Hot Stove Action

Started by Ommadawn, December 10, 2015, 03:01:13 PM

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Ejay

Quote from: luckylefty on January 13, 2018, 10:35:20 PM
Not sure what thread to put this in, but there are currently two head coaching jobs up for grabs. Centenary has let their HC go. Not sure what the deal was as they have had some moderate success.


Any idea where Centenary coach is going? He's also the AD, but I see he's not listed on the site anymore.

Mr.Right

Quote from: NEPAFAN on January 15, 2018, 02:34:22 PM
wow what a story about the moravian coach. Tape someone for 90 seconds is a felony huh?


This story is unbelievable...Just trying to dig behind the actual story and seeing what actually happened to have caused this. Obviously you have an extremely young coach here and he made a disastrous decision that will cost him not only his job but a future in coaching at least at the college level. However, I can only imagine the player being a complete pain in the ass not understanding that he just was not good enough to get on the field. Then add in the overbearing parent and you can see where this led. Now I am not sure why the coach would tape the parent unless he was maybe harassing him? or maybe he wanted to prove to his AD what a nutjob the parent / kid was? I am guessing the parent went to the AD behind the coaches back before the taping and the AD sided with the parent? Interesting stuff here and a little more of the facts would be nice as this is pure conjecture.

luckylefty

Mr. Right, you could be right in all of the things you stated, or maybe the coach came unwound and had some personal beef against this kid. He apparently played the fathers tape for the kid to hear before kicking him off the team. That to me makes it sound like more then just recording it to protect himself. Comes across more as some personal vendetta that made the coach lose his way.


luckylefty

Quote from: EB2319 on January 15, 2018, 05:31:54 PM
Quote from: luckylefty on January 13, 2018, 10:35:20 PM
Not sure what thread to put this in, but there are currently two head coaching jobs up for grabs. Centenary has let their HC go. Not sure what the deal was as they have had some moderate success.


Any idea where Centenary coach is going? He's also the AD, but I see he's not listed on the site anymore.

He didn't leave to take another position I don't think....

Mr.Right

Quote from: Ommadawn on January 12, 2018, 04:15:30 PM
New additions are indicated with asterisks. Johns Hopkins with a bounty this go 'round.

*Allegheny – Alex Riel (DC Stoddert/Landon School, MD)

Amherst – Sean Dube (Avon Old Farms, CT)

Amherst – Nico Kenary (Potomac SC, MD) https://www.hudl.com/profile/4683761/nico-kenary

*Amherst – Alex Shahmirzadi (Braddock Road YC/Flint Hill School, VA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5hjXu2JT1M

Amherst – Bernard White (Lonestar SC, TX) 

Babson – Mitch Collins (St. John's Prep/Aztec Soccer, MA) https://www.hudl.com/profile/8848279/mitch-collins

Babson – William Talleri (St. John's Prep/New England FC, MA) https://vimeo.com/217430061

Bard – Daniel Lee (Dix Hills SC/Plainview-Old Bethpage, NY)

Becker – Tyler Marzocchi (Bayside United SC, RI) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msUW5fH4E3I

Bowdoin – Dylan Reid (Bethesda SC, MD) https://www.hudl.com/profile/8959177/dylan-reid

Brandeis – Max Blacker (Cedar Stars Academy/St. Benedict's Prep, NJ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWXbDB6Ms8c

*Brandeis – Skylah Dias (Global Premier Soccer/Case HS, MA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vck3mHtRA4E

Brandeis – Isaac Mukala (Lawrence Academy, MA) http://www.hudl.com/profile/4640138/isaac-mukala

*Carnegie Mellon – Ian Thomas (Steel Town Magic/Obama Academy, PA)

Case Western Reserve – Sean Atwater (Steel Town Magic, PA) https://www.hudl.com/profile/5253497/sean-atwater

Case Western Reserve – Justin Rehklau (OP, OH) https://www.hudl.com/profile/8968360/justin-rehklau

Castleton State – Noah Swainbank (Enosburg Falls, VT)

*Catholic – Patrick Corpus (Continental FC Delco, PA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCZkC5RySXU

Catholic – Connor Logsdon (Braddock Road YC, VA) http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer-recruiting/virginia/clifton/centreville-high-school/connor-logsdon

Chicago – Jonah Moore (Century V FC, PA) https://www.hudl.com/profile/6610302/jonah-moore

*Chicago – Brady Rider (Carolina Elite Soccer Academy/J. L. Mann, NC)

Coast Guard – Robert Fugett (Clay County SC, GA)

*Colby – Jared Wood (Aztec Soccer/Waring School, MA)

*Cortland – Roberto Mier (Empire United/Ithaca, NY)

Denison – Hugh McLaughlin (Potomac SC, VA) http://www.hudl.com/profile/4683765/hugh-mclaughlin

Denison – Harrison Netburn (Coral Springs HS, FL) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfoWAtlTXPw

Denison – Stuart Windell (Charlotte United, NC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA1eOzqDvMs

*Dickinson – Ronan Higgins (Shipley School, PA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSw0-v0z1Vo

*Dominican (IL) – Ethan Grosam (Chicago Inferno/St. Francis, IL) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwlKs-LtWiQ

*Dominican (IL) – Jonathan Hernandez (Chicago Inferno/Addison Trail, IL)

Eastern – Alessandro Truppi (Hunterdon Central HS, NJ)

*Emory – Daniel SanGiovanni (Braddock Road YC, VA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTlq-x2QS2A

Franklin and Marshall – Steven Yakita (St. John's Prep/Aztec Soccer, MA) https://twitter.com/thenestsjp/status/912795851998814214?lang=en

Frostburg – D'Artagnan Lazar (SOCA, VA) http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer-recruiting/virginia/charlottesville/albemarle-high-school/dartagnan-lazar

Geneva – Cole Sauer (Midd-West HS, PA)

*Gettysburg – Connor Fife (Holy Ghost Prep, PA) 

*Hamilton – Thomas Benson (Ridgewood HS, NJ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oXdRxrDNXg

*Hobart – Cole Hay (Aztec Soccer/Manchester, MA)

*Heidelberg – Spencer Tredwell (Beverly Hills Groves, MI)

Kenyon – Aidan Schoellkopf (Northfield Mount Hermon School, MA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhrxM8pOiBY

*Johns Hopkins – Brian Lenzer (Baltimore Celtic, MD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q9cK3_SpVA

*Johns Hopkins – Jake Kooyman (Beachside SC, CT) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNcaVY-KvHA

*Johns Hopkins – Matthew Schneydreman (Brooklyn Italians/Xavieran, NY)

*Johns Hopkins – Tim Treinen (Crescenta Valley, CA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GSK6kP2DUc

McDaniel – Jimmy Towers (Lehigh Valley United, PA)

Messiah – Luke Groothoff (Seacoast United, ME) http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer-recruiting/maine/yarmouth/yarmouth-high-school/luke-groothoff

Messiah – Jared Pavlovich (Carlisle, PA)

Messiah – Ryan Ruark (Piedmont Triad FC, NC)

Messiah – Trevor Swartz (CCV Stars, AZ) http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer-recruiting/arizona/phoenix/greenway-high-school2/trevor-swartz

Muhlenberg – Joshua Bordwick (Hunterdon Central HS, NJ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY90i_nkywE

*Muhlenberg – Steven Carton (Ocean Township United, NJ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viW-fbl5NYo

*Muhlenberg – Reuben Oshman (Downtown United SC/Beacon, NY) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m8f5V4azR4

*New Paltz – Spencer Ryczek (Rochester FC, Victor Sr., NY)

Ohio Wesleyan – Chase Agin (St. Francis de Sales, OH) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNMvkRp8iXw

*Oneonta – Thomas Gallina (Empire United/McQuaid Jesuit, NY)

Penn College of Technology – Devan Leister (Midd-West HS, PA)

Rochester – Jayson Ho (De Anza Force SC, CA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVULVL4ELS8

*St. Joseph's – Austin Ward (Aztec Soccer/North Andover, MA)

Sarah Lawrence – Matteo Romano (The Out-of-Door Academy, FL)

*Scranton – Bryan Schiltz (East Aurora HS, NY) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feypsRELnMQ

*Stevens – Jay Poskitt (Aztec Soccer/Winchester, MA)

Stockton – Jonathan Schwab (PDA, NJ)

Trinity (TX) – Mackenzie McCord (Dallas Texans 99 Red, TX)

Tufts – Will Raphael (Phillips Academy Andover, MA) https://www.hudl.com/profile/6557031/will-raphael

Tufts – Zachary Seigelstein (Manhattan SC, NY) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEWqqwyvUms

Washington and Lee – Ethan McCann (Baltimore Armour, MD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLNt5xwTm0

*Washington and Lee – Connor Wharton (Colorado Rush/Colorado Academy, CO) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ1kbFP7zSU

Wheaton (IL) – Logan Russell (Chattanooga FC Academy, TN) https://www.hudl.com/profile/5143360/logan-russell

Wilkes – Evan Liddington (Midd-West HS, PA)

William Paterson – Ryan Goggins (Middletown SC/Raritan, NJ)

Williams – Will Felitto (New Trier HS, IL) https://www.hudl.com/profile/6126136/will-felitto

Wisconsin-Whitewater – Manny Barajas (St. Catherine's HS, WI) https://ywww.hudl.com/profile/6134041/manny-barajas

Wisconsin-Whitewater – Jaylon Brown (St. Catherine's HS, WI) http://ywww.hudl.com/profile/6134824/jaylon-brown

Wisconsin-Whitewater – Andrew Villarreal (St. Catherine's HS, WI)


Nice update Ommadawn...Let's take a look at some of these new additions for Nescac schools and maybe Brandeis / Babson while I have some down time at work here. It is really nice when your boss bangs out sick.

blooter442

Really like what I see from Mukala...ball-playing CB not afraid to go into the tackle. Might have to adjust to the college game but lots of potential there.

Mr.Right

Amherst---Alex Shahmirzadi-----ehh so nothing that jumps off the screen for me. I am assuming this kid was an academic admit because this could be a mistake if he is a tip. Nescac will welcome another long thrower with this kid. Hits a pretty nice free kick with his right foot. I do like that he plays with both feet and he is a tricky dribbler. He likes to play on the floor / carpet so that will have to be untaught. He has decent speed but certainly is not the fastest kid BUT he does change pace very well. That is usually a sign of a smart player that knows what he can or cannot do.

Brandeis---Max Blacker----So not sure what this was. Looks to be a 4 minute vid of distribution as there was only one highlight of a save. Maybe there is another vid of saves? If not than usually it is never a good sign if a GK puts out a 4 minute vid with only 1 save. He does distribute the ball well as he has a good arm. Comes from a soccer rich Academy team and Benedict's which used to be one of top programs in the country before Academy teams took over. I am assuming there is another vid of saves out there somewhere but at this time I would say Brandeis Greg Irwin will be in net to start the season.

Brandeis---Skylah Dias-----So this kid will not play right away but maybe by his JR / SR years after he puts some muscle on he will be a decent player. He is skilled and keeps the ball on the floor in tight spaces. There are some issues he needs to work on. He looks to pass TO MUCH. He does not take guys on enough especially in the middle of the field with open space. He checks back to the ball nicely but is immediately looking for feet which is fine but he needs to go at guys as well. Also, not sure how tough this kid is as it is never a good sign when a kid is from New England and wearing gloves.

Brandeis---Issac Mukala---So I do not have the patience to watch 14 second individual vids but I watched a couple. This kid has potential as he already has a college body and will only get stronger. Cannot tell how skilled or fast he is but he looks to be a tough kid that will not be afraid to mix it up. Add either or both skill and speed and you have a player.


Messiah---Luke Groothoff--Out of curiosity I wanted to watch this Yarmouth HS / Seacoast United player that Messiah snagged. This kid is friggin LEGIT. He would be a MAJOR TIP for any Nescac school and would immediately turn around one of the bottom tier teams in Nescac by himself. Well maybe not but you get my point. He is extremely skilled, threads the needle and is very pacey. I would be shocked if he is not on the field next year. Now the question is WHY is he leaving New England? Personally, I would have given 2 Tips to get this kid and that is VERY RARE. Coaches do not do that anymore like they used to but he looks to be a real game changer. This kid and Petrik in midfield for Williams plus a finisher and you would instantly turn that ship around. Same goes for Bowdoin. If you stick this kid in the middle of the park and push Morant and Niang up the field they would get their goals. Bowdoin would instantly turn into a much more interesting outfit. Oh well congrats to Messiah for this get.

blooter442

Quote from: Mr.Right on January 29, 2018, 12:52:49 PM
Messiah---Luke Groothoff--Out of curiosity I wanted to watch this Yarmouth HS / Seacoast United player that Messiah snagged. This kid is friggin LEGIT. He would be a MAJOR TIP for any Nescac school and would immediately turn around one of the bottom tier teams in Nescac by himself. Well maybe not but you get my point. He is extremely skilled, threads the needle and is very pacey. I would be shocked if he is not on the field next year. Now the question is WHY is he leaving New England? Personally, I would have given 2 Tips to get this kid and that is VERY RARE. Coaches do not do that anymore like they used to but he looks to be a real game changer. This kid and Petrik in midfield for Williams plus a finisher and you would instantly turn that ship around. Same goes for Bowdoin. If you stick this kid in the middle of the park and push Morant and Niang up the field they would get their goals. Bowdoin would instantly turn into a much more interesting outfit. Oh well congrats to Messiah for this get.

His brother Jonathan is at Messiah, although he didn't see much of the field as a sophomore. I think Luke might be better, but both are very good. They came to New England from the Bay Area a couple of years ago -- I think they played for a club out of Santa Rosa -- so I don't think they are tied down to the region.

rudy

Quote from: Mr.Right on January 29, 2018, 11:36:10 AM
Quote from: Ommadawn on January 12, 2018, 04:15:30 PM
New additions are indicated with asterisks. Johns Hopkins with a bounty this go 'round.

*Allegheny – Alex Riel (DC Stoddert/Landon School, MD)

Amherst – Sean Dube (Avon Old Farms, CT)

Amherst – Nico Kenary (Potomac SC, MD) https://www.hudl.com/profile/4683761/nico-kenary

*Amherst – Alex Shahmirzadi (Braddock Road YC/Flint Hill School, VA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5hjXu2JT1M

Amherst – Bernard White (Lonestar SC, TX) 

Babson – Mitch Collins (St. John's Prep/Aztec Soccer, MA) https://www.hudl.com/profile/8848279/mitch-collins

Babson – William Talleri (St. John's Prep/New England FC, MA) https://vimeo.com/217430061

Bard – Daniel Lee (Dix Hills SC/Plainview-Old Bethpage, NY)

Becker – Tyler Marzocchi (Bayside United SC, RI) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msUW5fH4E3I

Bowdoin – Dylan Reid (Bethesda SC, MD) https://www.hudl.com/profile/8959177/dylan-reid

Brandeis – Max Blacker (Cedar Stars Academy/St. Benedict's Prep, NJ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWXbDB6Ms8c

*Brandeis – Skylah Dias (Global Premier Soccer/Case HS, MA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vck3mHtRA4E

Brandeis – Isaac Mukala (Lawrence Academy, MA) http://www.hudl.com/profile/4640138/isaac-mukala

*Carnegie Mellon – Ian Thomas (Steel Town Magic/Obama Academy, PA)

Case Western Reserve – Sean Atwater (Steel Town Magic, PA) https://www.hudl.com/profile/5253497/sean-atwater

Case Western Reserve – Justin Rehklau (OP, OH) https://www.hudl.com/profile/8968360/justin-rehklau

Castleton State – Noah Swainbank (Enosburg Falls, VT)

*Catholic – Patrick Corpus (Continental FC Delco, PA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCZkC5RySXU

Catholic – Connor Logsdon (Braddock Road YC, VA) http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer-recruiting/virginia/clifton/centreville-high-school/connor-logsdon

Chicago – Jonah Moore (Century V FC, PA) https://www.hudl.com/profile/6610302/jonah-moore

*Chicago – Brady Rider (Carolina Elite Soccer Academy/J. L. Mann, NC)

Coast Guard – Robert Fugett (Clay County SC, GA)

*Colby – Jared Wood (Aztec Soccer/Waring School, MA)

*Cortland – Roberto Mier (Empire United/Ithaca, NY)

Denison – Hugh McLaughlin (Potomac SC, VA) http://www.hudl.com/profile/4683765/hugh-mclaughlin

Denison – Harrison Netburn (Coral Springs HS, FL) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfoWAtlTXPw

Denison – Stuart Windell (Charlotte United, NC) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA1eOzqDvMs

*Dickinson – Ronan Higgins (Shipley School, PA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSw0-v0z1Vo

*Dominican (IL) – Ethan Grosam (Chicago Inferno/St. Francis, IL) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwlKs-LtWiQ

*Dominican (IL) – Jonathan Hernandez (Chicago Inferno/Addison Trail, IL)

Eastern – Alessandro Truppi (Hunterdon Central HS, NJ)

*Emory – Daniel SanGiovanni (Braddock Road YC, VA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTlq-x2QS2A

Franklin and Marshall – Steven Yakita (St. John's Prep/Aztec Soccer, MA) https://twitter.com/thenestsjp/status/912795851998814214?lang=en

Frostburg – D'Artagnan Lazar (SOCA, VA) http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer-recruiting/virginia/charlottesville/albemarle-high-school/dartagnan-lazar

Geneva – Cole Sauer (Midd-West HS, PA)

*Gettysburg – Connor Fife (Holy Ghost Prep, PA) 

*Hamilton – Thomas Benson (Ridgewood HS, NJ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oXdRxrDNXg

*Hobart – Cole Hay (Aztec Soccer/Manchester, MA)

*Heidelberg – Spencer Tredwell (Beverly Hills Groves, MI)

Kenyon – Aidan Schoellkopf (Northfield Mount Hermon School, MA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhrxM8pOiBY

*Johns Hopkins – Brian Lenzer (Baltimore Celtic, MD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q9cK3_SpVA

*Johns Hopkins – Jake Kooyman (Beachside SC, CT) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNcaVY-KvHA

*Johns Hopkins – Matthew Schneydreman (Brooklyn Italians/Xavieran, NY)

*Johns Hopkins – Tim Treinen (Crescenta Valley, CA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GSK6kP2DUc

McDaniel – Jimmy Towers (Lehigh Valley United, PA)

Messiah – Luke Groothoff (Seacoast United, ME) http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer-recruiting/maine/yarmouth/yarmouth-high-school/luke-groothoff

Messiah – Jared Pavlovich (Carlisle, PA)

Messiah – Ryan Ruark (Piedmont Triad FC, NC)

Messiah – Trevor Swartz (CCV Stars, AZ) http://www.ncsasports.org/mens-soccer-recruiting/arizona/phoenix/greenway-high-school2/trevor-swartz

Muhlenberg – Joshua Bordwick (Hunterdon Central HS, NJ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY90i_nkywE

*Muhlenberg – Steven Carton (Ocean Township United, NJ) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viW-fbl5NYo

*Muhlenberg – Reuben Oshman (Downtown United SC/Beacon, NY) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m8f5V4azR4

*New Paltz – Spencer Ryczek (Rochester FC, Victor Sr., NY)

Ohio Wesleyan – Chase Agin (St. Francis de Sales, OH) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNMvkRp8iXw

*Oneonta – Thomas Gallina (Empire United/McQuaid Jesuit, NY)

Penn College of Technology – Devan Leister (Midd-West HS, PA)

Rochester – Jayson Ho (De Anza Force SC, CA) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVULVL4ELS8

*St. Joseph's – Austin Ward (Aztec Soccer/North Andover, MA)

Sarah Lawrence – Matteo Romano (The Out-of-Door Academy, FL)

*Scranton – Bryan Schiltz (East Aurora HS, NY) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feypsRELnMQ

*Stevens – Jay Poskitt (Aztec Soccer/Winchester, MA)

Stockton – Jonathan Schwab (PDA, NJ)

Trinity (TX) – Mackenzie McCord (Dallas Texans 99 Red, TX)

Tufts – Will Raphael (Phillips Academy Andover, MA) https://www.hudl.com/profile/6557031/will-raphael

Tufts – Zachary Seigelstein (Manhattan SC, NY) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEWqqwyvUms

Washington and Lee – Ethan McCann (Baltimore Armour, MD) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPLNt5xwTm0

*Washington and Lee – Connor Wharton (Colorado Rush/Colorado Academy, CO) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ1kbFP7zSU

Wheaton (IL) – Logan Russell (Chattanooga FC Academy, TN) https://www.hudl.com/profile/5143360/logan-russell

Wilkes – Evan Liddington (Midd-West HS, PA)

William Paterson – Ryan Goggins (Middletown SC/Raritan, NJ)

Williams – Will Felitto (New Trier HS, IL) https://www.hudl.com/profile/6126136/will-felitto

Wisconsin-Whitewater – Manny Barajas (St. Catherine's HS, WI) https://ywww.hudl.com/profile/6134041/manny-barajas

Wisconsin-Whitewater – Jaylon Brown (St. Catherine's HS, WI) http://ywww.hudl.com/profile/6134824/jaylon-brown

Wisconsin-Whitewater – Andrew Villarreal (St. Catherine's HS, WI)


Nice update Ommadawn...Let's take a look at some of these new additions for Nescac schools and maybe Brandeis / Babson while I have some down time at work here. It is really nice when your boss bangs out sick.

Pretty sure Luke Brautigam, brother of Justin the final 4 hero, will be playing for Messiah next year as well.

Falconer

Kudos to you, Mr Right, for including Luke Groothoff in your report. Given your wide and deep knowledge of New England soccer, your comments about his talent are very encouraging to Falcon fans, most of whom have never seen him play. I include myself in that category.

As for needing any "tips" to get him, from what I've been told his SATs are extremely good, such that he'd get into any NESCAC school even if he didn't play soccer. My guess is, if he wanted to play at an Ivy (and I think he did make a visit to at least one of them), he could. I agree with you that he's a lock to start somewhere as a freshman. My guess is in a MF spot, probably Brandt's on the assumption that he's not going to return for one more season.

His brother Jonathan is also very good, but he was still recovering from an ACL or something similar when he arrived on campus as a FR. Thus, he played minimally his first year and only started to look comfortable on the field toward the end of his SO season. IMO, he still looks to pass too much. He has good 1-v-1 skills and I'd like to see him be more aggressive, especially when he's out toward the sidelines.

A good "get," for Messiah, as you say, but as far as I know there were no NESCAC schools in the running for him. If anyone has better information, please chime in. He was offered by some D1 schools, but I think the only D3 school he considered was Messiah. I assume his brother had some (obviously positive) influence on the decision. It's uncommon for Messiah to get players from New England, at least players good enough to start as Freshmen. Luke makes 2 in 3 years, with the other one being Shay Quintin from Milton Academy. Quintin wasn't named to any all-star teams, but he's lit dynamite with the ball and a highly skilled outside defender.

Falconer

As I've said once or twice before, Messiah doesn't recruit in the common meaning of that word. It's more of a situation in which players recruit Messiah: they let the coaches know they're interested in playing there, either by leaving information on the team's site or by attending one of the soccer camps. The coaches then sift through the pile and let guys know how realistic their chances are. At that point, I think it's just first come (place a deposit), first given a place.

So, if a player from NE ends up at Messiah, it's not b/c a Falcon coach spent the night in his driveway. It's b/c he wanted to be a Falcon and the coaches encouraged it. I gather NESCAC coaches hit the road and go after guys, like D1 basketball programs?

truenorth

I live in southern Maine and my older son is a volunteer assistant with a high school that competes with Yarmouth.  My recollection is that the Groothoffs are a devout Christian family...and that is a significant factor in each of the brothers choosing Messiah.  My son, who played for Brown, thinks that Luke Groothoff is good enough to be a mid-level D1 starter, so my guess is that any of the NESCAC schools would have been delighted to bring him aboard had he been interested...

Mr.Right

Quote from: Falconer on January 29, 2018, 10:23:41 PM
As I've said once or twice before, Messiah doesn't recruit in the common meaning of that word. It's more of a situation in which players recruit Messiah: they let the coaches know they're interested in playing there, either by leaving information on the team's site or by attending one of the soccer camps. The coaches then sift through the pile and let guys know how realistic their chances are. At that point, I think it's just first come (place a deposit), first given a place.

So, if a player from NE ends up at Messiah, it's not b/c a Falcon coach spent the night in his driveway. It's b/c he wanted to be a Falcon and the coaches encouraged it. I gather NESCAC coaches hit the road and go after guys, like D1 basketball programs?


Well if Messiah had 10 private liberal arts schools that all had a similar Christian based mission in a 6 hour radius I can promise you they would HAVE to recruit. Recruiting for Nescac Schools is nothing like D1 Basketball in fact it has very strict rules. Coaches can not even make face to face contact with a kid until he steps 1 foot onto the campus. Also there are a ton of rules that I wont bore you with like official and unofficial visits, coaches need to get a preread on a kid with admissions before they can even contact the kid etc etc...Point is it is very restricted even compared to other D3 institutions. The one advantage they do have is they usually get the cream of the crop reaching out to them to begin with so they have a much better starting point than other D3 schools to begin with.

Maybe its me because I really do not understand the whole Christian mission but how is it good for a kid to matriculate to a school of 2,500 kids that are exactly like themselves? I would think the whole point of going to college is to surround yourself with all kinds of kids with different backgrounds and ideas. Not that Nescac schools are exactly a great example of that but you get my point. What is the reasoning for this?

New_Englander

Quote from: Mr.Right on January 30, 2018, 11:28:06 AM
Well if Messiah had 10 private liberal arts schools that all had a similar Christian based mission in a 6 hour radius I can promise you they would HAVE to recruit. Recruiting for Nescac Schools is nothing like D1 Basketball in fact it has very strict rules. Coaches can not even make face to face contact with a kid until he steps 1 foot onto the campus. Also there are a ton of rules that I wont bore you with like official and unofficial visits, coaches need to get a preread on a kid with admissions before they can even contact the kid etc etc...Point is it is very restricted even compared to other D3 institutions. The one advantage they do have is they usually get the cream of the crop reaching out to them to begin with so they have a much better starting point than other D3 schools to begin with.

Maybe its me because I really do not understand the whole Christian mission but how is it good for a kid to matriculate to a school of 2,500 kids that are exactly like themselves? I would think the whole point of going to college is to surround yourself with all kinds of kids with different backgrounds and ideas. Not that Nescac schools are exactly a great example of that but you get my point. What is the reasoning for this?

As someone who has followed these boards for several years, I always find these discussions entertaining. I thought I would jump in to try and offer insight into Mr. Right's question.

Speaking from my son's experience, I don't think it's accurate to say that students at Messiah (or any other Christian school) are all the same. Students come from different denominations and have different spiritual, political, moral, etc. views, and not all students are even Christians. Though nowhere near the prestige of a nescac or ivy, Messiah has science, accounting, and engineering programs that are respected in the Mid-Atlantic and thus attract students (I believe I read somewhere that Groothoff scored around a 1500 of 1600 on his SAT). Messiah is certainly not homogenous just because it's a faith-based school, although it may appear so to outsiders. My son found students and faculty at Messiah to be actually more open to dialogue (and disagreement especially) than students at the secular university he attended after.

Academic environment aside, my son will readily admit that the biggest draw for him was the soccer program. It came down to what he valued most in his college experience. The opportunity to compete for national championships, play D1s every year, train 6-7 days a week throughout the winter/spring, and have good clean fun instead of drinking on weekends was more attractive to him than the lower-level D1s or other D3s interested. And it's no secret that Messiah players are held to a certain standard of character and work to integrate their faith into behavior on and off the field. The emphasis on team culture and de-emphasis on personal recognition convinced him as I assume it does recruits now.

For the younger Groothoff, I think his selection as a HS AA this year speaks for itself. As Mr. Right pointed out, his video shows athleticism and vision. I too have been told that he visited at least one Ivy, and I would assume maybe a few nescac's as well. There are openings on the field for him to contribute following the graduation of several starters. His older brother Jon should look to step up next year after seeing solid time as a sub in 22 games, but Luke's video and mile time suggests he'll be more ready physically for the college game.

As Rudy said, Luke Brautigam will be on the team next year, and if he's anything like his older brother, he should be able to contribute in the midfield or backline during his career. Reid Ruork is also coming out of the Wesleyan pipeline that produced the Robbins brothers and Bell. If next year's freshmen can adapt quickly, it will bode well for the Falcons come November.

blooter442

Quote from: New_Englander on January 31, 2018, 03:23:54 PM
For the younger Groothoff, I think his selection as a HS AA this year speaks for itself. As Mr. Right pointed out, his video shows athleticism and vision. I too have been told that he visited at least one Ivy, and I would assume maybe a few nescac's as well. There are openings on the field for him to contribute following the graduation of several starters. His older brother Jon should look to step up next year after seeing solid time as a sub in 22 games, but Luke's video and mile time suggests he'll be more ready physically for the college game.

I've watched that Yarmouth HS team that Groothoff played for quite a few times over the years. That is a very good high school program which has produced a number of good D3 players over the years: Branden Neal (NYU), Johnny Murphy (Bates), Luke Pierce (Williams), Max Watson (Bates), Chandler Smith (Colby), and Adam LaBrie (Thomas), to name a few, as well as the elder Groothoff. Falmouth HS used to be the gold standard for soccer in Maine, but Yarmouth has taken that mantle with its record 12th state title this past fall.

Talent-wise and athletically they have been pretty consistent over that stretch, although I seem to remember the players being taller and bulkier on aggregate in the early-mid 2000s; perhaps it's because I was a kid back then. Yet while they have definitely been very good over the years, they are, understandably, not as athletic or skilled as, say, an upper-tier D3 team. Groothoff, however, is on a different level than the rest of his teammates, both in terms of skill and athleticism, and I'd agree with truenorth's son that he's definitely a D1-caliber player. For perspective, LaBrie is the program's single-season record goalscorer, and I think Groothoff is on the same level, so I would put him at least in the top 3 kids to ever come out of that program.

(Also note -- that 4:47 mile came as a sophomore, and on a very slow, old Fryeburg Academy track. Curious what he could run now.)