Spencer at his very best (2nd championship year IMO) was amongst the best I have ever seen. None should view a 3xer, 2x hodge winner as anything less one of the most elite ever, but to the question of did he reach his full potential, I think a discussion is fair.
Despite his bonus & dominance during duals this season he was not at the level I saw several years ago. This year he was tossed to his back 3 separate times, less dynamic and quick from neutral, notably gassed in some matches.
If I am to question could his career have been better, the answer is an unequivocal 'YES'. Here is a short list of why and where he fell short:
1). Injury - no doubt no one but Spencer knows the extent, but he seems far from 100%, and may never get there again. Anyone who questions the effect of injury on his career and how it ended is simply not being fair. It's quite possible the true "100% Spencer" was last seen his junior year of highschool.
2). Conditioning - his 3rd period gas tank issues are well known. Granted a history of ending matches in the first and second period doesn't help. He does not possess a world class gas tank, admittedly this too might factor to his injuries as well.
3). One dimensional - not quite a fair categorization as his neutral and top games are other worldly, but he is somewhat pedestrian on bottom, and take away his tilt and bar and there is a lot of room for improvement scoring on top.
4). Attitude - too much of his persona is all about Spencer. To hear he chose not to go live hard against team mates is only defensable if tied to the injuries. Team over self is a very important life concept. Maybe unfair, but I think ego played a big factor in his recruitment decision.
5). Development - the key to elite greatness is improving every single day, admitting that one's skill set today is not sufficient for tomorrow. I think Spencer had stood on pat on his strengths and did not address his weaknesses. See #3 above. It's too hard to take an honest self critique when you are dominating virtually every opponent. It was pretty clear the quality of competition the past 2 campaigns was far from elite. Without a 'worthy' challenger how great is great enough?
The irony in all of this is he chose to go somewhere that has a relatively spotty record at best of developing elite talent, to become 'the face' and savior of the program, and to his credit he did deliver one team championship on his shoulders.
What he gave up, was the opportunity to learn and develop under the greatest coach of a generation. Cael's program would have had a significant positive incremental impact on categories 2-5 for sure. As for 1, I also suspect he would not have been faced with the pressure of the team depending upon his presence to be competitive, potentially forcing him back into action what certainly now seems like a year too early.
Had he gone to PSU, he most likely would have red shirted his first year, had fewer weaknesses, far better conditioning, a maniacle focus on daily incremental improvements, a far broader arsenal of tools, the support and strength of the team concept, and IMO not only would he have been a 4xer, but he would have had an outside shot at Cael's career undefeated milestone. Anyone looking honestly at the contrast between Iowa and PSU can not the this possibility.
To every super elite blue chipper that chooses Oky State, Ohio State or Iowa, Spencer's example can be yet one more in an increasingly long line of what woulda, coulda, shoulda been stellar careers.
Cornel and Mizzou oddly enough are at the top of my list for other programs that demonstrate some consistency in developing top talent. No doubt Cael is still the very best.
I have to admit, I am still bummed that Spencer passed on the obvious best choice to build his career and set him on a path to his optimal self as a competitor. How great could Spencer Lee have been if he has committed to Penn State? We will never know, but we can use evidence based deduction to guess.
Make no mistake, what he gave us was something exceptionally rare and special, but it ended with a roar then a whisper sounding hollow and incomplete. As much as I root against the Hawkeyes, and as bitter as I have felt in losing the battle for Spencer so many years ago, his last match left me feeling sad and a bit empty to be perfectly honest.
I think a number of years down the road, the whole Lee family may start to wonder 'what if' as well. I hope not, as regret is not a positive to carry forward.
I hope the next generation's Spencer Lee will learn a little bit from history.
Despite his bonus & dominance during duals this season he was not at the level I saw several years ago. This year he was tossed to his back 3 separate times, less dynamic and quick from neutral, notably gassed in some matches.
If I am to question could his career have been better, the answer is an unequivocal 'YES'. Here is a short list of why and where he fell short:
1). Injury - no doubt no one but Spencer knows the extent, but he seems far from 100%, and may never get there again. Anyone who questions the effect of injury on his career and how it ended is simply not being fair. It's quite possible the true "100% Spencer" was last seen his junior year of highschool.
2). Conditioning - his 3rd period gas tank issues are well known. Granted a history of ending matches in the first and second period doesn't help. He does not possess a world class gas tank, admittedly this too might factor to his injuries as well.
3). One dimensional - not quite a fair categorization as his neutral and top games are other worldly, but he is somewhat pedestrian on bottom, and take away his tilt and bar and there is a lot of room for improvement scoring on top.
4). Attitude - too much of his persona is all about Spencer. To hear he chose not to go live hard against team mates is only defensable if tied to the injuries. Team over self is a very important life concept. Maybe unfair, but I think ego played a big factor in his recruitment decision.
5). Development - the key to elite greatness is improving every single day, admitting that one's skill set today is not sufficient for tomorrow. I think Spencer had stood on pat on his strengths and did not address his weaknesses. See #3 above. It's too hard to take an honest self critique when you are dominating virtually every opponent. It was pretty clear the quality of competition the past 2 campaigns was far from elite. Without a 'worthy' challenger how great is great enough?
The irony in all of this is he chose to go somewhere that has a relatively spotty record at best of developing elite talent, to become 'the face' and savior of the program, and to his credit he did deliver one team championship on his shoulders.
What he gave up, was the opportunity to learn and develop under the greatest coach of a generation. Cael's program would have had a significant positive incremental impact on categories 2-5 for sure. As for 1, I also suspect he would not have been faced with the pressure of the team depending upon his presence to be competitive, potentially forcing him back into action what certainly now seems like a year too early.
Had he gone to PSU, he most likely would have red shirted his first year, had fewer weaknesses, far better conditioning, a maniacle focus on daily incremental improvements, a far broader arsenal of tools, the support and strength of the team concept, and IMO not only would he have been a 4xer, but he would have had an outside shot at Cael's career undefeated milestone. Anyone looking honestly at the contrast between Iowa and PSU can not the this possibility.
To every super elite blue chipper that chooses Oky State, Ohio State or Iowa, Spencer's example can be yet one more in an increasingly long line of what woulda, coulda, shoulda been stellar careers.
Cornel and Mizzou oddly enough are at the top of my list for other programs that demonstrate some consistency in developing top talent. No doubt Cael is still the very best.
I have to admit, I am still bummed that Spencer passed on the obvious best choice to build his career and set him on a path to his optimal self as a competitor. How great could Spencer Lee have been if he has committed to Penn State? We will never know, but we can use evidence based deduction to guess.
Make no mistake, what he gave us was something exceptionally rare and special, but it ended with a roar then a whisper sounding hollow and incomplete. As much as I root against the Hawkeyes, and as bitter as I have felt in losing the battle for Spencer so many years ago, his last match left me feeling sad and a bit empty to be perfectly honest.
I think a number of years down the road, the whole Lee family may start to wonder 'what if' as well. I hope not, as regret is not a positive to carry forward.
I hope the next generation's Spencer Lee will learn a little bit from history.
