http://www.collegesoccernews.com/index_files/page0004.htm A couple of things stand out here. First of all, as stated by CSN, rating recruiting classes is very subjective, to say the least. Of course the key to any recruiting class is to see how well those players develop and contribute over the following two or three years. If Duke's class is really the second best in the country, then I would think Rennie is on the hot seat to produce. But, as we've talked about several times, soccer coaches are never on the hot seat unless they "Bersonize" their athletic director or school president. Still, I would think that finishing below 3rd in the ACC regular season, would constitute a bad year for Duke. When you look at their schedule, almost every single game is at home....so it's time for all the excuses to end when it comes to Duke. On paper, this team should contend for the ACC title, and do some damage in the NCAA tournament. My prediction is that Duke will underachieve again, while UNC, UVA, new member Va Tech, Clemson, and Maryland bypass the Blue Devils. Carolina should be the team to beat in the ACC. The problem for Elmar, is going to be how handles all that "talent." There are going to be some unhappy campers in Chapel Hill this fall, because all those guys won't be playing a lot of minutes. It also seems that BIG recruiting classes are now the trend...which obviously suggests that turnover is high. Any thoughts on this? Ciao, LDB
LdB, at the risk of turning this into an ACC thread: What about Wake? I still think they're the team to beat. They had a great recruiting class as well, and definitely got help where they needed it most. I too like the UNC class, and have stated that here before. Where they needed the most help was in defense. They got that help in some great recruits, but it's very difficult for freshmen to make an impact playing in the back. I think UNC is another year (or perhaps two) from another championship run. They're still going to struggle with the Pack. (Sorry, just had to say that--not sure I believe it though. )
I think there are a few reasons for the large recruting classes. Fewere of the the better players are staying for all four years. For example, South Florida has both C. Jimenez and R. Hildalgo. If they are as good as they have been with the U-17 team, I would suspect that they would leave after a year or two. That means that a coach needs to bring in more players because of the possibility now exists that some might leave early. The second thought is that not every player pans out. If a coach banks on two or three "can't miss" players who do not develop, he is stuck. I think the goal is still quality, but quantity of good players to have that can develop is important also. It is also nice to see some lesser known programs having potentially good classes. But that is the key word, potential.
SLU recruiting class of 2003 has proven themselves. Although ranked only 20th this year mostly because of class size (the class is necessarily small because of last year's class and only loosing 3 players), the quality is extremely high. I anticipate Ward and transfer Branan to make an immediate impact, and Gasparovic may as well (all on defense). With a year of experience under the belt of the mostly freshman mid & front, I look for a final 4 appearance.
For those of us who lack the patience to wade through the morass of the South Carolina thread, can you please explain what this means. Is Berson on the hotseat and if so, how do we know it and what did he do to get there besided not winning enough games (if that)?
CSN rated SCU #30, too low I believe, based on #1 Cam Rast's history of recruiting history of finding good talent and #2 The author apparantly doesn't know of Peter Lowery who he has listed as a goalkeeper, but who in reality is a midfielder/forward who recently named MVP in the boys McDonald’s All American High School Soccer Game (http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/ScoreSheet/1087455186/view). In a game which included many players given glowing reviews in spots well above #30. East Starting Line-up (4-4-2): Stephen Sandbo (SMU) – Nathan Sturgis (Clemson), Brandon Oot (St. John’s), Julian Valentin (Wake Forest), Tim Ward (Saint Louis) – Michael Videira (Duke), Brian Mascarenhas (Tottenham Hotspurs), Danny Szetela (no team), Nicholas Colaluca (Virginia) – Dax McCarty (North Carolina), Danny Vasquez (SMU). Subs Used: Justin Papadakis (G/Duke), Karl Schilling (D/Connecticut), Tomek Charowski (M/Duke), Israel Jones (M/SMU), Charlie Davies (F/Boston College), Rodrigo Hidalgo (F/South Florida). Did Not Play: Patrick Phelan (injured/Wake Forest). West Starting Line-up (4-3-3): Marcus Rein (Wake Forest) – Greg Folk (UCLA), Scott Bolkan (Stanford), Daniel Newell (Army), Brad Yuska (Indiana) – Spencer Wadsworth (Duke), Peter Lowery (Santa Clara), Maurice Edu (Maryland) – Brandon McDonald (San Francisco), Ely Allen (Washington), Kamani Hill (UCLA). Subs Used: Conrad Taylor (G/Penn State), Adam Sloustcher (D/North Carolina), Diego Barrera (M/Loyola Marymount), David Gomez (M/SMU), Richard Flores (F/UCLA), Christian Jimenez (F/South Florida). Did Not Play: Michael Zaher (injured/UCLA).