Yes, it is in fact stupid early hence that being included in the title of this podcast, but nonetheless, may as well whip through as I prepare for the season and share with you the top 3 guys at each position group. Here goes…
Matt Brandau
Senior, Yale (1 year remaining if he transfers)
Even though I’ve always given Matt Brandau props as one of the top attackmen in the country, I haven’t been able to talk about him a whole lot due to Covid, and then the Ivy’s not playing in 2021.
But to be sure, Brandau didn’t just dominate in the Ivy where he was the league’s leading point producer BY A LARGE MARGIN. He finished with 99 points on the season, closest to him in the Ivy, John Piatelli who stacked 83 points for Cornell.
Matt Brandau’s 2022 production…
- 99 points (3rd in the country behind Wisnauskas & Nichtern)
- 5.82 points per game (2nd in the country in points per game behind Nichtern)
- 57 goals (5th in country) off 41.3% shooting which is off the charts for a guy that gets as much attention as Brandau does.
- 3.35 goals per game (6th in country)
- 42 assists (5th in country)
- 2.47 assists per game (12 in country)
- 6 caused turnovers, 35 gbs
Matt Brandau’s attributes as a player…
- THE most complete player in the nation in terms of utility across all positions. What he provides Yale in terms of offensive capabilities is unparalleled by any player, at any position, for any team in the country (in terms of guys coming back). Yes, I just said that out loud. Put me on the record as saying that I believe Matt Brandau is the best overall player returning to action in 2022.
- As a DODGER he’s lethal. There is no way to guard him because he will beat you from any spot on the field. He can beat you with a quick step and speed from X and finish in stride once he hits GLE. He can dodge underneath you from the wing, and then take the help defender on the high side with a quick step and finish off the goalie’s hip. He can beat you down the alley and unleash a shot on the run with nothing more than a half step on his defender. He can criss-cross applesauce defenders into submission is what I’m trying to get across here and there are very few on the defensive side of the field that can stop him from getting to “his spots” on the field.
- As an OFF BALL THREAT, excels beyond what you would expect from a guy capable of anchoring an entire offense with the ball in his stick. It’s one of his super-powers. Despite being an incredible ball carrier, he never stops working and is beyond proficient off ball as well.
- As a SHOOTER, Paul Carcaterra once said that Brandau shoots through pressure and sticks as well as anyone in the country. I agree. Time and room? He’ll scorch you. Defender approaching him in a good position? He’ll wrap a missile around their body and blast them in the face with his stick on the follow through.
- As a FINISHER, btb’s, shovels, backhands, you name it, he’s done it. Very creative as a finisher anywhere near the cage.
- In TRANSITION, QUICK RESTARTS, BROKEN PLAYS, his head is always up and he will press a defense, force them into a decision and will execute accordingly. Slide to him, he’s going to put a dime in the box and a teammate will score. Don’t slide to him, or slide away, he’ll put 2 or 3 fakes on your keeper and will bury it as he’s falling down.
He will fight, scrap and claw his way into points for his team. He’s as smart as they come. He’s tough, he’s gritty, he’s aggressive in all the best ways, with very little downside.
Connor Shellenberger
Junior, Virginia
Last week I said that Connor Shellenberger is “perhaps the most complete player in college lacrosse” and I stand by that. Despite declaring that Brandau is the best overall player in the country that is coming back, Shellenberger is right behind him. I put Brandau ahead of Shellenberger due to overall experience and because he’s more of a scoring threat than Shellenberger, although that could be partly due to “team need”. Virginia has more “high level” offensive talent, so Shellenberger doesn’t need to be as aggressive as Brandau overall.
Connor Shellenberger’s 2022 production…
- 76 points (9th in the country)
- 4.75 points per game (11th in the country)
- 32 goals off 36% shooting
- 44 assists (4th in the country)
- 2.75 assists per game (5th in the country)
- 4 caused turnovers, 24gbs
Connor Shellenberger’s attributes as a player…
- As an offensive QUARTERBACK he is beyond proficient. I wonder how much we haven’t seen out of him as more of a goal scorer and DODGING THREAT thanks to UVA’s stacked roster. I’m curious to see if the absence of Moore will result in Shellenberger’s goal numbers going up a bit. Or will Moore’s production be spread out among the newcomers?
- As a SHOOTER/FINISHER, hangs in the area of “better than most”. Like Brandau, he plays well in space, can finish with guys in his grill, will scrap and score both transition and garbage goals.
- Excels playing/dodging/feeding from X and on the wings, and I think we’ll see a lot more of Shellenberger playing ABOVE GLE in an effort to take advantage of his insane upside.
On teams like UVA, the stars sometimes have to share their shine, which certainly decreases their actual output in terms of overall points. But anyone that knows lacrosse with eyes knows that Shellenberger is one of the elite, even if his stats down always stand out.
Jack Meyers
Senior, Ohio State
Many will have expected me to go with either O’Neill or Kavanagh for the 3rd spot on my first team, but they are the first two spots on my second team (if I were to put one out, which I won’t). This list is my prediction for who will actually grab the 1st team All-American spots and I don’t think you’re doing it right if you don’t have the veteran Jack Meyers on your list.
The main reason I give him the nod over the others I considered is due to what he did against QUALITY OPPONENTS. His overall production is right up there with the best in the country, but what he did against teams like Maryland (2g, 4a in a 19-12 loss), Notre Dame (4g, 3a in a 14-11 loss), Rutgers (2g, 3a in a 12-10 loss) and so on.
Now you could make the argument that what he didn’t do in OSU’s first losses to Cornell and Rutgers should keep him from being a 1st team talent, but he played far better in follow up losses to both of those teams putting up 5 points and 3 points respectively.
But what I like about Meyers is he put up that level of production with less of a supporting cast. Not that Ohio State doesn’t have talented guys. Jackson Reid and Colby Smith are killers. But the name recognition and point totals once you get beyond those two guys drops off considerably.
Jack Myers’ 2022 production…
- 83 points (4th in the country)
- 5.19 points per game (7th in the country)
- 38 goals off 35.2% shooting
- 45 assists (4th in the country)
- 2.81 assists per game (4th in the country)
- 21 gbs
Jack Myers’ attributes as a player…
- As a DODGER he’s a Big boy attackman at 6’ 4” and 210 pounds. Will lean on his defender and bully him, but he’s quick for a guy that takes up that much vertical space. Can get after you from X if he gets a step and will drive above GLE and score.
- As a FEEDER, the best in this bunch. Watching clips of Myers you can’t help but notice how often he fits feeds into very tight places. As long as guys keep moving and finish when he puts the ball on their stick, Myers will continue to accumulate assists.
- As a SHOOTER/FINISHER, there are far better shooters and finishers that will end up All-Americans, but Myers is proficient and can burn you. Anyone that stands 6’ 4” is going to have the leverage required to put balls past goal-keepers, but Myers also has hands soft enough to finish the rock “in close” as well.
All in all, there is nothing sexy about picking Myers as a first teamer, and I would have certainly faired better in terms of “views” if I had plugged in O’Neill or Kavanagh into this spot. But the truth is, Ohio State is going to need Jack Myers to have a big season in order to have a chance of making the NCAA tournament. Myers will be without Jackson Reid who was a solid target, but they add LIU transfer Richie LaCalandra to help with their 2023 goal scoring. I think we may see Myers goal numbers increase, especially early in the season, and as the season wears on and teams devote more attention to him things will loosen back up and he can get back on with dishing dimes.
Listen to the audio version…
