best lacrosse teams in michigan

The MSU club team is ranked as the best in the Midwest, and that's one of the reasons talent joins the team. Detroitpreview. For Team One, as Paul dubbed it, Michigan had numerous pieces to try to put together on a narrow timeframe. @UDMLax. This was a sloppy team game, with the second quarter ironically the worst, given it was the only one U-M matched ND score-for-score. Freshman defenseman Jack Harrop (Orchard Lake St. Marys) Did not see game action. There was a real focus on back to basics.. Junior midfielder Jason Alessi (Brother Rice) Recorded an Assist, took four Shots (three on goal), and picked up two ground balls. After five years of trudging through losses and molding the teams culture, it finally looked like Michigan was moving into the next phase of establishing itself as a solid Division I program. Junior midfielder Josh Keller (East Grand Rapids/Kent School) Started, took five Shots (four on goal), caused one turnover, and picked up one ground ball. Expect U-M to go with the occasional 10-man ride only in the instance of faceoff wins backwards, and otherwise slow down but not attempt to force turnovers UMd clears. No question that Michigan Warriors is best club team. Freshman midfielder Ryan Prior (Birmingham/Culver Academy) Did not see game action. Freshman midfielder Charlie Schiefer (Birmingham Seaholm) Did not see game action. Junior attackman Alec Gilhooly (Detroit Catholic Central) Started, scored a Goal on four Shots (one on goal), and caused one turnover. To lead the charge, though, Michigan had offensive leaders like Yealy now a fifth-year senior and junior Thomas Paras. If you can put the ball on-cage (unfortunately a very well known shortcoming of the Titans), you can score on him. Starting a Division I program on a years notice isnt exactly the easiest thing to do. Growing up in Sarnia, Ontario, just under a two hour trip on I-94 from Ann Arbor, the crafty offensive weapon played high school lacrosse at the Hill Academy, a forceful independent school that has sent Canadians to the best lacrosse college programs in the United States since its inception in 2006. Against a traditionally poor clearing team like Detroit though to be fair, theyre performing much better this year that could spell trouble (and more so on a day that should be in the low 50s temperature-wise). When you have a bunch of guys who are used to winning 90% of their games, if not 100%, and then going to winning none of their games, thats hard. Freshman midfielder Alex Jarzembowski (Detroit Catholic Central) Won 3/4 faceoffs, picking up one ground ball. Birmingham. Also committed one turnover. . They werent as much just waiting for the coaches to tell them what to do. 5 Jun. Hennigsen has taken the vast majority of Marylands faceoffs, though with just a .519 win percentage, hes been nothing to write home about thus far in 2017 (he also has ground balls on about 40% of his wins, a good-not-great indicator of winning himself, rather than just relying on wing play). There are obviously contributing factors (the aforementioned fast-break situations, RMU assists on 10 of 15 goals), but when hes not stealing a game for UDM as he wasnt on this day the team in front of him has to play much better to get wins. I had to learn a lot of it on my own, Paul said. Please check back soon. Of course, that still leaves 11 of the 18 total for the offensive players (three for King, four for Decker Curran, one each for Noseworthy, Mikie Schlosser, PJ Bogle, and Team). Freshman attackman Morgan Macko (Brother Rice) Picked up one ground ball. We literally (were) building the framework for what Michigan lacrosse is today and (will be) in 10 years and 20 years and 50 years, Jackson said. Junior midfielder Jason Alessi (Brother Rice) Scored a Goal on his only Shot, added an Assist, and picked up one ground ball. On March 4, the Wolverines tasted victory for the first time in varsity program history following a commanding 14-4 win over Mercer, in which Paras tallied six points and Yealy and Bryant each netted hat tricks. Conry made the transition to College Park after a successful four-year stint at Fairfield, where he was the Stags associate head coach for two seasons. Through three quarters which even includes the beginning of that Irish run Michigan was up 10-8 in faceoff wins and 29-24 in possessions. The Falcons started the year with a one-goal upset of Duke, but their only other wins are a close-ish defeat of Canisius and a blowout over new program Cleveland State. All rights reserved. Every player on that team is being or was recruited by at least 2 colleges. Sophomore defenseman Austin Ross (Warren Mott) Played, but did not accrue any statistics. Senior midfielder Matt Garvey has nine goals and three assists, freshman attack Trevor Pelletier has eight goals and three assists, freshman midfielder Reid Martin has eight goals and one assist, and freshman attack Brandon Grinnell has seven goals and five assists (the most balanced Jasper). #the Frontpage of Lacrosse Men's & Women's Pro, NCAA, MCLA, HS, Club & lacrosse enthusiasts unite! I was just kinda latched on and rode it for wherever it went.. Detroitwent 1-1 in their annual trip to Milwaukee, with a mostly-expected win and a very-expected loss. Michigan recap. But with nine of 10 starters back and a pair . Not going to get too specific here. The Terrapins won a school-record 17 games en route to their third consecutive NCAA Final Four appearance. Although Michigan expected to lose games early on in its transition, it was still jarring for Paul and his players to deal with defeat on such a tilted scale. Shots (three on goal), and recorded an assist. But with his team . He was responsible for turning around a defensive unit that ranked 39th in the nation prior to his arrival into a unit that ranked among the top 16 in the country in each of the past three seasons. most difficult schedule in 2014. Of course, most of those losses are to the Syracuses of the world, but theres also a UMass-Lowell-shaped blemish up there, so Siena is truly struggling. To be fair, Hennigsen does have seven points on the year (Rotanz only has 13), but the drop from 29 shots to seven (LSM Matt Neufeldt has eight) indicates there arent backup dudes doing a whole lot on offense. Colorado Springs, Colo. Sophomore William Ratchford is the primary SSDM, at least in terms of production in the form of ground balls. Freshman midfielder Ryan Prior (Birmingham/Culver Academy) Did not see game action. In addition to the six-on-six defensive improvements, Conry also helped the Stags improve in man-down defense, with Fairfield ranking among the top 17 in the nation since 2010. Meanwhile, USAFA has lost to No. Freshman midfielder Alex Minanov (Grosse Pointe Liggett) Did not see game action. UDM gets the three worst teams in the MAAC for the first three games in conference play, and needs to complete the sweep today to ensure an opportunity for the conference tournament. Going to the Midwest and having Michigan open those doors for a lot of people, it allowed other players to have an avenue to go that wasnt just the East Coast, Jackson said. 9 Loyola, as well as out-of-conference foes like Harvard and No. We are looking for committed players at all levels, as well as highly qualified coaches to add to our outstanding staff. Official Website of the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Junior midfielder Charlie Hayes (Utica Eisenhower) Caused one turnover and picked up two ground balls. March 18, 2017, 11 a.m. EDT Under his tutelage, five Terrapin defenders earned All-America honors in 2013, led by senior Jesse Bernhardt, who became the first Terp since 2006 to garner a first-team selection. This Air Force offense has enough weapons that they should be able to get some easy looks on the Titans. By moving to the even year breakdown, we will be able to achieve fairer games among programs that traditionally form teams with 7/8, 5/6, 3/4, etc. CHARLOTTESVILLE - Some coaches downplay the idea of payback. Now competing in the upper echelon of collegiate lacrosse would bring new challenges for Paul and his players, but they were committed to charging forward in hopes of building a brighter future for the program. MLL is primarily a spring season league that is capped with a State Championship Tournament held in late May. I would imagine part of the reason for the move is that Paul was not necessarily in approval, but certainly accepting of his fate. Six of Robert Morriss 15 goals were scored within a minute of a Titan turnover (and four of those within ten seconds of the turnover, thanks to sudden-change situations that were effectively fast-breaks). Most of the players in this division have experience in lacrosse, though some are new to the game. 1 recruit in the 2014 class, and despite hiccups here and there, has lived up to it. After sitting at the top of the food chain for several years in the MCLA, members of Team One now had to manage battling with some of the best lacrosse players in the entire country. Also committed two turnovers. We were just getting started there, Paul said. They will also play in two local tournaments in June. Also picked up five ground balls and committed three turnovers. Your donations keep our journalism free and independent. Bloomfield Hills. Our weeklylook at Michigan natives who are playing college lacrosse at division-1 institutions this Spring. The 2020/2019 Maverick Rising Stars team is made up of HS Freshman and Sophomores, that mostly played JV the previous season with their HS teams. Conrys defense ranked 10th nationally in scoring defense (8.35 goals/g) and third in man-down defense (73%). Junior Hunter Sanna and freshman Dylan Pantalone have both been bad on draws. Freshman midfielder Alex Jarzembowski (Detroit Catholic Central) Won 8/14 faceoffs, picking up four ground balls. We play in some of the best tournaments in the Midwest, as well as the country. Senior midfielder Greg Marzec (Brother Rice) Went 0/2 on faceoffs and picked up one ground ball. Your donations keep our journalism free and independent. 55/hour. Although everyone got along in the locker room and had fun together in their spare time, the disappointment and frustration of losing compounded by the natural evolution of the rosters composition sometimes breeded competition and animosity across its castes. The 2016 Maryland defense featured a bevy of experience developed under his guidance including five USILA All-Americans. October 14 & 15 Midwest Fall Brawl (Lansing, MI), November 12 Can-Am Invitational (Bloomfield, MI), June 18-20 Chicago Cup (Vernon Hills, IL), June 23-24 Trilogy Great Lax Bay Classic (Saginaw, MI). Junior attack Andrew Tienhas seven goals and three assists to round out double-digit scorers so far this year. Detroit seems to be playing quite a bit better in the past couple games than they did to start the year, but Air Force is a task that is on another level. The 2021 season marks the Michigan men's lacrosse team's 10th season at the Division I level. Junior midfielder Keith Pravato (Novi) Did not see game action. Thanks for subscribing! Through trials and triumph, he had given Michigan all that he could, and that was enough for him. Junior midfielder Brent Lubin (Orchard Lake St. Marys) Played, but did not accrue any statistics. Freshman attackman/midfielder Blake Grewal-Turner (Okemos) Did not see game action. Sophomore defenseman Logan Monroe (Holt) Started, caused three turnovers, and picked up one ground ball. Given the results of the rest of the non-conference schedule, this one is more about getting ready for MAAC play than needing a win for RPI or other purposes. They are mostly 8th Graders, and will play most of the other top teams of their age group. Freshman faceoff specialist Ian Foster (East Lansing/IMG Academy) Did not see game action. Players in this division are usually new to the game of lacrosse and are in Grades 3 & 4, though we accept players from Grades 1 & 2 as well. Were committed to reporting on the issues that matter most to the community where we live, learn and work. The club days were over, but just as Michigans seniors did in 2007 to elevate the club team, Jackson began to take the next step. best lacrosse teams in michiganhavelock wool australia. While the team was tight-knit and accustomed to playing at a high level of lacrosse, culturally, becoming varsity brought new challenges to overcome and expectations to meet. Also committed two turnovers. Harper is very solid at collecting his own ground balls which I take to be a sign of better faceoff play without any evidence to support it and should get the majority of the time as long as he doesnt struggle. Junior attackman/midfielder Adam Susalla (Birmingham Seaholm) Played, but only made the scoresheet by committing one turnover. For advice on coaching a Division I sport, Paul tapped into Michigans rich network. The offense overall is not particularly notable, No. Also committed one turnover. This was a game that was never really in doubt, for what its worth. Even if the three off-cage maintained U-M possession, three saves is typically three offensive opportunities ended. crowell timber hunting leases. Freshman faceoff specialist Ian Foster (East Lansing/IMG Academy) Did not see game action. Thats typically a recipe for getting blown out, like, a lot. Freshman defenseman Nick Boynton (Troy Athens) Did not see game action. 4 team in the country (and remains No. Senior midfielder John Lazarsfeld (Ann Arbor Greenhills) Caused one turnover. Air Force takes the win, 15-9. Lansing. news & Events . Team Michigan Lacrosse. Robert Morris 11, Mount St. Marys 10 (OT), Stony Brook 9, UMBC 12 The defense has been an absolute nightmare opposite that decent offense. Also committed one turnover. However, there are some interesting mismatches to exploit. Players continue to develop their stick skills at this level, and they develop their lacrosse IQon how to run offense and defensive schemes. They will play 10-12 games with 3 tournaments in the spring, and 2-3 tournaments in the summer. His enthusiasm and fervor had been contagious, and it now permeated throughout the Wolverines roster, particularly in playerslike midfielders Brent Noseworthy and Decker Curran who were budding freshmen during Jacksons senior year and began taking on larger roles. They are attending Luck of the Draw, Lax-n-Nati, and University of Michigan Team tournament "Wolverine War". Junior midfielder Josh Keller (East Grand Rapids/Kent School) Started and scored a Goal on three Shots. Sophomore defenseman Michael Langdon (Cranbrook) Did not see game action. To be something that was bigger than us.. They will play 10-12 games with 3 tournaments in the spring, and 2-3 tournaments in the summer. Sophomore goalie Grant Lardieri (Forest Hills Northern) Started and played all 60 minutes between the pipes, allowing 10 goals and making seven saves (.412). 18 in the Maverik Media Poll. Michigan falls to Virginia in season opener, Bookend goals by Jackson and Cohen lead Michigan to first victory, Michigan misses opportunities, loses to Marquette on the road, Next in Fashion is entertaining, but problematic, Dont waste your time with 28 Days Haunted, TikTok sensation EPIC: The Musical blows audiences away, How Michigan collapsed in overtime at Illinois, In first game back from injury, Jett Howard struggles to assert himself, A Hollywood Story: overtime goal adds chapter to Steven Holtzs season, Cotie McMahon wreaks havoc against Michigan in Big Ten Tournament exit, Michigan survives overtime scare against Wisconsin to open Big Ten Tournament, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. He was also a big factor in Fairfields recruiting efforts, including the Stags 2013 freshman class, which was ranked as the No. Going week to week practicing and itching to get that first win, and then once we got the first one, itching to get more wins. Bloomfield Hills. To compensate for such a daunting talent gap that lay ahead, Paul put an enormous emphasis on practicing fundamentals to ensure that Michigan was always the more technically sound, disciplined team on the playing field. Senior midfielder John Lazarsfeld (Ann Arbor Greenhills) Picked up one ground ball. There is an additional list of pre-1970 teams below. They also now played in Michigan Stadium and used the baseball teams visitors locker room for big matchups. This team will be going tothe recruiting tournaments Luck of the Draw, Lax-n-Nati, and the Wolverine War at University of Michigan. 31 in adjusted efficiency. Vangalen had four assists to partially make up for those three turnovers, Donavon Dempsey had two goals and an assist (without turning the ball over at all), Patrick Walsh potted two goals, and Kyle Beauregard had a goal and an assist. Our weeklylook at Michigan natives who are playing college lacrosse at division-1 institutions this Spring. The Saints cant stop a decent offense, and even good play out of their unit wont help that. Senior midfielder Sergio Perkovic (Brother Rice) Scored three Goals on ten Shots (four on goal), added an Assist, and picked up two ground balls. These teams will compete in the Michigan Lacrosse League and compete for a League Championship. Ended: Mar 03, 2023 , 4:29AM. Growing up in Sarnia, Ontario, just under a two hour trip on I-94 from Ann Arbor, the crafty offensive weapon played high school lacrosse at the Hill Academy, a forceful independent school that has sent Canadians to the best lacrosse college programs in the United States since its inception in 2006. 13-8 Terrapins. From Our Sponsors. Culturally, thats really hard., Added Yealy: Nobody was thrilled about losing and I think that did weigh on peoples minds. Hes also literally theonly player on the team who has scored even a single goal and has more assists than goals of his own. Syracuse 12, Duke 11 (OT). Grand Rapids. Sophomore LSM Christian Pung has six ground balls on the year and no shots yet. Goalie Michael Zingaro is the recipient of a ton of work, and hes saving shots at just a .493 clip (when anything below .500 is quite bad indeed). I do think Michigan will be more competitive than against Notre Dame, but not enough to seriously challenge for a victory. Anchor Bay Athens Belleville Bishop Foley Bloomfield Hills Brighton Brother . From a roster perspective, since the 2012 season would commence without bringing in a single Division I recruit, Team One was composed solely of players carried over from the club days. @AFLacrosse. As Team 10 prepares for the upcoming season this February, The Daily details the history of Michigan lacrosse in a three-part series, charting its inception as a student-run club team in the 1960s to its transformation into a Division I program with one of the top recruiting classes in the country today. In 2020 there were over 70. Players are mostly 7thGraders, with a few developing 8th Graders. In 2017, Conrys defensive unit earned a long list of accolades, including the Schmeisser Award, which was presented to Tim Muller for being the nations top defenseman. best lacrosse teams in michigan. But rather than give Michigan a false confidence of what it was like to play at the varsity level, Paul figured that, in the long run, it was best to throw the team into the deep end. @UDMLax. Please check back soon. BOULDER, Colo. -- The No. Junior midfielder Liam Reaume (Brother Rice) Recorded an Assist and took two Shots (one on goal). Sophomore attackman Parker Giarratana has more than a quarter of the teams total goal output with 18, and has contributed six assists, as well. Junior midfielder Adam Findlay (Detroit Catholic Central) Did not see game action. Michigans top players were relatively close (though still a step behind) the Irishs top guys. The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. 5 Denver (hardly something to be ashamed of), and a pair of surprisingly-good teams in Marist and Boston University whose resumes are primarily based upon their wins over Air Force. The Terps offense is loaded with former top recruits, with none more important than Matt Rambo. Our rankings algorithm requires a minimum number of games played before we can accurately rank teams. Boxscore. Siena was a Big Boy among mid-majors. Paul had a trailer in a nearby parking lot that served as his office.. Freshman Paxton Boyer has played just about every meaningful minute this year, but his numbers are bordering on terrible. Sophomore midfielder Emmett Green (Birmingham Seaholm) Caused two turnovers and picked up one ground ball. Theres jut not enough evidence at this point in the season to know how good the Falcons are. Will the best team theyve faced since Notre Dame (who gave the Maize and Blue their lone loss) put them in their place, or are the Wolverines for real? This unit causes almost no turnovers, which would be fine except for the fact that they give up a ton of goals. The odds would be significantly stacked against the Wolverines in their first couple seasons. Get updated NCAA Men's Lacrosse DI rankings from every source, including coaches and national polls. If UDM can win, itll be little more than taking care of business. That, of course, requires pointing the ball toward the net, which has been a consistent problem for UDM. Junior midfielder Liam Reaume (Brother Rice) Took three Shots (two on goal) and picked up one ground ball. From theofficial box score,a look at the tempo-free stats: Michigan had a slight disadvantage on faceoffs, and could have made up for it with the number of clearing attempts they had (as is the natural state of things), but really dropped the ball getting end-to-end. Having never played or coached beyond the club level, Paul didnt have quite the pedigree or connections that his future opposing coaches did. When the offense is so sloppy with the ball, the defense is not only on its heels and on the field, getting tired the whole time, but there are situations in which its simply impossible for them to get a stop based on anything other than outstanding goalie play or sheer luck. The 14U Orange team is one of our original teams, with several players being part of Mavericks for 4+ years. March 11, 2017, Noon MST As a result, the Spiders notched a 6-11 record in their first year as opposed to the Wolverines 1-13 in 2012. Many have gone on to play at the highest levels of lacrosse In 2014, of the 25 All Air Force is just over .500 on faceoffs, with sophomore Trent Harper (.588) and junior Josh Radjenovich (.433) getting about equal time despite a pretty wide gap in their performances. (But) you (saw) where the team (was) going. Allowed six goals and made nine saves (.600), and collected three ground balls. The Maryland man-up is pretty good, nearly .700, while their man-down defense is insane, allowing less than .250 to opponents. Sophomore defenseman Michael Langdon (Cranbrook) Started, but did not accrue any statistics. Price: US $23.50. @TerpsMLax. These teams will compete in the Michigan Lacrosse League and compete for a League Championship. Detroit is a pretty good man-up team, so if they get chances, they will be able to get some goals. Jun 5th, 2022 . One player made the Under Armour All-American team, and we had four 1st Team All-State players on the roster, as well as five 2nd Team All-State, and a few honorable mentions. Conor Kelly (12G, 7A) and Jared Bernhardt (10G, 5A) finish more than the feed, sure, but this is a group that can definitely do either. Lax Bash Tournaments are dedicated to providing the best tournament experience for their teams, coaches, and fans. At the end of the day, though, Paul was finally content knowing that he had poured everything he had into the program and the players he loved from the instant he came aboard back in 1998. Also committed one penalty for 1:00. The eight wins marked a program high in its sixth season as a varsity team. Maryland is one of the nations perennial powers, and this years results one-goal losses to Notre Dame and Villanova with solid-to-very-good wins on the other side dont do anything to diminish that reputation. Maya Santa-Maria made a career-best 13 saves. It means the D didnt help him much. Michigan recently finished the 2017 season with an 8-6 overall record, 0-5 in Big Ten Conference play. Hate to be overly critical of a Next Level player (and for two years running, the GLS player of the year), especially since its not Sergio Perkovics fault that he has all sorts of national hype and one of the worst ESPNU-granted nicknames of all time, but he was pretty bad in this one: 12 shots, only seven on goal, and onlyone of them finding the back of the net. Freshman long-stick midfielder James Scane (Brother Rice) Did not see game action. April 1, 2017, 1 p.m. EDT Detroitpreview. Jordan Barlow, the nominal third attack starter, rounds out double-digit scorers with eight goals and four assists. Robert Morris recap. Also committed one turnover. The official 2023 Men's Lacrosse schedule for the Michigan Wolverines. Also committed one turnover. Also committed two turnovers. After leading the Wolverines in points in 2012, notching 26 goals, Yealy left a gaping hole in Michigans offense when he graduated at the seasons end. Grand Rapids. Senior attackman Kyle Beauregard (Notre Dame Prep) Started and scored two Goals on five Shots (three on goal). Michigan played the 39th most difficult schedule in the NCAA in 2012. Follow your favorite high school teams and players, Explore and purchase photos of your local teams, See top plays & highlights of the best high school sports. Paul guided Michigan lacrosse from club level to varsity in 2012, posting a six-year varsity record of 23-61 (.274), including a 2-24 (.077) mark in conference play. Please check your entries and try again. If the Wolverines were going to become a legitimate force in the sport, he believed that they were going to have to push another and compete with one another. They just took more ownership of what the team could be, Paul said. Junior midfielder Matthew Giampetroni (Cranbrook) Recorded an Assist. Then the wheels fell off. Video. As "Team 10" prepares for the upcoming season this February, The Daily details the history of Michigan . There is no body checks allowed at this level. He also wanted to show his fellow Canadians that the future of lacrosse lay not in its East Coast strongholds, but in programs like Michigan that had benefited from the games westward expansion. Although the team now had greater access to the Universitys and athletic departments vast resources, including a strength and conditioning coach, more reasonable practice field times and academic support, it didnt have its own stadium yet. The youngest of three Colbert siblings (including Caitlin, a freshman at Monmouth University, and Stony Brook-bound senior attacker Casey), Kylee is arguably the best. In 2017, although Jackson had since graduated, the Wolverines began to reap the benefits of the team culture he helped cultivate during his time at Michigan. Theres rotation at this spot that is pretty interesting (with some filtering through the close D, as well). Alexander Glackin - Otterbein College (NCAA III) Vincent Tremonti - Kalamazoo College (NCAA DIII) Anthony Tarro - Adrian College (NCAA DIII) David Brace - Hope College (NCAA DIII) Matthew Quillen - Siena Heights (NAIA) Teddy Mazaris - Madonna University (NAIA) Jack Erickson - Albion College (NCAA DIII) You had people that were on teams that were extremely successful at the club level and now you got all these young kids coming in as freshmen, trying to take their spots and really ultimately doing so., In a way, though, Jackson saw all of this as a necessary step in Michigans growth as a Division I lacrosse program. Spring Lake Youth Lacrosse. One hundred and thirty-two years of editorial freedom. Neufeldt has been elite in collecting ground balls, and senior Isaiah Davis-Allen is the only non-faceoff specialist to outstrip him in ground balls. Archer Lacrosse Club. Ghaderi with 13 and Arcarese with nine are the only Saints with a notable number of caused turnovers. Lacrosse Coaching. On Feb. 12, 2012, Michigan played its first game as a Division I program against Detroit Mercy. Sophomore defenseman Sam Horton (Okemos) Caused one turnover. U.S. Club Lacrosse is the go-to site for the lacrosse community to obtain information on tournaments, rankings, tryouts, clinics, and further details on Club teams. Junior midfielder Sean Birney (Detroit Catholic Central) Started and scored a Goal on four Shots (two on goal). Paul earned his first four years or so by earning varsity status for the program through private donations, then the last two years were when he should have started to be judged by results, and while they werent great results, for the first and second years of a program that was finally not saddled with newcomer status or club players, they should have been enough for a year three (after next year, a winless Big Ten season would be more than fair grounds for firing).