Lax: NCAA First Round, Loyola 16 - Duke 11

[burnspbesq]

Both the Duke men and women open against the Greyhounds.

Women play on the least neutral "neutral" site imaginable, Fetzer Field in Cheater Hill, on Friday night. A win gets them a third shot at Carolina.

Men go back to Baltimore at noon Saturday. Forget the early March demolition job; the Hounds are substantially improved, thanks in large part to the emergence of two freshmen, attackman Patrick Spencer and goalie Jacob Stover. A win on Saturday most likely leads to a quarterfinal rematch with Denver.

[MCFinARL]

Both the Duke men and women open against the Greyhounds.

Women play on the least neutral "neutral" site imaginable, Fetzer Field in Cheater Hill, on Friday night. A win gets them a third shot at Carolina.

Men go back to Baltimore at noon Saturday. Forget the early March demolition job; the Hounds are substantially improved, thanks in large part to the emergence of two freshmen, attackman Patrick Spencer and goalie Jacob Stover. A win on Saturday most likely leads to a quarterfinal rematch with Denver.

Seeding committee didn't do either Duke squad any favors, but it's hard to argue that either one clearly deserved a better seed. Maybe Duke women, assuming they get past Loyola, will find the third time is the charm against Carolina--they certainly did a better job against them the second time than the first. As for the men, maybe Charley Toomey will call a time out. :)

[DST Fan]

Seeding committee didn't do either Duke squad any favors, but it's hard to argue that either one clearly deserved a better seed.


On the men's side, Marquette's sixth seed appears to be the one anomaly. I thought Quint summed it up accurately on the selection show last night when he said that Marquette is not close to being the sixth best team in the country. UNC could not have hoped for a better first round match-up.

If Duke can knock off Loyola, I see the potential game with Denver as a better draw than Notre Dame. ND had success this year shutting down Jones and Class, although that changed somewhat in the second half of the ACC tournament game. Nonetheless, I like Duke's chances with Denver, which seems to have some issues on defense, whereas Duke's defense is substantially improved over when the two teams played late in February.

[budwom]

On the men's side, Marquette's sixth seed appears to be the one anomaly. I thought Quint summed it up accurately on the selection show last night when he said that Marquette is not close to being the sixth best team in the country. UNC could not have hoped for a better first round match-up.

If Duke can knock off Loyola, I see the potential game with Denver as a better draw than Notre Dame. ND had success this year shutting down Jones and Class, although that changed somewhat in the second half of the ACC tournament game. Nonetheless, I like Duke's chances with Denver, which seems to have some issues on defense, whereas Duke's defense is substantially improved over when the two teams played late in February.

That sounds about right. The Marquette seeding was ridiculous...I do worry a bit about our team playing in Denver, altitude and all that, since we aren't the deepest team.
But first we have to chase some dogs around Maryland...

[MCFinARL]

On the men's side, Marquette's sixth seed appears to be the one anomaly. I thought Quint summed it up accurately on the selection show last night when he said that Marquette is not close to being the sixth best team in the country. UNC could not have hoped for a better first round match-up.

If Duke can knock off Loyola, I see the potential game with Denver as a better draw than Notre Dame. ND had success this year shutting down Jones and Class, although that changed somewhat in the second half of the ACC tournament game. Nonetheless, I like Duke's chances with Denver, which seems to have some issues on defense, whereas Duke's defense is substantially improved over when the two teams played late in February.

Yes, I agree about Marquette. That seems like a decision primarily designed to support the narrative that the base of the game is broadening, and/or to punish the ACC for its uneven performance overall this year. A bit irritating from Duke's point of view, but surely infuriating from Syracuse's point of view--'Cuse is the ACC tournament champion and has 4 losses on the year--two in overtime to tournament teams Hopkins and Duke, one to #3 seed Notre Dame, and one not-so-good loss to Cornell. They beat tournament teams Duke, UNC (twice), and Albany. Marquette is the Big East tournament champion and has losses to Ohio State, Duke (by humiliation), Notre Dame (admittedly close), and Denver. Their only win against a team in the NCAA tournament field is their Big East championship win over Denver.

[DST Fan]

That sounds about right. The Marquette seeding was ridiculous...I do worry a bit about our team playing in Denver, altitude and all that, since we aren't the deepest team.
But first we have to chase some dogs around Maryland...


Good news, the quarterfinal games in Duke's bracket are in Columbus, Ohio.

[budwom]

Good news, the quarterfinal games in Duke's bracket are in Columbus, Ohio.

ah lovely!

[burnspbesq]

The Daily Progress is reporting that UVa AD Craig Littlepage was "noncommital" when asked about Starsia's future (his contract ends this off-season). Ironically, if you try to compile a shortlist of viable candidates for the job if it becomes vacant, almost all have ties to Duke. Dan Chemotti (Richmond), Kevin Cassese (Lehigh), and Taylor Wray (St. Joseph's and Team Canada) all played here. Joe Alberici (Army) and Chris Gabrielli (Providence) were assistants here. Joe Amplo (Marquette) played for and was an assistant coach under Coach Dano at Hofstra. Only Brian Brecht (Rutgers), Scott Marr (Albany) and Matt Brown (Denver offensive coordinator) have no ties to Duke.

[burnspbesq]

The best season in the history of Georgia Tech men's lax just ended with an 11-8 loss to Chapman in the semifinals of the MCLA D1 national championship. The Wreck rambled to a 16-1 record and were number two in the polls for most of March and all of April. Well done, fellas. BC, FSU, VaTech, and Pitt were all ranked at least once this season.

Swofford needs to lock himself in a room with those five ADs, with the ACC's checkbook in one hand and a set of brass knuckles in the other. Nobody leaves the room until at least one school agrees to upgrade.

Consider this my annual rant.

ETA: How good is MCLA lax? It's only one data point, but Chapman, the undefeated top seed in the MCLA tournament, lost to Whittier, which was probably the last team into the NCAA D3 tournament. The best MCLA teams would struggle to make the conference tournament in the best D3 leagues (NESCAC, Liberty League, CAC, ODAC0.

[wilson]

The best season in the history of Georgia Tech men's lax just ended with an 11-8 loss to Chapman in the semifinals of the MCLA D1 national championship. The Wreck rambled to a 16-1 record and were number two in the polls for most of March and all of April. Well done, fellas. BC, FSU, VaTech, and Pitt were all ranked at least once this season.

Swofford needs to lock himself in a room with those five ADs, with the ACC's checkbook in one hand and a set of brass knuckles in the other. Nobody leaves the room until at least one school agrees to upgrade.

Consider this my annual rant.

ETA: How good is MCLA lax? It's only one data point, but Chapman, the undefeated top seed in the MCLA tournament, lost to Whittier, which was probably the last team into the NCAA D3 tournament. The best MCLA teams would struggle to make the conference tournament in the best D3 leagues (NESCAC, Liberty League, CAC, ODAC0.Georgia Tech would be a good lacrosse fit for the ACC. Georgia has long been fertile recruiting ground for a lot of different sports, and lacrosse is growing at breakneck speed here.

[burnspbesq]

Opening draw at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. No video; ESPN is showing only one first round game tonight, and it's hard to challenge their choice of Northwestern - Louisville, on either competitive or logistical grounds (they already have a truck on site for the ND men's game).

Here is the link to the gametracker.

http://www.cstv.com/gametracker/launch/gt_wlacros.html?event=1495538&school=fo&sport=wlacros&camefrom=&startschool=&%20

[DST Fan]

The best season in the history of Georgia Tech men's lax just ended with an 11-8 loss to Chapman in the semifinals of the MCLA D1 national championship. The Wreck rambled to a 16-1 record and were number two in the polls for most of March and all of April. Well done, fellas. BC, FSU, VaTech, and Pitt were all ranked at least once this season.

Swofford needs to lock himself in a room with those five ADs, with the ACC's checkbook in one hand and a set of brass knuckles in the other. Nobody leaves the room until at least one school agrees to upgrade.

Consider this my annual rant.

ETA: How good is MCLA lax? It's only one data point, but Chapman, the undefeated top seed in the MCLA tournament, lost to Whittier, which was probably the last team into the NCAA D3 tournament. The best MCLA teams would struggle to make the conference tournament in the best D3 leagues (NESCAC, Liberty League, CAC, ODAC0.


Earlier this week, there was an interview with someone from the seeding committee (I believe it appeared on the website for Inside Lacrosse or Lax Magazine) that addressed whether the 2017 tournament would remain at 20 teams, with two play-in games. The article indicated that the ACC had an AQ this year to provide a transition period to address the loss of Maryland. The ACC loses the AQ slot next year, although the article suggested that the NCAA might entertain a request by the ACC to extend the transition period by another year.

The member of the seeding committee also suggested that the field may shrink to 18 teams next year because, if the ACC loses its AQ, the tournament may go with only one play-in game. As I recall, the play-in games are a function of an NCAA bylaw that provides that the AQs may not exceed a certain percentage of the total number of teams in the tournament. Therefore, with one less AQ, it is possible for the NCAA to shrink the field.

With all this being said, I agree that it would be a good development if the ACC could find a sixth team and lock up an AQ bid. I have read that the ACC will not accept a "lacrosse only" school in the conference (which eliminated Hopkins from consideration), so it may be that the only way to secure an AQ is for a conference member with a club team to move to a varsity program. I understand that BC played varsity lacrosse years ago, but I have not heard that the school is considering moving back to a varsity program.

[burnspbesq]

Duke has a 5-2 lead midway through the first half. Two goals each for Smesko and Harney, plus one by Acton.

[burnspbesq]

HT: Duke 6-4 Loyola.

[burnspbesq]

Teams traded 2-0 runs at the start of the half, but then Duke went on a 3-0 run and leads 11-6 with just over 15 minutes to go.

[burnspbesq]

Duke takes nine minutes off the clock while scoring twice. Now 13-6 with under six minutes to go. Huge game for Smesko, with three goals and three assists.

[burnspbesq]

Put it in the book: Duke 14, Loyola 8.

[DST Fan]

Put it in the book: Duke 14, Loyola 8.

Here's hoping for the same score tomorrow.

[DST Fan]

Thunderstorms are in the forecast for Baltimore this afternoon, but it appears they won't arrive until after the game. ESPNU has coverage at noon. Is anyone planning to attend the game?

[MCFinARL]

Earlier this week, there was an interview with someone from the seeding committee (I believe it appeared on the website for Inside Lacrosse or Lax Magazine) that addressed whether the 2017 tournament would remain at 20 teams, with two play-in games. The article indicated that the ACC had an AQ this year to provide a transition period to address the loss of Maryland. The ACC loses the AQ slot next year, although the article suggested that the NCAA might entertain a request by the ACC to extend the transition period by another year.

The member of the seeding committee also suggested that the field may shrink to 18 teams next year because, if the ACC loses its AQ, the tournament may go with only one play-in game. As I recall, the play-in games are a function of an NCAA bylaw that provides that the AQs may not exceed a certain percentage of the total number of teams in the tournament. Therefore, with one less AQ, it is possible for the NCAA to shrink the field.

With all this being said, I agree that it would be a good development if the ACC could find a sixth team and lock up an AQ bid. I have read that the ACC will not accept a "lacrosse only" school in the conference (which eliminated Hopkins from consideration), so it may be that the only way to secure an AQ is for a conference member with a club team to move to a varsity program. I understand that BC played varsity lacrosse years ago, but I have not heard that the school is considering moving back to a varsity program.

This is interesting--except I think your numbers are off. The NCAA lacrosse field is currently 18 teams--4 teams participate in 2 play-in games and 2 advance to produce a 16-team first round. If there were only one play-in game, only 17 teams would be in the field.

This still works with your point, though--currently 10 of 18 teams, or 55.5%, are AQs; if there were only 9 AQs, they would represent 52.9% of a 17-team field, so the field could be reduced.


Put it in the book: Duke 14, Loyola 8.

Off to a good start--now to see if the third time can be the charm against Carolina tomorrow.

[DST Fan]

This is interesting--except I think your numbers are off. The NCAA lacrosse field is currently 18 teams--4 teams participate in 2 play-in games and 2 advance to produce a 16-team first round. If there were only one play-in game, only 17 teams would be in the field.

This still works with your point, though--currently 10 of 18 teams, or 55.5%, are AQs; if there were only 9 AQs, they would represent 52.9% of a 17-team field, so the field could be reduced.


Thanks for the correction. I could not find the article yesterday, but I believe your summary is correct and I certainly overstated the number in the field this year. The take away from the interview was that, if there is one less AQ next year, dropping one of the play-in games is an option.

[DST Fan]

Although I couldn't find the article on the possible reconfiguration of the tournament next year, I came across this article at Inside Lacrosse:


http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/sector-spdrs-may-madness-surprises-stories-and-superlatives-to-expect-in-ncaa-first-round/35193


I am willing to subscribe to this theory:



"Most likely to Ghostride its way to the Final Four: Duke

Duke has the easiest path to the Final Four.

Again.

Maybe.

But it’s not because they are playing a pushover team; it’s because no one is looking at them as a threat to get there. If you’re of the camp that upsets never happen in the opening round of the NCAA lacrosse tournament then you must not be a Syracuse fan. Consider this: the best potential for a first round upset probably lies with Towson. The Tigers beat Denver. Duke plays Towson, and maybe Notre Dame gets through in that other group. Duke still has the two-headed monster of Myles Jones and Deemer Class waiting to explode. There is no chance their shooting woes continue for 3 more games. Zero. Duke might already be in the final and we don’t know it. I don’t know how the Blue Devils became a sneaky team, perhaps their collection of rusty participation trophies from their losses has dulled their sheen, but make no mistake, the devil in blue is not being given proper due."

[budwom]

^ It was a good article, but IF we manage to get past Loyola (I do think we're the better team with the tougher schedule, for what that's worth) playing
Denver hardly constitutes an easy route. Every game's going to be a battle.

[madscavenger]

Is there anywhere the game can be seen on the net (preferably for free)? No TV here and cannot leave the castle today.

[burnspbesq]

Is there anywhere the game can be seen on the net (preferably for free)? No TV here and cannot leave the castle today.

Espn3/WatchESPN app

[Bob Green]

Duke just scored twice in 36 seconds to cut Loyola's lead to 3-2.

[chrishoke]

Duke has no answer for freshman Pat Spencer - down 4-2 after one despite domination at the X.

[chrishoke]

Jones with 3 turnovers and no offense. Class has been invisible. Down 5-3.

[chrishoke]

Bruckner keepingg us in the game with 4 goals, two off rebounds in tight. Losing 6-4.

[buddy]

Jones with 3 turnovers and no offense. Class has been invisible. Down 5-3.

Fortunately Bruckner wants to play. 6-4, all Duke goals by Bruckner. Agreed that Jones is in la-la land.

[chrishoke]

Bruckner again off a great feed from Class. 7-5.

[MCFinARL]

Um, so, is Myles Jones going to wake up today? He is having a rough go so far.

[madscavenger]

Espn3/WatchESPN app

Apparently you need specifically Windows 10 Mobile or Windows 8.1 Phone for the app to work. Thanks for trying. i'll follow the updates here................mad

[chrishoke]

Jones with an assist to Bruckner. 8-6. No defense.

[MCFinARL]

Jones with an assist to Bruckner. 8-6. No defense.

Thank God for Bruckner who seems to be the only person who has solved Loyola's defense.

[BandAlum83]

Thank God for Bruckner who seems to be the only person who has solved Loyola's defense.

How much time left?

[Bob Green]

Halftime: Loyola 9, Duke 6. Bruckner with all 6 Duke goals.

[chrishoke]

9-6 at half.

[53n206]

Hopefully our defense will stiffen up in the second half, and our office (excluding Bruckner) will come alive. We are really not looking very good. Loyola has had a lot of open shots, while we have many uncharacteristic turnovers.

[MCFinARL]

Duke turnovers the key to the score so far--Jones has had three and he is not the only one who has lost the ball. A couple of the turnovers clearly led directly to Loyola goals. If Duke takes better care of the ball I think this game is at worst even at halftime.

[BandAlum83]

9-6 at half.

Not good. We gave up 9 in the first half?

Brightside: if anyone comes out of the locker room in addition to Bruckner we'll be in great shape!

[DST Fan]

Duke's defense seems to be lost and, with the turnovers and failed clears, the score could be much worse. Maybe a different Duke teams will come out after the break.

[chrishoke]

Duke turnovers the key to the score so far--Jones has had three and he is not the only one who has lost the ball. A couple of the turnovers clearly led directly to Loyola goals. If Duke takes better care of the ball I think this game is at worst even at halftime.

Agreed. Unfortunately, that has been a weakness all year. Today, though, we have been particularly unforcused and weak with the ball. Come on Devils!

[Doria]

Defense looks pretty bad out there, and offense is inconsistent (not sure if it's good Loyola defense or bad play by us). Rowe has been great; I wouldn't want to have seen this game without him.

Just can't seem to get stops. Loyola's offense looks good, but our defense certainly seems to help them at times. Whatever happens, I'm so glad I started to watch the sport. It's finally getting so I can follow and anticipate the plays (defense, especially off-ball, remains a little hard, though I can follow the slow-mo replays).

Anyway, thank so much, everyone who answered questions and suggested resources! I'm gonna study up in the off-season, and watch some of our games online. It's a little hard to start watching a sport you aren't familiar with, but I already can't wait for next season. You guys are great!

[Rheumdis]

Well got my 2010, 2013, and 2014 championship gear.
Guess I'll have to be satisfied with that.
Tough way for seniors to go out..,

[jimsumner]

Memorial Day weekend just isn't the same.

[DST Fan]

Well got my 2010, 2013, and 2014 championship gear.
Guess I'll have to be satisfied with that.
Tough way for seniors to go out..,

I never figured out this year's team. In January, I thought Duke had the players to be one of the favorites to win the NCAA championship. This week, I thought the team from the second half of the Notre Dame game would be the one we would see. Instead, we have the second year in a row with a 16-11 first round exit.

Although I have not had a chance to look at the incoming freshman class, the coaching staff obviously has a major challenge in building a new first midfield unit. On the bright side, Guterding and Bruckner are each capable of a 50 goal season and could provide an attack tandem similar to Wolf/Dionne. In addition, much of the defense remains in tact but, based on today's performance, it seems the defense has a long way to go. I am hopeful, however, that Fowler turns out to be a premier goalie next year. As many have noted, he improved substantially over the second half of this season. Unfortunately, the defense didn't give him a chance today. Also, with Rowe back for another year, the face-off spot is in good hands next year.

[buddy]

I think this season goes down as a huge disappointment. The only significant personnel losses from last year were Will Haus (an absolutely superior SSM who may have been the most valuable player on that team), Kyle Keenan, and maybe Brian Dailey (LSM). With essentially the whole team back, a drop dead FOGO, and supposedly the best player in the game (Myles Jones) this looked to be a good year. Who knows what happened. We were dominant on face-offs, but more than gave up that advantage by loose play that resulted in far too many turnovers. Myles Jones just did not adjust to the defenses that he saw, continually trying to run over people. We never established a reliable second midfield. Defense seemed to improve late in the season only to regress badly today. Next year will be a challenge. First midfield is gone, and with no reliable second unit, that will require significant attention. But mostly, the team needs to play smarter. It's so frustrating to win face-off after face-off only to throw the ball away without getting a good shot.

[budwom]

^ absolutely. Our sloppiness this year was really surprising. It was absurd today that we had a big faceoff advantage (at least before I stopped paying close attention) and
yet squandered it with turnover after turnover.

[Atlanta Duke]

This from Coach Danowski postgame on a less than ideal season

I think the struggle we had as coaches was trying to get guys to play a certain way. Every team is different. Every team has their own personality and their individuals. Some years you get to kids and they’re with you and some years it’s a little bit more of a struggle.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article77657837.html#storylink=cpy

[fuse]

I'm with the crowd that expected Duke could bring home another championship this season. For whatever reason the team just never came together in a consistent way.

[DST Fan]

This from Coach Danowski postgame on a less than ideal season

I think the struggle we had as coaches was trying to get guys to play a certain way. Every team is different. Every team has their own personality and their individuals. Some years you get to kids and they’re with you and some years it’s a little bit more of a struggle.

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/duke/article77657837.html#storylink=cpy


Duke played an 18-game schedule (including the two ACC tournament games) this year, which was more games than any other team in the top 10. Denver and Syracuse played 15 games and Notre Dame played 14, although the Irish had only one ACC tournament game. Given its number of games, Duke had to play midweek games and two of its three unexpected losses were in a Monday game (Richmond) and a Tuesday game (Air Force), and both games followed Saturday games. I have seen some speculation at a lacrosse message board about whether coaches will begin to rethink scheduling midweek games. A couple of theories are that teams lose their focus for the midweek games and basically would be better served with the extra practice time.

Coach Danowski has taken a different approach from many coaches in the fall and, if I recall correctly, has scheduled no fall ball games in at least some years. I believe he has indicated that he thinks the time is better used for practice and skill development. Given his comment quoted above, I wonder whether Duke will cut a couple of games out of its schedule next spring.

[MCFinARL]

Duke played an 18-game schedule (including the two ACC tournament games) this year, which was more games than any other team in the top 10. Denver and Syracuse played 15 games and Notre Dame played 14, although the Irish had only one ACC tournament game. Given its number of games, Duke had to play midweek games and two of its three unexpected losses were in a Monday game (Richmond) and a Tuesday game (Air Force), and both games followed Saturday games. I have seen some speculation at a lacrosse message board about whether coaches will begin to rethink scheduling midweek games. A couple of theories are that teams lose their focus for the midweek games and basically would be better served with the extra practice time.

Coach Danowski has taken a different approach from many coaches in the fall and, if I recall correctly, has scheduled no fall ball games in at least some years. I believe he has indicated that he thinks the time is better used for practice and skill development. Given his comment quoted above, I wonder whether Duke will cut a couple of games out of its schedule next spring.

Maybe--but previous Duke teams have done fine with similar scheduling. The difference this year may be that the weaker teams scheduled for those midweek games aren't as weak as they used to be.

It's true this team lost few players from last year's team, other than the incomparable Will Haus, but it's also true that last year's team finished with a 16-11 first round loss, just as this year's team did. This year some expected second midfielders suffered season-ending injuries early on, which didn't help. But it's also possible that this group, for whatever reason, never jelled quite as well as the group in 2013-14 with Jordan Wolf, Dave Lawson, etc., as well as Jones and Class.

[duke2x]

Duke played an 18-game schedule (including the two ACC tournament games) this year, which was more games than any other team in the top 10. Denver and Syracuse played 15 games and Notre Dame played 14, although the Irish had only one ACC tournament game. Given its number of games, Duke had to play midweek games and two of its three unexpected losses were in a Monday game (Richmond) and a Tuesday game (Air Force), and both games followed Saturday games. I have seen some speculation at a lacrosse message board about whether coaches will begin to rethink scheduling midweek games. A couple of theories are that teams lose their focus for the midweek games and basically would be better served with the extra practice time.

Coach Danowski has taken a different approach from many coaches in the fall and, if I recall correctly, has scheduled no fall ball games in at least some years. I believe he has indicated that he thinks the time is better used for practice and skill development. Given his comment quoted above, I wonder whether Duke will cut a couple of games out of its schedule next spring.

There's a compromise here because you need the tournament preparation of short rest. You play a good opponent almost every weekend that will count toward your RPI and SOS. You play teams that have little chance to beat you but won't kill your RPI as the extras on Sunday/Monday. Duke has played plenty of games where it was over by halftime and the second-third strings got experience. Next year has the potential to be a rebuilding year, and I hope you will see a lesser schedule. The freezing weather in most of lacrosse country through mid-March should let you schedule some easy wins in the extra midweek games. I would not mind seeing Duke play 16 games instead of 18 as well. Sitting idle probably would have had Duke as a #5 or #6 seed hosting Navy, but hindsight is 20-20.

[Billy Dat]

Video of the full Danowski press conference with a tearful Myles Jones trying hard to keep it together before the reporters mercifully stop asking him questions and just let him depart.

http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&id=5385706

[MCFinARL]

Video of the full Danowski press conference with a tearful Myles Jones trying hard to keep it together before the reporters mercifully stop asking him questions and just let him depart.

http://www.goduke.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&id=5385706

That was tough. Myles gave the best possible answer to a typically dumb reporter question, essentially, How did it feel to start your career with two championships and then end with two early tournament exits. The temptation to say something like, "how do you think it feels, *&^%$"?" must have been very great. But Myles, noting that it was nice to enjoy early success, added that what hurts right now is just having the "four best years of my life" and the chance to play with his teammates come to an end.

For serious athletes, losing is painful. But sometimes I think we forget that what is lost isn't always just a game. For most seniors in non-revenue sports (yes, there is professional lacrosse, but you can't make a living that way--the few people who manage to make a living from lacrosse also coach or, if they are very lucky, endorse products), the end of the season represents the end of a whole way of life and, as it does for all graduating seniors, the end of a close network of friends who are always there.

Danowski's remarks were interesting. Based on things I have read about him and the program in the past, my sense is that his preferred style of coaching is to teach his teams as much as he can about fundamentals and strategies and then just let them get into the flow of the game and play. For whatever reason, this group was unable to do that successfully on a consistent basis--or as Danowski noted, they were "consistently inconsistent." While he was obviously not happy about the loss, he did not seem especially surprised, going out of his way to deny a reporter's claim that he had said they had a chip on their shoulder about not being seeded and saying the committee had placed them correctly.

[MCFinARL]

A nice piece by Myles Jones from The Player's Tribune. http://www.theplayerstribune.com/myles-jones-duke-lacrosse/ While it focuses mostly on being an African-American lacrosse player, in passing it makes John Danowski look very good (not that that is a surprise).

[burnspbesq]

A nice piece by Myles Jones from The Player's Tribune. http://www.theplayerstribune.com/myles-jones-duke-lacrosse/ While it focuses mostly on being an African-American lacrosse player, in passing it makes John Danowski look very good (not that that is a surprise).

Interesting, and probably not coincidental, that Duke has landed the top African-American prospects in the high school classes of 2016 (J.T. Giles-Harris) and 2017 (Nakeie Montgomery).

[burnspbesq]

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/sources-virginia-coach-dom-starsia-s-contract-will-not-be-renewed/35249

[Tom B.]

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/sources-virginia-coach-dom-starsia-s-contract-will-not-be-renewed/35249

I'll always remember Starsia for his two-faced ungraciousness in the wake of the Duke lacrosse hoax.

It was bad enough that he complained publicly about Duke's players getting an extra year of eligibility, after all they'd been through. That alone made him look like a petulant assclown.

What made it really galling, though, was that arguably no other coach and no other program in college lacrosse benefited more from Duke's troubles than Starsia and UVa. If I recall correctly, he poached several of our recruits (and at least one member of them team, whom Starsia enticed to transfer) -- and he won a national title in 2006 without ever having to play Duke, which was probably the best or second-best team in the country that year.

Hey Dom -- door...arse...way out.

[MCFinARL]

Interesting, and probably not coincidental, that Duke has landed the top African-American prospects in the high school classes of 2016 (J.T. Giles-Harris) and 2017 (Nakeie Montgomery).

Glad to hear this, and yes, probably not coincidental. Myles talked about how he would answer questions asked by African-American prospects visiting Duke, just as Devin Sherwood answered his questions. I suspect that can make a big difference in a recruit's comfort level.

[MCFinARL]

I'll always remember Starsia for his two-faced ungraciousness in the wake of the Duke lacrosse hoax.

It was bad enough that he complained publicly about Duke's players getting an extra year of eligibility, after all they'd been through. That alone made him look like a petulant assclown.

What made it really galling, though, was that arguably no other coach and no other program in college lacrosse benefited more from Duke's troubles than Starsia and UVa. If I recall correctly, he poached several of our recruits (and at least one member of them team, whom Starsia enticed to transfer) -- and he won a national title in 2006 without ever having to play Duke, which was probably the best or second-best team in the country that year.

Hey Dom -- door...arse...way out.

Yes, most notably Ken Clausen, an outstanding defenseman who had committed to Duke. In fairness, the entire class was released from their commitments by Duke as there was some question about whether, and in what form, the lacrosse program would continue; only a few players chose to come to Duke anyway, of whom Max Quinzani was the most important. Dom may not have had to work too hard to "poach" people.

But I'm not a huge Starsia fan in any case.

[burnspbesq]

I'll always remember Starsia for his two-faced ungraciousness in the wake of the Duke lacrosse hoax.

It was bad enough that he complained publicly about Duke's players getting an extra year of eligibility, after all they'd been through. That alone made him look like a petulant assclown.

What made it really galling, though, was that arguably no other coach and no other program in college lacrosse benefited more from Duke's troubles than Starsia and UVa. If I recall correctly, he poached several of our recruits (and at least one member of them team, whom Starsia enticed to transfer) -- and he won a national title in 2006 without ever having to play Duke, which was probably the best or second-best team in the country that year.

Hey Dom -- door...arse...way out.

Not to mention that Starsia was apparently the only person in the entire college lacrosse world who didn't know that George Huguely was a ticking time bomb.

[MCFinARL]

Not to mention that Starsia was apparently the only person in the entire college lacrosse world who didn't know that George Huguely was a ticking time bomb.

Yes, it's kind of surprising he survived that incident. Mike Pressler might like to know how he did it.

[burnspbesq]

Congrats to the three Duke women named by the IWLCA (coaches) as All-Americans:

Kelsey Duryea, Sr., GK, First Team
Maddie Crutchfield, So., MF, Second Team
Kyra Harney, So., A, Third Team

[DST Fan]

Not to mention that Starsia was apparently the only person in the entire college lacrosse world who didn't know that George Huguely was a ticking time bomb.


I think it is possible that the coaching staffs of both the UVA men's and women's lacrosse teams had information that should have led them to intervene in some way.

[Owen Meany]

I'll always remember Starsia for his two-faced ungraciousness in the wake of the Duke lacrosse hoax.

It was bad enough that he complained publicly about Duke's players getting an extra year of eligibility, after all they'd been through. That alone made him look like a petulant assclown.

What made it really galling, though, was that arguably no other coach and no other program in college lacrosse benefited more from Duke's troubles than Starsia and UVa. If I recall correctly, he poached several of our recruits (and at least one member of them team, whom Starsia enticed to transfer) -- and he won a national title in 2006 without ever having to play Duke, which was probably the best or second-best team in the country that year.

Hey Dom -- door...arse...way out.

For anyone unfamiliar, Starsia's comments after the players were given a year of eligibility back:

"Everybody in the lacrosse world was embarrassed by what happened," he said. "But it almost feels now as if nobody's really paying for this thing. I would've been the first to say that Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty probably deserved another year. But I'm not sure that everybody involved here should be painted with the same broad brush and it just seems that's what the NCAA chose to do.

"Most of these wounds seem to be self-inflicted at Duke. I'm not sure if the institution has kind of held itself accountable for everything that happened," he added.

[budwom]

For anyone unfamiliar, Starsia's comments after the players were given a year of eligibility back:

"Everybody in the lacrosse world was embarrassed by what happened," he said. "But it almost feels now as if nobody's really paying for this thing. I would've been the first to say that Reade Seligmann and Collin Finnerty probably deserved another year. But I'm not sure that everybody involved here should be painted with the same broad brush and it just seems that's what the NCAA chose to do.

"Most of these wounds seem to be self-inflicted at Duke. I'm not sure if the institution has kind of held itself accountable for everything that happened," he added.

It's karma that he gets to go out with a sucky team.

[burnspbesq]

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/update-virginia-coach-dom-starsia-offered-contract-extension/35249

[awhom111]

Worst nightmare final matchups for Duke fans in both Lacrosse tournaments. I guess I will skip watching either championship this year.

[burnspbesq]

Congrats to Myles and Deemer on being named first-team All-Americans by the USILA. Justin Guterding and Kyle Rowe were named honorable mention.

[Faison1]

Worst nightmare final matchups for Duke fans in both Lacrosse tournaments. I guess I will skip watching either championship this year.

Without a doubt!!

Put a nail in the coffin. This season is officially dead to me.....what a horrible outcome.

[sagegrouse]

Without a doubt!!

Put a nail in the coffin. This season is officially dead to me....what a horrible outcome.

Anyway you guys and gals: it's Maryland vs. UNC in both men's and women's finals.

[DukieInKansas]

One of my brothers-in-law went to Maryland. Family loyalty, and dislike of all things u*nc, call for me to root for the twerps.

[burnspbesq]

Congrats to Myles for winning the USILA's 2016 McLaughlin award as the outstanding midfielder in D1 men's lacrosse. He becomes the sixth two-time winner in the 44-year history of the award.

[Billy Dat]

I didn't see a thread about it so I figure I'd post in here...even though it was a Terp v Heel final, it was pretty amazing. That's one of the best lax games I have seen in a long time, tons of scoring, never more than a 1-2 goal spread once the game settled in, unbelievable saves in the final minutes, incredible tension and drama, etc. It was certainly a worthy title game.

[MCFinARL]

I didn't see a thread about it so I figure I'd post in here...even though it was a Terp v Heel final, it was pretty amazing. That's one of the best lax games I have seen in a long time, tons of scoring, never more than a 1-2 goal spread once the game settled in, unbelievable saves in the final minutes, incredible tension and drama, etc. It was certainly a worthy title game.

Yes--worthy generally and worthy for this particular crazy year where it seemed like almost any team could win any given game.

[sagegrouse]

I didn't see a thread about it so I figure I'd post in here...even though it was a Terp v Heel final, it was pretty amazing. That's one of the best lax games I have seen in a long time, tons of scoring, never more than a 1-2 goal spread once the game settled in, unbelievable saves in the final minutes, incredible tension and drama, etc. It was certainly a worthy title game.


Yes--worthy generally and worthy for this particular crazy year where it seemed like almost any team could win any given game.

And, of course, we have no idea who actually won.

[DukieInKansas]

And, of course, we have no idea who actually won.

Trust me, you don't want to know.


F F F F F F F F F

[duke79]

I didn't see a thread about it so I figure I'd post in here...even though it was a Terp v Heel final, it was pretty amazing. That's one of the best lax games I have seen in a long time, tons of scoring, never more than a 1-2 goal spread once the game settled in, unbelievable saves in the final minutes, incredible tension and drama, etc. It was certainly a worthy title game.

It WAS a great game........close the whole way and some great plays. BUT it was very hard to root for either team.....although I was slightly leaning towards Maryland, if for no other reason that they hadn't won a national title since 1975.

[DukieInKansas]

It WAS a great game....close the whole way and some great plays. BUT it was very hard to root for either team....although I was slightly leaning towards Maryland, if for no other reason that they hadn't won a national title since 1975.

I was pulling for them also - but can claim family ties as a brother-in-law went there.

[Billy Dat]

It WAS a great game....close the whole way and some great plays. BUT it was very hard to root for either team....although I was slightly leaning towards Maryland, if for no other reason that they hadn't won a national title since 1975.

I found that I really didn't care who won, and the fact that UNC got that tough "second guy misbehaving gets the penalty" call right at the end, fought off the man down scenario, and then put home the game winner in sudden death was justice. The fact that the UNC coach lost his son to a tragic car accident 10 years ago when the kid was 3 was enough human interest for me to put aside my dislike. Obviously, Maryland is no great friend of Duke and knowing how much that title would mean to that region made their bitter defeat something of a schadenfreude situation. Maryland is as much the cradle of lax as anywhere else in the US, and their team is stocked with homegrown players. Factor in their 41 year title drought despite many trips to Memorial Day weekend and it must have been a very bitter pill to swallow.

[duke79]

I found that I really didn't care who won, and the fact that UNC got that tough "second guy misbehaving gets the penalty" call right at the end, fought off the man down scenario, and then put home the game winner in sudden death was justice. The fact that the UNC coach lost his son to a tragic car accident 10 years ago when the kid was 3 was enough human interest for me to put aside my dislike. Obviously, Maryland is no great friend of Duke and knowing how much that title would mean to that region made their bitter defeat something of a schadenfreude situation. Maryland is as much the cradle of lax as anywhere else in the US, and their team is stocked with homegrown players. Factor in their 41 year title drought despite many trips to Memorial Day weekend and it must have been a very bitter pill to swallow.

Yea, admittedly, tough to root for either team to win.