Had a whole different idea planned, but with the coaching staff news today, that's on hold for a bit. Now, we talk offense.
As you may have read this season, I was NOT a fan of what Brad Ross was doing in the back half of the year in all-even situations, and the Man-Up squad was atrocious for two years running. Now, we have change, warranted or not.
Looking back, the problems encountered by the offense were two-fold. First, personnel after the 2017 season were flat bad. Tre Leclaire is a shooter, which everyone knows, as is Jackson Reid, which some teams forget. In 2018, no one could get the defense to move off those two guys.
The scheme was designed to work off of backside shots from dodges to X or from X, but no one could do the dodging part. Jack Jasinski did it occasionally, but lacked the scoring ability to really be an alpha dodger. That continued this year.
The midfield was awful for the second straight year (read the recap for more), and it just stifled everything that Coach Ross tried to do. Which brings us to scheme.
The offense in 2018 was an attempt to keep the magic of 2017 going, but none of the personnel were in place to make that work. That made the offense very, very predictable.
Dodge from the high wing, push to X, hope a shot came open backside, move ball back to X for a dodge attempt, miss the cage, rinse, repeat. There was no creativity in the scheme in 2018. It was miserable dodging leading to crap shots, with missed opportunities galore. 2019 started different due to Jack Myers.
The freshman started to show some serious ability at X, and the offense flowed more readily with him back there. After the 7 goal game, though, defenses adjusted. And then the goals stopped.
Whereas early Ross had some interesting dodging formations on the low wing, by Maryland all dodges were back to the alleys, push to X, try to swing for a shot. Johnny Wiseman had small success as a middie, but really isn't the burner needed to make alley dodges work.
A more Penn State-style offense would do Wiseman wonders. Which is where we are left now that Coach Ross is gone. Who replaces him, and how does that offense look?
I have thoughts and dreams, but the best hire has already moved past the point of attainability. Andrew Stimmel, a Buckeye alum, has already taken the Marquette job, and will not be in Columbus unless Coach Myers were to depart.
That leaves an ocean (well, small pool) of possibilities to replace Ross. Coach Myers likes playing under control, keeping the ball for just the right shot. The advent of the shot clock makes things a bit different, in that stall-ball has ceased to be.
Given the strong box tradition in Columbus, I think someone with that same background would be high on the list.
It's pure speculation by me, but someone like Air Force's John Grant, Jr. would almost be the perfect match for the Buckeyes.
He has all the cachet you could want in recruiting Canadian box guys, is dominating at 44 in the MLL, and has coaching experience now at the D1 level after helping his local HS team dominate Colorado.
The problem is his family is in CO, he plays in CO, and may very well want to spend the rest of his life there. It would be a challenge, but in my mind is a home run type of hire.
Next on the wishlist would most likely be Mike Abbott from Penn, who has really had a great coaching career as an offensive assistant. Abbott started at Cortland State in Upstate NY as a player, then a coach, helping the Red Dragons win a title in the middle of 3 straight title game appearances.
He moved to Colgate after that, helping them to a few seasons of great success. Colgate was an NCAA quarterfinalist under Abbott, and won the Patriot League twice in the regular season with him there.
At Penn, Abbott only helped the Quakers beat defending champion Yale twice, and get a freshman from Oregon to be the best first year player in all of college lacrosse.
Recruiting to OSU would be much, much easier academically and monetarily, while providing Abbott a fantastic opportunity to coach in the deepest lacrosse league in the NCAA. Has to be up there, if I am Coach Myers.
Finally, because you have to do 3 candidates at least, I think Connor Buczek would have to be on Coach Myers list as well. Buczek is the OC at Cornell, with one of the best players in the world on O, Jeff Teat.
Given Teat's success from a box background, and the fact that Cornell was top 5 in D1 on O last season despite playing in the Ivy League with Yale, Harvard, Penn, etc, Buczek would be a strong addition to the program.
The Big Red also had a shot % of .322 last season, higher than the Buckeyes have managed in a long time. Buczek is also an All-Star in the MLL, giving him some serious credibility when it comes to D1 prospects.
Coach Myers could certainly go a different direction, but any of these coaches would be an incredible get for the program. We will see in short order, I am sure.
