Nationals Start Tomorrow

[Karl Lynch]

CSU and UT kick off the championships at 4:30 in Plano.

Who is going to be there?

[primelax]

Its been a little quite around here lately. SU and Texas deserve a pat on the back for playing hard and representing the LSA. Good job guys! We will get em, gig em, hell just beat them next year.

[jessexy]

The LSA stunk it up again this year. too bad!!!! this is our home state, remember???

[Karl Lynch]

Southwestern beat Calvin today 10-6.

[atxlax]

The LSA stunk it up again this year. too bad!!!! this is our home state, remember???

Yep, too bad the "home-field" advantage, like having fans at their games, just didn't work...speaking of which, I don't think I saw you on the sidelines cheering... Guess it is much easier to sit on the computer and complain.

[Former LSA]

The LSA stunk it up again this year. too bad!!!! this is our home state, remember???

Yep, too bad the "home-field" advantage, like having fans at their games, just didn't work...speaking of which, I don't think I saw you on the sidelines cheering... Guess it is much easier to sit on the computer and complain.

And having a cheering section makes an instant increase in the talent level? The LSA is not up to par with the rest of the country, and that's what everything boils down to. There are very good players on individual teams, but the majority of the players here are not in the same weight class as everyone else. Everyone needs to get past the mentality that winning the LSA means ANYTHING right now. Say whatever you want to boost your own egos, but Texas area lacrosse is not anything to wave a flag about.

[jessexy]

The LSA stunk it up again this year. too bad!!!! this is our home state, remember???

Yep, too bad the "home-field" advantage, like having fans at their games, just didn't work...speaking of which, I don't think I saw you on the sidelines cheering... Guess it is much easier to sit on the computer and complain.

I was definitely on the sidelines, but i wasnt cheering. i was too busy writing game recaps and updating real time stats for you behind my computer at the scorers table.

Know something about something before you comment on these boards homie.

[atxlax]

The LSA stunk it up again this year. too bad!!!! this is our home state, remember???

Yep, too bad the "home-field" advantage, like having fans at their games, just didn't work...speaking of which, I don't think I saw you on the sidelines cheering... Guess it is much easier to sit on the computer and complain.

I was definitely on the sidelines, but i wasnt cheering. i was too busy writing game recaps and updating real time stats for you behind my computer at the scorers table.

Know something about something before you comment on these boards homie.

Wooo, EXCUSE ME!! I forgot how much you enjoy complaining about the LSA's performance... I guess no team in the LSA could ever be as talented as your mid 90's Ags. Too bad we can't just take a time machine and re-live your glory days over and over... Oh wait, we basically get to re-live them everytime you make a post!


homie.

[shaughn]

The LSA stunk it up again this year. too bad!!!! this is our home state, remember???

Yep, too bad the "home-field" advantage, like having fans at their games, just didn't work...speaking of which, I don't think I saw you on the sidelines cheering... Guess it is much easier to sit on the computer and complain.

And having a cheering section makes an instant increase in the talent level? The LSA is not up to par with the rest of the country, and that's what everything boils down to. There are very good players on individual teams, but the majority of the players here are not in the same weight class as everyone else. Everyone needs to get past the mentality that winning the LSA means ANYTHING right now. Say whatever you want to boost your own egos, but Texas area lacrosse is not anything to wave a flag about.

actually, research shows that a "cheering section" can improve performance

[Brent Burns]

Next year, I hopefully will be one of the LSA's cheering section as I wish I would have been there last week. I am glad that Southwestern was able to end its year with a win in the USLIA Div. B playoffs. I know that Texas did its best in their three games against quality teams.

It is just that I hope we will see more LSA teams in the Nationals next year and in the years to come.

[swampthing]

Everyone needs to get past the mentality that winning the LSA means ANYTHING right now. Say whatever you want to boost your own egos, but Texas area lacrosse is not anything to wave a flag about.

that's real positive. next why don't you depress eighth grade lacrosse players and discourage them from playing b/c texas high school lacrosse means nothing too.

i mean, "get past the mentality that winning the LSA championship means anything??" what horrible mentality would that be? having a positive attitude?! how about you take pride in your conference and just try to win wherever you are, whether it's div F or NCAA div 1. it's not like we all play to make some incredible legend (although that would be awesome), but instead we play to have fun and to compete, no matter what stage life puts us at. sure i'd love to win a national championship, but talking shit about my own league isn't getting me any closer.

[Former LSA]

Everyone needs to get past the mentality that winning the LSA means ANYTHING right now. Say whatever you want to boost your own egos, but Texas area lacrosse is not anything to wave a flag about.

that's real positive. next why don't you depress eighth grade lacrosse players and discourage them from playing b/c texas high school lacrosse means nothing too.

i mean, "get past the mentality that winning the LSA championship means anything??" what horrible mentality would that be? having a positive attitude?! how about you take pride in your conference and just try to win wherever you are, whether it's div F or NCAA div 1. it's not like we all play to make some incredible legend (although that would be awesome), but instead we play to have fun and to compete, no matter what stage life puts us at. sure i'd love to win a national championship, but talking crap about my own league isn't getting me any closer.

I agree with you completely. Having pride in your conference is awesome. Having a positive attitude is awesome too. But how positive can everyone's attitude be if year after year the league gets beat up by the rest of the country? As far as playing for fun, well I hope that's why everyone plays. When you say that everyone also plays to compete, the LSA has gotten so stuck in its interstate rivalries that out of conference wins are pretty much viewed as fairy tales. Sure there have been some good games out of conference along with a few wins here and there, but overall LSA teams have just never been able to get it done on a regular basis (this goes for when I was playing as well). I don't want you to think I'm talking crap about the league, but I certainly think that it's time to stop patting each other on the backs for "trying hard." It's time to stop relying on kids that are in 8th grade right now to be the saviors of the league. That talent pool has been feeding into LSA schools since the mid nineties. Why can't we have higher expectations of the players that are there right now?

[Mikeylacrosse03]

I LOVE THIS FORUM!!! How old are we now?

[CP18]

Lets keep this debate going, but keep it civil. My thoughts, as someone who has been a part of the LSA within the MDIA since inception, back in 1999:

-The LSA is not the only conference that continues to struggle at Nationals, look at the UMLL, PNCLL, PCLL, GRLC, SELC. Basically, if you are not a top WCLL or RMLL team, or Michigan, you are probably not getting into the quarters, and very rarely the semis (I know FSU made the semis last year).

-The talent is here in TEXAS, wake up. Here is the deal though, the top players in the state at the high school level, on the best teams are not playing MDIA ball in TEXAS. They are playing for NCAA level teams, or WCLL or RMILL teams! For example, the top players at The Woodlands used to be a pipeline to Texas A&M, i.e. Jason Dunn or Ryan Turnbow, now the Woodlands is a pipeline to the Ohio State. Look at other high schools such as Highland Park, Dallas Jesuit, etc..........

-Now, do you tell a 17yr old kid not to pursue a scholarship at DI Varsity school, when it is offered, or the walk on opportunity, OF COURSE NOT! What the MDIA teams in the state need to do is recruit the next tier players at the high school level (esp. Div I HS) and keep those kids from going to the mountains of West Virginia to play low level DIII ball. Hell, the best teams in the MDIA beat those type of DIII schools. Look at CSU and BYU, every year they have transfers from those type of DIII schools to go play for them.

-The MDIA teams in Texas are getting the top DII HS talent, that is apparent, and depending on the work those guys put in at the college level, can turn out to be stunning players. Look at CSU, CU, BYU, UCSB, Michigan, etc, those teams are getting players off of highly recognized high school programs out of their states. Look around the MDIA rosters in Texas, not many players running around from top HS programs (DIV I).

-We have to change the perception of the quality of play in the LSA to convince these type of players to come out and play MDIA ball in Texas. Honestly, when they watch some ballgames in the LSA, I am sure they chuckly and say, "Our High School team could beat those guys!"

Thoughts..............

[Karl Lynch]

We can't make the LSA the RMLC overnight. We need each team to continue developing their teams internally with the goal of winning a national championship. The internal dynamics of the top MDIA teams are more similar to a varsity program than a club program. Until some of our teams start investing internally, they will have difficulty with the product they put on the field.

That being said -- The level of play in the LSA has increased immensely in the past five years. We are starting to see some - some parity in the Division A. Five years ago, A&M played one tough game - Texas. Now, A&M has to play Tech, Texas, Texas State, Rice, SMU. The parity is such that this year both A&M and Texas were not the number 1 seeds in their respective divisions. When has that ever happened? Never.

We also had a year when the most Division A teams went and played non conference games. -- those teams learned a lot about what it takes to get to the next level. Baylor, Tech, SMU, Texas, UNT, OU (a first year team), OSU, TSU, A&M, Southwestern, UTA -- all of these teams are altering their schedules to include trips to play top 25 teams. I think our record for non-conference games improved dramatically this year over last.

The teams in the LSA are taking strides to make their teams winners. It takes internal leadership and some time.

One great way to improve your LSA team would be to go to the national championships in Dallas next year and watch or videotape the big dawgs in action. Not nearly enough LSA players realize just how good you have to be individually and as a team to win the National Championship.

The LSA team attendance was poor at Nationals this year. You want a local high school kid to play for your team. Show them that you mean business by being at the tournament and talk to them. We didn't have nearly enough LSA players mixing and mingling with the high school kids in attendance.