The #DevitteMatrix Update
I'm actually really embarrassed that I had to name this stat after myself. All the other hashtags were either taken or naughty acronyms, okay?
Ladies, gentlemen, people of all genders, ages, and creeds - it is time for a 2022 update on the most made-up statistic to have ever statted: The Devitte Matrix.
Now, you may be wondering, “What exactly is this stat and why were you so arrogant as to name it after yourself?”
Two questions, two answers.
1. The Devitte Matrix (#DevitteMatrix if you’re social media inclined/savvy) is a simple metric I “invented” in 202ish to act as a differentiator to identify the most valuable offensive players. It’s just goals plus assists minus turnovers. That’s it.
2. When one discovers a new species, the honor of naming said species falls to the pioneer most present in the finding. Unfortunately for everyone, that’s me. Also, I couldn’t think up a better name for it that didn’t look or sound like part of a formula that nerds from other sports spout off when they’re arguing on discord.
Special thanks to Zack Capozzi from Lacrosse Reference for actively tracking the #DevitteMatrix.
Josh Zawada, Michigan, Devitte Matrix Score: 37, (6.17 per game)
The overall leader in Devittes as well as Devitte’s per game, Zawada has been very impressive for a surprising Michigan squad this season. This dude has 46 freaking points in six games. That’s more than 7.5 points per game. His Devitte Matrix score is high due to output minus attrition, but the attrition is not all that high - just nine turnovers. Compare that to the NCAA leader in turnovers, Army’s Brendan Nichtern, who has 15 cough ups. (Other media darlings Asher Nolting and Max Waldbaum are tied for the second most TO’s with 13 apiece if you were wondering.)
It’s been pretty hard to track down tape on Zawada due to the absolute criminality that is the Big 10 network pay-to-watch “deal”. I’m still waiting for my refund after they charged my credit card in November despite canceling my membership many months prior. Such despicable thuggery. It’s probably a similar feeling that opposing coaches get when they see Zawada slice through defenses after their last set of assistants passed on him because they were up late trying to find the correct way to pronounce “Whataburger” and missed his first game of the [insert overhyped showcase here].
Low to high, over the top, sidearm - Zawada can quite literally do everything and anything that other top playmaking attackmen do. He is particularly adept at getting past one defender, then hitting a re-dodge to get better position for a feed or a shot.
Michael Boehm, Michigan, Devitte Matrix Score: 24, (4 per game)
La Vie Boehm, indeed. Boehm is the other rising star riding on the backs of multiversal Wolverines is filling up the scoresheet whilst staying off the turnover list. He’s an excellent rider and has gotten some easy points from his own hustle, which is what every attackman turned coach tells his players he was like back in his day.
People will say he’s just the beneficiary of Michigan’s dodge heavy, pull a slide, and get open philosophy, and they’re not 100% wrong. But it’s not like Boehm is just standing there waiting for an easy bucket. He’s constantly moving and he can carry the ball as well. Like his teammate Zawada, he’s also unselfish and looks for the extra pass on fast breaks where most players just pull up and try to bury the ball. He does all of this while wearing an oversized yellow vest jersey better suited for a BestBuy employee. The bravest of hearts are clad in Navy and Maize.
Chris Gray, UNC, Devitte Matrix Score: 23, (4.6 per game)
The little prince has kept up his production despite being the A-1 target for all defenders looking to take home forearms as souvenirs. What people don’t understand about Chris Gray is that he is actually lower to the ground than he looks on camera. He uses that leverage to explode into passes as well as shots, and it’s that torque control that powers the majority of his movements. The arsenal of spins and flicks to set up his dodge or second look are what makes him special. Physical tools aside, that mostly comes from field vision; the one attribute that can’t be measured by any one stat in particular.
Gray is officially in the Michael Sowers zone circa 2020 where everyone ran out of things to say about him before the pandemic hit. Too much hyperbole will ruin a perception of a player, but it won’t actually ruin the player. Gray has a lot left in the tank and so do the Tarheels. Don’t write them off just yet.
Logan Wisnauskas, Maryland, Devitte Matrix Score: 23, (5.75 per game)
Good king Wisnauskas gives assists but takes goals and souls in equal measure as the most versatile weapon in Maryland’s arsenal. He has two turnovers so far this season. Two. You can whine about Wisnauskas being an off-ball player all you want. It really does not matter - A player that plays to his strengths and doesn’t try to do too much is a player that any team at any level can utilize.
If you’re looking for PLL prospects at attack this season, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more malleable asset in this class than Wisnauskas. He’s a bitcoin farm of points because he knows where to go and doesn’t make mistakes. Besides - how many PLL teams are looking for No. 1 attackmen when they actually need No. 3 and No. 4 guys to fuel their championship run?
(It’s all of them. Because they all think they can win a championship.)
Jack Meyers, Ohio State, Devitte Matrix Score: 22, (5.5 per game)
Meyers has really improved his dodging and ability to get closer to the goal for the Buckeyes so far this season. It’s almost antithetical to how OSU ran their offense through to the now-departed king of midrange shots, Tre LeClaire. LeClaire was the DeMar DeRozan of his time, but less accurate and more liked in Canada.
Meyers is the opposite of midrange, though he does have rope from 15. The thing is - he doesn’t have to resort to such a banal pursuit as his churlish dodging gets him far closer to breaking goal line extended than it did last year. Meyers can draw contact or a slide at X instead of pulling up to fire off a pickup line of a shot from distance. But it’s his 17 assists that get his point total up there with the best of the best. He’s an excellent mismatch picker as well and is as close to ambidextrous as you can get without having two right arms.
Thanks for reading the LacroCity Newsletter. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor, please DM me on Twitter at @TheKyleDevitte.