Surprise!... Suriano Likes Rutgers More Than PSU...
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You're point is people, or wrestlers specifically, that aren't at their best should win national championships? Got it
Hmmm...what were the comments about NS during the 2016-2017 season? Maybe it was just the vocal minority who were on HR talking about his ability and potential at that time.
I think his freshman year was his best shot (witness Cruz winning); his sophomore year his second best; and it just gets harder the next two. Plus, I really believe he will not progress as much in the Rutgers program as he would have at Penn State.
An ankle injury ended his remarkable 2016-17 NCAA season, but for Rutgers sophomore Nick Suriano, it was a blessing in disguise.
On Feb. 19, 2017, just weeks away from the Big Ten Championships and NCAA tournament, No. 2 Suriano, who was then a true freshman for wrestling powerhouse Penn State, took on 11th-ranked Nick Piccininni of Oklahoma State at 125 pounds in a national championship dual meet.
Choosing bottom to start the second, Suriano stood up but was forced back down. In that moment, he knew something was wrong.
“I was winning and everything was going great. It was a big match,” Suriano said. “It was a crazy freak accident. I stood up and my ankle was in a vulnerable position. I came down and boom. I knew it was broken.”
The New Jersey native managed to get the escape and looked over at the PSU coaching staff and told them his ankle was broken. The former Nittany Lion pressed on, but the referees stopped the match, resulting in a win for Piccininni by injury default.
The injury led to a series of events for the freshman phenom, who had wins over four top-10 opponents at the time and was poised to make a run at the NCAA crown.
“I’ve never been down and out in the sport like that,” Suriano said. “My career had gone well for me up until then. I had never been injured or never had to sit out. I was forced to do that. It just showed me what it was like to be down and I thrived from it.”
In order to qualify for the NCAA Championships, Suriano weighed in for the Big Ten tournament but injury defaulted his first bout in the opening seconds and medical forfeited his match on the back side.
Unfortunately when it came time for the NCAA Championships in St. Louis, Mo., Suriano, the No. 3 seed and a national title threat, was still not 100 percent and medical forfeited out of the national tournament. Penn State went on to win the team title despite no points from Suriano.
The setback, which seemed tragic at the time sprung him forward.
“I wouldn’t take back this injury for anything,” Suriano said. “Last year, it was more about the tragedy and the adversity that I had to go through that prepared me. Forget the mat. I’ve been on the mat for 13 years. I found myself again. I got to do a lot of reflection and some good reading. I connected with friends and family. Little things like that really helped me through that tough time. I had to sit and watch people I beat go and win something that I had wanted to achieve my whole life. I learned that there’s more to life than wrestling and winning. That’s what I know how to do, so when I got hurt and I couldn’t do that anymore, it taught me a lot. I took it as a time to build, learn and reflect on myself.”
Unless you are Taylor Miller of USA Wrestling, you should either cite the source or not post copyrighted content in its entirety.
Good grief. This is a message board. Stop telling people to move on. They can talk all they want. Flo's talking about this and showing the video. Seems to me they like the animosity or whatever it is. Nobody's bitching about that. Best to Nick, he seems a bit bitter for some reason, and he did take shots at Penn State. That's his perogative, so be it.
I like how u go on RU’s board and act like ur a RU fan and then trash us here.. nice
Can't you just post a link like normal people do? It's obvious that this wasn't something you wrote.
I used to like Rutgers wrestling, but that's been driven out of me - mostly by the bombastic head coach and the fanbase. However, I don't see where I "trashed" Rutgers by saying Suriano would have progressed more in the Penn State room. The Penn State program is the best in the country over the last 8 years. If you somehow think the Rutgers room is better than Penn State's, I think it's safe to say you are delusional.
The point is u go on RU boards and talk nice then always got something negative to say here. No ones comparing rooms. It’s a msg board u can say w.e u want.. I was just pointing out a observation
He did not trash Rutgers at all. He already is not offensively as efficient as he was his freshman year. Regression.
All matter did was state the obvious.
First, I had plenty to say, both positive and negative, on the Scarlet Nation board when I posted there.
Second, I was comparing the potential progress of Suriano at Penn State compared to Rutgers in the context of his chances of winning an NCAA title. It's not like it's irrelevant to his chances.
Third, you are demonstrating the problem I ran into on your board. I didn't trash Rutgers, but you somehow took it that way. On your board, a bunch of people would pile onto the misconception and call for banning. And the Scarlet Nation mods would comply.
I would expect him to say how much he loves Rutgers, end of story. There was zero reason to bring PSU's name into his comments unless he just wanted to get a rousing applause from the pathetic little sisters of the poor. It was intentionally mean-spirited, but no worries I'm sure that 1st place 125lb Ncaa championship trophy looks mighty good on his shelf...oh wait
Then you haven't been paying attention. Nobody is on a kid who wants to transfer because they're just more comfortable at home. He could've just said that but instead he takes opportunities to throw shade at the program. He spent an entire season at Rutgers. And he's h-a-p-p-y so you tell me why it's necessary to to even mention PSU? better yet, let me tell you about his mentality --he lost his championship round this year and feels the need to justify why he's at Rutgers by throwing shade at Penn State. People who are truly, truly happy with their decisions never feel the need to justify or throw anybody under the bus the make themselves or others feel good. I don't wish harm on the kid, but his actions leave a lot to be desired.
There wouldn't be a topic without his comments so who is really fanning this topic? I'm just having a good time on here and don't have a vested interest in this kid at all, however, if he can dish it to the public then should be able to handle the backlash. He did it on purpose because, wait for it....it fans the flames on flo, nj.com, and wherever else there's wrestling news. The man-child is just getting what he wants, no? lol
But seriously, I think we're all kind of over it but it's the off season for everything so we're bored...all in good fun. No one is wishing him harm or anything, lighten up.
Really don't give a rat's ass about the transfer - if he really prefers to be at Rutgers, it's better that he's not in the PSU room imho - but I very much agree with your analysis. Nick's biggest weakness against top-flight competition is his inability to control a match with his offense....he's a great defensive wrestler, but not an "elite" offensive wrestler. Agree that his biggest weaknesses would have been better addressed at PSU... Frankly, all his stuff about wanting to be the BMOC and get the attention he deserves is a bit weird if you ask me...and not something that someone with "a champion's mentality" really focuses on, but whatever, glad he is getting what he's looking for at Rutgers because he seems awful satisfied and chirpy for a guy who has won precisely zero NCAA Championships
Zero championships in the world, but did you remember to count the wins in his daddy’s heart?
Match made in heaven, NS seems and awful lot like the NJ team he belongs to now.
If his decision to transfer was based on being more comfortable at a program closer to home, then I say good for him. If it was born of a desire to be the big man on campus, then I say grow up kid. Now if it was based on a belief that he would receive better training to compete for individual or team titles at Rutgers as opposed to PSU then all that I can say is... At least you'll always have that photo of you holding a team trophy. A PSU Team Trophy.
At least you'll always have that photo of you holding a team trophy. A PSU Team Trophy.If his decision to transfer was based on being more comfortable at a program closer to home, then I say good for him. If it was born of a desire to be the big man on campus, then I say grow up kid. Now if it was based on a belief that he would receive better training to compete for individual or team titles at Rutgers as opposed to PSU then all that I can say is...
...and the trophy for the best sports team at Rutgers after a 3-6 B10 record and loss to powerhouse Lock Haven U.
The NS-wanted-to-be-the-big-man-on-campus theory might hold water if NS didnt commit to PSU in the first place.. I mean, Zain, Bo, Nolf .. how can you be big man on campus with these dudes around?
My belief is it's something different and my suspicion it's something to do with a certain adult guiding him
My belief is it's something different and my suspicion it's something to do with a certain adult guiding him
Otoh, he certainly seems to be over the moon with all the attention he gets at Rutgers, which was never happening at Penn State. My personal belief is that he needs the attention and that's why he likes being at Rutgers 100x more than being at Penn State. If it weren't for all the added attention, he'd probably be only 2x.
...at Penn State he would have been next in the line of legendary NCAA champions that Cael & Co. have produced through dedication and hard work...
...at Rutgers he might become the OAO which is heady stuff for a youngster...
...oh, well...
...at Rutgers he might become the OAO which is heady stuff for a youngster...
...oh, well...
For college wrestlers - they are walking into an environment whereby their coach continues the development process of making boys into men - Ideally, gentlemen. I see this as the perfect environment for the 18-23 year old still undergoing brain development (all are) and is a level of mentorship that most college kids never have the benefit of. The military provides much the same. These are both structured environments where accountability is required and values continued to be instilled. Best thing a parent can do at this point is step out of the coaching role and realize they are just there for support.
Just as good a chance that he might become the best collegiate wrestler to never win a title.... He's 0-for-2, only has 2 years of eligibility remaining and does not appear to have the neutral offense to take him to the promised land imho... Most elite wrestlers are outstanding defensively, what separates the true greats from the pack is their ability to be deadly off their own offense, not just "counter-attacks". We saw it in the finals this year - once Lee took the lead, the match was over as NS has zero ability to come back from a deficit (i.e., no offense against elite comp)...this makes him overly defensive in style which makes it nearly impossible for him to recover from a deficit.
Reminds me of the great line of movie dialogue: “How much do you charge to defend yourself?” #DefenseDontPayRent
He has time to gain some offense. I thought Nico was overly reliant of his defense the first couple years, but generated his own offense his senior year to get the title.
Did Nico learn offense by defeating himself in the room?
Take a look at how Zain, Jason or Bo react when they give up the first takedown - doesn't happen often, but does happen on occasion... It does not phase them one bit and they continue to attack. NS was "dead in the water" with no response whatsoever once Lee took him down and put him in a deficit.
Not sure I completely agree that Mega was overly defensive in style, especially from neutral. Mega absolutely preferred to wrestle in neutral from a some type of "head-tie" position, but Mega was always the party continually moving forward - and his opponent back-pedaling (this was even true when Mega was in the "head lower" position, which was extremely unusual - IOW, head-higher is generally taught to be the superior position, but this was not so with Mega...he was the aggressor in neutral even from the head buried position). Mega was not a "big move" guy, but was a superior "neutral wrestler" who scored tons of takedowns off his own neutral offense.
Nico was a winner, pure and simple. Won at a 90% clip his last two years. That said, he bonused at a 52% clip. By contrast, a more offensively minded individual at his level might bonus at an 75-90% pace. There is nothing wrong with winning 8-2 or 5-1. Nico simple stayed in his comfort zone at all times and put himself in position to score when the odds favored him. He took fewer chances than say a Zain or Jason, and again, there's nothing wrong with that. There also is nothing wrong in saying he was defensively minded. I consider Matt Brown in a similar manner and he bonused at a 56% clip. By contrast, Dean Heil and Tony Nelson bonused at 37% clips. That's really defensive (or offensive as the case may be).
https://www.wrestlestat.com/wrestler/12051/megaludis-nico/profile
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Nick was farther advanced with his offensive skill set at the end of his freshman season than he was at the end of his sophomore season.
At 133 his junior season he will be a tremendously powerful competitor, and he will not have to deal with Spencer, but offensively he at best will be only as good as he was at the end of his sophomore season and possibly less so. That offensive skill set got him zero offensive points in his last 2 matches.
He will be awfully good. But better in the Rutgers room is not going to happen
All true, imo, except speculating about being better in the PSU room, given how unhappy he was is pure speculation. Being engaged mentally/emotionally is part of the gig. Heaven only knows "what could have been".
nitlion's post is fair, though I believe some of what people are saying about Nick's career is a bit of sour grapes. He may never end up on the top step of the podium, or he may...time will tell.
As I said, Mega was not a "big move" guy from either neutral or the top position (i.e., did not produce a lot of 5-point moves from neutral). However, Mega was a superior neutral wrestler in terms of putting constant pressure on his opponent and being the aggressor (his opponents were almost always backing up preventing them from initiating their own attacks/offense). You simply aren't going to bonus as many wrestlers when you are a TD only type guy and only picking up a 1-point differential on TD-&-release. Take a look at NS's last couple matches at NCAAs - he is never the wrestler "moving forward" and pressing the action, he is always looking to "counter" from neutral....a strategy that simply is not going to cut it against a superior offensive talent like Lee. BTW, Mega lost in the NCAA Finals his So Season to Delgado - anyone who watched that match knows Mega was clearly the more aggressive wrestler from neutral and Delgado would have been called repeatedly for stalling in a FS match (and should have been called in that Folkstyle match as Mega carried 100% of the attacks and offensive wrestling...and stalling is supposed to be called when a wrestler is not carrying 50% of the offensive action which Delgado CLEARLY was not. Delgado was going backwards 100% of the time when wrestlers were in neutral and repeatedly stalled with the "ankle grab" to stalemate whenever Mega got in deep.).
