Re: Wisconsin Recruiting: Filling the foundation with 5 stars
I was thinking the same thing about the numbers @ F next year. D are the same way next year, they are carrying 8, lose 2, gain 2 for 8. How does Eaves end up with so many players riding the pine? Is he giving out tons of partials, thus carrying a lot of players on the team? I wish Eaves would carry less players on the roster and give they guys he has on it more of a chance to play. Maybe guys like Bearson and Hickey could have contributed had they been given the chance to. Just read Eaves' comments about Meuer, he was surprised Meuer is doing what he is doing. If the injury bug doesn't hit, Meuer doesn't get a chance and he could have ended up another Bearson. I don't think Eaves' is very committed to the guys on the team when he plays Fr ahead of non-Fr on a regular basis. At some point he liked So "X" so much he recruited him and gave him some $ to play on the team, but them Eaves fall in love with Fr. player "Y", and "X" is doomed. I understand he has to protect himself numbers-wise due to early departures, but I don't think player "X" knows up front he's just a just in case filler guy, that's why they leave vs sticking it out.
I disagree with many things in this post so here goes.
-An ideal roster will include 3 goalies, 8 defensemen, and 15 forwards. Wisconsin currently has...3 goalies, 8 defensemen, and 15 forwards. I mean what are you supposed to do when Ryan Little breaks his hand, and Jake McCabe cuts his wrist and Derek Lee goes down too? You need extra bodies. Not every roster is going to have this idea number, but that's a general outline and Eaves usually keeps it pretty close to that. Obviously next year we'll have a couple extra forwards but with the unbalanced classes, it's hard to avoid that right now.
-Comparing Bearson to Meuer is like comparing apples to oranges. They are compeltely different. Bearson was a full scholarship USHL scorer. Meuer is a walk on grinder. I like Keegan a lot but it's not like he's transformed into Joe Pavelski all of a sudden. If injuries don't happen, he's just Keegan, an energy guy that's going to bust his butt for you and hit anything.
-You think we're losing guys early because players are upset that freshmen are playing over them? Um, no. Eaves plays who he thinks gives the team the best chance to win on any given night. The only real complaint most people have is Gorowosky who (maybe) didn't get as much playing time his junior year. He still played almost a full season his sophomore year and played a full year his senior year.
I think it's silly and borderline insane to think that Eaves is going to play a player over another because he "fell in love with him" recruiting him. Maybe people don't understand but this is a full time job for these coaches. They have families to support, kids and wives to think about. Can you honestly tell me they aren't going to put the best team out on the ice?
I mean honestly, there is a reason why walk on types like John Mitchell and Andy Bohmbach played considerably more than a full scholarship player like Bearson his freshman season. And it wasn't because Eaves fell in love with them recruiting them.