Sleepers

[WouMiddie]

im actually going to have to agree with the guy from southern on this one, your last retort fell about five yards short of the goal line. this topic isnt meant for argument, its meant for teams to say who is going to be good next year who wasnt good this year. i dont know, he did come off a little cocky but they were also prety good this year up until to the final four melt down, i watched that game and it was the first time all year i watched them play but i expected a lot more. but neways no fighting, just pick teams. i wouldn't be surprised to c UPS make a solid comeback after a disappointing season, i know there losin a few guys but there well coached and showed a lot of fight at the end of the season, i dont know just an honest mans opinion.

[Juergy]

I find it funny you are the one calling for calm, Julian. You sure have lost your head a few times on this message board, and sure incite more than your fair share of BS.

Whatever. Again, GFY. And you don't really play, by the way.

[lincoln02]

And you don't really play, by the way.

imitation is the highest form of flattery.

see you next season, muffin.

keep in touch!

[rocky13]

Julian defiantly was a part of the SOU squad...sadly he was injured in our first game, and i'm pretty sure he will be back to play next year.

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

Children, children. . .can we get back on topic? It's always nice to hear about the influx of talent into teams in the PNCLL. . .

These senseless personal attacks end up being nothing but a waste of everyone else's time.

If you want to insult each other, why don't you exchange phone numbers or email addresses and have at each other in your own personal space. This certainly is not the place for it, in my opinion.

Constructive debate? Fine. Pissing contests? Not so fine.

[lincoln02]

sleepers:

UPS: have to agree with woumiddie on this one. last year's team was young, but with time comes size and skill- especially under a solid coach like kyle. if the late season scare they gave plu is any indication of this next year, they should not be overlooked.

Linfield: again, agreeing with the good doctor on this one. Like UPS, Linfield is a well-coached member of the pncll old guard, and never fail to put up a fight in the two games i've seen them play. The school has the ability to draw the top oregon talent (which actually means something these days) and field a consistantly large squad.

WOU: don't know how graduation affects this team next year, but i have a feeling they're on the cusp of becoming a perrenial threat. the location of the school can pull willamette valley talent- one or two stars to add to their already large roster and we'd have ourselves another major b-league player. too bad the school's in monmouth (no offense guys).

Whitman: truth be told, whitman has the potential to stand atop the b division in the next year or two. schmitz is too salty a coach to not get back on top of a league he helped shape. those diaper dandies should graduate to pull-ups next year, and by the time they're toilet trained, we'll all be in deep shit. solid keeper returning and a saavy young attackmen in drake highlight this squad for me. steno's a fast, athletic pole, but he might be lost in the mix next year in the absence of jeurgens and sterns.

[WouMiddie]

Hey man monmouth aint so bad, you just gotsta get used to it, and dude when you're not fighting with that whitman fan you tend to say some pretty intelligent stuff. I'd keep as such and not worry to much about what some guy who doesn't even play the game has to say. That's just me though.
Pretty much agree with everything you said, in all reallity I think at this point a lot of the supposed gap between the north and the south everyone was so afraid of is getting smaller. And graduation doesnt really affect us at all, we are only losing Keith Broyles, a defender who though at times was awesome, never really dedicated himself to the team often missing games and practices.

[woulax4]

It is true that we are losing Broyles, but we are moving up someone who could be the best defender in the league. He was a freshman last year who played a lot of long pole middie but is being moved to defense. He has quick feet and the quickest stick I have ever seen. Watch out for him, he will definitely make a name for himself in the league.

[Kyle Berggren]

I think at this point a lot of the supposed gap between the north and the south everyone was so afraid of is getting smaller.

When the divisions are created or changed in the future (who knows what will happen with teams moving up & down), this is the reason we can't care which teams are powerful at the time. In 2004 my team was able to win the B Division... In 2006, we tried to give Montana a run for their money, but just couldn't quite do it (22-3 I think). We expect to be much improved this next year, and hopefully with more sustainable winning in the years to come.

I will say I don't believe that adding a player or two is going to make a team a contender or powerhouse. The most important thing we can do as a team is develop our core group of guys, and continue to add young players to that core each season. When I played, we were all new to the game when arriving at college. When I left, we had players averaging over 5ppg, a league MVPs, too many all-stars to list, etc. All of that came from having a core group of Jr's & Sr's that instilled their passion in the Freshman. It probably sounds simple or obvious, but most teams simply don't do it.

[WouMiddie]

Kyle I agree with you that the core is the most important part of improving, but it never hurts to add a couple of solid players, I mean look at Southern and what they did with the addition of Jamison. Even Albertson with the addition of Hart, even though they didnt make playoffs they probably wouldnt have done nearly as well in those close games without him. they were really only four goals away from a playoff spot, i doubt you could of said that without the addition of Hart. So i think one or two solid guys with good stick skills joining a team can really help a teams chance to contend, maybe not for the whole enchilada, but at least for a playoff spot.

[WouMiddie]

quick question, completely off topic, how did Ben Stein from Gonzaga have twenty assist in the SFU game when his team only scored six qoals, maybe this has already been resolved, i don't know, but in a season when a guy had 37, a farce like that would be a pretty big deal.

[Dr. Jason Stockton]

When I played, we were all new to the game when arriving at college. When I left, we had players averaging over 5ppg, a league MVPs, too many all-stars to list, etc. All of that came from having a core group of Jr's & Sr's that instilled their passion in the Freshman. It probably sounds simple or obvious, but most teams simply don't do it.

Either that or you had an unbelievable coach. . .

[Kyle Berggren]

An "Unbelievable Coach" that would quiz our PE majors about anatomy and run the fat kids to death...

[Kyle Berggren]

So i think one or two solid guys with good stick skills joining a team can really help a teams chance to contend, maybe not for the whole enchilada, but at least for a playoff spot.

I really do see that changing. As long as lax keeps growing in HS, teams will be better each year, and competition will improve. Right now, WWU, Montana, & PLU probably have the 3 best foundations in the PNCLL B. I wouldn't count Whitman & Linfield too far out of that mix as well... If these teams stay competetive, and improve year in & year out, that really only leaves one playoff spot. I'd like to say that UPS is working toward that foundation, but adding 2 players each year won't be as effective very soon in the PNCLL. I'm really just picturing the league 5 years from now, and seeing what 2 players would do to those teams? I hope not much at all...

[woulax23]

i disagree with the idea that smaller private schools will be able to compete over the next five to ten years with teams like western and southern oregon, who are public, which makes them cheaper and easier to get into. i know that two guys are coming to our school for sure who are pleased because it is a public school in oregon with a team besides u of o or osu. i guess im not saying they wont compete, but they will have a more difficult job in recruiting