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Post by Pinnum on May 16, 2024 12:00:10 GMT -5
Kind of... It's really more of there just being a lot of Lax programs in Section V. MLax is an easy sport to make it to a D1 roster as there are more D1 schools than high school participants (relative to other NCAA sports). These are the men's NCAA sports ranked by the % of high school athletes in the sport that will get to play at the D1 level: Sport % of High School Athletes to Play NCAA D1Ice Hockey 5.00% Lacrosse 3.30%Swim & Dive 3.30% Water Polo 3.10% Football 3.00% Baseball 2.40% Cross Country 2.10% Golf 1.90% Track & Field 1.90% Tennis 1.50% Soccer 1.40% Basketball 1.00% Wrestling 1.00% Volleyball 0.70% Source: www.ncaa.org/sports/2015/3/2/estimated-probability-of-competing-in-college-athletics.aspxThis is one of the reasons adding the sport and expecting to land top prospects and build a winner was tough for me. The math just didn't add up. There are a lot of schools after a limited pool of athletes already. If you're looking to get elite recruits, that pool is even smaller. We know every sport in the country wants to get elite recruits but the competition in MLax is intense even to land kids that aren't elite. If you assume a similar talent distribution of high school athletes as men's basketball, then it is more than three times more difficult to land a recruit of a similar ability in MLax than in MBasketball. People like to point out that there are so few MLax programs in D1. And that's true. But there are so few high school Lax programs as well. It's just that in the few places where the sport is popular it's a common sport. So it seems like there are a lot of kids playing. But there aren't. You get outside of Maryland, New York, and a few other places and there is hardly any participation in high school Lax. This is why so many kids in Section V play D1. They are one of the locations where kids have any experience playing high school lax. There are 3,026 high schools with boys Lax, which may sound like a lot, until you compare it to basketball (18,617), baseball (16,170), football (15,810), and Cross Country (15,632). |
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Post by Pinnum on May 16, 2024 12:19:16 GMT -5
Pinnum nice post. I am not some Johnny come lately on men’s lax. I wrote to Watson to add men’s lax. Your argument on A10 lax is valid. Richmond, St Joes and High Point and legit top 35 teams in the nation if not higher. However, this does not explain the out of conference season since Dobson has graduated. The team has only won two OOC games the last two years. This is the unacceptable part for how good a coach he is supposed to be. Doesn't it? Let's looks at the OOC opponents from this year that we have consistently played. We will even recognize the high water mark of the 2022 season. Cleveland State2024 L,10-8 2023 L, 13-4 2022a W, 11-10 2022b W, 12-5 2020 L, 18-5 Lost 10-8 to CSU this year, beat them by one goal (11-10) with the best team at Bonas where we scheduled them twice that year. Without Dobson, do the Bonnies win in 2022? CSU is not a historically strong program but they challenged the Bonnies. Bellarmine2024 L, 13-9 2023 L, 14-10 2022 W, 13-12 2020 L, 13-5 Lost, 13-9 to Bellarmine this year, beat them by one goal (13-12) with the best team at Bonas. Without Dobson, do the Bonnies win in 2022? Bellarmine is not a historically strong program but they challenged the Bonnies. Binghamton2024 L, 13-12 (OT) 2023 L, 12-11 (OT) Lost by one goal in OT to Binghamton. With Dobson, do the Bonnies win this game? VMI2024 L, 17-9 2023 W, 15-9 2022 W, 9-8 Lost, 17-9 to VMI this year, beat them by one goal (9-8) with the best team at Bonas. Without Dobson, do the Bonnies win in 2022? VMI is regularly one of the weakest programs in D1 but they challenged the Bonnies. Canisius2024 W, 12-8 2023 L, 13-5 2022a W, 13-12 2022b L, 11-9 2020 L, 16-8 Beat Canisius (12-8) this year, but even with the best team at Bonas we only beat them by one goal (13-12). Without Dobson, do the Bonnies win in 2022? Canisius is not a historically strong program but they challenged the Bonnies then. Teams are up and down year to year. |
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Post by chrismoses on May 16, 2024 12:19:43 GMT -5
Funny you bring up HS Lax participation numbers.
I went to a high school that produced a lot of D1, II and III college lax players and was always astounded by the lack of athleticism displayed by some of these guys that played in college compared to their counterparts that played basketball, ran track or played any other sport and couldn't even sniff a scholarship to play in college. Felt the same about swimming, too, and I guess it now makes sense.
Glad to have you back, Pinnum. You’re one of the few posters here that teaches the masses information without attacking.
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Post by jjjacks17 on May 16, 2024 13:11:05 GMT -5
It almost feels as thought Mearns goal and main recruiting tool for the Lax program is to get players drafted to the NLL. He recruits most Canadian box lacrosse players who are more suited for the highly skilled fast paced indoor game which doesn’t always translate to field lacrosse success. But we have four current Bonnies alums playing in the NLL this season (Dobson, Belter, Westley, Beetow) and three others that have been drafted (Bloombergs, Rosa, Pulera). We have incredible players but it’s just difficult to compeat in the field game with players who have all come up playing mostly box.
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Post by Pinnum on May 16, 2024 13:39:36 GMT -5
It almost feels as thought Mearns goal and main recruiting tool for the Lax program is to get players drafted to the NLL. He recruits most Canadian box lacrosse players who are more suited for the highly skilled fast paced indoor game which doesn’t always translate to field lacrosse success. But we have four current Bonnies alums playing in the NLL this season (Dobson, Belter, Westley, Beetow) and three others that have been drafted (Bloombergs, Rosa, Pulera). We have incredible players but it’s just difficult to compeat in the field game with players who have all come up playing mostly box. I don't know the game of lax as well as others, but there could be a few factors here... First, it could be that his experience and connections lead him to those players more than others. It could also be that those kids, due to the shortcomings in NCAA lax you mentioned, are lower priority recruits for other programs and so we are able to make runs at them. You sell what you have and if NLL drafts happen then you have to sell it. Which could become a cycle where those you attract are those interested in the NLL draft. |
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Post by jjjacks17 on May 18, 2024 22:27:32 GMT -5
Bonnies Lax alum Zack Belter just won the NLL cup with the Buffalo Bandits
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Post by Pinnum on May 19, 2024 12:56:59 GMT -5
Yesterday, I caught a little bit of the Softball NCAA Regionals. Got to see local Franciscan rivals St. Francis and Siena play each other in the Austin Regional. St. Francis won the game 1-0.
I couldn't help but feel jealous that Siena and St. Francis were playing in the NCAA tournament... I know we all what the Bonnies to be doing the same.
However, after some time to get past the initial emotional reaction, I know that even Siena's ability to play at the NCAA Championship was largely a function of playing in the MAAC.
Siena softball finished 6th in the MAAC with an RPI ranked at 223 (Bonnies were 301). Only the top-six teams in the conference standings make the conference tournament. The program with the best RPI in the MAAC was Canisius at 143 who Siena beat to win the MAAC's auto-bid to the NCAA tournament. Siena barely made the conference tournament and then won it. The Bonnies would fit in nicely in the MAAC in all sports. (But we shouldn't move to the MAAC. Basketball in the A10 is worth it.)
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Post by towniegrad on May 19, 2024 14:29:01 GMT -5
If bona were to join the Maac Iit would still probably be one of the smallest and least financially endowed schools in the conference.
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Post by Pinnum on May 20, 2024 22:18:42 GMT -5
And it just got even harder to compete in MLax.
UMass and Delaware to play as associate members of the A10 in MLax starting in 2026.
That expands the conference schedule with quality programs and removes the opportunity to schedule OOC games that could be more competitive.
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Post by dadster81 on May 24, 2024 17:00:33 GMT -5
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Post by kccgold on May 26, 2024 10:22:03 GMT -5
Softball does have some good news by the way…
Fredonia high school is 20-0 or something, they are lead by pitcher Jordan Lucas, she’s like the best high school softball pitcher I’ve seen in person. She gets no hitters all the time.
Committed, and proud to become a Bonnie next year!
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Post by towniegrad on May 26, 2024 11:12:29 GMT -5
Noted.
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Post by dadster81 on May 26, 2024 13:10:32 GMT -5
KC - I was about to start my "HS does not matter, who is her summer team " speech, then I looked her up. She plays for a Tennessee team, played in alot of big tournaments and showcases, so that is an impressive resume. I dont think Coach Mike has had a player before who played at this level in the summer - at least that I can remember. Thankfully, she lives near by, and wanted to play near home. Welcome to the Bonnies! www.observertoday.com/sports/local-sports/2023/12/dream-to-reality/ |
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Post by marylandbonnie1 on Jun 1, 2024 13:48:58 GMT -5
Brett Dobson, former Bona goalie is playing on ABC right now for the Utah Archers of the PLL. Dobson is already a PLL Champion with the Archers last year.
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Post by towniegrad on Jun 1, 2024 15:37:23 GMT -5
Wasn’t there a Dobson who pitched for the Yankees?
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