Who's going to take the SELC this year?

[the lax]

StrykerFSU is obvi being very modest. Although Harkins is not Steinbrenner, he is the Steinbrenner of the USLIA. What other coaches have dropped more than $5,000 of their own money into a program let alone six figures!

[Danny Hogan]

i only recently learned that robarge and moser are returning at VT, i thought they both graduated last year. VT is going to be stacked, they had one of the best midfield lines i've ever seen last year and it appears they will again this year.

[the lax]

Will Tech be stacked enough to run at FSU?

[Hugh Nunn]

StrykerFSU is obvi being very modest. Although Harkins is not Steinbrenner, he is the Steinbrenner of the USLIA. What other coaches have dropped more than $5,000 of their own money into a program let alone six figures!

The fact of the matter is, that Coach Harkins had already been in the process of making that donation for a building (Music Dept, if memory serves) and after meeting with the AD, Coach Bowden, and the Music director, they came up with the gift in its present form.

I don't know why the "Steinbrenner" references annoy me so much...probably has something to do with how much Coach Harkins puts into his time with the team...certainly not the man lurking above. The guy has just worked his ass off, and is now in the position tobe as generous as he wants with his passion for lacrosse...would any of us be too different if we won the Lotto?

And if I'm not mistaken, Auburn's rise to glory started with an independently wealthy coach who dragged them into the next level so many years ago.

[Danny Hogan]

Will Tech be stacked enough to run at FSU?

I would say yes, they will have the best midfield in the SELC and i think they played FSU tough last year, losing 12-10 in blacksburg if memory serves correct.

[comatose]

Any info on Tech's Defense?

[gogators!]

Don't forget Georgia Tech has the best coaching staff especially with Dan back (IMO), sory everyone.

With that said, my picks are:

1. FSU
2. Florida
3. Georgia Tech
4. Tennessee
5. Virginia Tech
6. Auburn

OK, no huge surprises... and it's preseason so it doesn't matter. Just my two cents. Have a great season guys. Will be shooting again this year; please replace those burned out lights!

Dave Adams

[cheiliger]

Hugh's got a good point.

Let's not take anything away from FSU because they have the support of a guy who both has the ability and cares enough about the sport and the school to take it to that level.

I don't think that anyone here would turn down that kind of help, the coaching connections, and not in the least, the monetary support if they had the opportunity.

Look at it this way - FSU makes the SELC look good. The organization, the facilities, everything about it, only brings the game up.

If FSU can figure out their title IX issues, and field a Varsity team, it'll be a huge step towards the other ACC teams getting one.

Now, on the topic of this years SELC, I think GT and FSU are the teams to beat - Tech's defense, and FSU's offense are going to be deciding factors in most of the games they play. ...not to take anything from VT or UF though.

[Leachmtb]

Anybody know what Vandy is bringing to the table? heard they have an excellent coaching staff and a roster of 40 guys...

All that I know is that MBA (a high school) almost beat Vandy last year. They can't be that great.

[Larsen]

From personal experience I don't buy that argument. In 1997 at UCSB we lost the national championship game to BYU. We lost to a high school team during fall ball of that year. We got run into the ground right after that one.

[Hugh Nunn]

Coach Larsen is exactly right on this. There are tons of High Schools who could do very well against MDIA teams. Most of the good ones have PROGRAMS that are more established in terms of coaching, scheme, execution, and fundamentals. They all practice every day, their kids all go to camps (many times as a team), and are probably more disciplined than many MDIA teams. Especially last year's Vandy squad in the throes of their sanctions.

On another point, it's difficult to gage the level of teams from year to year, especially if they are rebuilding a program. Vandy historically attracts a large number of northern students, many of whom played lax in High School. They probably have a much more experienced group of students on which to draw. If they truly have found a solid coaching staff and enjoy the type of school support that was rumored last year, they could very well be the sleeper of the SELC.

[Thriller]

We have a lot of southern talent as well, got to give some props to them too...you can check out our new webpage... www.vanderbilt.edu/lacrosse still new, doesn't have much on it yet, but the roster is there...

you are right about gauging teams from year to year...look at Tennessee '99 who knew that all those players would be coming to that school in the same year...I know they didn't go there strictly for lacrosse...

anyway it will all come down to what happens on the field...a lot of questions will be answered very shortly...

[exlaxer]

FSU is the team to beat. They have real strong returning players and a great defense.

[Alex White]

I agree that FSU probably will put the most talent on the field, however the SELC has a history of having an underdog win the league tournament title. Coach Harkins has done a great job with FSU, and I doubt their players feel as though he is trying to buy the a title. We need people with vision to push the envelope and force the league to grow from an organizational point. Auburn's coach in the late 1990's did this and showed what was possible financially for "club" lacrosse teams. Auburn was the first team in our league to travel by bus, now most all A-division teams travel that way. Although Yancey wasn't around to see Auburn win the title, he effectively changed the way teams in our league look at themselves.

I will get to see Vanderbilt play tomorrow against South Carolina, and will try and post a preview of what they look like.

[Alex White]

Vanderbilt is indeed much improved. The showed up in Knoxville today to play South Carolina with about 30 players, almost matching uniforms, and a more team oriented attitude. They have a very soild defense, most of their long sticks can run the field well and handle the ball in transition. They beat USC today by a score of 16-6, I think was the final.

USC's chance at an upset was halted when their goalie hurt his ankle early in the third quarter with the score in the 11-3 range. USC was playing without one of their better short sticks who had been ejected from Saturdays game against Tennessee for maligning the officials.