. Malever, like Hiltz in ‘22, took this year to work back from injury & looks poised for a monster senior year. Hell, Fig may even let him wear #11, how fricken cool would that be in honor of Z? That’d likely be the best attack in the nation & paired with English, Finn, & Leo would be magic.

A second mid line of Rhoa, Birt, & Bear Anderson with a 3rd of Hottle, Kellogg, & McCarthy while Deere takes a developmental RS (if he’s up for it) would be my hope. Not a knock on Deere at all, I just think he’s a pure attack stuck behind Hiltz next year & Leo the following year & RSing would give him a chance to finally start for 2 years at lefty attack in ‘27-‘28.

The key to our offseason, assuming everyone with eligibility returns until we have a reason not to, is finding an athletic, speedy, dodging threat from X to pair with Hiltz & Joey. If not Malever, I’d honestly go with Bear. I believe he’s physical & skilled enough to consistently beat ACC shorties as a frosh &, again, could defer to Joey at X if need be. It just presents so many matchup problems for the opponent’s D.

Lastly, I’ll end this rant by adding that it’s so damn hard to leave Rhoa off the 1st line because I think he has AA potential next year (love to see that he’s playing some BoxLa this summer). He’s deadly with both hands & is such a crafty dodger who needs little time/room to get his rocket shot off. I just feel that the English-Finn two-man action is too good to break up. Honestly, we alternate 1st & 2nd mid lines regularly even in crunch time, save for a few occasions, & only play a 3rd in blowouts so I’ve always wondered how much the Top 6 really care, especially with our FO & possession success.

Regarding Leo, I just don’t like him at attack with Hiltz because they each prefer to operate from the same real estate on the lefty wing & I'm just not sure Leo’s forté is operating from X after watching him in HS & these past 2 years. It worked in spurts when we tried it late in the year but I feel teams would adjust. Add Bear every other shift & it’s a lefty overload. Leo plays lefty attack as a senior then it’s 2 years of Deere.

FWIW, Malever is a Business Management major so I’m sure a Whitman grad degree could be enticing. How sweet would this look alongside Hiltz & Joey?:

I am not quite as sold on Mr. Malaver, unless he has some more mobility another year removed from his serious knee injuries. He has not even held a permanent spot on MDs starting attack, and the MD offense as a whole really struggled to draw slides and score goals. Not 100% confirmed or anything, but it would not surprise me if he is leaving MD because they do not intend to put him at starting attack next season. Spanos started to play down there more since he could do more off the dodge. While I give Tillman and co a ton of credit for marching to the playoff finals, their scoring offense was ranked in the 40s last season. Aside from the Princeton game (a team with a not that great close defense) Malaver was not a big part of their offensive rebound in the playoffs.

I think Leo at attack would accomplish more when it comes to drawing slides/scoring against long poles. He matched Malaver's points on the year as (mostly) a middie and may not have the same x dodging skills, but is overall a good deal faster. This is the time of year for trying to predict the future though. Maybe Malaver has some more speed another year removed from injury? It could still work, and you have to love the Zulberti connection, but I think he would have to play a good deal better than he did last year to get an attack spot here.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

Vorgang kind of sort of local. Have had success with Nisky kids in the past (Lucas Quinn, Nick Fratterigo).

Vorgang is probably not a fit. He’s a pure left wing attacker and we have that position covered for the foreseeable future.

 

[Zack80]

All jokes aside, are we thinking that we may have a shot with Malever? IMO, he’s EXACTLY what our offense needs, a two-handed, dual-threat, QB from X to allow Hiltz & Joey to play their natural roles as wing attackmen. He can work from X & we can still allow Joey to take a couple turns from X to switch things up while Hiltz probes the lefty wing & finishes inside. Malever, like Hiltz in ‘22, took this year to work back from injury & looks poised for a monster senior year. Hell, Fig may even let him wear #11, how fricken cool would that be in honor of Z? That’d likely be the best attack in the nation & paired with English, Finn, & Leo would be magic.

A second mid line of Rhoa, Birt, & Bear Anderson with a 3rd of Hottle, Kellogg, & McCarthy while Deere takes a developmental RS (if he’s up for it) would be my hope. Not a knock on Deere at all, I just think he’s a pure attack stuck behind Hiltz next year & Leo the following year & RSing would give him a chance to finally start for 2 years at lefty attack in ‘27-‘28.

The key to our offseason, assuming everyone with eligibility returns until we have a reason not to, is finding an athletic, speedy, dodging threat from X to pair with Hiltz & Joey. If not Malever, I’d honestly go with Bear. I believe he’s physical & skilled enough to consistently beat ACC shorties as a frosh &, again, could defer to Joey at X if need be. It just presents so many matchup problems for the opponent’s D.

Lastly, I’ll end this rant by adding that it’s so damn hard to leave Rhoa off the 1st line because I think he has AA potential next year (love to see that he’s playing some BoxLa this summer). He’s deadly with both hands & is such a crafty dodger who needs little time/room to get his rocket shot off. I just feel that the English-Finn two-man action is too good to break up. Honestly, we alternate 1st & 2nd mid lines regularly even in crunch time, save for a few occasions, & only play a 3rd in blowouts so I’ve always wondered how much the Top 6 really care, especially with our FO & possession success.

Regarding Leo, I just don’t like him at attack with Hiltz because they each prefer to operate from the same real estate on the lefty wing & I'm just not sure Leo’s forté is operating from X after watching him in HS & these past 2 years. It worked in spurts when we tried it late in the year but I feel teams would adjust. Add Bear every other shift & it’s a lefty overload. Leo plays lefty attack as a senior then it’s 2 years of Deere.

FWIW, Malever is a Business Management major so I’m sure a Whitman grad degree could be enticing. How sweet would this look alongside Hiltz & Joey?:

It is hard to know why a player decides to transfer.
It could be as you say that Malever didn't like being run out of the box, and with Tillman bringing in Bryce Ford, felt that it might continue. My main qualm about Malever this Spring was that he didn't shoot that well (15g, .238 shooting pct.). As a sophomore, he was really pinging his midrange shots (26g., .400 shooting pct.). Of course, I would still really like to see Malever return to Maryland to finish out his career.
Another thought with Malever transferring is to notice that he majored in Business Management and made the Academic All Big Ten in 2022 and 2023 (2024 hasn't been announced yet.) It is fair to guess that Malever got his degree and might be looking to go to graduate school.

 

[Powellfan]

 

[Lax Mouse]

x.com

x.com

Does anyone know what he knows and/or how much I need to prepare emotionally?

 

[4evaOrange]

x.com

x.com

Does anyone know what he knows and/or how much I need to prepare emotionally?

Crap

 

[JeremyCuse]

x.com

x.com

Does anyone know what he knows and/or how much I need to prepare emotionally?

If it's what I think it is or who I think it is, then yes prepare yourself big time.

 

[RoofBeam]

Winter is coming early, very early?.....A number of players I would hate to lose but I really hope it is not Joey.

 

[4evaOrange]

If it's what I think it is or who I think it is, then yes prepare yourself big time.

Making sound like the death penalty

 

[DoctahLexus]

Whelp, either he is just talking about no cuse guys in the PLL or it’s some terrible horrible no good very bad thing. Offense is where the depth is! We can soak something there

 

[JeremyCuse]

Whelp, either he is just talking about no cuse guys in the PLL or it’s some terrible horrible no good very bad thing. Offense is where the depth is! We can soak something there

Unfortunately I don't think he's talking about the PLL.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Unfortunately I don't think he's talking about the PLL.

Well he is so lame for just saying something and not saying what if that’s the case. He is not usually the guy that knows things

 

[4evaOrange]

Gotta imagine we could know something today if he knows something means it’s leaking through the cracks whether it’s from word of mouth here or from the portal people

 

[JeremyCuse]

Well he is so lame for just saying something and not saying what if that’s the case. He is not usually the guy that knows things

Ya I wish he hadn't said anything but its likely to break soon if it's what I think it is.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Winter is coming early, very early?...A number of players I would hate to lose but I really hope it is not Joey.

Would be really weird if he is back up in Canada playing in the OJll along with his brother and playing with the other cuse guys if he is also planning to enter the portal.

 

[zilo]

Guessing it's either Joey, Hiltz, Leo, Rhoa, Dwan, or Riley F...those would be the only "dark times" for cuse transfers I would think. Or Finn T maybe?

 

[4evaOrange]

Guessing it's either Joey, Hiltz, Leo, Rhoa, Dwan, or Riley F...those would be the only "dark days" for cuse transfers I would think. Or Finn T maybe?

Could be multiple…?