2007 Tewaaraton - Thoughts?

[StrykerFSU]

My final rankings:

5. Max Seibald (Cornell) - Soph
Arguably the best all around player on a #1 ranked and undefeated team, Seibald has been overshadowed somewhat by his teammates this year. There were huge expectations coming into this year after his freshman year, 19 G 14 A, and while he has matched those numbers this year (30 pts in 2007) you could make the argument that he didn't progress as much as could be hoped. He finished the regular season third on his team in scoring. The play of the season for Seibald would have to be his buzzer beating goal to beat Syracuse.

4. Paul Rabil (JHU) - Junior
Rabil is the prototypical big, strong middie at 6'3" 220 lbs and finished the regular season leading his team in scoring with 2.78 points per game. He showed his clutch goal scoring ability in winning two games for the Jays in OT. In what was an up and down year for JHU, 3 losses and a couple of narrow wins, Rabil proved his worth but I think his status as a junior will hurt him.

3. Ben Rubeor (UVA) - Junior
Another outstanding player who may lose votes because he is a junior. Rubeor finished #3 in the nation in scoring with 3.07 points per game (46 G) on a team that I had pegged to win the National Championship. He was selected as an All-ACC player again this year and proved to be a force even in games that the Cavs lost with 4 goals against Drexel and 5 goals in the two games against Duke. A strong tournament could push Rubeor higher on the list.

2. Frank Resetarits (UAlbany) - Senior
Finishing the regular season as the #1 scorer in the nation with 3.38 points per game, Resetarits was one of the leaders of the surprise team of the 2007 season. After beating JHU and shocking the lacrosse world, Resetarits led the Danes on a dream season until a hungry Syracuse team knocked them off in the Dome. This loss seemed to shake the Danes confidence and they followed it up by losing to Binghamton before regaining their composure and making the NCAA tournament. UAlbany probably played the weakest schedule of any of the nominee's teams and the voters may take this into consideration when they evaluate his gaudy numbers.

1. Matt Danowski (Duke) - Senior
(*Edit: Got bad stats from the NCAA, Danowski is averaging 4.76 points per game with 38G and 43A) Danowski's abilities on the lacrosse field go far beyond just scoring points. He is one of the smoothest and most skilled stick handlers I have seen in a long time and makes his teammates better by consistently slashing through the defense and drawing slides. If the tournament is your first chance to watch the Dukies play this year, make sure to keep your eye on #40 and watch how he controls the game. It is also worth mentioning that many of the voters may be sympathetic to a player from Duke given the year they have had and the opportunity that was stolen from them last year. I think that if Duke makes it to the Final Four, Danowski will win in a landslide.

[PigPen]

sorry-but if a pole will never win it-then a kid from Albany sure does haven't a chance (but he is quality).

Dano's the favorite just because of the whole Duke situation-they win it all-he'll get it.

Who deserves it on flat out talent? Rabil or Monagle-but we know that goalie won't win so go with Rabil-problem is I don't see Hopkins going that far in the tourney (or at least winning it all) so that knocks him out.

Looney-great player, a real grinder but not Tewaarton. Sobe Iron Lizard for sure.

[byualum]

I'm sitting here watching the college lacrosse marathon on ESPNU (replays of every game the aired during the regular season). The more I watch Rabil, the more I'm starting to think he's the best player country.

Two OT winners, including the Maryland game, which really turned the Hopkins season around and the hat-trick against Navy just show how valuable he is. Great shot from both sides, dodges from up-top and from behind.

I think Hopkins is going to be a tougher out than a lot of people think. The #3 seed is about right for them.

All that being said, if Duke makes the Final 4, Dano wins in a landslide.

[unclaxman23]

I'm sitting here watching the college lacrosse marathon on ESPNU (replays of every game the aired during the regular season). The more I watch Rabil, the more I'm starting to think he's the best player country.

Two OT winners, including the Maryland game, which really turned the Hopkins season around and the hat-trick against Navy just show how valuable he is. Great shot from both sides, dodges from up-top and from behind.

I think Hopkins is going to be a tougher out than a lot of people think. The #3 seed is about right for them.

All that being said, if Duke makes the Final 4, Dano wins in a landslide.

I have been glued to espnu for a couple days now with that same marathon. I think Rabil is the best player this year. i complete agree with byualum post!

[PigPen]

I speak the truth-Rabil is da bomb-but this award is a MVP of the best team-no hardware if JHU isn't playing on Memorial Day

[Chowdah Head]

I haven't been able to watch a ton of NCAA lacrosse this year, but I'm surprised Ian Dingman isn't one of the final 17. Am I alone on this one?

[byualum]

I haven't been able to watch a ton of NCAA lacrosse this year, but I'm surprised Ian Dingman isn't one of the final 17. Am I alone on this one?

No surprise...Dingman is the 3rd-4th best option on the Navy team this year behind Looney and Mirabito and maybe Tim Paul. Dingman never really took off like people thought after Navy made it to the finals in 2004.

[PigPen]

going home and focusing on making grades instead of lax will do that to you-he just thank his lucky stars the academy took him back (I have never heard of such a situation before).

[Brent Burns]

Just jumped out of Laxpower and found out that the winner of the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy is:

Matt Danowski



Matt Danowski, the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy winner

[byualum]

Makes sense...keeps the string going of the best player in the country not winning the Award.

[PigPen]

my favorite was Rabil-the guy is clutch. Granted I thought Hopkins wouldn't get out of the first round, but what the hell do I know. If you told me before the tourney that the Jays would win the whole thing-I'd laugh. With that being said, and seeing both performances on Monday-I'm scratching my head. I like Dano-good kid from a good family, he's a Daler after all, but Rabil deserved to win it. I just don't get how the vote for this stuff.

[Steno]

Dano's got awful skin. Poor guy.

[Zeuslax]

I loved watching Rabil this year...man what an athlete. The stick looked like a french fry in his hands at times. Probably the best athlete, but hard to argue with Dano's #'s.

[StrykerFSU]

Danowski also earned national player of the year honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) as well as USILA Attackman of the Year, USILA First Team All-America, ACC Player of the Year, ACC Tournament MVP, All-ACC, ACC All-Tournament Team and NCAA All-Tournament Team accolades.

http://www.laxpower.com/laxnews/news.php?story=7328

For Danowski, the Blue Devils’ all-time career points leader with 256 following an `07 season in which he compiled 96 points (44g, 52a) – a Duke and ACC single-season record – it was his first time earning the accolade. Remarkably, he achieved that career-points mark despite appearing in just eight games in `06 after Duke’s season was cut short amid legal controversy shortly after a March 21 loss to Cornell.

Few players in college lacrosse have brought the type of versatility – he’s the only player in NCAA history to record a 50-goal, 40-assist season and a 40-goal, 50-assist season – and production on the offensive end that Danowski did, not only in his record-setting senior season at Duke, which earned him first-team All-American honors for the second time in his career (he also earned that distinction in 2005), but throughout his four years in Durham.

A starter in every game since arriving on campus, Danowski is one of just three players in ACC history to earn both Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year honors. He also led the team in both assists and totals points in all four seasons at Duke while guiding the Blue Devils to the national championship game in both `05 and `07, where they fell by a single goal to Johns Hopkins on both occasions. In that most recent loss, which occurred on Monday at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, Danowski tallied a goal and an assist to up his streak of consecutive games with at least one point to 42. He also took over the top spot for the most points in a single NCAA Tournament with 26.

The list of firsts and shattered records goes on and on for Danowski, as does the praise from opposing coaches who had the opportunity to – and misfortune of – game-planning against the senior during his career at Duke. One of those coaches who had plenty of looks at the lethal attackman is Virginia’s Dom Starsia, who likens Danowski’s ability to keep a defense off-balance to another all-time great.

“I think he’s probably the most dangerous [player] I’ve seen in the college game since [Syracuse’s] Casey Powell,” said Starsia. “I think Casey could take the ball to the cage a little stronger, and he may have been a little stronger, but Matt may be a little better feeder and shooter at the same age; they are very similar.

What sets these guys apart from anyone else is that they can create a level of uncertainly about what’s going to happen next; they have the ability to freeze a defense and it’s really hard to prepare for that. They can go to cage on their own, or they can pass the ball and make players around them better, but they create an air of uncertainty that has the tendency to paralyze a defense. Players like Danowski are a rare bird… there are players that kind of get to that transcendent level, and create that air of uncertainly, and that’s when they become they’re most dangerous.”

http://www.insidelacrosse.com/page.cfm?pagerid=2&news=fdetail&storyid=166008

To argue that Dano was not a beast is silly.

I've tried to find a voting breakdown to see how close it was but have been unsuccessful thus far. In the meantime, this the selection committee:

Men’s Selection Committee
Dick Edell, (retired) University of Maryland (Chair)
Scott Anderson, Harvard University
Greg Canella, University of Massachusetts
Jack Emmer, (retired) US Military Academy
Hank Janczyk, Gettysburg College
Scott Marr, University of Albany
Mike Pressler, Bryant College
Tony Seaman, Towson University
Dom Starsia, University of Virginia
Dave Urick, Georgetown University
Don Zimmerman, UMBC

http://www.tewaaraton.com