Dice's Post-Nationals Thoughts

[dicemen99]

First I'll get some personal highlights out of the way before I get to the interesting stuff for you guys:

• As always, this is the best 3-days of the year and this year's location made it even better as I got to see even more old friends.
• Seeing the wrestlers is always great - Chance, Zain, Dake, etc. Everyone is accessible and friendly.
• On that note, I had the occasion to meet Steve Mocco this weekend. Very soft-spoken and a bit shy, I would think it would be easy for people to get the wrong impression of him given his mat presence. He is a super nice and humble guy. Really like him.
• His kids - and the entire Mocco clan - are really nice and respectful as well. They will be great gets for whatever program gets them (Warning: the Brown gang is trying to muster a "family-plan" NIL for all the Mocco brother's descendants right now. This plan was hatched after many hours of drinking). The eldest watched the morning session on Saturday and immediately wanted to get a workout in. After a quick call it was arranged and the kid went down and worked out (I think it was his second of the day - Nationals can get you motivated!)
• Suite tickets were pricey, but definitely worth it. When you have a group of guys, it is much easier to enjoy the entire event together in a suite rather than a row of seats. Plus the premium entrance with no lines, private bathroom, and easy access to beer doesn't hurt.
• Highlight of the weekend was the simulated wrestling match on the elevated stage at the Live casino bar between my 58-year old friend and a highly, highly inebriated recent national champion (not PSU guy). Unfortunately, it was NOT the highlight of the security team at 2:00 am. We were quickly told that our presence out front was requested. The national champion pleaded his case by stating my friend started it, lol.
• The NON-highlight of my weekend was having the same champ scream "HANDS DOWN! YOU HAVE TO DOWN BLOCK! DOWN BLOCK, MF'ER!" in my ear over and over and over from 1:30 am to 2:00 am. "Down Block" will live in infamy with our crew forever now. Saving grace was that I had just won $400, so I was in a good mood and happy to be a sounding board as long as I had a drink in my hand.
• My buddy is an ex-EIWA finalist and I told him the next day that I liked the way he controlled hands and IMO he beat the champ's ass. Many in our crew then doubted the identity of the champ, calling him "fake XXX_XXXXX (name withheld but there is no way he is innocent, lol)" but he wrestled in my tournament in HS and, yes, it was really him.
• I lost our fantasy pool when Hendrickson took out Gable and I didn't even care.
• I may have gotten some great commitments for some powerful new teams and wrestlers for Escape the Rock next year, but everyone was so drunk I'll have to see this week how many come to fruition. But on Saturday, the whole world was coming to ETR next year.

Now for the stuff you really care about. I may have to withhold some names to protect the innocent, but I'm sure the smart guys on here will figure it out. I have a friend who is very close with the staff and when he spends some personal time with them, he usually has tidbits. The downside of this is that everything from him is usually a little too sugar-coated, but I've been doing this so long with him, I know how to take what he says.

• To start with, I touched base on the other thread. Any speculation on lineups right now is foolish - not even the coaches know what is going to happen 100%. They have enough wrestlers to know they are going to put kids up and down the lineup that will compete for national championships. The rest is up to the kids on the team. Again - nothing is assumed or guaranteed on this team. That is the cold-stone truth.
• Because of the above desire, 125 and 285 are always a priority to recruit. All of the other weights, kids can shift and compete, but these two weights are difficult to create an environment conducive to getting on the top of the podium if you don't have depth. It's not easy to acquire either. So recruiting or getting a transfer at these weights, might not make sense to you, but it makes sense to them. This is nothing new - I've have heard this for 5,6,7 years running now. But it's not easy to do, so sometimes we have been short.
• To reiterate what I posted in the other thread, the staff has had conversations with the Mirasola's on this. They are fully confident that they can get Cole on top of the podium. But they also know that to do so requires competition. Again, LOTS of wrestlers understand this, LOTS of posters don't. It's no different than what happened with Kennedy/Brands/Arnold this year over in Iowa - if just happens a lot more here at PSU.
• I have often suspected that maybe something was going on with Kasak - rumors, sometimes his gas tank - but I am 100% wrong. Kasak is entirely bought in, loves it there, extremely coachable and does everything right. Does it like a professional as the staff likes to say. Nutrition, training, listening to coaches, living the life. He may have had a few moments this weekend, but you (and I especially) need to remember he is still a young kid - younger than a lot of the freshman taking the mat at Nationals. Next year he's going to be ferocious. And not at Rutgers, lol.
• On that note the consensus was that 8 of the 10 kids we put on the mat this past weekend were dialed-in and completely professional this entire year. Some of you are going to be disappointed in that, but those of you familiar with college wrestling know that this is a tremendous percentage when dealing with 18-24 year old kids. Sometimes it takes a few years for that to kick in. The other two the coaching staff still loves but various things happen. One is still kind of young, can be a little hard-headed and not do things the right way all of the time, but is tough as hell (we've had guys on our team that were like this and won national championships before I can assure you of that). That kid loves it here and the staff loves him - just needs some more maturity. The other was a veteran and basically had a Spyker/Quentin situation (although obviously much different than that, lol) and wrestling as a priority was likely minimized a bit - very understandable given the age of these kids. and how long they've been wrestling. This stuff happens every year at every program - again, you are dealing with young adults. I think by the end of the year at least one of the situations was getting better.
• Totally separate from above, but connected because it has to do with culture, but the Suriano situation definitely taught the entire staff some lessons. If you recall the summer before he announced, I posted the feeling was "if he goes, he goes, no sweat." People need to remember this. We will likely lose out on some recruits and maybe have some transfers because of stuff like this. People freak out, but if you look at it - the Suriano situation worked out best for both sides. He went elsewhere and won a natty, and we didn't kill our culture and still won championship after championship. No single wrestler is going to make or break this program now. It may sound harsh, but you don't know what's best for your kid when it comes to getting to the top of the podium. If you want to bring a 3" binder, PSU will still take you, but they're not going to change things for your kid. He'll either buy into the program or he's probably going to end up elsewhere.
• The above is not to say they don't want kids like Spencer or Bassett, or whoever you might read into with that statement. They do. In fact, in terms of Bassett PSU thought he would end up coming here based on loyalty and the amount of time he spent in the room. I will say, however, they were not willing to push all chips in on him. That doesn't work with the way they do things here.
• That said - there is a kid that there may be some early smoke about. I'm not going to say his name, as it is just as likely it ends up working out because it is not the kid that could be a problem, but if in a year or two if something happens I will post on here that I'm not surprised. No, it's not Blaze for all you nervous Nellies and Iowa lurkers.
• Hiring Nick Lee was a really, really, really, really, really, really good thing for this program. He is a really, really, really, really, really, really, really good coach already. He is so good already that instead of saying the 3 C's, we should start saying CCC&N. That good. He's got a plan.
• No, I don't know if Ono is going to wrestle next year, yet. Neither does anyone else 100%. There is still a lot of time until next season. At some point that will change, maybe even tomorrow, but nobody knew for certain this weekend. Or at least if they do, it is under lock and key.
• EDIT to include my post below that I forgot to include - We have a potential recruit coming. He's already committed elsewhere, but spent the weekend in State College recently. It looks promising now, but nothing guaranteed. North Jersey parochial. A weight that will make you scratch your head, but all weights right now make you scratch your head - we have no holes. But I really like his potential and he obviously isn't scared of competition

As always, all of the above is fluid and subject to change as you are dealing with 18-24 year old kids. Things can change any day. But at PSU a little less volatility because of what they have built. They've got an awful lot of kids that have bought into the fact that this is the place they can achieve their dreams. It's up to them to buy in and become professional about it. And this isn't some PSU secret sauce - I'm sure if you go to Iowa, Tom Brands will have the same philosophy about success - you've got to live the life. It's just that Cael has built the resources in a place where it's easier to attract the kids that understand that and those types have a higher hit rate than the kids that don't. It's a little unfair now. It will take until another coach comes along and can attract those same kids as the same rate as Cael - or Cael retires.

 

[dicemen99]

And before anyone thinks I'm writing in the 3rd person ala Mr. Fast Twitch, I originally titled this thread "Post-National thoughts" and I think the Mod changed the name.


(Mod response - reason being, this post isn't just another post-nationals summary post, which get lumped in together with the other tournament discussions. There's clearly much than that here and a separate thread is warranted.)

 

[Ja1339]

First I'll get some personal highlights out of the way before I get to the interesting stuff for you guys:

• As always, this is the best 3-days of the year and this year's location made it even better as I got to see even more old friends.
• Seeing the wrestlers is always great - Chance, Zain, Dake, etc. Everyone is accessible and friendly.
• On that note, I had the occasion to meet Steve Mocco this weekend. Very soft-spoken and a bit shy, I would think it would be easy for people to get the wrong impression of him given his mat presence. He is a super nice and humble guy. Really like him.
• His kids - and the entire Mocco clan - are really nice and respectful as well. They will be great gets for whatever program gets them (Warning: the Brown gang is trying to muster a "family-plan" NIL for all the Mocco brother's descendants right now. This plan was hatched after many hours of drinking). The eldest watched the morning session on Saturday and immediately wanted to get a workout in. After a quick call it was arranged and the kid went down and worked out (I think it was his second of the day - Nationals can get you motivated!)
• Suite tickets were pricey, but definitely worth it. When you have a group of guys, it is much easier to enjoy the entire event together in a suite rather than a row of seats. Plus the premium entrance with no lines, private bathroom, and easy access to beer doesn't hurt.
• Highlight of the weekend was the simulated wrestling match on the elevated stage at the Live casino bar between my 58-year old friend and a highly, highly inebriated recent national champion (not PSU guy). Unfortunately, it was NOT the highlight of the security team at 2:00 am. We were quickly told that our presence out front was requested. The national champion pleaded his case by stating my friend started it, lol.
• The NON-highlight of my weekend was having the same champ scream "HANDS DOWN! YOU HAVE TO DOWN BLOCK! DOWN BLOCK, MF'ER!" in my ear over and over and over from 1:30 am to 2:00 am. "Down Block" will live in infamy with our crew forever now. Saving grace was that I had just won $400, so I was in a good mood and happy to be a sounding board as long as I had a drink in my hand.
• My buddy is an ex-EIWA finalist and I told him the next day that I liked the way he controlled hands and IMO he beat the champ's ass. Many in our crew then doubted the identity of the champ, calling him "fake XXX_XXXXX (name withheld but there is no way he is innocent, lol)" but he wrestled in my tournament in HS and, yes, it was really him.
• I lost our fantasy pool when Hendrickson took out Gable and I didn't even care.
• I may have gotten some great commitments for some powerful new teams and wrestlers for Escape the Rock next year, but everyone was so drunk I'll have to see this week how many come to fruition. But on Saturday, the whole world was coming to ETR next year.

Now for the stuff you really care about. I may have to withhold some names to protect the innocent, but I'm sure the smart guys on here will figure it out. I have a friend who is very close with the staff and when he spends some personal time with them, he usually has tidbits. The downside of this is that everything from him is usually a little too sugar-coated, but I've been doing this so long with him, I know how to take what he says.

• To start with, I touched base on the other thread. Any speculation on lineups right now is foolish - not even the coaches know what is going to happen 100%. They have enough wrestlers to know they are going to put kids up and down the lineup that will compete for national championships. The rest is up to the kids on the team. Again - nothing is assumed or guaranteed on this team. That is the cold-stone truth.
• Because of the above desire, 125 and 285 are always a priority to recruit. All of the other weights, kids can shift and compete, but these two weights are difficult to create an environment conducive to getting on the top of the podium if you don't have depth. It's not easy to acquire either. So recruiting or getting a transfer at these weights, might not make sense to you, but it makes sense to them. This is nothing new - I've have heard this for 5,6,7 years running now. But it's not easy to do, so sometimes we have been short.
• To reiterate what I posted in the other thread, the staff has had conversations with the Mirasola's on this. They are fully confident that they can get Cole on top of the podium. But they also know that to do so requires competition. Again, LOTS of wrestlers understand this, LOTS of posters don't. It's no different than what happened with Kennedy/Brands/Arnold this year over in Iowa - if just happens a lot more here at PSU.
• I have often suspected that maybe something was going on with Kasak - rumors, sometimes his gas tank - but I am 100% wrong. Kasak is entirely bought in, loves it there, extremely coachable and does everything right. Does it like a professional as the staff likes to say. Nutrition, training, listening to coaches, living the life. He may have had a few moments this weekend, but you (and I especially) need to remember he is still a young kid - younger than a lot of the freshman taking the mat at Nationals. Next year he's going to be ferocious. And not at Rutgers, lol.
• On that note the consensus was that 8 of the 10 kids we put on the mat this past weekend were dialed-in and completely professional this entire year. Some of you are going to be disappointed in that, but those of you familiar with college wrestling know that this is a tremendous percentage when dealing with 18-24 year old kids. Sometimes it takes a few years for that to kick in. The other two the coaching staff still loves but various things happen. One is still kind of young, can be a little hard-headed and not do things the right way all of the time, but is tough as hell (we've had guys on our team that were like this and won national championships before I can assure you of that). That kid loves it here and the staff loves him - just needs some more maturity. The other was a veteran and basically had a Spyker/Quentin situation (although obviously much different than that, lol) and wrestling as a priority was likely minimized a bit - very understandable given the age of these kids. and how long they've been wrestling. This stuff happens every year at every program - again, you are dealing with young adults. I think by the end of the year at least one of the situations was getting better.
• Totally separate from above, but connected because it has to do with culture, but the Suriano situation definitely taught the entire staff some lessons. If you recall the summer before he announced, I posted the feeling was "if he goes, he goes, no sweat." People need to remember this. We will likely lose out on some recruits and maybe have some transfers because of stuff like this. People freak out, but if you look at it - the Suriano situation worked out best for both sides. He went elsewhere and won a natty, and we didn't kill our culture and still won championship after championship. No single wrestler is going to make or break this program now. It may sound harsh, but you don't know what's best for your kid when it comes to getting to the top of the podium. If you want to bring a 3" binder, PSU will still take you, but they're not going to change things for your kid. He'll either buy into the program or he's probably going to end up elsewhere.
• The above is not to say they don't want kids like Spencer or Bassett, or whoever you might read into with that statement. They do. In fact, in terms of Bassett PSU thought he would end up coming here based on loyalty and the amount of time he spent in the room. I will say, however, they were not willing to push all chips in on him. That doesn't work with the way they do things here.
• That said - there is a kid that there may be some early smoke about. I'm not going to say his name, as it is just as likely it ends up working out because it is not the kid that could be a problem, but if in a year or two if something happens I will post on here that I'm not surprised. No, it's not Blaze for all you nervous Nellies and Iowa lurkers.
• Hiring Nick Lee was a really, really, really, really, really, really good thing for this program. He is a really, really, really, really, really, really, really good coach already. He is so good already that instead of saying the 3 C's, we should start saying CCC&N. That good. He's got a plan.
• No, I don't know if Ono is going to wrestle next year, yet. Neither does anyone else 100%. There is still a lot of time until next season. At some point that will change, maybe even tomorrow, but nobody knew for certain this weekend. Or at least if they do, it is under lock and key.

As always, all of the above is fluid and subject to change as you are dealing with 18-24 year old kids. Things can change any day. But at PSU a little less volatility because of what they have built. They've got an awful lot of kids that have bought into the fact that this is the place they can achieve their dreams. It's up to them to buy in and become professional about it. And this isn't some PSU secret sauce - I'm sure if you go to Iowa, Tom Brands will have the same philosophy about success - you've got to live the life. It's just that Cael has built the resources in a place where it's easier to attract the kids that understand that and those types have a higher hit rate than the kids that don't. It's a little unfair now. It will take until another coach comes along and can attract those same kids as the same rate as Cael - or Cael retires.

Great post! Can anyone enlighten me on what the Spyker/ Quentin situation is referring to?

 

[mjmirv]

I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand this part …

• That said - there is a kid that there may be some early smoke about. I'm not going to say his name, as it is just as likely it ends up working out because it is not the kid that could be a problem, but if in a year or two if something happens I will post on here that I'm not surprised. No, it's not Blaze for all you nervous Nellies and Iowa lurkers.

Are you trying to say that there’s a kid at Penn State that you think might be a problem and transfer out in a year or two, or are you talking about a recruit? Maybe I’m burnout from the weekend, I know you can’t give specifics but I don’t understand what you’re insinuating at all.

Thank you for the info though. I always enjoy these posts and don’t take them as gospel. I just enjoy any and all PSU wrestling info.

 

[dicemen99]

I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand this part …

• That said - there is a kid that there may be some early smoke about. I'm not going to say his name, as it is just as likely it ends up working out because it is not the kid that could be a problem, but if in a year or two if something happens I will post on here that I'm not surprised. No, it's not Blaze for all you nervous Nellies and Iowa lurkers.

Are you trying to say that there’s a kid at Penn State that you think might be a problem and transfer out in a year or two, or are you talking about a recruit? Maybe I’m burnout from the weekend, I know you can’t give specifics but I don’t understand what you’re insinuating at all.

Thank you for the info though. I always enjoy these posts and don’t take them as gospel. I just enjoy any and all PSU wrestling info.

I didn't say the kid was a problem.

I'm not going to get into specifics - recruit or rostered. They're in the room but all our recruits are in the room regularly so that doesn't narrow it down. All I'm saying is if there is a transfer sometime in the future, I'll post on here that I wasn't surprised. And people shouldn't sweat it because it will likely be the best for both parties. Like Suriano was.

 

[dicemen99]

Oh, and I missed one more thing.

We have a potential recruit coming. He's already committed elsewhere, but spent the weekend in State College recently. It looks promising now, but nothing guaranteed.

North Jersey parochial. A weight that will make you scratch your head, but all weights right now make you scratch your head - we have no holes. But I really like his potential and he obviously isn't scared of competition.

 

[dicemen99]

Great post! Can anyone enlighten me on what the Spyker/ Quentin situation is referring to?

Spyker wrote many times on here that Quentin's girlfriend was a problem. Obviously, she was a good problem to have because Quentin won a natty that year and he ended up marrying her.

But, yeah, sometimes getting a new girlfriend that's not on board with the wrestling life can be a problem. I'm not judging, the wrong head made many wrong decisions for me in my early twenties. And unfortunately, much later in life for me as well (after my divorce, lol).

 

[El-Jefe]

Spyker wrote many times on here that Quentin's girlfriend was a problem. Obviously, she was a good problem to have because Quentin won a natty that year and he ended up marrying her.

But, yeah, sometimes getting a new girlfriend that's not on board with the wrestling life can be a problem. I'm not judging, the wrong head made many wrong decisions for me in my early twenties. And unfortunately, much later in life for me as well (after my divorce, lol).

That's being polite. Spyker said QUENTIN WRIGHT NEEDS TO DUMP HIS GIRLFRIEND !!!!

BTW, it's not just Spyker. Koll told one of his Cornell stars (IIRC it was Gabe Dean) to dump his girlfriend.

I have a hunch who it was but don't know for certain. It doesn't really matter -- none of the vets had an NCAA Tournament that would've differed either way. Nor is it any of my business.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

I’m sorry, but I really don’t understand this part …

• That said - there is a kid that there may be some early smoke about. I'm not going to say his name, as it is just as likely it ends up working out because it is not the kid that could be a problem, but if in a year or two if something happens I will post on here that I'm not surprised. No, it's not Blaze for all you nervous Nellies and Iowa lurkers.

Are you trying to say that there’s a kid at Penn State that you think might be a problem and transfer out in a year or two, or are you talking about a recruit? Maybe I’m burnout from the weekend, I know you can’t give specifics but I don’t understand what you’re insinuating at all.

Thank you for the info though. I always enjoy these posts and don’t take them as gospel. I just enjoy any and all PSU wrestling info.

Sounds like a parent is the problem. And that was before I saw the Suriano reference.

 

[El-Jefe]

Oh, and I missed one more thing.

We have a potential recruit coming. He's already committed elsewhere, but spent the weekend in State College recently. It looks promising now, but nothing guaranteed.

North Jersey parochial. A weight that will make you scratch your head, but all weights right now make you scratch your head - we have no holes. But I really like his potential and he obviously isn't scared of competition.

I think I know who you're talking about (that was enough of a trail!) and without giving it away, very good prospect who's not as well known outside of NJ now but will probably get a lot more attention once Knox goes to Cornell (not at the same weight range, but Knox gets so much attention).

And yeah, he's projecting at weights of virtually no need for us at all, but that seems to work itself out for us.

If it's who I think it is, in the past year he beat one of Taylor's name recruits.

 

[dicemen99]

I think I know who you're talking about (that was enough of a trail!) and without giving it away, very good prospect who's not as well known outside of NJ now but will probably get a lot more attention once Knox goes to Cornell (not at the same weight range, but Knox gets so much attention).

And yeah, he's projecting at weights of virtually no need for us at all, but that seems to work itself out for us.

If it's who I think it is, in the past year he beat one of Taylor's name recruits.

I don't know. I know he has a win over a guy who has a win over one of Taylor's name recruits (actually I think in his career he has two wins over two different guys who have wins over two different Taylor name recruits, lol), but I don't know of any wins he has over Taylor recruits like Robideaux or Jax or Vega or Lockett.

 

[Kale_yeah]

Spyker wrote many times on here that Quentin's girlfriend was a problem. Obviously, she was a good problem to have because Quentin won a natty that year and he ended up marrying her.

But, yeah, sometimes getting a new girlfriend that's not on board with the wrestling life can be a problem. I'm not judging, the wrong head made many wrong decisions for me in my early twenties. And unfortunately, much later in life for me as well (after my divorce, lol).

 

[Kale_yeah]

Sounds like a parent is the problem. And that was before I saw the Suriano reference.

I think we can rule out Asher.

 

[Kale_yeah]

Dice your like an enigma wrap in a riddle.

 

[billrag]

Great post. I'm not an insider and don't really have any friends that I'd call an insider, so I like tidbits at times, even if they're not overtly obvious. I also like the idea that the staff really has the mentality that you either buy into the program or nobody's going to be heartbroken if you transfer out or don't come here in the first place. I know that posters lose their ever-loving minds when it happens or even if there's smoke there, but it's more important not to piss off the other guys in the room or destroy the culture just for one or two guys. I simply can't wait for next year already and even though I'm not much of a freestyle fan, I'm even looking forward to seeing all of our guys compete this summer.

 

[El-Jefe]

I don't know. I know he has a win over a guy who has a win over one of Taylor's name recruits (actually I think in his career he has two wins over two different guys who have wins over two different Taylor name recruits, lol), but I don't know of any wins he has over Taylor recruits like Robideaux or Jax or Vega or Lockett.

The guy I'm thinking of has beaten Guerrero.

 

[dicemen99]

The guy I'm thinking of has beaten Guerrero.

That works.

 

[dicemen99]

That's being polite. Spyker said QUENTIN WRIGHT NEEDS TO DUMP HIS GIRLFRIEND !!!!

BTW, it's not just Spyker. Koll told one of his Cornell stars (IIRC it was Gabe Dean) to dump his girlfriend.

I have a hunch who it was but don't know for certain. It doesn't really matter -- none of the vets had an NCAA Tournament that would've differed either way. Nor is it any of my business.

Agreed. And it doesn't matter now anyway. I debated whether putting it up, but if I start omitting anything that might be construed as negative with posts like this, I may as well change my screen name to PSUGobblin. I'd like to think I'm putting up what is as unvarnished as could be for 2nd hand info. And it is 2nd hand info, not directly from the horses mouth. I don't think it is really negative anyway, these are just the realities of dealing with young adults and, like I said, the fact that we have so little of this currently is really amazing. And the reason why we are putting up 170+.

 

[El-Jefe]

Agreed. And it doesn't matter now anyway. I debated whether putting it up, but if I start omitting anything that might be construed as negative with posts like this, I may as well change my screen name to PSUGobblin. I'd like to think I'm putting up what is as unvarnished as could be for 2nd hand info. And it is 2nd hand info, not directly from the horses mouth. I don't think it is really negative anyway, these are just the realities of dealing with young adults and, like I said, the fact that we have so little of this currently is really amazing. And the reason why we are putting up 170+.

Can't speak for everybody but I very much appreciate the background and context.

It can be easy to forget that our team of stone cold killers on the mat is really just a bunch of semi-random college-aged males. They all deal with some subset of the same stuff everyone else has to deal with. In some cases (parental/external and self-imposed pressures) possibly worse.

Well, except maybe Carter. To paraphrase Franklin, he's LTFI.

Selection is obviously important -- no Ferraris or Downeys! -- but there's no way to have 100% risk elimination. How they manage that, with each other's support and Cael's guidance, is remarkable.

 

[ChillW]

Dice your like an enigma wrap in a riddle.

and wearing a vest!

 

[eddy line]

Thanks. Interesting post.

• You said: "I have often suspected that maybe something was going on with Kasak - rumors, sometimes his gas tank - but I am 100% wrong. Kasak is entirely bought in, loves it there, extremely coachable and does everything right."

My thought: I'm getting there, but I'm still not entirely convinced that something wasn't off in his bout vs. Blaze. To paraphrase Chico Marx, who are you going to believe, Diceman or you're lying eyes?

• You said: "...the consensus was that 8 of the 10 kids we put on the mat this past weekend were dialed-in and completely professional this entire year. One is still kind of young, can be a little hard-headed and not do things the right way all of the time, but is tough as hell. That kid loves it here and the staff loves him - just needs some more maturity.

My thought: The tough, hard-headed kid is obvious. It's a feature, not a bug!

 

[matter7172]

Thanks. Interesting post.

• You said: "I have often suspected that maybe something was going on with Kasak - rumors, sometimes his gas tank - but I am 100% wrong. Kasak is entirely bought in, loves it there, extremely coachable and does everything right."

My thought: I'm getting there, but I'm still not entirely convinced that something wasn't off in his bout vs. Blaze. To paraphrase Chico Marx, who are you going to believe, Diceman or you're lying eyes?

• You said: "...the consensus was that 8 of the 10 kids we put on the mat this past weekend were dialed-in and completely professional this entire year. One is still kind of young, can be a little hard-headed and not do things the right way all of the time, but is tough as hell. That kid loves it here and the staff loves him - just needs some more maturity. The other was a veteran and basically had a Spyker/Quentin situation (although obviously much different than that, lol) and wrestling as a priority was likely minimized a bit...

My thought: The tough, hard-headed kid is obvious, and it's a feature, not a bug. The other -- I think there are three kids on the team who are engaged, two of whom wrestled this past weekend. Getting engaged and planning for a wedding would affect most people's priorities, at least a little. Of course, it's entirely possible that I'm barking up the wrong tree...

All we gotta do now is figure out who grossly underachieved this past weekend ........................................ Oh, wait, nobody did.

 

[bourbon n blues]

Thanks. Interesting post.

• You said: "I have often suspected that maybe something was going on with Kasak - rumors, sometimes his gas tank - but I am 100% wrong. Kasak is entirely bought in, loves it there, extremely coachable and does everything right."

My thought: I'm getting there, but I'm still not entirely convinced that something wasn't off in his bout vs. Blaze. To paraphrase Chico Marx, who are you going to believe, Diceman or you're lying eyes?

• You said: "...the consensus was that 8 of the 10 kids we put on the mat this past weekend were dialed-in and completely professional this entire year. One is still kind of young, can be a little hard-headed and not do things the right way all of the time, but is tough as hell. That kid loves it here and the staff loves him - just needs some more maturity. The other was a veteran and basically had a Spyker/Quentin situation (although obviously much different than that, lol) and wrestling as a priority was likely minimized a bit...

My thought: The tough, hard-headed kid is obvious, and it's a feature, not a bug. The other -- I think there are three kids on the team who are engaged, two of whom wrestled this past weekend. Getting engaged and planning for a wedding would affect most people's priorities, at least a little. Of course, it's entirely possible that I'm barking up the wrong tree...

Any stress good or bad can add up and eventually become somewhat detrimental. Hans Seyle wrote about this 80 years ago.

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ylZMIA1aayc/Vt2z2CgxsNI/AAAAAAAAAkg/32O1R0y7HBc/s1600/1437062536227.png The amazing thing is that getting married is a big stress.

 

[bourbon n blues]

Can't speak for everybody but I very much appreciate the background and context.

It can be easy to forget that our team of stone cold killers on the mat is really just a bunch of semi-random college-aged males. They all deal with some subset of the same stuff everyone else has to deal with. In some cases (parental/external and self-imposed pressures) possibly worse.

Well, except maybe Carter. To paraphrase Franklin, he's LTFI.

Selection is obviously important -- no Ferraris or Downeys! -- but there's no way to have 100% risk elimination. How they manage that, with each other's support and Cael's guidance, is remarkable.

All very true. It's almost like special forces selection, they want particular personalities.

 

[bourbon n blues]

Agreed. And it doesn't matter now anyway. I debated whether putting it up, but if I start omitting anything that might be construed as negative with posts like this, I may as well change my screen name to PSUGobblin. I'd like to think I'm putting up what is as unvarnished as could be for 2nd hand info. And it is 2nd hand info, not directly from the horses mouth. I don't think it is really negative anyway, these are just the realities of dealing with young adults and, like I said, the fact that we have so little of this currently is really amazing. And the reason why we are putting up 170+.

I'm betting the biggest controversy might be mustard on hamburgers, hot dogs or both? And what about ketchup?

 

[slushhead]

Thanks for the post @dicemen99 — as others have said, nuggets of behind-the-scenes info are always much appreciated.

That said, I hope we as a group have the maturity to hear this information, process it, and do our own sleuthing as individuals while keeping our speculation to ourselves.

I’m not knocking any posts above, but I can see how this could quickly lead to faulty interpretations, assumptions, and then rumors that are unfair to kids. Even if people are on the mark with their hypotheses, being “right” is not an exemption from respecting privacy.

Just asking for some discipline and self control. Not that I have a right to do so, but it’s a forum etiquette opinion I happen to believe in. 🙂

 

[fortheglory94]

Oh, and I missed one more thing.

We have a potential recruit coming. He's already committed elsewhere, but spent the weekend in State College recently. It looks promising now, but nothing guaranteed.

North Jersey parochial. A weight that will make you scratch your head, but all weights right now make you scratch your head - we have no holes. But I really like his potential and he obviously isn't scared of competition.

First off, I give the OP a 10. A 10! As for this tidbit, I've got two recently crowned State Champs in my head that fit this bill. Committed, and at a head scratching weight given our room. Would love to see some more NJ flavor on the team, hoping it works out regardless of who it is.

 

[eddy line]

Thanks for the post @dicemen99 — as others have said, nuggets of behind-the-scenes info are always much appreciated.

That said, I hope we as a group have the maturity to hear this information, process it, and do our own sleuthing as individuals while keeping our speculation to ourselves.

I’m not knocking any posts above, but I can see how this could quickly lead to faulty interpretations, assumptions, and then rumors that are unfair to kids. Even if people are on the mark with their hypotheses, being “right” is not an exemption from respecting privacy.

Just asking for some discipline and self control. Not that I have a right to do so, but it’s a forum etiquette opinion I happen to believe in. 🙂

You're right, and I have edited my post accordingly.

 

[matter7172]

Oh, and I missed one more thing.

We have a potential recruit coming. He's already committed elsewhere, but spent the weekend in State College recently. It looks promising now, but nothing guaranteed.

North Jersey parochial. A weight that will make you scratch your head, but all weights right now make you scratch your head - we have no holes. But I really like his potential and he obviously isn't scared of competition.

Was he the OW at the NJ tourney?

 

[PD4thespawn]

Thanks for the post @dicemen99 — as others have said, nuggets of behind-the-scenes info are always much appreciated.

That said, I hope we as a group have the maturity to hear this information, process it, and do our own sleuthing as individuals while keeping our speculation to ourselves.

I’m not knocking any posts above, but I can see how this could quickly lead to faulty interpretations, assumptions, and then rumors that are unfair to kids. Even if people are on the mark with their hypotheses, being “right” is not an exemption from respecting privacy.

Just asking for some discipline and self control. Not that I have a right to do so, but it’s a forum etiquette opinion I happen to believe in. 🙂

Then it shouldn't of been brought up in the first place.

 

[Kale_yeah]

Was he the OW at the NJ tourney?

JJ?

 

[slushhead]

Then it shouldn't of been brought up in the first place.

I’ll respectfully disagree here. Dice’s info has value to us fans, and he put a lot of care and thought into his post. And it can still generate thoughtful discussion without devolving into harmful territory.

I appreciate his post and will attempt to use it responsibly.

 

[bourbon n blues]

It’s interesting and an eye opener imo. I’ve always found it fascinating how people do stuff. Like how does The Pizza place operate? When do they get in to start doing whatever? What’s a day like in a life of a tow truck operator? Or a policeman.

A D 1 powerhouse wrestling program also has a certain structure. It’s very cool to be able to see some of that and get a little bit of understanding of how and why it works the way it does. Thanks again.

 

[PSUbluTX]

The amazing thing is that getting married is a big stress.

As is staying married. Just ask my patient wife.

 

[PD4thespawn]

It’s interesting and an eye opener imo. I’ve always found it fascinating how people do stuff. Like how does The Pizza place operate? When do they get in to start doing whatever? What’s a day like in a life of a tow truck operator? Or a policeman.

A D 1 powerhouse wrestling program also has a certain structure. It’s very cool to be able to see some of that and get a little bit of understanding of how and why it works the way it does. Thanks again.

I know I'm not an insider but smart enough to know one of the reasons this team sets itself apart is discretion and stopping a potential problem in its tracks. No good could possibly come from this. That's what dm's are for, imo.

 

[El-Jefe]

It’s interesting and an eye opener imo. I’ve always found it fascinating how people do stuff. Like how does The Pizza place operate? When do they get in to start doing whatever? What’s a day like in a life of a tow truck operator? Or a policeman.

 

[raslen007]

Wow, great info on current and future happenings. Really like hearing the culture is so solid. That is a lot of typing my man.

 

[PSUbluTX]

Then it shouldn't of been brought up in the first place.

 

[SButler]

I think it has to be tough on some of these top recruits, who are used to being “The Guy”. And unfortunately for some of their parents , they seem to struggle with it more.

The team is stacked. I was talking to my son yesterday and he asked about Sealey, where is he going to fit in the line up the next 2 years. He is the name that wouldn’t surprise me in the least if it showed up in the Portal.

 

[dicemen99]

I’ll respectfully disagree here. Dice’s info has value to us fans, and he put a lot of care and thought into his post. And it can still generate thoughtful discussion without devolving into harmful territory.

I appreciate his post and will attempt to use it responsibly.

Actually, I think this thread has gone very well. It was a concern for me that certain posters would harp on the negative - although I took great pain to emphasize I don't think there are any real negatives, this is par for the course in D1 and it's actually positive we have so few things to "coach up" with this group.

We'll see if some of the posters I would hope use this as food for thought next time they are posting inane crap actually keep it on the rails, but so far so good! This sure ain't no cesspool.