Hello, I am alive after yelling so much in my first Varsity/JV lacrosse doubleheader that I almost passed out. If you haven’t heard - #JVIsAVibe in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. Again, thank you for indulging my quirkiness and busy schedule now that we are all in the thick of everyone’s lacrosse season. I appreciate it.
With that being said, let us turn our attention to the college ranks where parents are far more reasonable about performance-based analysis. (Probably because they actually keep stats, accurate rosters and the coaches answer emails.)
We have a brand new set of players to highlight in this update to the #DevitteMatrix. Thanks again to Zack Capozzi of Lacrosse Reference for tracking this wonderful made-up statistic.
The #DevitteMatrix is, of course, the combination of goals and assists minus turnovers. Does that favor the players that carry the ball the most? No. But they carry the ball the most because they are the most trusted player on the team. It’s a delicate balancing act.
At the halfway point of the season, the cream has, indeed, risen to the top of the cold brew. Right now it looks like the Ivy League is rolling their collective office chairs over the rug made of the body hair of the ACC, but that could change and be a less disgusting metaphor by Memorial Day weekend.
1. Brennan O’Neill, Duke, 50 (3.33 DPG)
Well, well, well if it isn’t the most impressive athlete in the country. I don’t get all the hate for this guy. He doesn't do stupid things with the ball or whine about not getting it. He works. You always respect a worker on a lacrosse field. I really don’t understand why he’s not more celebrated. I’m not talking about awards or AA honors - I mean why isn’t he lauded the way that Michael Sowers was? Because he’s big and fast and strong? Could you imagine what kind of damage O’Neill would do in an offense that is designed to get him touches and looks instead of this team-focused Duke offense? He’d have a 75 DM rating; not 50.
2. Matt Brandau, Yale, 46 (5.1 DPG)
Not only is Brandau second in the overall Devitte Matrix, but he also leads the nation in Devitte’s per game by a sizable margin. Yale has changed how they use him a lot throughout the progression of the season. Before they wholly trusted Leo Johnson to do his thing with the ball, they pulled Brandau closer to him in sets as an outlet. Now that Chris Lyons is playing in the higher wing spot - and all of Yale’s midfielders are healthy - Brandau can roam and feast on pulled slide[r]s like he’s at a cookout.
3. Logan Wisnauskas, Maryland, 45 (4.5DPG)
Good king Wisnasukas is the player that every coach that has ever blown a whistle tells you to play like. Unselfish. Smart. Always moves his feet. Imagine a player that you don’t even have to coach - you GET to coach them. I can count on one hand how many of those I’ve had in 20 years and you can see that Wisnauskas is that for Tillman and the Terps. Aside from Cornell, they’re the only team in the country that doesn’t have to beat anyone to create shots - they twist defenses with ball movement and cutters. The Maryland offense is a symphony of manipulation.
4. John Piatelli, Cornell, 45 (4.1 DPG)
Have you actually seen this Cornell offense for an entire game? The ball doesn’t stop moving once it hit three passes. The Big Red have multiple dodgers and sets to utilize them, but they are at their best when the ball gets to the wing and is fired - sometimes on reflex - to X and then back to the opposite wing right before the defense can turn their head. It’s that fast. The beneficiary of those looks to the right wing has been Piatelli, but let me tell you what else Piatelli does - he rides hard, chases every ground ball, and always pulls back from a risky dodge. Watch No. 41 for a whole game, tell me he’s not the perfect No. 3 attackman for a PLL team with a selfish ball-dominant attackman and a reckless shooter.
5. Josh Zawada, Michigan, 45 (3.75 DPG)
Zawada hit a rough patch there when the Ides of March gave way to the reality of April, but he’s still at the top of the ranks due to his enormous point output. It is too bad that he plays in the Big Ten because I am one of the band of brothers that refuses to pay for that particular broadcast package. (Sorry, Mark Dixon - you’re great and awesome but the camera angles are suboptimal). Zawada is still the most dangerous player on the Wolverines. Like Logan, he is the most dangerous X-man in blue and yellow.
Sidenote: I’m writing this before I make my solo debut as a lacrosse broadcaster calling the St. Paul’s vs. Tilton game Friday afternoon. By the time you’re reading this I will have completed that journey.
I’m terrified going into it, but I know that I have to do it because it’s another opportunity that I’ve been given in the world of lacrosse. I also shot my mouth off on the “Chasing the Goal” podcast saying that I would do it if anyone wanted me to. Ultimately, it’s an honor. But also, I definitely should have asked for money. Maybe next time.
Almost every week I have to explain what it is that I do to make a living in this sport. It used to annoy me, but now I’m happy to do it. I’ll never not be a punk-ass kid from a small town in New Hampshire who stumbled into lacrosse. Though sometimes, especially lately, it feels like lacrosse found me.