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Is UAlbany now a lacrosse destination


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Is it possible for UAlbany Lacrosse to get into the Big Ten like Johns Hopkins just for that sport or would the AE forbid it?

 

If the MAC jumped on the lax bandwagon that might be compelling since they are fbs.

Likely. Hop isn't even D-I, some conferences don't have lacrosse. The only example is Fairfield, which has had scholarships for a long time while the MAAC was non-scholarship and allowed them to play at a higher level. (So was Loyola, which has moved to the Patriot). Now the MAAC allows full scholarships but Fairfield is still in the CAA.

 

As long as AE is a mid-level conference I don't see them allowing it. It's probably part of the membership contract.

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Is it possible for UAlbany Lacrosse to get into the Big Ten like Johns Hopkins just for that sport or would the AE forbid it?

If the MAC jumped on the lax bandwagon that might be compelling since they are fbs.

No idea, but at the moment I don't see another natural fit for Albany. In the short run it is going to require a really aggressive out of conference schedule and Albany isn't far off.

 

Syracuse

Maryland

Yale

 

I think you have to drop either Drexel or UMass and add someone like Army or Penn State. Penn State got lambasted for their OCC as well and I bet they would listen to a home and away and the same for Rutgers.

 

Have to drop Canisius.

 

Cornell and Harvard have to many strong classss coming in and I have to think they will be back soon.

 

Army can't continue to play NJIT and VMI so you would think they would be receptive as well.

 

That would give Albany a lot of great games to balance off the AE schedule.

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How can you even ask this question? Albany is absolutely a lacrosse destination! We are about to have our thirdTewaaraton winner in the last 4 years. Tewaaraton is for the BEST lacrosse player in the world. Next year we we welcome the #1 recruit in the country for the second time in the past six/seven years. This year Patterson [a three time high school all american] was one of the top freshman attacks in the country. When he went down with an injury [or was slowed by the freshman wall?], Laffin another all american steps in without losing a beat including a game winner against Yale. Early in the year, when attack was not clicking we were lead by a couple of sophomore midfielders (Eccles & Burgmaster.) Eventually senior Osika and junior MClancy got hot.

 

Ok don't give me the excuse "we have never been to the final four." We were one, yes ONE player away {fogo} from making the final four at least twice in the last few years; and even without a fogo we were one quarter (less actually) away with a substantial lead 3 years ago.

 

And don't get me started on our depth. We have (in my opinion) @ least two freshman that would start for any team not in the acc or big ten and probably would/could start for some even in those leagues. Diamond Davis just to name one.

 

We already are a destination. And the ameast is as good as any conference (not named acc or big10) and with excellent young coaching throughout only going to get better; but that is a conversation for another time.

Edited by dslyank
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CAA is the logical upgrade to the AE. Towson and Hofstra every year would raise the RPI.

 

FYI: We finished the regular season with the #3 RPI.

 

I don't think I've heard a strong argument yet for moving to a marginally better conference..whatever the sport..that's still a one-bid league.

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Even if I take as fact that we are currently a lacrosse destination, my point is the success is based on the current incumbents. It's only as lasting as the current coach and staff. So it can change quickly.

 

Where conference affiliation is more durable. North Carolina is in a desirable conference regardless if their coach and staff quits tomorrow. That conference puts in place a floor for which they can only fall so low. It's a safety net. Same idea as real estate. Downturns hurt good neighborhoods but crush bad neighborhoods.

 

I'd love to see that safety net in place relative to a desireable conference. As noted here the problem seems to be the same as in football. There is no place to go. We're stuck trying to run the table every year in a mid-major.

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Because we need to take a step up in all sports. CAA is just better than the AE. We aren't getting an invite into a multi bid conference in any sport but if we go to CAA maybe the CAA gets 2 lacrosse bids with us there.

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I'm going to respectfully disagree that Albany is a lacrosse destination, but I do think the Danes are on the cusp.

 

I say this regardless of what happens on Sunday.

 

First the AE - I don't put much stock in the recruiting lists, see Fields, Irelan, McClancy, Simms, and others, but a school like Michigan with a big time conference and big time resources is having big time recruits seek them out. I don't think this is happening yet for Albany,

 

Second - I'm not sure Albany is Albany if for some reason Coach Marr hung it up.

 

Third - institutional support. Some of this is admittedly form over substance. It was telling and exciting to read the comments from the AD in the inside lacrosse article. Benson is now paying attention to the program and looks as if he is recognizing lacrosse can be the face of the school.

 

If you've taken a kid on the dog and pony show Albany's physical plant isn't on par with the destination schools. As a state school Albany also has a built in advantage of a huge talent pool with very affordable tuition and even more so with the new NY legislation.

 

Does that fluff stuff matter? It probably does on the fringe but does Albany want those kind of student athletes??

 

Coach Marr and Coach Gleason in particular, and now with Merrick have developed an amazing culture but to date if you exclude the Native American players I can't recall a big time local product spurning Syracuse or an ACC school for the Danes.

 

Some of the deficiencies make Albany, Albany and from where I sit such a unique and special lacrosse program.

 

This year's team is a 17 year success story in the making. I don't understand the institutional support that can be built to support a more aggressive travel schedule if we can't get more Maryland's to travel.

 

Fallon is nice but could use a bit of an uplift or can Casey become the default home venue?

 

Just random thoughts about the program and what's next.

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According to USA Today the average revenue by conference is 131 for America East and 111 for CAA. Albany is ranked at 135 ($18M) so if money matters and it does the CAA is a stronger conference.

 

It would be a modest step up from the AE in lax and basketball.

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I'm not privy to all of the info, but my hope is that within the next 10 years we do a full-stop move to the CAA for all applicable sports (should be most of them). We're dominating the AE (LAX, T&F, BB) in most sports and if not dominating, we're competing for championships (like, SERIOUSLY competing not on the bubble) year in year out. There has to be more room for growth, our program is pretty small relatively speaking.

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