Younger Fiore's IHS Lax Games now being broadcast

[Al DeFlorio]

If you two find a Puerto Rican you've got a good "walk into a bar" joke.

Also, Ithaca weather sucks

Does anybody think this has any effect?  We're not competing for hoops players who decide to take their talents to South Beach.  These guys are the wrestler from The Breakfast Club.  I doubt weather means a thing to them.

This is anecdotal only, but look at what happened to the Syracuse program after opening the Dome in 1980.

[ugarte]

If you two find a Puerto Rican you've got a good "walk into a bar" joke.

Also, Ithaca weather sucks

Does anybody think this has any effect?  We're not competing for hoops players who decide to take their talents to South Beach.  These guys are the wrestler from The Breakfast Club.  I doubt weather means a thing to them.

I've heard people say Boston has a leg up in hockey recruiting because there's "more to do there" (read: the Bruins and titty bars, not necessarily in that order) and I can see that, but has any teenage boy ever said to himself, "I'd like to go to Cornell to play lax, but Virginia has milder winters"?

Ithaca weather suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. It isn't so-so. It is awful. It is "All Summer in a Day" for students who don't actually hang around for the summers (which are awesome). Yes, I think it matters.

[Robb]

If you two find a Puerto Rican you've got a good "walk into a bar" joke.

Also, Ithaca weather sucks

Does anybody think this has any effect?  We're not competing for hoops players who decide to take their talents to South Beach.  These guys are the wrestler from The Breakfast Club.  I doubt weather means a thing to them.

I've heard people say Boston has a leg up in hockey recruiting because there's "more to do there" (read: the Bruins and titty bars, not necessarily in that order) and I can see that, but has any teenage boy ever said to himself, "I'd like to go to Cornell to play lax, but Virginia has milder winters"?

Ithaca weather suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. It isn't so-so. It is awful. It is "All Summer in a Day" for students who don't actually hang around for the summers (which are awesome). Yes, I think it matters.

I do, too.  I have a friend who's a ranked HS runner in TX and is serious about academics - wants to major in CS.  Weather was a VERY big concern for him when deciding where to run.  Fortunately, he's made a wise decision and will be on the hill this fall.  

[Josh '99]

If you two find a Puerto Rican you've got a good "walk into a bar" joke.

Also, Ithaca weather sucks

Does anybody think this has any effect?  We're not competing for hoops players who decide to take their talents to South Beach.  These guys are the wrestler from The Breakfast Club.  I doubt weather means a thing to them.

I've heard people say Boston has a leg up in hockey recruiting because there's "more to do there" (read: the Bruins and titty bars, not necessarily in that order) and I can see that, but has any teenage boy ever said to himself, "I'd like to go to Cornell to play lax, but Virginia has milder winters"?

Ithaca weather suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. It isn't so-so. It is awful. It is "All Summer in a Day" for students who don't actually hang around for the summers (which are awesome). Yes, I think it matters.

And in this context, we're talking about kids who grew up dealing with that crappy weather and might be ready for a change after their first 18 years.  (On top of perhaps wanting to be further removed from watchful parental eyes.)

[Al DeFlorio]

(On top of perhaps wanting to be further removed from watchful parental eyes.)

And don't underestimate this as it might affect Ithaca kids.  Growing up in New Haven, I always saw myself going to Yale...until, sometime in the fall of senior year in high school, it dawned on me that this would mean four more years of New Haven and no change of scenery.  [And I liked New Haven, but the thought of being somewhere else was just very appealing.]

[phillysportsfan]

#1160espn Lots of lacrosse talk coming this afternoon at 4 p.m. Patrick Stevens, Washington Times and twitter superstar @d1scourse joins us.
#1160espn Barry Leonard also will be on the show. Topics: Cornell-Virginia, Maryland-Syracuse, and other quarterfinal matchups.

4-5pm
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/player?rd=1#/live/?callsign=WPIEAM

[Jim Hyla]

its rigorous academic curricula (no communications... programs)

Um, what?

Give me a break, Beeeej.  I worked as closely with Geri Gay, now chair of the department, as with anyone at Cornell during my professional career in the 1980s.  I mean the kind of communications programs that turn out the Lowell Galindos of the world, not one that looks at communication as a social science.

And I'm supposed to know that?  Give me a break, Al, and say what you mean.

Well I certainly understood him. Maybe that's because SU has communications, some good some bad; but mentioning communications in the same breath as sports management was my clue.

[David Harding]

I started wondering what people were saying about Rob Pannell when he arrived.  A search turned up this.

[ithacat]

If you can't get down to Moresco Field at Ithaca High School for the remainder of the lacrosse season, all the games will be broadcast live on 1160espn.com starting with tonight's regular season finale against rival Corning. Tonight is internet only - the rest should be on local radio - 1160am - as well.

Adam Fiore, AJ's younger brother and a Junior at IHS, leads the team with 52 points (34-18) and as of recently, was #4 in Section IV in points per game (3.. This team is really good, and very under-rated. A legit state contender, despite being unranked right now.

Team is ranked 7th by laxpower (29th nationally). The weak schedule might kill them come playoff time. They've got 3 D1 seniors and probably another 4-5 among sophomores and juniors (Fiore, Ciferri, Lasda, Mendola, Henderson). Unfortunately, it sounds like Cornell might whiff on all of them -- Fiore the younger might be their best chance.

Why might Cornell whiff on all of them?  Don't we at some point in time have to find a way to convert all of this high level of success, not to mention incredible tradition, into some sort of recruiting power?

I said whiff because given Cornell's recent success I'd like to think Cornell has an advantage with Ithaca kids. The Lasdas and Ciferri are legacies -- the former seem both set to follow Tambroni to PSU. Can't imagine Mendola not taking advantage of his Harvard legacy as he'd probably be disowned by his family. Henderson seems to have his eyes set on Syracuse or ACC schools. Fiore seems to be the best chance to keep one home.

[Chris '03]

I started wondering what people were saying about Rob Pannell when he arrived.  A search turned up this.

Recently on laxpower forum:

Going into his senior year at Smithtown High School West, Pannell was considered too small and not fast enough to play at top Division I programs. By the fall of that year, he had only received scholarship offers from Towson and Quinnipiac — the latter receiving his commitment to play....

While at Deerfield, Pannell still couldn't get a release from Quinnipiac. This limited his choices to Ivy League schools because they do not participate in the National Letter of Intent program. So Metzger and his former Hofstra teammate, Vinnie Sombrotto, called then-Cornell head coach Jeff Tambroni.
http://www.dailyorange.com/sports/natio ... -1.2144032

[Swampy]

I started wondering what people were saying about Rob Pannell when he arrived.  A search turned up this.

Recently on laxpower forum:

Going into his senior year at Smithtown High School West, Pannell was considered too small and not fast enough to play at top Division I programs. By the fall of that year, he had only received scholarship offers from Towson and Quinnipiac — the latter receiving his commitment to play....

While at Deerfield, Pannell still couldn't get a release from Quinnipiac. This limited his choices to Ivy League schools because they do not participate in the National Letter of Intent program. So Metzger and his former Hofstra teammate, Vinnie Sombrotto, called then-Cornell head coach Jeff Tambroni.
http://www.dailyorange.com/sports/natio ... -1.2144032

And Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.

[Swampy]

I hope so but I can't help feeling that Rob Pannell didn't arrive here because of that approach.

You make it sound like changing Cornell's "approach" is an independent variable.  

Cornell recruits within the constraints of its Ivy League academic standards, its Ivy League financial aid constraints, its rigorous academic curricula (no communications or sports management programs), and its northern, relative-to-Virginia-and-Carolina-and-Maryland rather harsh climate.  I'm sure Cornell coaches don't look upon a top 5 blue chipper and say "to hell with him--that's not our approach--we'd rather find a possible hidden gem in Bangor and hope for the best."

To go a bit further asking about this, SU's roster is filled with kids from New York State. Many are from central New York. Obviously, top-shelf players. While they may play in a dome, they live in weather that sucks almost as much as Ithaca's.

Back in my day, New York State Regents scholarships could pay over 90% of tuition in an endowed college at Cornell. Today they're down to about $2K per year. Substantial, but nothing to write home about. Talent-wise, Baltimore, Long Island, and Central New York are to lacrosse recruiting as Boston and Minneapolis are to hockey.



Lacrosse also is not football or basketball. The Ivy League is arguably the second strongest conference in lacrosse. Two of the ACC schools are "Public Ivies," and Duke and JHU are not academic lightweights either. Nobody's getting rich playing professional lacrosse either, so academics might actually be a positive.

[Swampy]

Good article on Pannell in the Smithtown Patch. One of the quotes I like the best is

[being named a Tewaaraton finalist for the second year in a row] is tremendous honor. But I wouldn't be in that position if I did not have the team I have behind me. It really is a compliment to my team and my coaches, and how they have helped me out.

Anyone who has watched his development over the past three years would have to agree. In making their college choice, I hope potential recruits pay attention to this more than to Ithaca weather.

[billhoward]

Much as you love your family, you might want to be somewhere else for college? You can get a good education and play high-level lacrosse at Princeton or Virginia or Duke. Even Harvard's looking respectable.

[Towerroad]

Even Harvard's looking respectable.

Surely you jest, even they were good a lax respectability is something quite different.

Let's see how they play with legal sticks.

Harvard Sucks!