Something to Ponder TMAN

[POLY1967]

College Soccer News # 1 Player in the Class of 2014 is Dylan Greenberg a Defender from Dix Hills, New York.

Isn't Dix Hills the same area from which current recruit Donovan Fraser is from. Coincidentally, Dylan Greenberg also plays for the same club ( Albertson SC ) as 2012 recruit Dakota Edwards.

You think Coach Sasho will play these angles ? Would a hobo eat a ham sandwich ????

 

[TMAN]

Throw in Dakota Edwards along Keith Cardona and Dan Metzger as they've all crossed paths on the travel team circuit. No doubt Sasho knows about him.

What I'm hearing, Sasho is not done with either the 2012 or 2013 class. Both are going to expand.

T.

 

[Fekula]

So then.....

you are thinking maybe this isn't done until mid-April? That's what it is starting to sound like.

 

[TMAN]

Re: So then.....

I agree Mike...possibly Mid April. The kid Poly mentioned though is for the 2014 class as the kid up in New York Dylan, is the number 1 player by one scouting service. He's plays mid and backline D. Sasho has been mining the northeast with a vengenace lately so u have to figure He's on this kid already. Would not be surprised that the kid comes down to Maryland this summer for a visit (if he hasn't already).

t.

 

[Fekula]

Re: So then.....

Yep, Cirovski's connections to the Northeast go way back -- his last post was at U of Hartford before coming here and he was head of ODP in that region while he was there, which wasn't long (2 years) but long enough to establish some roots. Actually, I think he may have continued as ODP boss up there for a brief while after he came to Maryland, but am not sure. That is traditional turf for Maryland in a lot of sports, in any case.

 

[TMAN]

Sasho - Baltimore Bays - Wake Forest

It's interesting that Wake has come in and snared a lot of talent under Sasho's nose the last 2 years and the talent been coming from the local scene under Sasho gaze. What makes it more interesting is to look at where the talent is coming from, none other than the "Baltimore Bays' whose coached by Coach Steve Nichols whose a reknowed coach on the club and high school level. The kicker (at least in the past ) has been he's very good friends with Sahso and has always opened the terps coaching staff in open arms. I don't think anything has gone down between Sasho and Coach Nichols but it is pecuilar that that last Baltimore Bays was the Fernadez kid (soph on the terps) whose in the two deep. I know that Saso REALLY wanted Robison and Gamble but they went south to Wake and started the local exodus with the current group of recruits. Still with the 2013 class, Maryland class is much more front end loaded that Wakes and does it really matter then where the talent come from.

One long time observer who writes on the college soccer scene and high school scene has noticed this also but pointed out to me recently that Sasho is getting practically ever top kid he wants in the northeast lately so it's a trade off. Also as this one time observer said, "look at the success Maryland's had and compare that to Wake lately. Who do you think still is getting more lemonade out of the squeeze of the lemons".

Tman.

 

[Fekula]

Re: Sasho - Baltimore Bays - Wake Forest

I am not sure that I would draw any conclusions either about the destination of recent Bays guys. The simple fact is that if there was a problem, neither party would utter a single sound about it. At the end of the day, a college coach doesn't want a problem like that and any club coach still feels an obligation to keep doors open for their players; their job is to help kids get to the next level, not to close off options for them. I have had prep coaches tell me that their job is to get kids into college, period. Its hard enough to do that without starting feuds.

Wake Forest made the Final Four in 2009, lost in OT to UVA, so they haven't done that bad; Maryland hasn't been back since they won the whole thing in 2008. Wake did OK this past year: two-and-done, losing to JMU in the 2nd round; they sucked in 2010, went just below .500 and didn't make the NCAA's, but the truth be told, they also lost a lot of guys to the pros as do all the top programs; they had four guys drafted in the MLS Draft 1st round right after they made the Final Four. I found a quote from last year on the Northwest Champions League site that said "UCLA has 19 former players currently in MLS, Maryland 13, Wake Forest 12, Indiana 12 and North Carolina 11, according to Rick Lawes, the leagueai¿½i¿½s ace stat man."

That quote was before UNC won the title this year and their numbers will have gone up. In any case, Jay Vidovich has lost a lot of guys to the pros as have the other top programs -- there is a reason why Maryland has not been in the Final Four since 2008. Of those teams listed above, only UNC has a very recent national title. And you didn't see Akron make the Final Four again either last year after winning the whole thing two years ago. Perry Kitchen was one-and-done before going to DC United and that tells much of the story.
This post was edited on 3/17 10:06 PM by Fekula

 

[TMAN]

Re: Sasho - Baltimore Bays - Wake Forest

Truth be told on some of these kids that bolted to Wake. They probably saw a better chance for PT compared to Maryland. Maryland's roster is pretty "frosting" right now. Ur not going to walk into Maryland and "start" unless you have some El Supremo talent. Wake Forest....not so much.

Tman

 

[Fekula]

Re: Sasho - Baltimore Bays - Wake Forest

Check out Wake's roster. It looks pretty deep to me. I think Wake as a school has a lot to offer in terms of education, a beautiful location, and then there are kids who just don't want to be near home. They want to go away to school and not have to deal with the old neighborhood, which is understandable. There are a lot of factors.

 

[mjvterp]

Re: Sasho - Baltimore Bays - Wake Forest

WF is kind of the in school right now and has some of the snooty factor like Virginia and Duke. Sasho is such a fantastic recruiter, though, that he can overcome that and more.

 

[TMAN]

Re: Sasho - Baltimore Bays - Wake Forest

Don't worry about Sasho. As I've said before, I believe he's the best recruiter in the country.

Tman

 

[Fekula]

Not quite

The College Soccer News had his recruiting class rated #7 in 2011; UNC, Akron, and Duke were 1,2,3 last year. I doubt that this year's haul will get him #1 and may not get him into the Top 5. CSN had his 2009 class as #1, so yes, he is top-notch but he doesn't always get the best class. I say this because sometimes the expectations of the fans get out of hand and I have to constantly remind people that its not only who you bring in, but who stays long enough to do any good.

 

[TMAN]

Re: Not quite

Mike... two points. My comments to the one poster was IMO he's the best recruiter in the country. We've conversed on this before. Year N Year out the man gets it done.

On this class,... I always wait 2 years to judge a class. I don't buy into the star system at all. I need to see the kids. I've always operated that way with my opinion. With that said, the 2012 class isn't done' yet either. Sasho is involved with 2 kids still for the 2012 class and he has a commit from a striker for the 2012 class that's not been announced but he's coming. With College Soccer news .... So how in the "H" can the College Soccer News rank this class when Sasho is not done recruiting. Bad journalism on their part and I've also notified that group about Maryland not being done with their recruiting.

Lets wait and see when the dust settles. BTW,.... Sasho may pull a prime timer from the state of Cali. He's down to UCLA and Maryland (so what I"ve been told). The kid has not visited College Park yet. The man is a thoroughbred on the recruiting trail.

 

[Fekula]

Non-Rev Noise

There is nothing wrong with CSN rating Maryland's recruiting class up to this point -- absolutely nothing unprofessional or irresponsible about it. The fact is that college basketball and football recruiting is covered 24/7/365 and there is a constant non-stop drumbeat of info, analysis, and speculation about who is going where; that has become a sports industry in itself. Meanwhile, the soccer people whine about it because they are not used to it. That is my biggest complaint with some of the people in the college non-rev sports world: they want the media attention that the revenue sports get, but they don't want to accept the consequences of same. And while we are on that subject, I can think of problems in the soccer programs going back a few years that never would have remained hidden if soccer was a revenue sport. The simple fact is that non-rev status allows athletic departments to burry negative stories that could never be hidden from the small army of revenue sport reporters that cover football and basketball.

Maryland waits longer than any other major soccer program to announce its class. If Cirovski wants to be a control freak and hold off on announcing his class until the very end of the process, that is his business. He does his job and I do mine. Journalists are not obligated to wait for his permission to comment. We are not on his payroll. And as to the possibility of other recruits being added, yes, that is always the case every year; we are all used to that now and Maryland would not be the only school that adds late recruits. As I have said a zillion times before, international players often come in late. Happens in other sports, not just soccer.

And as to Cirovski's vaunted recruiting, I have never denied he is a great recruiter, I just am not buying the hype that he is the best; the record simply does not show that. In any case, if he doesn't find a way to keep more of these guys in school, there won't be another Final Four any time soon. Despite his recruiting, he has suffered upsets in the NCAA Tournament two consecutive years; he can't deflect attention from that by blaming his problems on the media.


This post was edited on 4/8 11:22 PM by Fekula