thoughts on this year and next year

[tim73034]

next year... and some thoughts on this year

125 - Picc
133 - Fix
141 - Kaid or G
149 - Boo
157 - Balmeceda/Sheets/Shomers
165 - Joe or Witlake
174 - Witlake or Joe
184 - Motavalo or Geer
197 - Geer
285 - Purdue Transfer

this could be a national championship team... or a distant 3rd place team again..
125 - Picc made a huge jump over the summer in all three positions and wrestled well all year.. Him winning was dependent on Lee continuing his slump, which he snapped out of for the championship.. hopefully he recommits himself to improving again this summer.

133 - rather than watch slowed down video of fingers in the headgear, why don't we just call it like it is? Fix lost because he wasn't wrestling to win and score. He looked like someone trying to protect a 1 point lead the entire match.. his offense wasn't there! There are people that tighten up in big matches and wrestle tight and below what they are capable of and there are people that loosen up in big matches and wrestle better than they have previously.. In recent years its been the Penn State guys that seemed to wrestle the best when there was the most at stake.. Chris Perry really wrestled at a different level his last NCAA match and made Howe look foolish. Fix has all the tools and skills right now to win 3 titles.. besides the mental block that gets thrown up when the most is at stake.. he needs to get with a sports psych guy and learn how to access his best self.

141 - Kaid didnt perform to expectations.. was ranked top 5 coming into the season. I think he is a guy that had some tricks and slick techniques that people hadn't seem before and he beat some good people.. perhaps its a statement about how competitive d1 wrestling has become, because the good guys now know what is coming and know how to stay out of his bag of tricks. Kaid needs to get on whatever plan Picc got on and improve in all three positions. (hell, we all knew what Picc was going to do.. swing single and step over the bottom leg to finish, tight waist tilt or bar tilt, stand up or hip heist to get out) It doesn't have to be fancy or top secret stuff, it doesn't matter if they know what's coming, it only matters if you are good enough to do it anyway.

149 - G looked great the first part of the year, it seems like once he got his ribs hurt he lost his steam. he also looked undersized vs. the top 149 guys.. I think he has the skill to win this weight after a hard spring and summer in the weight room and getting on the Picc plan of improvement.

157 - it seems like shommer lost his steam when he lost to the Minn guy at the last minute. sheets looked good, not like someone ready to win the weight or threaten for AA. we need someone to step up or transfer in.

165 - rogers should have wrestled here. Ive never been a fan of last minute weight shifts and this year was the reason why. I don't know, given how everything shook out in the end, if he could have placed. Im betting he would have won big 12s and given us a completely different bracket. it seems like joe smith didnt live the championship lifestyle this summer.. he let his weight get to high (and not because he was putting on too much muscle) and wasn't ready to go. he missed the first half of the season and when he finally got in there he looked great..at 174! given the fact that mcfadden got aa and joe destroyed him, seems obvious he should have stayed up. joe shouldn't plan on being here next year. I don't think he is someone that does well with cutting weight.

174 - see above.. jacobe beat the 184 national champion! joe should have stayed at 174 and jacobe and gear could battle it out at 184. joe needs to plan to be here and look at how much Lewis wrestled over the summer as an example of what he needs to do to stay relevant.

184 - see above.. I'm not sure about Motavalo, Geer did well for us this year and Im proud that he knocked of some top guys to do it.

197 - I hope Geer gets on the Picc plan and spends all spring and summer in the weight room and is ready to step in next year. Weigel wrestled well, moore was just much better. his bonus points helped us

hwt - white should have won it. period. he wrestle tight all tournament (see 133 comments) and he lost to someone able to wrestle loose and aggressive. im not sure who the purdue transfer kid is, sounds promising.

 

[Air_Thurman]

I'm sorry but Fix doesn't not have a mental block. That is just insane. The kid has won the biggest matches all over the world. He had his boots in to ride out an amazing wrestler to win a national title as a freshman before a BS stalemate call. He then was on his way to a nice slide by takedown to win the national title when his headgear was grabbed. He took the only two serious shots of the match and he has a mental block?

Fix is one of the smallest 133 pounders out there. He has to be strategic with his offense. Should he have been more aggressive? Probably but that doesn't mean the kid has some kid of mental block and needs to see a sports psychologist.

The kid has made 4 or 5 world teams and he is a freshman. He damn near made the Senior U.S. Team before wrestling a college match. You don't do that without being incredibly strong when it comes to the mental side of the sport. Sorry but that is such a terrible, terrible take.

White got beat by another stud. It happens. Elite heavyweight matches mostly come down to one move, one takedown. White was on the wrong side of that one. Sometimes losses happen to elite level competition. It doesn't mean these guys are mentally weak or have blocks. Cassar is as good as it gets. I watched every second White wrestled this weekend and he didn't look tight to me.

I'm more concerned with guys like Jacobe and G who looked like they had zero desire to wrestle at this tournament. White and Fix (especially their mindsets) should be at the bottom of most OSU's fans concerns.

 

[Sebastian]

125....Pic....I think he’s damn near Lee’s equal if not there already.
133....Fix is out for redshirt....Brock back.
141....G....hopefully learned some humility and dedicates himself to smart wrestling. He wasn’t hurt by nationals.
149....Boo isn’t coming back...most who knew doubted this years return. Hope I’m wrong. So who would it be if no Boo?
157....need somebody to step up....Sheets
165....Joe if he can make it. Redshirt Witlake if possible.
174....Joe or ???
184.... Montalvo/Geer
197....Montalvo/Geer
HWT...Purdue or NEO guy.

That’s not a very strong team but sets us up for following years.

 

[osu2082]

I'm sorry but Fix doesn't not have a mental block. That is just insane. The kid has won the biggest matches all over the world. He had his boots in to ride out an amazing wrestler to win a national title as a freshman before a BS stalemate call. He then was on his way to a nice slide by takedown to win the national title when his headgear was grabbed. He took the only two serious shots of the match and he has a mental block?

Fix is one of the smallest 133 pounders out there. He has to be strategic with his offense. Should he have been more aggressive? Probably but that doesn't mean the kid has some kid of mental block and needs to see a sports psychologist.

The kid has made 4 or 5 world teams and he is a freshman. He damn near made the Senior U.S. Team before wrestling a college match. You don't do that without being incredibly strong when it comes to the mental side of the sport. Sorry but that is such a terrible, terrible take.

White got beat by another stud. It happens. Elite heavyweight matches mostly come down to one move, one takedown. White was on the wrong side of that one. Sometimes losses happen to elite level competition. It doesn't mean these guys are mentally weak or have blocks. Cassar is as good as it gets. I watched every second White wrestled this weekend and he didn't look tight to me.

I'm more concerned with guys like Jacobe and G who looked like they had zero desire to wrestle at this tournament. White and Fix (especially their mindsets) should be at the bottom of most OSU's fans concerns.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Daton did everything right to win a national champion as a freshman and had it taken from him by a referee.

 

[CowboyUp61]

165....Joe if he can make it. Redshirt Witlake if possible.


That’s not a very strong team but sets us up for following years.

Wittlake is redshirting this year.

 

[chasepollard]

*************"133 - rather than watch slowed down video of fingers in the headgear, why don't we just call it like it is? Fix lost because he wasn't wrestling to win and score. He looked like someone trying to protect a 1 point lead the entire match.. his offense wasn't there! There are people that tighten up in big matches and wrestle tight and below what they are capable of and there are people that loosen up in big matches and wrestle better than they have previously.. In recent years its been the Penn State guys that seemed to wrestle the best when there was the most at stake.. Chris Perry really wrestled at a different level his last NCAA match and made Howe look foolish. Fix has all the tools and skills right now to win 3 titles.. besides the mental block that gets thrown up when the most is at stake.. he needs to get with a sports psych guy and learn how to access his best self."

There is a problem here...

Suriano game planned to put heavy forward pressure on Fix, he didn't light the score board up either...because he was wrestling an elite talent. Fix looked for an opening the entire time, Suriano didn't give him one. Once he did, it was over...but it wasn't due to an equipment grab.

So, just because a guy doesn't score doesn't mean he had a mental block. It most likely means the other guy is Wrestling well to prevent a TD. No offense, but that's an ignorant take.

 

[Sebastian]

I realize Wittlake is redshirting this year. But is he eligible for an Olympic redshirt is my question. You do know if eligible you can take two years of redshirt? I was wondering if he meets the Olympic qualifications.

 

[OkieSpladle]

I hate to say it because I really like Boo and he deserves a healthy season more than anyone, but counting on him is a huge gamble. I've been there with multiple shoulder separations, a surgery to fix it, and then another separation (my case). That injury is often a career ender. I know he is going to try it and I really do hope he defies the odds. However, to me it makes more sense to have Gfeller spend the summer making himself a full size 149. If Brock isn't a full size 141 (debatable), he can bulk up some too. Gfeller can win 149 next season, especially if he puts on some size.

 

[CowboyUp61]

I realize Wittlake is redshirting this year. But is he eligible for an Olympic redshirt is my question. You do know if eligible you can take two years of redshirt? I was wondering if he meets the Olympic qualifications.

yes, he is- Cadet Bronze in 2016.