"I had fun holding my hands up."

[CropDuster507]

With everyone shoving the "have fun" philosophy down the ESPN throats, I thought it was great to hear Nolf use this line.

I love PSU wrestling. I understand what they say about having fun. Cael is obviously a better coach than I (though, he's dealing with much better athletes, too ha). However, kids hear this "We have fun" stuff and think that it means dodgeball for 2/3 of practice will make them better.

Contrarily, I think they mean it in the sense of improving and succeeding being "fun". It's fun to get better and push yourself (with games mixed in to keep it light-hearted). You know what's most fun about the sport of wrestling? Winning. Winning is fun. I'm re-watching those 5 finals, this morning, and I thought that that was a very important quote.

 

[CropDuster507]

Also, I think it's Vincenzo's mom that ESPN shows her mouth saying "Holy Shit" plain as day. I would've done worse, but I thought that was pretty great.

 

[RandyL]

I remember reading some remarks from Bo Jordan after he committed to Oh St; he said something to the effect that he thought Oh St would be
better for his development than Penn State because he didnt think Penn State trained hard enough, or took it seriously enough.

Since I see very few of his matches, maybe he does it more than I see, but if he was at Penn St, with his strength and his length, Cael would have turned Jordan into an ankle pick extraordinaire.
If he doesnt get 3-4 ankle pick tds a match, its almost criminal.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

I remember reading some remarks from Bo Jordan after he committed to Oh St; he said something to the effect that he thought Oh St would be
better for his development than Penn State because he didnt think Penn State trained hard enough, or took it seriously enough.

Since I see very few of his matches, maybe he does it more than I see, but if he was at Penn St, with his strength and his length, Cael would have turned Jordan into an ankle pick extraordinaire.
If he doesnt get 3-4 ankle pick tds a match, its almost criminal.

Yup on all counts. I went looking for that article a few weeks back and thought I found it, but the link was dead - looks like it was a story on a blog that is no more, but I definitely remember his comments.

The Bucks have done a good developmental job with several of their guys, but Bojo is still very mechanical and stiff.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I remember reading some remarks from Bo Jordan after he committed to Oh St; he said something to the effect that he thought Oh St would be
better for his development than Penn State because he didnt think Penn State trained hard enough, or took it seriously enough.

Since I see very few of his matches, maybe he does it more than I see, but if he was at Penn St, with his strength and his length, Cael would have turned Jordan into an ankle pick extraordinaire.
If he doesnt get 3-4 ankle pick tds a match, its almost criminal.

He might be better -- hard to know. It's not as though he hasn't done pretty well at Ohio State -- 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd. I'm not sure why he doesn't shoot more -- I barely saw any videos of him in high school, so perhaps that's always been his nature. Unlike most elite HS wrestlers, BoJo really did not travel to most of the elite tournaments, so it's not as though there was a large body of video on him against other good wrestlers.

Graham HS, in St. Paris, OH, is about an hour west of Columbus, OH. (BoJo attended Graham HS.) Contrast that with PSU, which is about 6 hours from St. Paris (and you'd drive through Columbus to get there). Add in the fact that BoJo is married, and has two kids, and it's quite possible that tOSU was the best choice for him.

I also wonder if his leg injury has made him even less inclined to shoot, especially since his size and strength have enabled him to be a very good counter wrestler in college.

I've made my share of TBU jokes over the years, but Ohio State is doing a very good job of late. The past 3 years they finished 1st, 3rd, and 2nd at NCAAs. Tan Tom is a good recruiter, and some of his guys have gotten very good while at tOSU. Pletcher had an excellent true freshman year. Kollin Moore was one of the more impressive RS freshmen I saw this year.

You may be right; we'll never know. I'm just trying to look at things from another perspective.

 

[PSUAllTheWay]

I believe he made a comment about Penn State only having practice once a day but could be wrong ...

BoJo has had a great career so who knows what would have happened if he was here. Not something I think is worth dwelling on as I'm pretty happy with our 174 pounder ...

 

[nitlion6]

I have heard the Penn State isn't serious enough story or some derivative of it numerous times. I have never seen, nor read the story that carries that quote. That does not mean it wasn't published. The approximate line I remember reading was Penn State's interest made my decision tougher, but the Ohio State guys have shown interest in me longer and I wasn't comfortable telling them I changed my mind.

Whichever. As Tom pointed out BoJo has been successful at OSU.

 

[El-Jefe]

He might be better -- hard to know. It's not as though he hasn't done pretty well at Ohio State -- 3rd, 3rd, and 2nd. I'm not sure why he doesn't shoot more -- I barely saw any videos of him in high school, so perhaps that's always been his nature. Unlike most elite HS wrestlers, BoJo really did not travel to most of the elite tournaments, so it's not as though there was a large body of video on him against other good wrestlers.

Graham HS, in St. Paris, OH, is about an hour west of Columbus, OH. (BoJo attended Graham HS.) Contrast that with PSU, which is about 6 hours from St. Paris (and you'd drive through Columbus to get there). Add in the fact that BoJo is married, and has two kids, and it's quite possible that tOSU was the best choice for him.

I also wonder if his leg injury has made him even less inclined to shoot, especially since his size and strength have enabled him to be a very good counter wrestler in college.

I've made my share of TBU jokes over the years, but Ohio State is doing a very good job of late. The past 3 years they finished 1st, 3rd, and 2nd at NCAAs. Tan Tom is a good recruiter, and some of his guys have gotten very good while at tOSU. Pletcher had an excellent true freshman year. Kollin Moore was one of the more impressive RS freshmen I saw this year.

You may be right; we'll never know. I'm just trying to look at things from another perspective.

Jordan was an animal in HS.

Flo has some videos of his tanshirt year. Real aggressive on feet.

Something happened since. He's certainly much more tactical now.

He also used to be a punisher on top. Still a good rider, but as good as Hall is, can anyone imagine a true freshman getting out from under Zain?

 

[RandyL]

I heard couple moments of interview with Ryan during tournament, and he was saying he looks for the same kind of offensive mindset (or willingness to adapt one) in kids that Cael obviously does....I dont mean that he referenced Cael.
I sure am not criticizing that program.
It is amazing that with what might be our best and most complete team next year, they are right there nipping at our heels.

 

[Lyons212]

I think too many people equate the whole 'fun' attitude at PSU as not working hard, which is anything but the truth. Obviously the PSU guys work hard, their conditioning is outstanding, rarely do you see a PSU wrestler gassed at the end of the season.

I think the fun aspect at PSU is several things:
1. They do have fun, they get some dodgeball or handball in, it is not always pedal to the metal.
2. The focus is on the process and not the result, guys don't get crushed by the coaching staff for losing a match or trying a new move
3. Overall the PSU guys do not cut a lot of weight compared to other programs, we all know that is the worst part of wrestling
4. They are constantly being challenged to learn new techniques and use them, again fun.
5. They win, a lot as a team and individuals, that is loads of fun

 

[fortheglory94]

Add in the fact that BoJo is married, and has two kids, and it's quite possible that tOSU was the best choice for him.

How dare you call out the fact that Jordan has a wife and two kids. No class, Tom. Period.

 

[Tom McAndrew]

How dare you call out the fact that Jordan has a wife and two kids. No class, Tom. Period.

LOL, well played.