Bo Bassett thread
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I agree back in my day, PIAA states was everything to us.
Now realistically PIAA is way down there on wrestlers goals. Seniors every year arent wrestling them because they aren’t that big of a deal.
The top kids wrestle nationally ranked kids every weekend at these duals. If guys like, Forest and Bassett never wrestle one PIAA match that won’t hurt them a bit with recruiting, College wrestling or their future. Truth be told the PIAA is losing out on not having them in their event and watering it down. Somebody last year won a gold medal and knows if Gibson was there they probably wouldn’t have.
College coaches don’t nearly recruit PIAA like they used too. They want to see how these kids do against kids from across the country at Super 32, Powerade, Elite 8 duals, World Trials, Fargo, Iron man, Beast, Escape the Rock, and the list could go on and on.
Now realistically PIAA is way down there on wrestlers goals. Seniors every year arent wrestling them because they aren’t that big of a deal.
The top kids wrestle nationally ranked kids every weekend at these duals. If guys like, Forest and Bassett never wrestle one PIAA match that won’t hurt them a bit with recruiting, College wrestling or their future. Truth be told the PIAA is losing out on not having them in their event and watering it down. Somebody last year won a gold medal and knows if Gibson was there they probably wouldn’t have.
College coaches don’t nearly recruit PIAA like they used too. They want to see how these kids do against kids from across the country at Super 32, Powerade, Elite 8 duals, World Trials, Fargo, Iron man, Beast, Escape the Rock, and the list could go on and on.
Amon Amarth, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Anvil, Peter Pan Speedrock, Nashville P***Y.
Exactly his point…
Shouldnt “shoe-in’s” set tougher goals?
PA is still one of the toughest state tournaments, but it doesn’t hold as much weight as the bigger national events. I am saying those guys don’t need PIAA to get recruited. Super 32 and the others would be good enough.
Spencer Lee was thought to be a shoe-in, and yet he did many tournaments and also attempted becoming a PIAA 4-timer. Bo acknowledged he looks up to Spencer in his interview. I don't think wrestling has evolved that much in the past seven years.
If McCort weren't banned from PIAA post-season and Bo's father wasn't McCort's coach, it's hard for me to reasonable think Bo wouldn't shoot for being a PIAA 4-timer with and under his Dad.
It's easy to rationalize not attempting an erstwhile achievement (or even devaluing it) when one sees no practical way to achieve it. But that is some real weak sauce.
Instead Bo has simply and maturely acknowledged circumstances beyond his control, and is intent on making the best of his situation moving forward. I see this as very wise and quite admirable.
It IS evolving though… more and more (shoe in’s) kids are foregoing their ENTIRE senior season to SET TOUGHER GOALS.
I dont pretend to know how the Bassetts feel about this situation but my first sentence cant be denied.
Don't think I denied. It's only that I believe the claim may be based on anecdotal evidence, recency bias, and/or confirmation bias.
Also, Bo's nowhere near being a senior, so I'm not really sure of the relevance. I guess we will see whether Bo wrestles for PIAA championship(s), including his senior year, or foregoes one or more once eligible for PIAA post season.
First, start with the definition of a shoe-in. I would say Gable Steveson was a shoe-in entering 11th grade. I personally don't believe any 8th, 9th, or 10th grader can be considered a shoe-in. There's simply too much variability in body maturity.
Still, I would l love to see a statistical trend graph over the last seven years of these "shoe-in foregoing seniors" from most HS traditioned wrestling states with the most prestigious HS wresting tournament states (say PA, NJ, CA) as a percentage of all "shoe-in" participants. Then I'd like to see others like Nick Lee (sorry @Hoosier Lion, IN is not PA), and younger or non-shoe-ins (like Joe and Matt Lee), who forewent a portion of their HS career. One might find the decision is as much rooted in family as it is in a desire to achieve greatness at the highest level.
A deep dive might not show a statistically significant trend, even as I recognize the role and efficacy that RTCs have afforded the opportunity for the kind of trend you assert.
How long has the Olympic RTC been taking HS seniors under the Elite Accelerator Program (since 2016 or 17)? I remember Snyder then Kervliet foregoing their senior HS seasons. But MD is not PA.
I haven't heard much of the Elite Accelerator Program since the year Aaron Brooks went his gray shirt year. I'd think the number per year would have to grow for more and more to forego. Has that number been increasing recently year to year?
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Point is NON of these kids are shoe ins to be a 4 time PIAA champ. True the landscape has changed as much to vendor / media promotion saying its better as it is great competition. Same way Flo saying and giving kids higher ranking in folk for free results. They’re promoting their product (free coverage). JMO
Agreed. But whose point was that?
Likewise, none is a shoe-in to be accepted at an RTC for their senior year.
The new question on the table is whether increasingly elite wrestlers are foregoing their senior years (and any attempt to be a 4-timer) with greater challenges in mind.
I think you are off base a bit. 40 years ago Fargo was not hosting anything bigger than Bucky Maughan's Bison Open (if you don't know Bucky, read up.on PA wrestling history)
It is, but what I'm getting at, is...why doesn't his father simply either allow the boy a shot at piaa with another school, or take a different coaching job?
If they wanted the kid to wrestle in PIAAs this year he would have to transfer to a school that would be, under the table, agreeable to not making a stink about it next year.
If Bo and his Dad talked, which I would hope's the case, they may've mutually agreed it's in Bo's best interest to stay closer to his father when it comes to wrestling. It's already been pointed out he's a world champion.
Mr. Bassett getting a different job at a school where his son might become PIAA post-season eligible seems impractical to me.
I believe there's more valuable things in life than on the mat success at Bo's age, not the least being a positive and close father-son relationship. I also don't believe in changing long-term plans as a result of a 3rd-party decision. Maybe the Bassetts think similarly.
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Barry Manilow, Air Supply, Neil Diamond
I guess. Growing up and wrestling in Pennsylvania I suppose I'm still living in the past thinking every kid wants to win in Hershey. But I honestly still think this. There's a whole room full of other kids at M2 who want that PIAA gold, I personally know the 2 high school coaches of Fye and Bainey and those two boys badly want to win the PIAA championship. They both are not quite at Bo's level but they are both being recruited by D1 schools right now also.
Those two including their parents are very happy Forest, Gibson, Bassett, Herring and even Gill aren’t wrestling PIAA. Someone stated this before. There should be an asterisk by the results. Mcort would have a few champions and would of had some last year. The Gibson brothers and even Margo. He beat AAA Finalists Perry and the Hempfield kid.
Yes and no. In 4 years all of these kids will be wrestling college and the entire thing will be different. Some will grow out of the lighter weights, some will get better, some will regress. Looking at some of these kids I think a few of them may turn into 141 or 149 in that time.
NLWC. The whole family moved here I think. I can see Perry and Little Gibson, both for going his senior year. Because PIAA doesn’t mean that much to the higher level wrestlers. I think Shapiro and Arnold did the same thing. Both skipped their last year
Arnold will be wrestling his Sr year, but in Iowa.
I think most here know what I meant. Junior Nationals (aka Fargo) was the deal in the summer. I know the tournament didn't settle in Fargo until sometime in the 90s but it's the same tournament.
Priest and Maiden are equivalent to Barry Manilow compared to most of what I’m listening to now a days. LOL
Maybe. I prefer a sense of musicality vs an outlet for aggression. I like singing instead of growling and howling.
Interesting FMK list.
Why should any state champ be slurred with an asterisk?
Mason Gibson was a lock at this time of his freshman year.
Gill should not be allowed to wrestle per the clear PIAA rules for AA, if he just would have stayed at Hickory he could have wrestled AAA post season. I guess they thought it be better to take a chance to stay in AA and avoid Desmond or whatever the reason was? No asterisk needed at his weight in AA, though he now does help one guy reach the podium in AAA.
Most days I could care less about the lyrics or how they are sung I just want the heavy guitar and double bass. It's all about the base lol
Saw Lamb 3 times. The first time Clutch was one of the opening bands which was a nice surprise.
I read through this thread real quick. The numerous comments about a kid transferring to private or prep schools isn't just a sports related agenda. It reflects some parents feeling towards the public school system. I proudly graduated from Bangor 1979. I have approximately 8 core friends that graduated with me that still live in area that are very successful. Engineers,Doctor,Pharm CPA ect. Bangor gave us the foundation to succeed.
I sent my kids to Bangor and they graduated 2011 and 2013. Bangor still provided a solid foundation for them to succeed. Things have changed, having friends that are/were teachers telling me of the decline of the educational aspect of the District. The management of No child left behind,and Covid guidelines are 2 examples that has caused this decline.
I'm sorry to say but if I had kids in a public school today and had the means to send them to private school I would.
I sent my kids to Bangor and they graduated 2011 and 2013. Bangor still provided a solid foundation for them to succeed. Things have changed, having friends that are/were teachers telling me of the decline of the educational aspect of the District. The management of No child left behind,and Covid guidelines are 2 examples that has caused this decline.
I'm sorry to say but if I had kids in a public school today and had the means to send them to private school I would.
At this point I’ve lost track if he’s 12, 16 or 27. I stop at watching young kids working out in a basement.
Yea raw with you on that. Like HS folk wrestling but getting infatuated with a MS kid is as bad as HR thinking SLee is the second coming of christ
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