Week-End Salvo

[Oracle]

New topic: Future Scheduling 'Concept'

With the Ivy League leaving to form their own qualifier, it is the perfect time to hit reset for future scheduling.
Although, I favor keeping Cornell, Penn and Princeton, there is no reason to keep things status quo.
To wit: we wrestled Wisconsin for many years -- no longer. We wrestled Michigan for even longer -- no longer. We wrestled Maryland -- no longer. How about we give up Arizona State and replace them with Stanford (for NoCal?) and maybe Cal Baptist (for SoCal.)It gives us an in to California which is a hot bed for recruiting. Next, I would consider adding UNColorado and/or Arkansas-Little Rock both of whom are trending, especially the former.

The south is starting to consistently produce D1 talent: North Carolina and Georgia in addition to Tenn. Why not add App State and/or Gardner-Webb? We've already had a few duals with Campbell (started with Kolat) .... it would keep our name front and center in that region.

We can utilize the Sheridan as a catch-all. Maybe we should change the format. 8 teams with one wrestler each. 3 rounds: Quarter/Semis/Finals == and be sure everyone gets 3 bouts. You could bring in UNColo, Little Rock, App State, Stanford the years we don't visit them for a dual.

My proposed future schedule:
* Journeyman (as many as we can take)
* Princeton (as many as we can take)
* Pitt
* Cornell
* Okla State or Iowa State
* Sheridan (8 teams) -- could be an individual seeded tournament or a team seeded tournament
Invite Stanford, Cal Baptist, Little Rock, App State, Morgan State, Gardner-Webb, UNColo -- (Lehigh) = 8

* Midlands (selected few at coach's discretion)

Patriot League Opponents starting in January:
* Hofstra (Fri) [rotate in with F&M, Sacred Heart, Drexel, LIU]
* Army (Sat)

* Princeton (Sat)

* Navy (Fri)
* American (Sat)

* Penn (Sat)

* Binghamton (Fri)
* Bucknell (Sat)

As you can see, no Penn State. It's not working for us....tradition isn't worth it. And I realize this is about as unpopular a position as could be taken. Oh well.

Duals = 11 -- 3/1st semester, 7/2nd semester
Sheridan (3 bouts)
Journeyman (3 bouts min)
Princeton (3 bouts min)
Midlands (n/a)

Total bouts = 20 + whoever goes to Midlands

[Spladle1989]

And I present:

The Rutgers should be first priority posts........

[JAD77]

Love the Sheridan concept.
Don’t like dropping Penn State.
Think the Cali and Southern states concepts are interesting.
However - serious question - do you think adding a team or two either in Cali or in the South really would influence recruiting in those areas?

Especially love the weekend salvos. Always interesting.

I’ll be the first with Rutgers. They sell out the RAC with mostly fans/parents/wrestlers of HS wrestling in the 2nd or 3rd best wrestling state in the country.

[Oracle]

Don't disagree with Spaldle, but have to assume nothing will happen or change. If it does, it would be easy to insert Rutgers 1st semester in place of Ok St/Iowa St --- or even add another date either 1st semester or prior to EIWAs like we do now with Ariz St.

Yes, I do strongly believe showing up influences recruiting. Many of the top programs make it a point to come east and it's not to meet PSU....it's to have PA/NJ recruits see them in action, get to talk with them, etc.

BTW, I don't like dropping PSU either, but it's really not in our best interests to face them at this time. And that has to be the governor in any scheduling decision.

[mookie]

I would propose:

Adding: Cliff Keen Las Vegas
Adding: Rutgers
Adding: Michigan, Ohio State
Adding: North Carolina & North Carolina State
Adding: Maryland
Adding: Virginia Tech
Adding: Morgan State

Dropping: PSU
Dropping: Arizona State
Dropping: The Sheridan

Continue: Cornell, Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Pitt, Army, Navy
Continue: Journeyman
Selective Participation: Midlands, Southern Scuffle, MatTown, Princeton Open, F&M Open

Run/Don't Walk: From the EIWA

[DavidKla]

Arizona State will have a lot more conference commitments in the Big 12 so not sure if they will continue. As of now Oregon State in limbo and may be looking for matches. The ACC seems a fit as they only wrestle league matches on Friday night (having so few teams) leaving the rest of the weekend open. And you have to think Stanford would like to wrestle more than once after making the cross country trip. The other conferences (Big 10 and Big 12) probably aren’t very realistic in the second semester given the number of conference matches they have.

[martinsilvestri]

I'd like to see them replace Bucknell or Binghamton with RIDER. Good dual last night between Rider/Princeton. They're a good candidate for EIWA anyway and would give us better strategic exposure for recruiting.

[FloridaGuy]

>>>>>>> A good schedule ahould accomplish two goals:

A.)Develop the team/wrestlers to their fullest potential

B.) Put fans in the stands


I would build a schedule around at least two high quality opponents at home each year—— to both challenge the wrestlers and engage the fans/sell tickets.

I would schedule psu, OkieSt, Rutgers and cu each year——— two at home and two away.

And fill in with the core traditional rivals—Army, Navy, Princeton, Penn, Bucknell & Pitt plus add some new teams to mix things up.

One obvious key is teams willing to travel to Lehigh———so I’d keep ASU as long as they like to travel.

Lastly, I like the way the coaching staff and team used the open tourneys/Journeyman and the Sheridan. Good process for a sizable number of matches per weigh-in, plenty of matches for starters and backups, determine the starters, and provide certain guys the extra challenge of the Midlands. It worked well the first half of this year.

[1/2NELSON]

I like the FloridaGuy's schedule, especially the CORE group, including Penn State, if not just for historical perspective, but as a barometer of where we're at in comparison. Plus they assure you of more GREY-HAIR in the stands than what we got!

Gotta keep Princeton, the pristine Campus of THE BEUTIFUL MIND, and the architectural splendor of Jadwin Gym. Plus I enjoy watching their hot-headed coach, the JERSEY-GUY, Joe DuBuque! Same aesthetics apply to U of Penn, wrestling in the ancient Palestra. I would also request that Santoro, and Goodale "bury the hatchet", and make the Lehigh/Rutgers match a staple on our schedule every year! This would be a WIN/WIN for rabid fans of both squads.

And wrap the kids a XMAS gift, a flight to California to engage Ayres, and his Stanford team, OR make it Vegas,.. and the popular Cliff-Keen Duals. Whatever, but send your A-TEAM, the Lehigh BRAND, not the watered-down exhibition that was the Sheridan.

[HFO]

New topic: Future Scheduling 'Concept'

With the Ivy League leaving to form their own qualifier, it is the perfect time to hit reset for future scheduling.
Although, I favor keeping Cornell, Penn and Princeton, there is no reason to keep things status quo.
To wit: we wrestled Wisconsin for many years -- no longer. We wrestled Michigan for even longer -- no longer. We wrestled Maryland -- no longer. How about we give up Arizona State and replace them with Stanford (for NoCal?) and maybe Cal Baptist (for SoCal.)It gives us an in to California which is a hot bed for recruiting. Next, I would consider adding UNColorado and/or Arkansas-Little Rock both of whom are trending, especially the former.

The south is starting to consistently produce D1 talent: North Carolina and Georgia in addition to Tenn. Why not add App State and/or Gardner-Webb? We've already had a few duals with Campbell (started with Kolat) .... it would keep our name front and center in that region.

We can utilize the Sheridan as a catch-all. Maybe we should change the format. 8 teams with one wrestler each. 3 rounds: Quarter/Semis/Finals == and be sure everyone gets 3 bouts. You could bring in UNColo, Little Rock, App State, Stanford the years we don't visit them for a dual.

My proposed future schedule:
* Journeyman (as many as we can take)
* Princeton (as many as we can take)
* Pitt
* Cornell
* Okla State or Iowa State
* Sheridan (8 teams) -- could be an individual seeded tournament or a team seeded tournament
Invite Stanford, Cal Baptist, Little Rock, App State, Morgan State, Gardner-Webb, UNColo -- (Lehigh) = 8

* Midlands (selected few at coach's discretion)

Patriot League Opponents starting in January:
* Hofstra (Fri) [rotate in with F&M, Sacred Heart, Drexel, LIU]
* Army (Sat)

* Princeton (Sat)

* Navy (Fri)
* American (Sat)

* Penn (Sat)

* Binghamton (Fri)
* Bucknell (Sat)

As you can see, no Penn State. It's not working for us....tradition isn't worth it. And I realize this is about as unpopular a position as could be taken. Oh well.

Duals = 11 -- 3/1st semester, 7/2nd semester
Sheridan (3 bouts)
Journeyman (3 bouts min)
Princeton (3 bouts min)
Midlands (n/a)

Total bouts = 20 + whoever goes to Midlands

Interesting. If 11 duals, for me
US Military Academy
US Naval Academy
Harvard
Princeton
Penn
Columbia
Cornell
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
Northwestern - I would argue that northern Indiana and Chicago west suburbs produce top tier talent. Crown Point, IN, Cedar Lake, IN, Brownsburg, IN and then Montini Catholic and other elite western suburb schools.

Midlands for sure. I actually would like Lehigh to be out at Vegas.