The other side note on NDMU is that it used to be named the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. I'll let our intrepid readers form the acronym out of that word salad.

Unfortunate for a historically all-women's college.

Quote from: Kuiper on August 20, 2025, 05:12:34 PM

Quote from: Hopkins92 on August 20, 2025, 04:51:27 PMI just took a closer look at Hopkins roster. I had thought 3 or more of the guys listed as grad transfers had left the program.

My prediction for a bumpy season just got much more positive. Many of the younger guys who were "super" subs in the rotation are going to slot in very well as starters.

Did they post the 2025 roster somewhere?  I still see the 2024 roster on their website.

No, I just went and checked again and you're right. My bad.

I just took a closer look at Hopkins roster. I had thought 3 or more of the guys listed as grad transfers had left the program.

My prediction for a bumpy season just got much more positive. Many of the younger guys who were "super" subs in the rotation are going to slot in very well as starters.

I will just reiterate what I posted the other day, but put a finer point on this: The vast majority of D3 sports are free to attend in person. I understand a lot of folks aren't within striking distance of their alma mater or even where their kid is attending a D3 school.

But the value prop here is completely out of line with what you are getting for your money. At least with Sirius and their paywall, you are getting a pretty wide range of channels.

It's a pretty simple equation for most of us. I will watch games in the, say, MAC Freedom conference on a Wednesday night if there's pretty much nothing else going on. I'm certainly not going to pay for it.

I can drive up to Baltimore in 45 minutes to watch my alma mater. I don't pay to attend those games and I'm certainly not going to pay for Flo, if it comes to that.

Man... I hate to be a bummer, but with all these conferences going with FloSports... I'm not going to type things into existence, but this does not bode well for many of us that follow d3 soccer as a part time hobby.

I don't mean this to be obnoxious, but I swear, the last 4 or 5 times I've popped in here, I could swear you are making these schools.

So, was there a rousing best of 5 match of Rochambeau to determine who got to avoid Messiah in all those sports. ;-)

Quote from: SimpleCoach on June 26, 2025, 11:45:13 AM

Quote from: Hopkins92 on June 22, 2025, 08:36:03 AM1) I was surprised SC didn't follow up on the Grad Transfer point, because Coach A specifically made a point that the new players # was strictly referring to freshmen. I'm assuming he has at least 2 or 3 because, yes, that has become a distinct part of his team-building strategy lately.

2) The mad scientist aspect included the PKs, but also that he would look at a player and put them in positions they had never been in before. He's taken CBs and put them at FWD and vice versa. So, not just the PK thing.

Re: the transfers... I find this to be a sensitive subject with coaches.  Think the impression is that it is an artificial way of making you better.  I would just let the game speak for itself.

And yes, the PKs aren't the only things he experiments with.  He is pretty unique and looks to make everything better, no matter how unconventional it may appear.

SC.

SC

Huh. I can see there having been a stigma when the trend picked up steam. But when D1 sports are being ruled by the Transfer Portal, that is a pretty antiquated notion. And, put in the D3 context, when D1 non-revenue sports are cutting scholarships (and NIL funds) and reducing rosters... I would argue that not going after this new talent pool is negligent.

To me, having an eye for talent and being open to whatever opportunities present themselves is preferable to clinging to some outdated unwritten rule.

Reality is reality. I feel the same about programs that lean on foreign players. No shame in that game.

Kuiper - Any insight on how far out these schedules are arranged? 1 year out, 2?

He didn't say he was THE mad scientist, just A mad scientist. ;-)

My coaching partner and I had a kid who was fast as hell and pretty small... and all her parents wanted was for her to be a striker. She left us to play for a big-time club (Bethesda) and paid a lot of money to try to make that position a reality.

When Bethesda said they were going to move her to the C team, her parents were livid. (The thing about this player is that she was hella fast and REALLY smart about her angles. But she had the yips and just couldn't finish.) We said she could come back to our team, but only on one condition: She was a natural center back, and she needed to give it a shot for one season.

That girl went on to start for her high school team at CB and won a state championship her junior year. Those parents are part of our friend group, and we give them grief about that issue from time to time.

1) I was surprised SC didn't follow up on the Grad Transfer point, because Coach A specifically made a point that the new players # was strictly referring to freshmen. I'm assuming he has at least 2 or 3 because, yes, that has become a distinct part of his team-building strategy lately.

2) The mad scientist aspect included the PKs, but also that he would look at a player and put them in positions they had never been in before. He's taken CBs and put them at FWD and vice versa. So, not just the PK thing.

Recap I posted to the fairly active Hopkins alumni Facebook page.

Season Preview with Coach A. He's always candid in these interviews and I really respect that. Some highlights:

Hop is losing 10(!) players from last year's squad. COVID extra year plus "natural" matriculation amounts to losing 2 classes in one fell swoop.

The freshman class is 9 strong. Coach thinks some can come in and contribute right away, BUT "it takes players 2.5 years to learn the system." Soooo... Yeah. The early-season trips to TN and OH are going to be really interesting and challenging (my words, not his).

Lots of really interesting insight into how Coach thinks about the development and evolution of the team. A number of different ways to say "it depends" but not in a dodgy way, just honest answers that amount to each iteration of these teams have their own story (again, I'm editorializing a little here.)

He self-effacingly brings up the moniker of mad-scientist. If you want to understand Coach A's mindset, and you only have a few minutes, head to minute 15:00. Fascinating.

I'll leave it there, as I don't want to write something that would take as long to read as simply watching the video.

Props to the interviewer, who is (as far as I know) the only guy in the country shining such a spotlight on D3 soccer. Hours and hours of interviews and shows breaking down match-ups and delivering his own rankings. Worth a follow, even if just to support what he's doing.

He's not saying he's a mad scientist... But he's kind of not saying he's not a mad scientist. ;-)

This is a really great interview, SC. I know I'm biased, but I guess I should also note that I haven't run around on this board being a fanboy, either. He is really an interesting guy that clearly does a lot of work that isn't just focused on soccer, but also on theories on leadership and growth and whole host of other topics.

Interesting guy, and I mean that as a compliment, for sure.

(Kuiper, always assume that someone is interested in your background posts. I may not read every single word of your Region X stuff, but I absolutely read stuff like you put up about Coach Perez.)