A few notes from pre-NCAA media day...

[Tim Owen/BWI staff]

Penn State held its media day this afternoon in Rec Hall and in the Lorenzo Wrestling Complex. I'm working on a weight-by-weight preview that will run Wednesday, but I want to pass along a few short news items from today's availabilities first:

- The team -- seven qualifiers in all -- will load up a bus for the Pittsburgh airport tomorrow. They'll then hop on a direct flight to St. Louis and get in town around 2:30 in the afternoon. The timing, head coach Cael Sanderson said, "gives us plenty of time to get a nice little work out in. Then Wednesday is obviously a prep day and then we get ready to go. Thursday is a big day for us."


- Two qualifiers -- Matt McCutcheon (184) and Jimmy Lawson (285) -- opted for medical forfeits in their final match of Big Tens. After more than week of recovery, Sanderson reported today that they both are "full-speed" for the NCAA tourney.

Sanderson said he thinks McCutcheon wrestled the best he has seen all season at Big Tens, and despite what Sanderson called a knee sprain after the tournament, he said he has seen similar things from McCutcheon in the practice room this week.

Lawson, meanwhile, returned to workouts Friday without contact but was back to full-speed after injuring his neck/shoulder during Big Tens by Saturday.


- Sanderson will be looking toward upperclassmen Matt Brown (174) and Morgan McIntosh (197) to help lead the team this weekend. Although he's not specifically asking them to go out of their way to score bonus points, he said "the more they think about the team, the better their individual performance will be. If you're inspired to lead others and be the example, I think more than anything, it's just being the example of mentality and attitude."


- Asked about returning NCAA champion Jesse Delgado (125) of Illinois and returning finalists Josh Kindig of Oklahoma State (149) not earning seeds in their respective brackets, Sanderson said, "I think that's pretty screwy, to say the least."

While he's not blaming anyone specifically for the lack of seed for top guys like Delgado and Kindig, he's hoping to see a change for future tournaments.

"You've got to have some common sense as part of the system," he added. "When you have a two-time national champion (not seeded), obviously there's flaw in this system. It's not fair to the kid who draws him first round, really. It's really not even that big of a deal maybe to (Delgado), but it is to the guys who he sees early. There's always flaws; at least there have been as of late. But that's not to say the committee isn't doing the best job that they can."


- Finally, as expected, Sanderson said he's not yet counting out his team to make a run for the NCAA championship, like many fans and media across the country have already.

"We'll see how it all ends, but I've got to believe, and I do believe," he said. "Would it be a small miracle? Maybe. But I do believe in miracles, so we'll see what we can do."

Sanderson added later that while the odds may be stacked against the Nittany Lions, a few toss-up matches that go in Penn State's favor could truly sway the outcome of the team race.

"I think we're right there as a team," he said. "I'm excited. I don't want to talk big, but I think our guys have a chance to score a lot of points. Is it going to be easy? No, but can they do it? Yeah, absolutely."


That's all for now. A more in-depth preview coming at you later this week while I'm en route to St. Louis.




This post was edited on 3/16 5:18 PM by Tim Owen/BWI staff

 

[a_mshaffer]

Thanks for this update. I really hope Cutch and Lawson are 100%. Hope everyone else is ready as well (no hidden injuries/nicks). There are already enough speculation on others - Schopp, kindig, HSteiber, Delgado....

 

[Lion-around]

Regrets?

Cael knows he did not put his strongest team on the mat at the B1G tournament. We'll never know the reasons why (although we can speculate), but it was clearly a decision he and the coaches made that did not pan out. Ironically, he had the horsepower physically at Columbus for a fifth straight B1G tournament win (i.e., Nico, Zain, Jason); unfortunately that talent was on the sidelines and did not wrestle. The B1G tournament results for PSU has resulted in our national tournament championship chances to be very slim. Cael believes in miracles; that is exactly what we'll need to win at nationals. So here's hoping for a miracle!

This post was edited on 3/16 7:25 PM by Lion-around

 

[Azchief32]

Re: Regrets?

Originally posted by Lion-around:
Cael knows he did not put his strongest team on the mat at the B1G tournament. We'll never know the reasons why (although we can speculate), but it was clearly a decision he and the coaches made that did not pan out. Ironically, he had the horsepower physically at Columbus for a fifth straight B1G tournament win (i.e., Nico, Zain, Jason); unfortunately that talent was on the sidelines and did not wrestle. The B1G tournament results for PSU has resulted in our national tournament championship chances to be very slim. Cael believes in miracles; that is exactly what we'll need to win at nationals. So here's hoping for a miracle!

This post was edited on 3/16 7:25 PM by Lion-around

I don't think their should be any. Putting Nico and Zain out there next year will help jumpstart the younger talent and help make up for the growing pains along the way next season making them ready to make a run at the title. This year, it might have been close but why play a hand when you can attempt to stack the deck for next year. Traditionalists may frown, but still think it was a good call.

 

[Lion-around]

Re: Regrets?

You can never predict how the next year will play out. For example, after the 2014 national championship I'm sure Cael was confident he would have a healthy AA and DA in his line-up for five in a row. We know how that unfortunately played out for the Altons. We've heard no info on the status of the injuries that Bo and Nick suffered this year at the Scuffle; they are essential for any championship run in 2015/2016. Will they be ready to go in Nov 2015? I believe you strike when you have the talent in-hand, not bet on a future line-up that may not pan out. A RS for Nico, Zain and Jason made sense given the assumption that the coaches review of alternative talent was of a quality to make PSU competitive for another set of championships. In the four main duals that PSU competed in this year (i.e., Ohio State, Iowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma State), weight classes 141, 157, 165 and 184 went 2-14 (1 of those victories was by DA before he got injured in the Purdue match). Given how 141 (Moss), 157 (Law, Frey, DA) and 165 (Hammond) played out this year and Cael's focus on winning the two main wrestling tournaments (B1G and Nationals), I'm surprised that Cael didn't make some changes in the line-up and left so much talent on the bench. The talent was there to win now; there are no guarantees for next year. Cael is an exceptional coach and PSU is lucky to have him; that doesn't mean he and the coaching staff can't make some head scratching decisions. Those decisions are water under the bridge now and we move on; here's hoping 2015/2016 plays out as we hope.

 

[FrontRange]

Perfect real-life example of the "marshmallow experiment."

From what I've seen, we have a number of fans who would gobble that marshmallow down right away.

 

[lockhavenlion3]

Re: Regrets?

you can never predict anything with certainty. the decision had to be made before the altons were beset with injuries. as it played out, it was the right decision. even with nico & zain, it would have been iffy. i have no problem waiting till next year. are we a shoo-in, no. but i like our chances next year far more than i did this year.

 

[mikbard]

100% Agree other than I think they may have had a

fairly good idea of the Andrew Alton situation when the decision was made.

 

[El-Jefe]

Re: Regrets?

Cael doesn't seem to spend time regretting his decisions. Make the best decision you can with the info you have, live with it, move on to the next decision.

I also think "did not pan out" is way premature. Not just because this year's tournament has yet to occur. The full impact of this decision on the varsity team won't be known until possibly 2018, and the full impact on individual Olympic goals may not be known until 2020 or later.

 

[Wrestler2u]

Re: Regrets?

You understand that in Cael's first year he took about 7th place at NCAAs when he chose to redshirt a couple good ones in taylor and Ruth. I think he also redshirted a returning freshman AA in Quentin. He was loading up for four in a row. Hope he's doing it again. I think he knew what he had in DA and AA. I

 

[Flying_Tiger]

Yes, Cael has already proved this strategy works by redshirting Wright and then having him as a key point scorer his senior year. Without him, they don't win it in 2013. Furthermore, to say not to do something because it isn't a sure thing is an overly cautious way of looking at anything. Very few things worth doing are sure things. In the end, when the odds are in your favor, that makes it the smart choice wether it actually works or not.



This post was edited on 3/17 6:06 PM by Flying_Tiger

 

[Lion-around]

Re: Regrets?

All good points above; however, Cael wrestled Nico and Zain as true freshman when he needed their performances in order to win in March. Those were great decisions or we wouldn't be talking about four straight B1G and national championships. Cael has done a great job of RSing wrestlers when warranted AND wrestling true freshman when needed in order to win. So given PSU wrestling performance concerns particularly at 141 and 157 this year, why not pull key RSs and go for five in a row? True, it would have been close at B1Gs, but I think the team would have gotten it done. Finally, pulling the RSs for Nico, Zain and Jason this year would still result in an extremely strong line-up for next year. You could be looking at: Conaway, Gulibon, Retherford, Beitz, Nolf, Hammond/Rasheed, Nickal, McCutcheon, McIntosh and Nevills; that line-up doesn't look very different than the line-up you'd have next year if you kept the RSs for Nico, Zane and Jason this year; in fact, the only change would be at 125 (assuming the wrestlers maintain their weights and that could be a big if). So while this discussion is a moot point today, my comments were simply asking why not go for five in a row because the talent was there? Not a criticism, just a big head scratcher for me. Having said all of that, I'm pulling hard for the team that we sent to St. Louis.

 

[lockhavenlion3]

Re: Regrets?

risk, reward. the risk this year didn't meet the reward. the decision was made, and it was the right one.

 

[Cowbell Man]

Re: Regrets?

Originally posted by Lion-around:
All good points above; however, Cael wrestled Nico and Zain as true freshman when he needed their performances in order to win in March.




This is not true. If Nico and Zain did not wrestle in their freshman year respectively, who was going be our varsity wrestler at 125 and 141? And Morgan McIntosh at 197 in his freshman year?

These weights simply did not have a viable option, whereas this year they did. That we did not get 141, 157 and 165 to the NCAA is disappointing but they all were competitive and over .500 wrestlers. One actually earned an AQ for the conference and did not wrestle to the seed, the two others had an outstanding opportunity to wrestle their way in and the pressure and grind of the B10 and to also qualify likely preyed on their inexperience.

This post was edited on 3/18 12:05 PM by Cowbell Man

 

[Maddog]

Re: Regrets?

Lion-around - did you ever consider that Cael might be doing what's best for the WRESTLERS, rather than for the team? Giving Nico a RS to work on his freestyle skills for life after college, Zane a RS to get stronger (and maybe bigger, given the recent rumors of him moving to 149 next year), and the 3 N's a RS to allow them to adjust to college academically, physically, and socially (this last one maybe more important for Nickal and Nevills, who are a long way from home and their support systems). He's looking at the big picture, not just some instant gratification for impatient fans.

 

[Cold Smoke]

Finally... We have winner!

Well stated Maddog!

 

[Lion-around]

Re: Regrets?

First, I can't think of anything that is best for the wrestlers than being crowned national champions. Don't Brown, Lawson, Gingrich, the Altons, etc. have a right to that expectation? Second, everything I've read or heard from Cael emphasizes the TEAM. If it is not about the team, why wrestle Nico, Zain and Morgan as true freshman? There may not have been strong wrestlers to start in their place when they were freshman, but if this was about the wrestlers, you'd always RS a true freshman. We're rarely 1 deep at any weight (although as of now we're 1 deep next year at 285).

I understand everyone's post. If wrestling Nico, Zain and Jason this year altered the future prospects for the team, I would agree fully with almost all the posts here, but it doesn't. It has nothing to do with instant gratification. Gratification delayed is not future gratification assured.

 

[Cowbell Man]

Re: Regrets?

Originally posted by Lion-around:
First, I can't think of anything that is best for the wrestlers than being crowned national champions. Don't Brown, Lawson, Gingrich, the Altons, etc. have a right to that expectation? Second, everything I've read or heard from Cael emphasizes the TEAM. If it is not about the team, why wrestle Nico, Zain and Morgan as true freshman? There may not have been strong wrestlers to start in their place when they were freshman, but if this was about the wrestlers, you'd always RS a true freshman. We're rarely 1 deep at any weight (although as of now we're 1 deep next year at 285).

I understand everyone's post. If wrestling Nico, Zain and Jason this year altered the future prospects for the team, I would agree fully with almost all the posts here, but it doesn't. It has nothing to do with instant gratification. Gratification delayed is not future gratification assured.

Help me understand. WHO was going to wrestle at 125, 141 and 197 in those respective true Fr years?

Nico's Fr year. The choice was him or Jordan. Jordan who was last seen wrestling at 112. Go ahead. You pick.

141 last year. Beitz could not manage 141, and the staff did not want to move RS Fr Gulibon up to 141. Yes, Jordan was sitting around but can you see him wrestling 141? I'd say the decision to keep JG at 133 was a very wise idea.

197 MM or Ortega. Ortega is a funny, quality kid and probably a great employee where he is today. I have no doubt.

Lion: I could list the guys that Cael has sent to the mat that in the end were not really up to the task of wearing the blue/white in Rec Hall, but I don't want to call anyone out. What I do know is Cael will always RS a wrestler in his FR year unless he absolutely has to burn it. He is mindful of putting a quality show on the mat and he did exactly that this year.

As for altering the future prospects for the team. RS'ing Nico allows Cael to have Conaway at 125 rather than sitting around again. If Nico does take an Olympic year, he gets Conaway again instead of possibly sitting around. By RS', you get AA level wrestling again for 1 more year than we would have had for this weight. That gives time to get the next stud at 125 ready.

And I edit again to ask your own question: Don't Brown, Lawson, Gingrich, the Altons, etc. have a right to that expectation? I'd say by RS'ing JN, that DA got every opportunity to do just that.


This post was edited on 3/18 1:42 PM by Cowbell Man

This post was edited on 3/18 1:45 PM by Cowbell Man

 

[Lion-around]

Re: Regrets?

Well I think you made my point better than I did. At 125 when Nico wrestled as a true freshman, Cael could have wrestled Conaway. At 141 when Zain was a true freshman, Cael could have wrestled Bentley or Waters. At 197 when Morgan was a true freshman, Cael could have wrestled Ortega. In each case Cael made the right decision for the team at that time. So my simple point was this - was wrestling Moss over Zain best for the team? Once DA re-injured his shoulder in the Purdue match, was keeping Jason on the bench best for the team (if DA was healthy I would not have been in favor of pulling Jason's RS)? If you add Zain and Jason to the team (i.e., you pull their RS), Penn State is in the mix for the championship.

A counter argument to my own point is that once Cael made the decision to RS a wrestler, I don't think (and you'll rightfully correct me if I'm wrong) he has ever pulled a RS during the season. If Cael has never pulled a RS during the season, than he was consistent this season as well even though the results were probably not as he expected.

 

[Cowbell Man]

Re: Regrets?

I didn't make your point. I said he burns shirts only if he has to. He is ALSO mindful to put the right people on the mat for success and I'm happy to tell you he absolutely believed this team would develop and send 9-10 wrestlers to the NCAA and win the championship. I always suggest in the end when there is a question that the person who thinks the team was somehow harmed by the decision speak with Cael directly.

Unfortunately, I was not comfortable naming certain names. At 125 you say he COULD have chosen Jordan. Really? Choosing between two true freshman makes MY point….that he had to place a True Freshman on the mat. There was no choice on the burning of a shirt at 125. One shirt had to be burned or we would FF.

Zain: Again, Cael is mindful to put guys on the mat who are ready. So a choice between Bentley, Waters and Zain is again, zero choice. If ZB could have maintained 141 and competed…which it was clear he could not, Beitz would have stayed.

Smack…okaaaayyyyy maybe, but single digit wins at 197 really suggests no choice to me. Cael is simply not going to send a less than .500 wrestler out as meat.

In the long run wrestling Moss is good for the depth and covers weights for the future.

To your last line, PSU is in the mix for the championship….I'll say this again. A direct conversation will reveal that Cael absolutely believed this team would be in the mix for the championship from day 1.

 

[Flying_Tiger]

Underlying this discussion is the fact there was a serious lack of depth on this team when Sanderson was hired. Remember there was a great purge of wrestlers towards the end of Sunderland era. There were also, however, a few extremely talented guys on the roster and when combined with Ruth and Taylor the opportunity for success came very quickly. As a result, coach put several guys into the lineup over the years that were ready to go as true freshman despite his general belief that true freshmen should get the benefit of a redshirt. This season, I think he finally saw an opportunity with the team not being a favorite like they have been to let the guys that didn't shirt take one and also let all the true freshman get one as well. In essence he is doing a consolidation and finally getting the team where he wants it from a depth perspective. Could they have won it this year, maybe, but far from a sure thing, so in the end I could see how coach felt this was better for both the individuals and the future prospects of the team.

 

[El-Jefe]

Re: Regrets?

Originally posted by Lion-around:
Well I think you made my point better than I did. At 125 when Nico wrestled as a true freshman, Cael could have wrestled Conaway. At 141 when Zain was a true freshman, Cael could have wrestled Bentley or Waters. At 197 when Morgan was a true freshman, Cael could have wrestled Ortega. In each case Cael made the right decision for the team at that time. So my simple point was this - was wrestling Moss over Zain best for the team? Once DA re-injured his shoulder in the Purdue match, was keeping Jason on the bench best for the team (if DA was healthy I would not have been in favor of pulling Jason's RS)? If you add Zain and Jason to the team (i.e., you pull their RS), Penn State is in the mix for the championship.

A counter argument to my own point is that once Cael made the decision to RS a wrestler, I don't think (and you'll rightfully correct me if I'm wrong) he has ever pulled a RS during the season. If Cael has never pulled a RS during the season, than he was consistent this season as well even though the results were probably not as he expected.

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

 

[NEPAwolverine]

well said Maddog!!!

Exactly. after winning 4 titles (and likely more to come), maybe the endless yearly quest for a team title was put In second priority; reward the wrestlers, and put them first; have a happy team; and have confidence that that approach will pay off in the future. I really admire the approach. (We are not tOSU gunning for a single season)