Conference Previews for the 2024 season - CACC

Intro

SPEAKER_02 1:17

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of Increase with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D2 Men's Lacrosse. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stentram, and with me as always is the man who has been dubbed the D2 Lacrosse influencer, Danny Moran.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

How's it going, Danny? Kevin, that was a good one, my brother. How's everything going tonight in Northern Virginia? A little chilly tonight?

SPEAKER_02 1:43

Cold, man. This is winter weather already. We had a good, good run in the fall of nice weather. It kind of kept that late spring weather. It was 60s, 70s. This week, Danny, the wind today, we were in the 30s. It said 40, but it it was wind chill was in the 30s the whole time.

SPEAKER_03 2:02

Yeah, it was 28 this morning when I got in my car at five o'clock this morning. It was a nippy day, a little chilly. Winter's here, dude.

SPEAKER_02 2:10

Which only means one thing. LaCrosse is right in the corner. Yeah. A little over, you know, a month, month and a half away as we record this.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

Christmas first, but we got to deal with Christmas and then more lacrosse.

SPEAKER_02 2:25

Yeah, it seems like those holidays, like we just went through Thanksgiving and now we're going to Christmas. For you and me, I I think about it as like what's the next conference preview we have to get out.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

I know, I know. We got a lot going on, man. It's it's good though, keeping us busy this uh holiday season.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

That's right, that's

CACC

SPEAKER_02 2:42

right. And then with that, it's time to get to another conference. Last year, when we did our preview, we thought several teams would be vying for the championship, if you remember. In the end, the same usual suspect ended up winning. But I don't think they were the favorite to win by the end of the season. Nope. And that is the CAC. We have to remember that this is still a relatively new conference, Danny. Kind of in the same thing as a peach belt. And it's growing. But can someone now new make a run this year? The new team?

SPEAKER_03 3:21

I don't know. You know, I think I I think it's a little top heavy still, the CAC.

SPEAKER_02 3:25

Yeah, but do you think one of those other ones can make a move and take down Chestnut Hill?

SPEAKER_03 3:30

I don't yeah. I you know what? Uh there's maybe one or two in there that could maybe take them down, maybe.

SPEAKER_02 3:37

I I think there's up to three, depending on how one of them goes with the coaching change. So why don't we just start off with them? What do you think?

SPEAKER_03 3:44

You want to start off with last year's conference champs?

SPEAKER_02 3:47

I think we should. They deserve it. Chestnut Hill Griffins.

SPEAKER_03 3:51

The Griffins, Coach Jim DiCarlo. You know what? Chestnut Hill is, Kev, it's in Philly. Yeah. It's in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They were the CACC champs in 2023, although they weren't the favorites to win, like you did say. Um overall, they were 11-4, and they were 5-2 in conference last year, the Griffins. Uh their signature wins, a nice 10-9 overtime win over St. Rose. They had a 10-9 overtime win over Malloy, which was a big win for them.

SPEAKER_02 4:23

That was that went into four overtimes, Danny.

SPEAKER_03 4:27

Yeah, that was a crazy. That was one of those classic games that you sign up for, you know, Kev. And uh their big, big win was that 10-9 uh win over Georgian Court in the CACC Championship. So they have a very good squad, Kev.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

Yeah, they do. I would say, you know, Jim DiCarlo, that was his first season last year taking over as coach. They had some speed bumps late in the season, but figured it out in time for the championships. And they were way ahead in the first half of that game against Georgian Court. And then Georgian Court came storming back. But that was a great game. And it and it and like you said, it was really another signature win. Jim Coach DiCarlo talked to us about that on the podcast last year when he talked about his defense. He may be fooled once, he's not going to be fooled twice. He lost to Georgian Court in the regular season, and he came prepared in the championship. And that just is a testament not only to his coaching, but the resiliency of his team, I think. And so, but let's move to this year. 2024 out of conference just came out. I just saw it today. They're playing Seton Hill, St. Rose, Pace, Malloy, and UDC. So that's a pretty good, that's a pretty good mix out of conference for them.

SPEAKER_03 5:46

Yeah, pretty much around the same as last year. Yeah, you know, you know, Coach DeCarlo, he likes his defense. You know that. He's all about the D.

SPEAKER_01 5:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 5:55

But they got some good offensive players coming back, Kev. They got Noah Hammond at attack. Ready for this? He's 5'11, 260 pound attackman out of Rome, New York. Are you kidding me? Yeah, and I'll and 260 pounds of attackmen. Wow. He had 35 goals and 11 assists last year, Kev.

SPEAKER_02 6:21

Yeah, and he was just a freshman last year at 260.

SPEAKER_03 6:25

If you see this picture, he looks like a like a grown-ass man.

SPEAKER_02 6:30

That's how they bring him up in Rome New York, my friend.

SPEAKER_03 6:33

Yep, and uh they had Sam Slater's coming back at attack, 23 goals and 21 assists. Uh Cave Johnson at attack, 20 goals and 18 assists last year. So they have a formidable attack unit all coming back. Austin Jones comes back in goal for them.

SPEAKER_02 6:51

Yeah, and he had a 63% save percentage, so that's really good. And they returned some other depth on D with RJ Rabicki coming back. Now they could lose Dan Grubb if he does not come back for a fifth year. And he had 29 ground balls and 20 cost turnovers. So they return some depth, but could lose some seniority if Dan Grubb doesn't come back. I'll tell you, their offense, so like you said, their offense goes through their attack, and that they're all coming back this year, which means they're just going to be that much better.

SPEAKER_03 7:23

Oh, yeah, 100%. I think they're going to be an improved team. You know, again, like you said, lost a couple of seniors on defense, but let's see what Coach DeCarlo does. Again, like I said, he's all about the defense there. And Chestnut Hill, again, was not the favorite going in last year into that conference championship, but he came out on top. So you got they they're the team to beat up.

SPEAKER_02 7:46

Uh I agree. They're gonna hold steady from where they were last year, and they were really good. I mean, some of their other losses were to Mercy Hurst and Seaton Hill.

SPEAKER_03 7:55

So they're two-ranked teams.

SPEAKER_02 7:57

They are gonna be a formidable opponent in the CACC again this year.

SPEAKER_03 8:04

Yeah. And I think in order for them to like start making a move nationally, they might have to a little upgrade their out of conference. They have to get like an Adelphi or somebody like that. They got pace this year, and they're gonna have an improved Malloy team this year. But I think nationally, because 11 and 4 is a good season, Kev. Yeah. And two of those losses came to top two, top 10 ranked teams. Yeah. So if they could bump that schedule and get one more big boy on their out of conference schedule, Chestnut Hill could be in the mix, man.

SPEAKER_02 8:42

They could. They could. Here's another team that I think could be doing the same thing, and I think one that's gonna compete for that championship again, and the one that we thought was gonna win it last year, and that's the Georgian Court Lions.

SPEAKER_03 8:54

Yeah, the Lions from Georgian Court, Coach Mickey Hover, located in Lakewood, New Jersey, Kev. Um, they were undefeated in conference. They were the team in conference last year in the CACC. They took, they handled their business in conference. They were 12-6 overall, and uh they had some good signature wins, a nice 15-13 win over Wilmington last year, a 9-5 win over Chestnut Hill in conference play before the conference tournament. But again, like they lost to Chestnut Hill in the in the in the championship 10-9. Um, they have a pretty, pretty tough out-of-conference schedule, man.

SPEAKER_02 9:35

They did last year, yes. Last year they they played uh Bentley, Mercy, Adelphi, and Pace. And this year, they're doing the same thing. They've got Bentley, Mercy, Adelphi again, and Pace. They're loaded in their 2024 out-of-conference and St.

SPEAKER_03 9:52

Rose. Yeah, so they put, you know, Mickey Hover put a tough schedule for those Lions over there in Lakewood, Jersey. They're gonna they have a tough schedule. And you know what? They they got the goods, you know. They got a bunch of good players coming back, man. Brett Bridges at attack. He's out of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Kevin, in case you didn't know. And uh he had 37 goals and 23 assists, 60 points last year. And the kid that we talked about a lot last year, he was everything. Talent Smith, yeah. The midfielder. He's out of Midtown, New Jersey, and he had 28 goals and 22 assists. Joe Zer comes back, 18 goals. He added, three assists. Uh Vinny Burkhart in goal, who had a great year last year as a freshman. Okay. He saved 663, almost 64 percent. He had 232 saves in the season as a freshman. So he's a he's a handful in in between the pipes. And uh I like the Georgian court lions this year. I think they I think they come loaded for bear.

SPEAKER_02 11:04

Uh yeah, I think there's some other things too. Uh, you know, they've got Joe Murphy coming back on defense. He was the first team all conference, 30 ground balls and 11 cost turnovers as a junior. They've got Justin Ayanarone, right? Second team all conference or face-off, who is at 61%. And then you look at you look at some of their other key additions. They have three players that are now sophomores from the same high school, Howell High School, two brothers, Tyler Burns and Vincent Burns, and then Doug McKenzie. And they got play last year. And these guys know how to play together. They already have chemistry. So you add that in with Talon Smith and Brett Bridges. Right. It's it's another formidable offense. And now you look at other defensive players they've got TJ Parrott, Brendan Barnes, and Hunter Rindos, they have a strong core coming back. They lose some key seniors, you know, Dan Burnham, Mike Ventresca, Vince Gunther, but the rest of the team returns. They are gonna be tough. If they get guys to lead into leadership roles, they are gonna be tough.

SPEAKER_03 12:14

Well, the three guys that they lost were big. They were captains, they were seniors, they had been there a long time. Um, and I think Coach Hover relied on those three a lot to take care of a lot of different things. And now, like you said, some of these younger players are gonna have to step up into those roles that Ventreska and Junta and those guys had last year. But if you look at their what I like about this team is that there's multiple players that score and they share the rock, okay? Out of 240 goals that they scored last year, the Lions, 152 are assisted, Kevin. Yeah, that's great. They share the rock. And you know what? And I love teams that play like that because they're tough to defend because they move the ball and they have multiple scores and they can get you from multiple spots and multiple angles and come at you in multiple ways. Um, they were 42% on their man up, not too bad. What I was gonna say, that's that's very good. Not too shabby. Uh face off, they were kind of at a team at 54%. Again, not too shabby, you know, pretty good. But they do need to take care of the ball better because last year, ready for this? They had a whopping 326 turnovers in the season. If you divide that by 16 games, that's way, way too many. So, Coach Hover, I'm sure, is gonna have those guys looking to take care of the ball. Hey, you know what? Any team could say that. Hey, we got to take care of the ball better. But that's a case right there. 326 turnovers in the season is far too much, Governor.

SPEAKER_02 13:56

Yeah, I agree. But I think if you look at everything else, if they bring that down, geez, they're just gonna be tough.

SPEAKER_03 14:01

Yeah, they're gonna be a tough team.

SPEAKER_02 14:03

They may that that's the kind of thing. Now, I don't it would be interesting to see, Danny, if those were weighted more against the Bentleys and the Delphis and Mercy's, they played, if they got more turnovers against those teams, those tough teams, good defenses, all of them, right?

SPEAKER_03 14:20

Well, that's where you got it.

SPEAKER_02 14:22

But but that's but that's what I was the next thing I was gonna say is that's not an excuse. That's a lesson learned, of that's where you got to pick it up. You've they if they start playing those teams better and win one or two, they will be in the national hunt as well.

SPEAKER_03 14:39

I I too I I totally agree. So I I like the Georgian Court Lions. I'm gonna be keeping a keen eye on that team this year. I think they got something going there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Now, how about uh the Wilmington Wildcats?

SPEAKER_03 14:53

The Wildcats in Wilmington, in Wilmington, Delaware, Coach Christian Zwickert. They were a pretty formidable team, but they weren't the team they were in the 2022 season.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

Yeah, I don't think their 6-7 record overall. Now they were 5-2 in conference, but 6-7 overall is what Coach Swickert wanted after such a great 2022 season.

SPEAKER_03 15:17

Yeah, they had signature wins last year, a 12-11 win over Lake Erie, and a 24-14 win over Post. But they had a stacked schedule last year, Kev. They do not shy away from the big boys.

SPEAKER_02 15:33

Their first four games were Tampa, Mercyhurst, Pace, Mercy.

SPEAKER_03 15:40

Yeah. Hello. Yeah. Jab jab, right hook on the hook, on the punt. You know, I don't know, on the case.

SPEAKER_02 15:48

And and this isn't an excuse, but somewhat of a reason. I think they got a little banged up. I don't know if it was all in those games, but they they got banged up a little bit last year, and some of their players weren't there the whole season. I mean, they're getting back guys like Jimmy Cava, who didn't play last year, red shirt sophomore Sergio Romero. So there are some guys that just didn't get in last year. Then you got guys also on offense like Jake Herman, number one in the NCAA, D2 NCAA for assists per game. He had 44 assists total. And then, of course, you look at Logan Stinson and attack.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

Yeah, first team all C A C C. Logan Stinson is the first player in team history with 100 goals, Kev. He's he's a record setter there at Wilmington. He had 47 goals and 17 assists. We were calling Logan Stinson's name every week. Yeah. Last year. And you know, don't forget they got Giovanni Mariano, who we had on our show.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Yeah, but he's not coming back. He's not coming back. No, he had he had eligible eligibility, but he got into the police academy. Wow, he's moved on. So good. Yeah, and you know what? Let's talk about that for a quick second. Congratulations to him because that's what it's all about in the end. It's student athlete. And when you get to do that, and he made that decision of like, look, it I made into the academy. I'm going. Hats off to him.

SPEAKER_03 17:12

Yeah, he's starting his career. I guess he knows what he wants. Hey, you know what? We had him on the show, and I just I fell in love with the kid. He was such a big teddy bear type of kid. He was having a great season. He was all C A C C that year. So, hey, congratulations, Gio, from the boys on In the Crease. Good luck in the academy. Stay safe out there. And uh, who else we got to talk about? TJ Caton?

SPEAKER_02 17:36

TJ Caton, he he's coming back as well. He was the CACC player of the year last year.

SPEAKER_03 17:42

Yeah, they got some good, they got some players there. Logan Stinson's a beast. And you know what? TJ's pretty good too. They lose Jack Cruz in goal, though.

SPEAKER_02 17:53

Yeah, and and there's a competition going on. Coach says it's competition between two British Columbia keepers, Lucas Price and Carter Trevison, who was their starter last year. Two freshmen, Brent Braden Mitchell and Daniel Flynn. So he's got a bunch.

SPEAKER_03 18:10

Yeah, Treveson uh saw 100 minutes of play last year, so he saw significant playtime last year, so he might have the edge going in. But I didn't see I didn't see their schedule posted yet. Did you see it?

SPEAKER_02 18:24

No, coach gave it to us. They're out of conference schedule. Get this, Danny. You look at what they did last year. They didn't they didn't really back off. They open at Mercyhurst, then they play at pace, then they're at Lake Erie, then they host Mercy, and then they play Far Prosperg under the lights at Hopkins. Wow. Wow. Now you look that matches right up with the kind of out-of-conference schedule that that Georgian court so three away, one home, one neutral. Yep. And if you look at that, Danny, I I don't know if that kind of got into their heads when they played that tough schedule last year, or if they got totally beat up. You know, because we you don't really notice it. You don't see it in any kind of you're not getting an injury port every week of like who's out and who's not in in division two. It'd be great if we get something like that and understand that. But I think those couple things you know, you get it in your head, you gotta be really resilient. When you're playing a tough out-of-conference like that, you have got to be able to say, okay, that's all right. This is gonna set us up one way or the other. It's gonna set us up either just for the CAC championship or it's gonna set us up to be into the NCAA.

SPEAKER_03 19:41

I agree. I couldn't agree with you more. You know, injuries can really, you know, bang a team up. You know, one or two kids go down with an injury, it could really mean a lot, you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Yeah. Yeah. We have yeah, now we haven't talked about their defense. They returned two starting close defensemen, John Green and Quinn Tracy, and their LSM Brendan Leonard. They're adding in some coach says some talented freshmen, Garrett Payne and Rory Steele. Uh, and then a Dell Tech transfer defenseman, Ryan McCreary. And their D midfield is improved. They've got Tyler Quinn, Justin Solomon, Josh Levery, Matt, Priscilla, and Zach Wallins. So they've got a bunch of guys they're they're rotating in on D mid, which can help too. I'm sure that's probably gonna be thin down, uh whittle down a little bit when they're playing in season. Um, but there's probably gonna be four guys that are gonna be in there that can rotate, keep fresh legs.

SPEAKER_03 20:36

Yeah. You know, quick coach's a pretty good coach, man. He knows what he's doing.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

So and their biggest upgrade, he says, is their incoming transfer, CJ Lofton, at face-off. He used to be at UDC and had a face-off win percentage of 66%. Wow. Okay. So they've got all the pieces to the puzzle to make a run again this year.

SPEAKER_03 21:03

Yeah, they averaged 15 goals.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

They did 22. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:06

They put the biscuit in the basket. They averaged 15 goals a game. Their man up was at like almost 45 percent. That that face-off kid's gonna help them out a lot because they were at 46%, which isn't too shabby. They clear it in 81%. You know, Wilmington, the Wildcats are a good team, very formidable.

SPEAKER_02 21:25

Yeah, the one thing I saw, I saw their save percentage at 45%. So this is where I think they need improvement. They've got four guys competing. Maybe that competition is going to get them there, and they've got a guy that's gonna uh step up. Now, Trevezon, if he if he started some last year and now it's just getting more seasoning under his belt, he could be the guy, or maybe there's you know, one of the other guys steps up. We'll have to see. But that's probably where they need to improve. Yeah, yeah, I agree. Now, here's the team we talked about wild cards and some. Other conference. This team I'm I think is a wild card this year. Post the Eagles. From Connecticut. Yes, from Connecticut. We got that one right today.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

Yeah. The post Eagles, they're located in Waterbury, Connecticut, Kev. Coach that's pretty funny. Coach Patrick Yannarelli. He was only hired September 23rd, Kevin. Yeah. So he's only there a couple of months. So last year, they're overall 10 and 4. Not a bad season. 5-2 in conference. Pretty darn good. Very good. Very good. Their signature win was an 11-9 win over Chestnut Hill.

SPEAKER_01 22:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:45

The conference champs. So they're a formidable squad. They got a bunch of guys coming back too. Kev Braden Lockier, the midfielder, 47 goals and 20 assists. Dylan Healed. We talked about him a lot. Every week. Every week he's, you know, 43 goals last year and 24 assists. He put up some nice numbers. Robbie McGrain, 40 goals, 14 assists. And, you know, their defense, they got Cole George, you know, in goal, James Sprout, the LSM, Carfegna on defense. They got a bunch of studs coming back.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

Yeah, I've got the same guys listed as you do. And you're right. They've got the core that without a doubt can keep them improving.

SPEAKER_03 23:34

You know what hurt them last year a little bit? They're in the box a lot. They commit a lot of penalties and they're playing defense.

SPEAKER_02 23:43

It's funny, Danny. I had the exact same comment. Penalty minutes in the box a lot last season versus opponents. Now their man up was 50%. So if they can get that those penalty minutes down, not be in the box and hurt them. Now they may survive the penalties, but you're not on offense when you're doing that. You're just not being able to really produce. So, you know, I think that's kind of a critical thing. They're 20-24.

SPEAKER_03 24:09

Then you add in the poor save percentage from the goal play last year against your man down. It spells doom for a team. And they still went five and two in conference and 10-4 overall. Yeah. So yeah. They're good.

SPEAKER_02 24:25

Yeah, they're very good. I mean, they lost to Georgian Court and Wilmington in conference, but they beat the other CACC teams handily. So they are a very, very good team. They're out of conference this year. Wheeling, Deuville, Franklin Pierce, St. Rose, St. Thomas Aquinas, AIC, Hartford, which is a D3 school in Malloy. That is pretty much not the exact same teams, but it's very close to what they did last year out of conference. So I think that's a good schedule for them. They may do it a little bit differently. I mean, I think obviously we just talked about this with Chestnut Hill. If they want to get to that level of being looked at nationally, they're going to have to beef up that uh out of conference. But where they're at, that's a good conference. That's a good out of conference for them. I think the real thing is with this head coaching change coming in September, will they keep that consistency? Because if they what they need to do is start making a move against those big dogs all the time. They they need one more win out of a Chestnut Hill or a Georgian court and and build off of that.

SPEAKER_03 25:37

Yeah, I want to see what Yannorelli does offensively, how how they like to you know play their offense. Are they going from X? Are they going, you know, are they gonna play a lot of two-man? What are they gonna do? Are they gonna be MIDI-oriented, attack-oriented, are they gonna be balanced? How are they gonna run their defense? So I'm interested to see what the new coach Yannorelli does there at Post, because again, they got players and they got a formidable squad. So I like Post this year. I think they could be an improved squad.

SPEAKER_02 26:08

They can. They can. Like I said, I think the wild card is, you know, coaching changes. I don't think it's maybe that big of a deal. I'm maybe making too much out of it because I think it's it's the core of the players, and then just getting used to if it's new language and what they can bring. Now, they he came in a little bit late, but he's got them for most of fallball, and then he's got him at the beginning of the of the season to see where they go. So I think it'll be interesting.

SPEAKER_03 26:32

Yeah, so if they get a little better in between the pipes and stay out of the box, I expect them to be an improved team.

SPEAKER_02 26:38

Agree, agree. All right, how about the Dominican University Chargers?

SPEAKER_03 26:44

Dominican of New York.

SPEAKER_02 26:46

Right, we've got to make that that distinction from that one.

SPEAKER_03 26:49

Kev, because there's two Dominicans. So yeah, the Chargers, Coach Steiger, good guy. Um Dominican, you know, over the years has been a mediocre team. You know, not filled with a boatload of players. Um, they were 5-11 overall last year, three and four in conference. Not bad, not great, not bad, you know, right. Middle of the road kind of team.

SPEAKER_02 27:15

Yeah, I agree. I think it's tough for them. If remember when we talked to Coach Stargard and where that program started when he played, and they were playing and practicing in parking lots, basically. Right. They're getting to the point now where they're they're building a turf field, and it's all out of private donations. So they're at a different level in some resources that maybe other schools have. Right. So, based on that and what they get with a smaller roster, hopefully, maybe in the 30s this year, they put a pretty good team out there and a pretty good product to watch. Uh they're not gonna lay down. No. No. No, and they've got some good players coming back. They lose their top scorer, Daniel Carson, but they've got William Gordon, 28 goals, 11 assists, Sean Cosgrove, who was a soft, who was only a freshman last year, 19 goals and 13 assists, another freshman last year, Zach Souza, right? With 16 goals and eight assists. So I think they've got a good core coming back on the offensive side.

SPEAKER_03 28:16

Yeah, Pat Roderka comes back at face-off. He was at 50%, Kev. Yep, yep. Team that wasn't, you know, that was like a mediocre team. So he was doing his job. Uh, you know, who would have William Gordon coming back on defense? He had 30 ground balls, 12 calls turnovers. You know, I didn't see their schedule posted yet. So I don't know. It's not posted. So I don't know who they have out of conference, you know. So I expect them, you know, to be kind of about the same, kind of in the middle of the pack.

SPEAKER_02 28:48

Yeah, I think their goals are to make games closer. Like you always said, they want to be the team that comes out and then puts the scare in any team. Because if they start doing that and they get on top, they can actually turn that into a win.

SPEAKER_03 29:08

Well, you know, you know how kids are. Sometimes they're like, oh, that team doesn't have a really good record. We're gonna smoke this team. And then Dominican plays tough, you know, because they're out there playing hard, you know. So you know, you just hope that you don't catch Dominican on one of those days because they can beat you. You know, they play, you know, they just they do need a little help, but you know, I expect them to be kind of like in the same category this year.

SPEAKER_02 29:34

Yeah, I I think so too. The next one may be in that same category, and that's Caldwell Cougars. Remember, this is another young team. They didn't start until 2020. Now, last year they had a tough year. They were two and ten and one and six in conference. And now they have they're another team with a new head coach with Blaise Mantinio, Coach Lopes that was only there for one year. So if you think about this team has been around four years and they're on their third coach.

SPEAKER_03 30:05

Yeah, he was only hired August 10th. So he's only there a couple of months, you know.

SPEAKER_02 30:10

Well, he was the assistant the year before. So he's been the assistant. He got there with with Coach Lopes. So there is a little bit of continuity. The team, if you remember when we did the the coaching changes and talked to him, the team was happy he got the job because there it makes it a little more stable, a little more constant in the program. There's no big changes. He's doing the same thing he did as an assistant.

SPEAKER_03 30:35

Yeah, and he's familiar with the AD and everything like that. So yeah. Jaden comes back, senior midfielder. He had 24 goals, 10 assists last year, 30 ground balls, pretty good player. Uh Jason Stout comes back, 13 goals, 21 assists, and defense. They got Mundeep Singh and Giuseppe DeMarco. Good thing I don't have to be uh an announcer at that game.

SPEAKER_02 31:03

Yeah, and Mason Corby, I think, on their defense is returning.

SPEAKER_03 31:06

Yeah, DeMarco's from uh out here on Long Island, went to Northport High School. Very good public high school across teams. So that boy's a player, you know that. Yeah. And uh they had Tim Livingston last year in goal. I don't know what if he's coming back or not.

SPEAKER_02 31:20

Um have him listen. I've got, you know, they have to have other step up, including new goalie, uh Shane Murphy, who's a sophomore, Kyle Alexander is a freshman, and Ethan Sherer is a freshman. So they've got it.

SPEAKER_03 31:32

And they didn't produce their schedule yet either. I didn't see their they have not.

SPEAKER_02 31:36

Now, here's what I'd say. You know, they have a small roster, they're about at 29, but they're up a little bit from what they had last year. So maybe that's gonna help them in practice be able to do more things. Because I'll tell you one thing they had trouble with last year was clearing. They were at 66%. And that comes a lot to not being able to practice that way. And more players are gonna help that because that's what they need. And their man up was only at 20%. So they couldn't get the ball on offense and they couldn't capitalize when they had their chances uh when they were man up.

SPEAKER_03 32:08

Yeah, they struggled. They were only two in 10 overall and one in six in conference. And you know, they were they've only won two games, Kev. There's it's a it's a like you said, school's been around, they've been they had a program for four years, they're on their third head coach.

SPEAKER_02 32:24

So yeah, so I it's gonna take time. They have a good mix of veteran and young players, but they still have to build, and they still have to build this program. And that's I think Coach Mantinio is there for a long haul. And I think that's gonna help them in the out years as we move into 2025 and 2026.

SPEAKER_03 32:46

And Jersey produces a lot of good lacrosse players. Jersey, Jersey's a good lacrosse state, man, and they're they're getting better and better each year. And, you know, he doesn't have to go far. He doesn't have to go far to Long Island, he doesn't have to go far to Philly and and and and in his own state to recruit. So I think he's in a really central location as far as like hot beds for lacrosse and players and recruiting. So I think it's an attractive place. Caldwell, New Jersey's nice. It's it's not far from Manhattan. I mean, it's got all the amenities that you could want for a little college town. And you know, I think if you're a player, it's not it's a school to think about.

SPEAKER_02 33:30

Definitely, definitely. All right, let's move on to Felician.

SPEAKER_03 33:35

Felician Golden Falcons. You know where they're located? Where's that? Brotherford, New Jersey. Another Jersey school, not too far from Giant Stadium. So uh Brendan Bonacamp, we've had him on. Yep. The show. Really gracious guest when he was on. Loved having him on. Really excitable, kind of positive thinking type of coach. Um, they have a very small roster, Kev Felician, a very young squad. Uh overall, they won three games last year. They went three and nine, two and four in conference, and their signature win was a 10-8 win over Caldwell last year.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 34:18

So this is a team on the up and up, coming up, trying to build. Coach Monacum's trying to build that program as well.

SPEAKER_02 34:26

Yeah, I'll this is what I'll tell you. You you called it now. This year the roster's up to 30, but they were only at 22 last year. I mean, just eight players. It's just depth. They need depth. And if you look at it, they're another school that had some problems, some challenges because of injuries, and and players not not being able to uh to be there. I mean, AJ Guerrero is just one of them. That was he's he had an uh ACL injury against Dominican last year, and they are not sure when he's coming back this year at what point. But when he does, he's gonna come right in and help with the offense. But there is a player that we've talked about a couple years ago, Jabez Escalante.

SPEAKER_03 35:09

Javes Escalante.

SPEAKER_02 35:12

He has had a really good fall, Coach says, and he thinks he's gonna return to his formy showed in 2022. And I think that's one of the keys for them. They also have Finn Crocker. Now, Finn Crocker, his natural position is midfield, but he had to spend time at LSM last year because of an injury to Liam Dunn. Yeah, so when when you've got 22 and you've got other guys filling in, that causes gaps in what you originally were intending for them to do, right? Right, you don't have the depth in positions. Finn Crocker, give him credit. Coach said, give get your get a poll, and you're gonna play LSM because you're athletic for us. And that's what he did. He did what the team needs, but now he's gonna be back at his natural position. And now think about it with playing LSM, think of what a two-way middy he can be.

SPEAKER_03 36:02

Exactly, exactly. I'm sure, I'm sure Bonlikamp's gonna put him that way. I sure I bet you is a two-way. Yep. Because they still need numbers. 30 is still not huge, it's better than 22. You know, the practices are better, but again, you know, one or two injuries, whoo! I can really hurt a small roster team. So, you know, they got Robert Grasso coming back. He's coming back. He's he's ice lip Long Island kid. 46 goals, 20 assists, seven cause turnovers, 51 ground balls. He's the program's all-time goals leader. He's the program's all-time assist leader, and he was all CACC last year. So even though Felician struggled as a team, Robert had a really Grasso had a really good season.

SPEAKER_02 36:52

Yep. And then they also have on the defensive side uh Matt Franco, coach says he's by far one of the smartest defenders he's ever had the privilege to coach. So, you know, they've got some players. They got some newcomers coming in. Jaden Rios. He's got another guy. He says he can do everything in the midfield. Dominic Sala. He transferred in the fall after spending two years at West Connecticut. And he's really meshed on the defensive side with Bronco and their goalie, Nick, Nick Gribb, who, you know, there is a pretty good goalie. He's looking not as great as he did uh two years ago, and he's looking for a good bounce back year from him this spring.

SPEAKER_03 37:30

Okay, let's see what they can do. I mean, they you know, they've added eight players to the roster, got some, you know, players coming back from injury from last year. So let's see uh how Bonacom can uh get his team going this year. Should be interesting. Yeah, let's you know, he's in a tough conference. That's C A C C is a pretty, you know, the upper echelon, those boys are tough. There's a lot of formidable squads.

SPEAKER_02 37:55

So I'll tell you what. In 2022, they were 7-7. They finished their season 7-7. I think they have a shot of getting 500 again this year. If you look at their out of conference, they're they're playing Davison Elkins, Southern New Hampshire, St. Michael's, Assumption, Virginia State, and St. Thomas Aquinas. Yeah. If they stay healthy and keep 30 on their squad, they're gonna play all those teams tough.

SPEAKER_03 38:24

That that's a perfect out-of-conference schedule for them.

SPEAKER_02 38:27

I think so too. I think so too. And we'll give them a kind of a warm-up.

SPEAKER_03 38:31

They're not ready for the big boys yet, just yet. No, they still program again, they're still growing, and it's it's gonna take time.

SPEAKER_02 38:39

Okay, let's move on. Last two teams, the newest teams. Bridgeport, the Purple Knights, their first season last year.

SPEAKER_03 38:48

Yeah, their inaugural season last year, Kev. Bridgeport Purple Knights. You know where they're located? Bridgeport in Connecticut. Not too far from Long Island, not too far from you know, the New England spots, not far from Jersey, a lot of um hotbeds nearby. Coach Tampone doesn't have to travel very far to recruit very good lacrosse players. You know what, though, which was awesome, they won their very first game, Kevin. Yeah. As an inaugural team, as a new program in NCAA. I don't think anybody expected them to win that game. And they won that game. It was a one-goal, 9-8 win over AIC. Yep. And then it was all downhill after that.

SPEAKER_02 39:41

Yeah, they had some close games and losses, but uh that was their only win. They went 0-7 in conference. But once again, they're starting a program. They are they had a small young roster, 22. They had two players that followed Tempone from uh Palm Beach Atlantic, Pete Nazario and goalie in goal, and Nick Whalen at MIDI. Right. But other than that, you're talking a really young team.

SPEAKER_03 40:05

Yeah, the kid James Napoli had 25 goals and nine assists. He played summer ball with my youngest son. I know the kid. I know the, you know, he's got two brothers. They're triplets. I think they're on the squad as well. I don't know if the other two, at least one of the brothers are triplets, Napoli boys. Uh they're from Long Island. And uh James is a pretty good player. He's a pretty solid player. He had 25 goals and nine assists. And then he had Tyne Hewlett on the team last year. Again, they were mostly freshmen on that squad last year. Right. So he had 22 goals and six assists. There was only 22 on the roster last year, Kev. You know, it's tough. It's tough, but it's a new program, and Tempone, I'm sure, is gonna get it going in the right direction. I don't think it's gonna take them very long, but it will take time.

SPEAKER_02 40:55

Just like we talked about Caldwell, you've seen it with them. Now, they have also had the COVID year and then some turnover coaches. Tempone stays, he's gonna continue building. They had the typical jan challenges of any first year program with a small roster. They turned the ball over too much. They had there were 68% in clear percentage and only 31.1 shots per game. But that's what happens when you you're at that that first level and you've got a lung, a lot of young players. He continues to build, and those players now have we talk about this all the time, have NCAA experience. Sophomores, when they become juniors, I think they're still gonna struggle this year. You know, their roster and their schedule's not out. I assume they have a bigger roster this year, but hopefully. But they're gonna continue to build.

SPEAKER_03 41:45

I expect them to kind of have the same kind of schedule, same kind of teams within the region. Yeah, AIC, Franklin Pierce, Southern New Hampshire, those types of teams, maybe a St. Rose, one of those, uh Deuville. They'll probably be back on the schedule for them. So the Purple Knights have work to do. Coach Tempone has, you know, he has his work cut out for him. Again, like we just said, they didn't post a new roster or their new schedule yet. So we'll have to see what uh the purple knights put on the field this year.

SPEAKER_02 42:17

Right, but Tempone has done this before, started teams from scratch and done really well. So I expect the same thing from Bridgeport in the years to come. Now, the last team is the newest. First season for them this year. Holy family. Out of Philadelphia, the Tigers.

SPEAKER_03 42:34

Yeah, Noah Morris, first year uh today's uh this year is their first year in uh NCAA Division II. They're coming in to there again, like you just said, they're from Philly, they're coming into that little blue-collar C A C C, you know, Jersey kind of located uh conference. Um I have no idea of what they're gonna be like, what they're gonna look like. I have no idea what how many of they're on their roster.

SPEAKER_02 43:05

Yeah, the roster's not out yet. They're out of conferences, they're playing uh Davis and Elkins, say Thomas Aquinas, and then UDC, and then it's in conference. So they've really just got about an 11-game schedule for the first year, which isn't a bad way to start.

SPEAKER_03 43:19

You know, no, that's good. No, that's good. You don't want to compete, you don't want to walk these kids the first year.

SPEAKER_02 43:25

Right. The thing that interests me is Noel Morris just came as the head coach this September, as you remember. It was Daniel Keating. He was the name the head coach in September of 2022 to start the program, but then he stepped down this summer to take the head job at Don Bosco Prep. Fran Katani, who was hired as an assistant as the D coordinator in July of this year, was holding down the fort for a couple of months until Coach Morris came in and was hired. Now, that in and of itself, when you've got a new program, I I have No idea. I don't I don't know if there's a blueprint for that. Like if that ever happened, right? And and so maybe it's easy just to bounce out of that and and keep going because they're they really don't know anything different. You know, this is their first year they're gonna play anyway, and now they have a new head coach and they move forward. I think they're gonna struggle. I would assume they're gonna struggle just like any new program will, but it's it's just great to see the CACC grow by so much. You've got two new teams in the conference the past two years.

SPEAKER_03 44:28

Yeah, it's it's huge. It's huge for Division II. It's great for the conference. Uh, I agree with you. I think Holy Family's gonna struggle, as like you said, any new team, any new program would. I'm sure they're low on numbers. Um, we're just gonna have to wait and see and see what they look like. And and you know, I'm waiting for I'm waiting for their for their roster to be put out, actually.

SPEAKER_02 44:52

Yeah, I'm really excited to see that actually, to see how many they have, who the players are, where they're coming from. Are they mainly freshmen? I assume they are. Do they have any transfers? Do they have any guys that are coming in to help out? That will be really interesting to see. And I'll tell you what, I am excited to watch one of their games and see them out there playing.

SPEAKER_03 45:13

Yeah, me too. Uh Bridgeport as well. I want I want to watch them. I watched them play with game a night game last year. Um, but this I like this conference. It's got like that blue-collar feel, you know. And I like the top echelon, the Georgian course, the Wilmingtons, uh, you know, the the Chestnut Hills. The Chestnut Hills, even Dominican, you know, could put something together. You know, let's see. It's a good conference. Uh I'd like to see one of these teams really make a run and put that CACC on the map, like really do well.

SPEAKER_02 45:49

Totally agree with you.

Coach Hover of GCU

SPEAKER_02 45:52

Now on to our coaches interview. We get to welcome back Coach Mickey Hover of Georgian Court. And last year, Danny, they had one hell of a season, don't you think? Excellent season, excellent season last year. Yeah, I'm and I'm really excited just to get him on and see where he's going this year with this team. So, what do you say? Should we just bring him on right now? Let's bring him on, the Mick. Hey coach. Hey guys, how are you? Good, great to have you back on.

SPEAKER_03 46:23

Coach Mickey Hover, Georgian Court Lions. So good to see you again. You look great, my friend. And uh, how you doing, man?

SPEAKER_00 46:30

You look good. Everything is going well. I appreciate you guys having me on. This is number two, and uh it's been uh it's been awesome to hear all the episodes. You guys have done such an amazing job.

SPEAKER_02 46:42

Well, thank you. Appreciate that. Let's start off with last year. You went 12 and 6 and 7-0 7-0 in conference, but then you lose a barn burner of a game to Chestnut Hill in the CACC championship. Talk us through last season, especially the year before, which I know you didn't have the season you were hoping for in 2022, but this last year in 2023, I mean, I think Danny and I talked about it in the end. We we both had you pegged to beat Chestnut Hill in the championship season, and they once again, as Chestnut Hill does, comes back, but talk about your season, how you built it like it did, and and what you felt about it.

SPEAKER_00 47:25

Yeah, I I it was it was a great year. And the the guys, they they did a great job uh throughout the year. Um in 2022, uh, we didn't have all the results that we wanted. Um in 2023, you know, they kind of went our way, um, which was awesome. Uh there were some ups and downs, and you know, especially playing a tough schedule. It um, you know, can kind of beat on a on a on a team, you know, throughout the year when um you know you're playing some really, really challenging teams, but um really they came together as a group, uh, especially at the end, the the final game against Chestnut Hill. They were a great team, extremely well coached, had some great senior leadership that you know really just put them in a great spot. It was a 6-3 game at halftime, and we were down. And um, you know, the look on their face, you know, at halftime was, you know, this isn't how our season's gonna end, and you know, really roared back uh in the second half uh and just wasn't enough time. And but I I you know definitely tipped my cap to Coach DeCarlo and and the Chestnut Hill Griffins. They had a tremendous year and a three-peat, and um, you know, they were a really tough team. All the all the teams were tough, but you know, to see them in the final. No, well, we we knew it was gonna be a tough game.

SPEAKER_01 48:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 48:38

They did a great job, but I think a lot of the success of the year was you know, just having a really great core of seniors and um, you know, I think also learning too, you know, and and I think last year, as much as it stung, it the guys learned a lot from uh from that experience last year of you know, just seeing another team get what you wanted at the end of the season. Um, you know, and I think they've they've worked really hard to to uh this fall, and I think it's really driven us in a lot of ways.

SPEAKER_03 49:08

Now, last year we had three of those seniors on our show. We had uh Danny Burnham, right? Yeah, uh Vinnie Genta and who else? Who was the Ventreska? Mike Ventreska, yeah. Yeah, we had three, those great guys, and they were hysterical too. They were hysterical. But coach, I think you lose those three, right? Am I correct? All three.

SPEAKER_00 49:30

I wish uh wish we could sign them to uh multi-year deals. Uh you know, it doesn't uh doesn't work that way. Um, you know, in the college ranks, but yeah, it's definitely, you know, that senior group, um, you know, including Ryan Rigby and um Mark Baru and and uh Nick Mann and um hopefully I'm not forgetting anybody else. They they were just huh uh Andrew Candino. I can't believe I almost forgot him. They were just such a great group of seniors, um, and so committed and and really selfless um as leaders and as people. And um, you know, I I attribute a lot of our success last year to them, but I think also their leadership and and kind of selflessness will help us this year as well.

SPEAKER_02 50:16

Yeah, I was gonna touch on that as well, but you are bringing back it looks to me like key positions on every part of the field. Brett Bridges on attack, your number one scorer, Joe Murphy on defense, Talon Smith at MIDI, your face-off uh specialist, uh Justin, is it I uh last year? Yep, yep, yeah, and then and then in goalie, a youngster with Vincent Burkhart, who's 6'5 and the probably the softest hands and the quickest feet for a big guy that I've seen. Are you expecting are uh is with their what they did last year? Is that kind of the you feel that those guys are now ready to take up some of those leadership roles that they have to supplant Dan and Mike and the other ones you talked about?

SPEAKER_00 51:03

Yeah, absolutely. I think that they got a lot of experience, and a lot of those guys got experience, you know, and it's I think a blessing to be able to play and get that experience, not just watch. Uh, you know, they were all integral parts last year. We have a lot of great, you know, key key parts. We just you know, as a staff, Coach Sidron and I, you know, we talk about it all the time. It's like where are we gonna get all these guys in? There's just so many good players, and um, you know, there's always work to be done, but you know, definitely feel really comfortable that they got a lot of uh game experience that's really gonna guide them for you know the for some of them three years, you know. There's some of them some of the sophomores coming back. But talent talent will have a great year, especially as a senior Justin. Um, you know, as a fifth-year guy coming back is gonna be be awesome. Um, but we just have a lot of depth in in all the positions, which is great.

SPEAKER_03 51:55

That's phenomenal. That's a good problem to have. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 51:58

When you gotta like say, how are we gonna get everyone playing time? That's a that is a great problem to have. But the you talked about it too, coach, on having a tough schedule, and Danny and I have talked about that. You always put together together a very tough out-of-conference, and it's no different this year. I think this year's kind of matches what you had last year, but you look at the teams Adelphi, Mercy, Pace, Pace, St. Rose, and now you add Malloy, who maybe in years past you'd say, okay, that's a that's a W in our column. No more. And is that it? What are you hoping to get out of that competition?

SPEAKER_00 52:38

Yeah, I mean, I I kind of you know deem those five teams, uh, three of them were tied in the top 20 last year. I believe in the top 10. And St. Rose and and Malloy uh are both teams that I really truly believe are you know in that 18 to you know 25 range and uh can play at that level. And Molloy has always been a tough game for us. We've played them since our first year in 2016. Oh wow. St. Rose is kind of a new add-on game uh in the last couple years, but those are gonna be tough games. And um, you know, St. Rose in 2022, they they beat us up pretty good. We went up there and just weren't ready. Last year, you know, we kind of f and clawed and and just to stay in the game. And um, you know, Malloy, you know, we've we've had games where we're one or two goals away the last it's you know, nine years. Um, so they're just really tough, and uh Malloy's getting so much better, but uh all the teams are getting so much better, and it's it's just so great for the North region. Um and it's and it's hard to schedule when you have so many great teams in the area, you know, and um especially in a close distance for us. So, you know, we just pick the the top teams that we possibly can. I'm one of those guys that maybe I'm a glutton from uh for punishment, but uh you know, I I like playing those top teams and uh definitely great coaches. We you know, as a staff, we learn a lot from them. Um, but I think also the players learn a lot from you know having you know those those times where they have to, you know, kind of look inside and look interior to to kind of figure out what their next step's gonna be. Um, you know, are they gonna work a little bit harder? You know, is you know the the work they're doing enough? Um and also just gives them a really great opportunity, kind of uses a barometer of here's a team that played in the NC tournament the last six years, seven years, you know, this where we want to get to. It takes some time and takes some effort to get to that point.

SPEAKER_03 54:36

No, but you're right. It's good to play those teams. I think the uh, you know, iron sharpens iron, as they say, you know, and the kids get to see, you know, top-notch lacrosse and uh aspire to be that way. And you know what? And if they can hang and be competitive, and you've have, you've been competitive with those teams. So I think it's gonna continue into in the same place. You again, you're you're out of conference schedule, it's one of the toughest in the country, um, most of the times. And it's it's just a tribute to what you're doing to get that program going at Georgian Court and where it is today. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 55:12

Yeah, so it's it's not always easy. Not always easy, but yeah, that's uh anything. Oh, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 55:19

Yeah, no, especially when you look at it and front loading it in your schedule, right? Because most of your conference games are going to be later in the season. You're playing those teams like you said earlier. It can it can wear on teams if you're uh playing those teams and you're not getting up for the next one, and you just it it's a brutal schedule. And I I my hats off to you, your staff, and your team for being resilient and just going out there and and playing your game and and just keeping the build on it for the season.

SPEAKER_00 55:49

And it's not always easy, you know. And that's uh kind of what hit us in 2022 is um, you know, we had a couple guys that came up in the office. I'm like, what's what's what's wrong? And they're like, we're just losing. And I'm like, yeah, we've lost a four. That was we played St. Anselm, we played Mercy, we played Pace, we played uh McLe, like uh and Bentley. And I'm like, we've lost five games, the top 20 teams that are tremendous. I'm like, let's stop getting down about you know a loss, let's learn from it. And right, right. And I think that really helped our success last year, uh, when it was kind of put in context of like, it's it's not that it's okay to lose, but let's let's let's keep getting better and let's let's keep focusing on those little things that are going to get us to that point. And that's kind of what I've done from the start. Again, maybe a gun of punishment, maybe uh, you know, but it's it's definitely uh you know been a really good process to to play those teams consistently. We've played Mercy from the start. We've played, I think we had one year off with Pace. Um, Adelphi is kind of, I think this is our third or fourth game. Um, you know, they're not easy ones. And now that's I think that pushes you a little bit in that winter time when you know you're like, oh, it's 30 degrees outside. Like, we're gonna go play those teams when it's 30 degrees outside, better get outside. Uh you know, so I think that guides our guys too.

SPEAKER_02 57:11

Okay, now let's talk about the competition in your conference and the CACC. It's been growing. You got Bridgeport came in last year and Holy Family this year. What do you think of that growth and the future of the CACC?

SPEAKER_00 57:25

No, it's it's uh awesome to have uh Bridgeport last year and Holy Family ad this year. We're at nine teams. Um, I remember the our first year when we were in independent school and we were there, there's only four teams in the conference, and I was, you know, like, are we ever gonna get a conference? And now we're at the point where you know the NE10, who you know always had the most of you know, 10, 12 teams, um, you know, we're knocking on that door, which is which is awesome. And it just helps so much for uh the schools in terms of kind of scheduling, budgetary, all those kind of parts that go into it. Um and the coaches, I I give them so much credit um because they've done such a great job. Um, you know, and and uh from you know, um Coach Tempone at at Bridgeport, he had a really, really talented first year team. Um, you know, and and I think uh Coach Morris will will have a really good uh first year team. And uh it seems like each year the first year programs keep getting better, which is uh uh scary.

SPEAKER_03 58:28

Uh it is, it is, you're right.

SPEAKER_00 58:30

Scary, but uh you know, I I it's it's everybody in our conference is working really hard, and uh the support from the administrations are there, and um you know, I think they see the value in having Mensa Cross in the conference and what it can do to the schools as well.

SPEAKER_02 58:46

That's great. So I have to finish. I've got one more question. I just have to ask. We talked about your your senior leadership from last year. I have to ask you about Mike Ventreska now becoming a graduate assistant, thank God, not in the CACC, but at Deuville. What do you think about him becoming a grad assistant there?

SPEAKER_00 59:05

No, I'm I'm pumped. He uh it's funny because uh Coach Wilson, he uh played for me at Church and Court. Um he asked me last year, he's like, you know, what do you think about Mike uh coming to Deuville? And I'm like, after he graduates. Sure. After he graduates, not while he's still eligible, he ain't but uh he was like he was like, oh no, I'm at uh as an assistant coach, and uh Mike's done, you know, did such a great job in our program. And uh, you know, I I touch base every once in a while. They both came back for the alumni game. Um the whole stat there. Um and uh he's doing so well. And I know uh coach Coach Wilson speaks you know super highly of how he's doing as a coach, and it's just awesome to see uh you know an alumni get in the ranks. It's coaching is not an easy thing to get into. There's just not enough money when you're a young coach, you know. So yeah, um the GAPs are are huge because kind of defer the loans, um, be able to uh you know kind of get get your feet underneath you without um losing a lot of money and and getting something paid for you and so he's doing great. Um he's doing awesome, and I'm glad to see him in the coaching ranks for sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:20

Uh that's great to hear, man, because he was a great guest. The the three of them when they came on that time was really good. They were enjoying it and they were like making fun of each other. I'm glad to hear that he's up in Deuville with Coach Wilson. That should be really fun for him and cold, and cold. And cold.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:35

But he's he's from Buffalo there, Danny. So he's used to it. But here but here is the deal. We couldn't let those guys come back on because they would just take over the show, and then Danny and I wouldn't have a show anymore. So we had we had to kick him off after like 20 minutes.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:49

They were they were holding court at the uh alumni game, the three of them. So they had nothing's changed.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:57

That's great, that's great.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:59

Well, coach, this has been a lot of fun catching up. I say that every week, but it was so good to see you again and have you on the show again and and see your son uh before we started recording and spend some little time. And I'm really excited to see what Georgian Court does this year. Me too. You've got all the pieces again this year, and it'll be really fun to watch. With tough competition, nothing's guaranteed, but I'm I'm sure you'll have those boys ready.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:26

I I I appreciate it, and um, I know that the other coaches in the conference aren't gonna make it easy. Um I think I think that we're we're really as a whole conference just doing a great job of getting better each year, our teams um and the program. So I I can't can't wait to see kind of what the year in in folds for uh the CACC. And I think you know, as a whole collective conference, we're gonna make some noise, which is really awesome. You know, I think teams, all the teams are playing really tough competitions, so it's gonna be a tough year. I'm sure I'm gonna add a couple more gray hairs uh, you know, uh to my head and and and beard um because we have some really good coaches in the conference who are doing a great job getting better.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:08

I agree with you 100%. Coach Mickey Hover, Georgian Court Lions, thanks so much for being on the show. Good luck this season, and we will be in touch. We'll see you again soon.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:18

Thank you so much. Thank you for having me, guys.

Final thoughts and a rant

SPEAKER_02 1:02:22

Coach Hover is such a gentleman, as well as I think he's just a great ambassador for the CACC.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:30

Yeah, you know what? We had Coach Hover on last year, and Kevin, I just there was something about him. He's he's he's just got a very magnetic personality. He's just seems like a genuinely nice guy. He's kind of like a guy I'd like to play for, really. I mean, I could see a guy like me playing for a guy like Hover. I loved having him on. I think he's a great coach, I think he's a great person, he's a great dad, obviously. Yeah, yeah. His son is handsome, huh? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:58

And I thought it was funny, Dan, not funny, I thought it was great. The way he talked about the schools, the competition, and the coaches in the CACC. And that's what I meant by great ambassador. He could have talked about his team, but he actually went down the list and he kept on talking about it. And that's like when when we talked about, and you talked about it when we did the the conference preview before we had Coach on, and and said, I really hope one of them starts to make the mark nationally. I think that would be the best thing. But it is because it is a very good conference and it is very competitive in the CACC.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:36

Yeah, again, I just it's just they're, you know, one or two big games away from being really great conference, you know, having a couple of those teams beat a Mercy Hurst, beat a Wingate, beat a Lenore Rhine, beat a pace, you know, beat an Adelphi. That, you know, put those kind of teams on your on your schedule and beat them. And that's gonna help this conference really rise. And I don't think they're that far away.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:05

No, no. And that's what brings me to a little bit of a rant. I've got a rant tonight, Danny.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:13

Here we go. I'm I'm waiting for this one, Mr. Stenstrom. What do we got?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:19

So I was listening to another lacrosse podcast. I won't mention the name of it, but I I keep tabs on other lacrosse podcasts and I kind of see how we're doing against the competition. This was one that really goes the gamut between PLL and Division One Lacrosse and a lot of different things. So it's not exactly like ours, and it's good. I like listening to it, but they were talking on one of the recent podcasts about Division One, and then they mentioned the lower divisions, the lower divisions.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:47

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:48

And I hate that. I really think we should just say other divisions, and I'm not saying that to be politically correct. I think it does a huge disservice not only to the divisions, but any player in high school that's looking to play in college. Because I can tell you right now that there are plenty of D3 teams that can beat D2 teams, D2 teams that can beat D1 teams, and there are D three teams that can beat D1 teams. If you don't think RIT couldn't beat the Holy Cross where I went to school, you've got another thing coming. And then you add in club and N-A-IA, and I think that just puts a really bad stigma that is not warranted. Each school and division brings different benefits to a player. You've got to look at the whole package academics, social, size, geographically, team fit. I think all those things become a package, and it doesn't matter if it's club or it's D1. If you want to go to a big southern school that has a good football tradition and play lacrosse, you're probably playing club. If you want to go to a small school that can go and go after a natty, you could go D3 or D2. But it's not lower, it's other.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:13

I know kids that were standout players at super duper high schools like Chamanot and St. Anthony's, who are national lacrosse, you know, they they play national schedules. They're playing the McDonald's, they're playing the big schools, the, you know, the modern days and all of them. And I know kids that chose to go and play club because they wanted to go to a certain school or get a certain uh bachelor uh certain degree in that in that area that that that school had. Hey, you know what? Maybe I could have played D1. I know I could have played D2. I know I could have played D3, but I really want to go to that school. You know what? Life's life's got opportunities, Kev. And that train goes by. And the train of life goes by, and there's opportunities. And some kids choose, they want to beat D1. Everything's D1. And like you just said, there's D3 schools out there that could beat D1 teams easily. And D2 D2 teams that could beat Division I teams easily. You don't think Lenore Ryan could smoke half of the Division I teams? Half of them. Half of them. You know, yeah, they can't compete against the Delawares and the Marylands, and but that second-tier Division I and down, Division II, that top tier Division II or top tier division three could easily beat those teams. So it's about opportunities, where a kid gets an opportunity. And like again, the one thing about Division II that attracts me so much is that they can stack scholarships, give you academic and athletic. Totally agree. And they can hand you, hand a kid a lot more money and give him an opportunity to go to school, or maybe he didn't have it. Because most parents don't have $60,000, Kevin, to go to a private school. And they just don't have it. Americans don't have it. Are there some? Yes, there's some that do, but most don't. So they need that help. They need that academic help. And that's what I love about Division II. I'm not poo-pooing division one, and I'm not poo-pooing division three. It's your opportunity where your child fits. Like you said, your fit, your social fit, your your avenue of education, what you want to study. And everything else falls into place. So I agree with your rant.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:45

Well, I appreciate that. And I got it out of my system. And I appreciate you letting me go and you adding in your two cents because you were spot on.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:53

You know what? I'm tired of the bullshit too, because they always talk, you know, it's division one or the top-notch division three, you know, the Cabrinis and and the other top division three schools. Yes, they're powerhouses, and they're always going to be, you know, the Salisbury's of Division III. They're always going to be a great school. But Division II puts out a great product. Those top 20 teams in Division II, I'm telling you, there's players all over Division II that are Division I material. That they have the height, the size, the weight, the skills, the stick skills, the IQ. And they chose to go Division II. Why? Because maybe they didn't want to sit at Duke for a year or two. Maybe they didn't want to sit at Jacksonville for a year. Maybe they didn't want to sit at High Point. Hey, I can go to Lenore Rhine, be part of a national championship type team and play at a beautiful school with beautiful fields and a you know, beautiful area. You know, it's not so hard for these kids to make these decisions.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:01

Well, and I I'll add one more thing. I think the when you say lower divisions, that makes it that much tougher for a kid to say, oh geez, I'm now I'm down at a I didn't get to the top. You you pick which is right for you. And like if like you said, and there are division one players that then transferred division two, why? Because they wanted to play. And there's nothing wrong with that.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:26

No, that happens a lot, a lot more than you and I probably know.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:31

Exactly. And I think if you think about it as each of those divisions and then add in club and NAIA, give you different opportunities. Open your aperture and look what they all bring, and that's how you decide. What is the best fit for you?

SPEAKER_03 1:10:51

Yeah, you know what? And when I heard this one kid was going to South Carolina and playing club, and he was a shamanade kid. This kid was a good player, man. D-mitty, did a little bit of everything, hard, tough nose, fast, and he chose to go club. I mean, he could have gone any three divisions, you know. He could have went and all three. Yeah. And he chose to go club. And I was happy for him. You know, my son went, my son took a ride to South Carolina one weekend and ran into him, and they had great fun. They were talking about it. He was like, I'm having a ball playing club.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:27

And that's the important thing. So with that, Danny, let's move on to a more positive note. I don't think we were negative there, but we were ranting. And let's talk about the scorebreak feature spotlight of the week. This week, we're talking about tag boards. What are tag boards? In my mind, Danny, that's like the easy button. They've got tag boards where you, you know, you can be filming, and when a goal is scored, you hit the goalie button and it backs up the film a few seconds and then it goes up for like another 10 seconds. You can build there's there's specific tag boards like that already set up, but you can you can customize. So you can even do it for your practice. If you're filming for your practice and you have a certain drill that you want to uh to cut and and show, and you're running it several times. Every time you start to run that drill, you hit that button on that specific customized tag, and the film is cut and it comes up for that kind of tag. And so they can do it for offensive plays, for dodges, practice drills. Like I said, they can they can label these clips and it helps with their additional analysis. Yeah, I mean, I I I we saw it when we saw the the demo of it, and that's why I really hope coaches take that demo and see what it can do and how it can really help them and save them time. Tagboards is one of those things.

SPEAKER_03 1:12:51

Yep. Visit www.scorebreak.io. Mention in the crease the podcast and get a 15% off your first year, and uh you'll be using tag boards for your team in no time.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:05

Exactly. Exactly. So, Danny, I have to say right now, as far as I know, we had no errors on last show. Hopefully, we'll have no errors this show. What do you say?

SPEAKER_03 1:13:18

Well, that's amazing. We're getting better. Only took two, only took two and a half years. Hey, we're human. We're gonna make mistakes. We're gonna call kids' names wrong. You know, we're gonna say that post is in Long Island when it's in Waterbury, Connecticut. But we didn't make that mistake tonight. So, yeah, we we did good tonight. Except we had a little bit of a technical difficulty on my end, where my podcast mixer kind of it's shit to bed. It went into pod mixing heaven and uh have a new one coming, hopefully, by the weekend. So we had to do this old school by the phone and and Wi-Fi.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:55

Yeah, so hopefully it'll come out okay. I'm sure it will, but our I'm sure our listeners will be patient with us as we continue to try and improve. And with that, Danny, for this week. That's a wrap. That's a wrap, guys.