JeremyCuse
Renowned lacrosse analyst
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I know I am probably overly obsessed about right handed vs left handed, but I do wonder how the coaches take that into consideration when constructing the offense? Hiltz is a lefty and dominates that high wing side of the field. He almost never plays at X. Spallina is your typical X attackman although he can play the wing as well. I am not a Lehigh lacrosse expert and won't claim to know what sort of style Mule plays but he is a lefty. I've seen a few highlights and he pops up all over the field, but mostly on the wing, or the crease.
What is perhaps most interesting about him as a player is that for the first three seasons, and especially his sophomore and junior seasons, he was primarily a goal scorer and not a feeder (he had a high of 14 as a soph). Once Schelling left for Duke he filled that quarterback role for the Mountain Hawks. I'm very curious if he reverts to that finisher role, or if they try and use him as a playmaker. I think they have to try and use him as a pass first player to take some heat off Spallina. Attack seems like the spot for him but I'm not sure at all how it works since it seems like Hiltz already occupies his side of the field.
All that said, and there are a ton of qualifiers, it looks like SU has replaced the productivity of Kirst, Simmons and Cook, who combined for 87 points last year, with Mule, English and Stevens who combined for 122. I don't expect Mule to score another 70 points with the bump up in competition, but that's still really promising (especially when you consider English was hurt for seven games).
You raise some interesting points. I have to say this may sound like sacrilege but if I were SU I might consider giving Hiltz some run at midfield. Hiltz with time and room is beyond deadly even with only a tiny opening with a guy on his hands he's still excellent an get's off shots that can defy logic. He also moves well without the ball but he hasn't looked comfortable dodging and as you noted never plays from X. He did show a little more willingness to dodge in the 2nd half of the season and certainly drew a lot of attention when he did. I doubt it would happen but I wonder if switching he and Leo at times would add a new dynamic.