I'd like to hear everyone's thoughts on 165 moving forward. Did the Scuffle performances of Rasheed, Morelli & Hammond make it any clearer? I personally don't think so. Morelli clearly had the better tourney but did he separate himself from the others to get the nod. Cael has a tough decision and I expect he'll continue to give Rasheed and Morelli opportunities moving forward and make a final decision after they each wrestle a few B10 matches. Thoughts?
Did 65 sort itself out?
- Thread starter Law-Deezie
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Clearly had the best tournament or clearly had the best draw? All Morelli has shown is he can scout the practice room. Staudenmayer nor Pickett are AA caliber wrestlers. Rasheed gave Massa his toughest road to the finals and beat a top 10/15 wrestler in Faust. After that tough match, he only had about 30 minutes before wrestling a rested Preisch (likely 3rd place).
All Morelli did was cost PSU points by beating Hammond and then losing to Staudenmayer.
All Morelli did was cost PSU points by beating Hammond and then losing to Staudenmayer.
I don't think Morelli was the most impressive. To me it was Rasheed who beat a tough Faust and hung with Massa. He's got the biggest upside by far and can pin from anywhere.
Watching morelli's last 2 matches were like watching paint dry I don't think he even attempted a real shot in either rest of the season will be interesting on who has the spot
The truth is that the Scuffle settled absolutely nothing. We all like the sexy, young guy with the upside. I probably lean towards Rasheed also. But there is definitely something to be said for the steady, reliable presence a la Morelli. Unfortunately, there still is a very tough decision to be made for the coaches.
I'm pretty sure Morelli is just James English in his 8th year of eligibility, but I'm just not sure we could ever see something like that at nationals again
Funny you say James English because Morelli rides just like them I was thinking about him during the match today
Definitely no resolution. My issue with Morelli is that he just doesn't score much. Lots of OT bouts and those are always tossups. Do you want to bet on him to win two of those at Nationals?
Both Rasheed and Hammond wrestle more like what I believe Cael is looking for. Sure, they give up TDs but also SCORE regularly and headhunt for pins. Ironhead mentioned several times during the SS broadcast that Hammond has improved immensely since last year but nobody is noticing it because of the dogfight with Rasheed and Morelli. Personally, I prefer Rasheed or Hammond over Morelli just because of how they wrestle. I'll defer to Cael on which one to put out there.
No it's not. Morelli has been anything but convincing and was even out pointed by Hammond at the scuffle despite placing higher and getting a MFF
Sorry, should have clarified my comments. Not advocating for one over another. Hard decision for the coaches.
I will say I don't think Hammond has 2 majors and 2 pins at nationals. I'd rather stay on the winners side at nationals than hope to bonus the backside. Before anyone calls me a Morelli homer over the last 2 posts....my vote is Rasheed.
I will say I don't think Hammond has 2 majors and 2 pins at nationals. I'd rather stay on the winners side at nationals than hope to bonus the backside. Before anyone calls me a Morelli homer over the last 2 posts....my vote is Rasheed.
Seems like it would be harder to tell the coach of a potential national championship team that his decision about who would be the best 165 pounder going forward was decided by a random draw at the Scuffle. I'm guessing Morelli and Rasheed have a wrestle off in their future.
I'm with you on that...only way to be fair is a head-to-head...maybe best of 3 over three days...let the young men decide it for him...loser gets a burn and motivation in his stomach that propels him moving forward...winner gets the chance to feel comfortable as a starter and doesn't try to overdue it while looking over "his shoulder"
Morelli won by MMF. That means his opponent in the match was hurt, not Morelli.
Who exactly is that fair to? Wrestle-offs determine who is the best against their teammates after months/years of familiarity, which is not necessarily who's best against the field. What's fair to the team is to send the highest point scorer to nationals, regardless of how they perform against their teammates.
BTW, Gable himself took this to an extreme once: he sent Ray Brinzer to the B10 Tournament with a 0-0 record (due to Okie State signing his transfer in March) -- and without a wrestle-off. Was that fair? Maybe not to the season-long starter, but Brinzer finished 3rd at nationals, so it ultimately worked for the team.
Back to PSU 165: that's not the only way to be fair. Another is to pick some dual matchups and see if a wrestler separates himself. Kinda like what Cael did with Lawson and Gingrich 2 years ago. If neither guy separates, then the wrestle-off is your last resort. Or coach's decision.
Rooting against a PSU wrestler because he's not your choice to be in the lineup? WTF.
I feel you El Jefe but I'm of the old school. Whoever wins head-to-head gets the nod. I understand the concept of "who will score more points in the big dance" but if your "that guy" then you should be able to beat your teammate even after months/years of familiarity. The Brinzer example is on a whole different level. Gable knew immediately what he had...Brinzer was special, trust me I know, we wrestled them consistently throughout my high school days (telling my age)...him, Catelano, Moore etc...amazing team. None the less, as a coach I can't see looking a kid in the face and telling him "I know you beat so and so consistently" but for the team we're going to go this direction...because he can major or pin others just not you...
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