Class of 2020 New Commit: Blake Erlbeck (CA: Torrey Pines) Attack

[JeremyCuse]

No, I am acting like SU lost three major offensive recruits in the past month who were positioned to be extremely important for the program and have now settled upon another player who is decidedly less well regarded. This does not mean the kid cannot play and he may even end up having a better career than one or more of the athletes who recently flipped but I would say this is the definition of a Plan B...or C.

Look its clear hes not a 1 for 1 replacement. Blake especially looked like a high end guy but he want to Harvard in his original class '19, so it's hard to really get upset about that kind of flip.

Clearly I would still like to have Parlette and Mahar on board, who wouldn't. But when you lose two top 50 kids and replace one of them with a kid ranked #81 I find that hard to see it has a B or C level recruit/replacement. As someone who has followed SU football since the early 90s I know what a B and C level recruit looks like.

 

[CHSLAX]

There will be many more flips. Schools that had no 2020's pre 9/1 like UVA, Duke and ND will be trying hard to flip kids. It's going to happen, SU just needs to continue to work to get their own flips. Still another year before these kids are actually officially committed w a NLI.

In my opinion after the 5 star guys it's all a crap shoot. There are probably 50 or more kids not in the top 100 who xanders didnt see or who don't play for NLF clubs who could realistically be in that 50-100 range.

 

[4evaOrange]

Torrey Pines is one of the top schools in the west, they were always ranked the the region poles from IL, they must have some pretty good grads.

 

[ClvrUsrnm]

Nothing wrong with sending an email to the staff, I know people have done it before and SU has gotten a lot of players through tips to the staff.

I’m hoping he goes to the prospect camp this weekend. If not, I will do that

 

[Gonzo]

Essentially, among the 2020 attackmen, based on Xanders assessments, we lost the 7th (Maher) and 12th (Blake) most highly rated players, gained the 20th best (Erlbeck) and at least so far kept no. 14 (Hay). Clearly not as strong as before in terms of the rankings, but not a disaster either. The biggest question in my mind regarding the guys who flipped away is whether there was some common thread in terms of perceptions surrounding our program or if it was just a case of bad luck coincidences.

 

[Orangelax]

Essentially, among the 2020 attackmen, based on Xanders assessments, we lost the 7th (Maher) and 12th (Blake) most highly rated players, gained the 20th best (Erlbeck) and at least so far kept no. 14 (Hay). Clearly not as strong as before in terms of the rankings, but not a disaster either. The biggest question in my mind regarding the guys who flipped away is whether there was some common thread in terms of perceptions surrounding our program or if it was just a case of bad luck coincidences.

I think one of the things the coaches have to improve on with recruiting is communication. I know several of the kids that have committed to Cuse over the years. Once they committed they heard heard from the coaches about 1x/year, if that. At the same time Tillman, Tiffany, Shay, etc are constantly communicating with their recruits, building relationships, and making sure they're still on board. These guys are also communicating with our recruits, telling them how great they are, inviting them on visits and selling them on their brand. Guarantee that played into the Parlette & Maher flips.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

I think one of the things the coaches have to improve on with recruiting is communication. I know several of the kids that have committed to Cuse over the years. Once they committed they heard heard from the coaches about 1x/year, if that. At the same time Tillman, Tiffany, Shay, etc are constantly communicating with their recruits, building relationships, and making sure they're still on board. These guys are also communicating with our recruits, telling them how great they are, inviting them on visits and selling them on their brand. Guarantee that played into the Parlette & Maher flips.

Telling them that Desko is on the hot seat and won't be here in a few years.

 

[Whitey23]

I think one of the things the coaches have to improve on with recruiting is communication. I know several of the kids that have committed to Cuse over the years. Once they committed they heard heard from the coaches about 1x/year, if that. At the same time Tillman, Tiffany, Shay, etc are constantly communicating with their recruits, building relationships, and making sure they're still on board. These guys are also communicating with our recruits, telling them how great they are, inviting them on visits and selling them on their brand. Guarantee that played into the Parlette & Maher flips.

Exhibit A

Student-Athlete of the Week: Matt Gaudet '16

"Flash forward to V Form year. While college is not any particular concern, what with the early commit to Syracuse, Gaudet starts to become non-plussed by the lack of communication from anyone in the lacrosse program there. He sends e-mails. They are not returned. He wonders what is going on."


"Over the past few months, Gaudet had left multiple phone messages at Syracuse without hearing back. Ten minutes after leaving the message that he was thinking seriously about Yale, Gaudet had the Orangemen’s coach on the line. After voicing initial dismay over Gaudet’s change of heart, he told Gaudet, “I would have done the same thing if I had the chance to go to Yale.”

 

[DoctahLexus]

I think one of the things the coaches have to improve on with recruiting is communication. I know several of the kids that have committed to Cuse over the years. Once they committed they heard heard from the coaches about 1x/year, if that. At the same time Tillman, Tiffany, Shay, etc are constantly communicating with their recruits, building relationships, and making sure they're still on board. These guys are also communicating with our recruits, telling them how great they are, inviting them on visits and selling them on their brand. Guarantee that played into the Parlette & Maher flips.

All we know for sure is that (according to the page we have for him on this forum) Maher was posting instagram photos of him wearing what appears to be an official Syracuse uniform in late september and then a month later he flips. That would at least suggest there was some effort at communication/organizing visits in his case. Why he would decide within a month to flip to a school that has just won its first regular season division game in like 4 years is beyond me. Academics could certainly be a factor. I doubt he flipped because we didn't offer him another photo shoot in the past month.

 

[CuseNHouse]

I’m a cuse Newhouse grad. As much as I love the school and have benefited in NYC from Cuse /Newhouse ties over the years, SU is not UVA...would be hard to turn that opportunity, Duke, Carolina education down at 18 years old

 

[CuSeLaX]

I think we overstate how much these kids look at the schools educational rank. If your not going Ivy League i would guess that coaching staff, team success, and location beat out scholastics. Kevin Rice seems to be doing okay with his lowly Syracuse University degree.

 

[CHSLAX]

I am pretty sure the parents look at the educational rank - I know I am. As an SU grad, the school has a ton to offer and i am sure it checks alot of the boxes for players. However, out of the 3 things you mention: Staff, success (recent?) and location. Other schools in the ACC particulary UVA, UNC, Duke are going to win out in a head to head battle in my opinion. I actually think success for these schools is lower on the list so staff and location are going to be big.

Better question is what is a kid like Evans or comparable (non professional player) doing now and did the connections of playing for SU put him in the best possible post-grad situation. Recruiting is sales, and it is entirely possible kids are buying into what they are seeing and hearing at those schools more than SU. If you didn't have any connections to SU and all things financial were equal where would you go UVA or SU?

 

[DoctahLexus]

I am pretty sure the parents look at the educational rank - I know I am. As an SU grad, the school has a ton to offer and i am sure it checks alot of the boxes for players. However, out of the 3 things you mention: Staff, success (recent?) and location. Other schools in the ACC particulary UVA, UNC, Duke are going to win out in a head to head battle in my opinion. I actually think success for these schools is lower on the list so staff and location are going to be big.

Better question is what is a kid like Evans or comparable (non professional player) doing now and did the connections of playing for SU put him in the best possible post-grad situation. Recruiting is sales, and it is entirely possible kids are buying into what they are seeing and hearing at those schools more than SU. If you didn't have any connections to SU and all things financial were equal where would you go UVA or SU?

The only head to head category UVA and UNC would definitley beat us in is location, if you're a fan of warmer weather, which is probably what is meant by location. These last two years we have been objectively more successful than UNC, and in 2017 we were objectively more successful than UVA. I'd say we tied UVA in success this year (1-1 head to head record and both out in first round of tourney). In 2017 you could even say we were more successful than Duke by a slight margin. You didn't mention ND but we are basically tied with them in terms of success over the past 2 years. Maybe even ahead by a slight margin since we are 2-0 against them. Staff it is pretty much impossible to say who is "better." A kid could feel a certain connection to a certain coach but it's too hard to say. There have been some complaints from certain people about Desko's lack of communication with recruits but none of that is really provable. It's totally possible staff and location are factors, but at the very least, lack of "success" recently is no reason to chose any ACC school besides Duke over us. Now if a kid is looking at our levels of success vs. Maryland or Denver that is another story.

 

[ohmilax34]

The only head to head category UVA and UNC would definitley beat us in is location, if you're a fan of warmer weather, which is probably what is meant by location. These last two years we have been objectively more successful than UNC, and in 2017 we were objectively more successful than UVA. I'd say we tied UVA in success this year (1-1 head to head record and both out in first round of tourney). In 2017 you could even say we were more successful than Duke by a slight margin. You didn't mention ND but we are basically tied with them in terms of success over the past 2 years. Maybe even ahead by a slight margin since we are 2-0 against them. Staff it is pretty much impossible to say who is "better." A kid could feel a certain connection to a certain coach but it's too hard to say. There have been some complaints from certain people about Desko's lack of communication with recruits but none of that is really provable. It's totally possible staff and location are factors, but at the very least, lack of "success" recently is no reason to chose any ACC school besides Duke over us. Now if a kid is looking at our levels of success vs. Maryland or Denver that is another story.

I disagree with you about recent success. You're picking and choosing how you want to compare the programs. HS Players will do the same, but I think if we asked objective lacrosse fans, there would be at least 2 ACC programs that are viewed as having more recent success. Another thing, current HS juniors were about 7 years old the last time SU won a national championship. And only one semifinal appearance since then.

 

[ohmilax34]

If Erlbeck happens upon this thread he's gonna see that there are almost 40 replies and be excited about all the chatter about him, then when he opens the thread he'll see all of us complaining about the coaches and flip to a different school, which is ironic, because that's what we're complaining about.

 

[ohmilax34]

Regarding SU as a desirable place to go for college, compared to the other ACC lacrosse schools, from my perspective it seems like the least desirable based on academics and location. I think that's why we see SO MANY players getting recruited by SU that have some connection to the school, like Solomon, Curry and Seebold. They want to attend SU because of their connection to the school. They grew up with SU posters on their bedroom walls, like Griffin Cook. CNY is not the hot bed for lacrosse that it once was, which has hurt SU a lot in recruiting, because CNY kids often want to go to Syracuse. I give the coaches credit for developing relationships in other areas, like Texas, Ohio, Chicago, California, Portland, Florida and now Baltimore to find talent. Even in those areas there are SU connections like Casey (FL) or Ryan Powell (OR), Pat Kennedy and Chris Surran in Texas.

 

[ivorytower]

I think we overstate how much these kids look at the schools educational rank. If your not going Ivy League i would guess that coaching staff, team success, and location beat out scholastics. Kevin Rice seems to be doing okay with his lowly Syracuse University degree.

Parents pay and choose where their kid is going for the most part----academics, costs, location and then any d1 standing is the order for most. Syracuse is a solid academic school with a wide alumni base if fully utilized but the reality is that other ACC have several advantages including connections if kid capable and willing to attend. Ive been a proponent of attending others when asked for reasons beyond lax program.

Our roster is well stocked with talent despite my advisements. Im aware of several current players who could have went to other strong programs and be playing significant roles. Some families simply wanted their kids to stay closer to home than going south.

Desko chose the road less traveled for a young team. If double digits wins assuaged then perhaps he should have played the schedule that Duke and UVA did.

 

[ClvrUsrnm]

If Erlbeck happens upon this thread he's gonna see that there are almost 40 replies and be excited about all the chatter about him, then when he opens the thread he'll see all of us complaining about the coaches and flip to a different school, which is ironic, because that's what we're complaining about.

I’ve been wondering about that — how much does this board impact where kids end up? There’s a lot of negativity on here. We seem to forget that these kids are just that: kids.

They may be legally adults and they are certainly not children, but they’re still kids. And we tear them apart.

 

[DoctahLexus]

If Erlbeck happens upon this thread he's gonna see that there are almost 40 replies and be excited about all the chatter about him, then when he opens the thread he'll see all of us complaining about the coaches and flip to a different school, which is ironic, because that's what we're complaining about.

Blake,

If you're out there, your highlights are dope af (speaking his language), and you look like a seriously good playmaker/QB from the attack position. You are the kind of player we like. Pay no attention to us talking about other stuff as we are easily sidetracked. In all seriousness the team looks really stacked even with the recent flips. We just like to complain. Welcome aboard!

Sincerely,
The loyal hardened vets of the Syracuse lax fanbase

PS- winter isn't so bad and it's way easier if you get into skiing/snowboarding. Just don't hurt yourself please. In fact forget I mentioned it because that's a distinct possibility.

 

[orange79]

PS- winter isn't so bad and it's way easier if you get into skiing/snowboarding. Just don't hurt yourself please. In fact forget I mentioned it because that's a distinct possibility.

And hopefully you won't mind walking around campus like this:

 

[ivorytower]

Blake,

If you're out there, your highlights are dope af (speaking his language), and you look like a seriously good playmaker/QB from the attack position. You are the kind of player we like. Pay no attention to us talking about other stuff as we are easily sidetracked. In all seriousness the team looks really stacked even with the recent flips. We just like to complain. Welcome aboard!

Sincerely,
The loyal hardened vets of the Syracuse lax fanbase

PS- winter isn't so bad and it's way easier if you get into skiing/snowboarding. Just don't hurt yourself please. In fact forget I mentioned it because that's a distinct possibility.

I love this post and was thinking the same. One of the happiest moments in a kid's life and he has to read some lamenting he was only #81 by some publication compared to some decommits. Welcome aboard Blake.

Fan boards can be harsh. Highs and lows . Ive read UVA's Sabre and they are quick to throw darts at their own whenever the opportunity presents. Lars was the pits now he walks on water. Hoo's Dat can likely attest to that. Have spoken to several Cuse players who have read this forum, some laugh at the comments or game threads while a few are rightfully irked .

Reality is these d1 kids are students spending a lot of time playing a amateur sport

 

[ohmilax34]

I've watched a lot of highlight videos over the last few years of Syracuse recruits and of players I've considered drafting for my fantasy team. It's hard for a player to really stand out to me after seeing so many. I found an 18 minute video of Erlbeck's Torrey Pines team playing Coronado in a playoff final. I don't know the structure of divisions in California, so this might just be San Diego teams. This might give us a better read on Erlbeck right now than the highlight videos.

 

[ivorytower]

I love the post by the Doctor and was thinking the same. One of the happiest moments in a kid's life and he has to read some lamenting he was only #81 in nation. Welcome aboard Blake.

Fan boards can be harsh. Recruits normally receive the hype and enjoy the honeymoon until in uniform. Grass is greener every where, Duke parents praise many of the same players that are criticized here . Ive read UVA's Sabre and they are quick to throw darts at their own whenever the opportunity presents. Lars was clueless now he's a genius. Aiken a star but a bum at times .Hoo's Dat can likely attest to that. Some Cuse players read this forum, I tell them not to

 

[sholokov2]

I've watched a lot of highlight videos over the last few years of Syracuse recruits and of players I've considered drafting for my fantasy team. It's hard for a player to really stand out to me after seeing so many. I found an 18 minute video of Erlbeck's Torrey Pines team playing Coronado in a playoff final. I don't know the structure of divisions in California, so this might just be San Diego teams. This might give us a better read on Erlbeck right now than the highlight videos.

Ohmi - which one is Erlbeck? I suppose the question answers itself. I saw no standout but some pretty good players on both sides. Liked the Coronado goalie. Yes this was a San Diego area championship. I have long thought that videos are not diagnostic unless one kid knocks you out right away. Videos can say as much about limitations as they can about facilities. Thanks. I agree with you about the longer segments from actual game action.

 

[Powellfan]

Ohmi - which one is Erlbeck? I suppose the question answers itself. I saw no standout but some pretty good players on both sides. Liked the Coronado goalie. Yes this was a San Diego area championship. I have long thought that videos are not diagnostic unless one kid knocks you out right away. Videos can say as much about limitations as they can about facilities. Thanks. I agree with you about the longer segments from actual game action.

I believe Erlbeck is #10. I watched some other tape of full games from Torrey Pines and thought that though Erlbeck didn't seem to make a ton of plays, the ones he did make were pretty impressive. He makes some some really nice and risky passes that took me by surprise and had some pretty good dodges. Doesn't strike me as the type who would fill up a score sheet but will make plays to help a team win, if that makes sense.