College Crosse Prospectus: Friday’s Scrimmage Recaps; Penn State’s “Effort Stats”

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD MORNING, College Crosse Nation!! Thanks for making us a part of your day! There are scrimmages going on right now (we’ll try to get as many recaps in tomorrow’s Prospectus), but there were a couple yesterday, so let’s get to those links!

Podcast Alert

We previewed the America East, CAA, and Patriot League in part two of our 2017 season preview!

What You Missed

Virginia’s Phil Menson Poquie has been dismissed from the Cavaliers program, while Syracuse’s Gale Thorpe is out for the season with the very specific lower-body injury.

Here’s all of this weekend’s scrimmages, along with some scrimmages sprinkled in during the week.

Penn State had a donut eating contest. Personally, I love Boston Creme.

Lacrosse The Nation

There were a couple of scrimmages yesterday. We start with the Hill Academy defeating Vermont, 10-4. Thanks to our reader Andrew Everett for the update and picture!

Over in Jacksonville, the Dolphins defeated the University of Tampa, 16-8.

The lights went out near the end of the game.

Jacksonville plays their alumni once again this afternoon. You can listen here:

Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia is getting women’s lacrosse for the 2019 season!

Army’s swag is ready to go.

So are High Point’s socks!

Lars Tiffany’s on the Wahoo Central podcast!

Inside Lacrosse’s Quint Kessenich previews the 2017 season. He’s rocking a little bit of facial hair, but also says that scrimmages start today. They don’t. They began last week.

Penn State’s Jeff Tambroni blew the first whistle at Penn State’s Men’s Volleyball match last night.

Speaking of Tambroni, he likes to use “effort stats” to track the team’s successes, according to Paddy Cotter of The Daily Collegian.

Instead of measuring the team’s success against Army solely on goals, Tambroni is using what he calls “effort stats” to see where his team stands before the regular season starts.

“If you can maintain a 50-50 or an edge in those statistics, that’s how we’ll measure ourselves going into that first opponent in our home opener,” Tambroni said. “I hope that we’ll do just that.”

Using broad terms like “statistics” as a focus for the team is no accident. Tambroni doesn't want to limit his team to focusing on a singular aspect of the game.

“I think if you’re too narrow when the season is so long that you’ve probably missed the boat on so many different elements,” Tambroni said. “It’s probably more about the broader scope of the season and coming out of there hopefully healthy but also very confident.”

Always nice to carry around a shiny gold belt.

A lot of things wouldn’t happen without Michigan lacrosse, pens Brian Archer, Michigan’s senior FOGO.

Without Michigan Lacrosse:

• We would never have experienced a classic "Swedish Brother Showdown" where brothers and defensive stalwarts Eric and Dickson Smith get together after practice (in what they think is private) and butt heads by pointing out where the other made mistakes during the latest defensive drill. These types of debates are not limited to lacrosse and in fact often extend to matters outside of practice in timeless classics such as "where do I park the car" and "what's the best flavor of Gatorade."

• The entire team chanting and clapping the "Go 'Nino" as Robbie Zonino dances in the middle of the showers after a big win would never have been born. Without Michigan lacrosse, Robbie may have had to take those dance skills somewhere way less classy.

• The great "Diaz" would never have come into his full glory. Without Michigan lacrosse, BJ [Mattheiss] would just be BJ: an athletic, quiet kid from Baltimore with the ability to talk really weirdly. Not until he received the nickname "Diaz" did he really start getting cocky and reminding you he could dust you in a game of 2K (a basketball video game for those that are reading this on your eMachines computer, lol (laugh out loud)).

In his final season, Jordan Evans hopes to leave Syracuse on top as he takes reigns of the attack, note Lindsay Kramer of Syracuse.com.

"I think the farther we go this season, the more people are going to remember this season as opposed to dwell on the past,'' Evans said earlier this week. "So, I think that's obviously a goal of mine to win a national championship and leave here out on top where people will remember you as a champion.''

To a very large extent, Syracuse's progression toward that end will depend upon how well Evans cashes in on his increased playmaking role and his final chance to be a dominant player.

Evans, wearer of SU's fabled No. 22, struggled his first two seasons with injuries and a switch to midfield from attack, the position at which he dominated and became a highly-regarded prospect at Jamesville-DeWitt. Last year, Orange coach John Desko moved Evans back to attack and, playing alongside veterans [Dylan] Donahue and Tim Barber, he responded with 27 goals and eight assists.

Now, with Barber and Donahue gone, Evans is getting his first regular crack at running an attack that's light on proven production. In early practices he's been calling the shots behind the cage with Nick Mariano and Brad Voigt on the left side and Nate Solomon getting some looks from the right.

Delaware and Harvard had some alumni join them last night.

Not all equipment is standardized, writes Matt DaSilva of US Lacrosse Magazine.

Stick

No standard

Though specifications exist for competitive purposes, there are no performance standards related to the component materials like the plastic of the head or the metal of the shaft.

Mouthpiece

No standard

How are those pearly whites? ASTM F697 provides a standard for care and use, but the material used in mouth protection is not standardized.

Gloves

No standard

Broken thumbs are among the most common injuries for goalies.

Arm Pads

No standard

Though required by rules, arm guards do not have to meet a performance standard.

The season is inching closer for plenty of teams.

Philly Jawns

Last night at La Salle College High School (that’s where I went) was the sixth annual Silent Night basketball game. Students dress up in various costumes and stay silent until the 10th point, when they all erupt in craziness.

They also had half court shots during halftime, and two of them went in. 43:13 is the second made shot.

Best high school ever? Best high school ever. Keep doing what you’ve been doing, Lasallians.

World News

Serena Williams, the only GOAT there is, wins her 23rd major championship over her sister, Venus, in the Australian Open, and breaks Steffi Graf’s major championships record in the process.

Video of the Day

Let’s see Jason Momoa throw axes at a target!

Make sure you follow us on social media!

Facebook: College Crosse

Twitter: @SexyTimeLax

Managing Editors: Safe Fekadu, Chris Jastrzembski, Ryan McDonnell