Why I would’ve Drafted Shellenberger First Overall
I don’t want to come off as Mel Kiper Jr over here. No doubt some of those people have made great contributions to sports media. They are very hard working, and are good at what they do to say the very least, but I cannot stand the talking heads on TV and social media. One of the great things about sports is as a fan you are allowed to make up your own opinions on what you watch. You saw the game, you know what happened. Sure you might understand all the complexities of a professional game as a casual sports fan, but you’re not always meant to, and that’s the fun of it. It’s no different than art, or literature, or a movie. It takes the fun out the fan experience if you feel the need to have people constantly explaining it to you. You can make up your own mind on the subject. That’s why personally I never really got into talk radio, sports podcasts, or any of that. I know that’s not always why people listen to the “experts” but some of the arrogance these guys possess is wild to me. Guys like Skip Bayless. I can’t stand that guy. He talks with such confidence, which is a huge strength of his, but I don’t like when people act like they are the final authority on all matters. Fans are allowed to make up their own minds about players, teams, coaches, etc. Take what these guys say with a healthy dose of salt, as they say. Having said that, this is why I would’ve taken Shelly over Big Bren first overall
Again, this is one man’s opinion (a very under researched opinion). But what little I have seen in the NCAA tournament this year has confirmed why I believe Connor Shellenberger is a slightly better professional prospect than his counterpart, Duke’s Brennan O’Neil. And I was going to state the obvious that Shelly is still playing and O’Neil’s season ended this weekend, but I don’t even really want to go for that low hanging fruit. On the one hand you have those “championship” arguments like Jordan vs LeBron and the difference in titles, etc, etc. No doubt going farther in the tourney beefs up your credibility as a “big time” or “clutch” player, and adding a national championship to Shelly’s resume could be used to sway popular opinion. As much as it helps, at the same time it is hard to support that claim because of the nature of lacrosse. It’s different than hockey or basketball. As much as those are still great team sports, there are only 5 men on the field, or ice. If you have the best player in the world on your team, they can have a much greater impact. Lacrosse, I see more as football in this respect. No doubt that these two are the two best players in the country, but with 9 other men on the field at a given time, plus another 8-12 playing key second line or specialist roles as well, you have to have the cast of characters around you. At the end of the day, every team left in the field has the talent, experience, and depth to make a run. Sometimes winning isn’t as simple as having the quote unquote “best” player. As you could see this weekend, sometimes winning just happens to land on you this time of year. UVA and JHU showed today that 2 teams were both equally deserving of winning the game, but only one was able to be fortunate enough to claim victory. We’ll get to that later.
As far as what I can see, I think Shelly’s game translates slightly better when making that jump to the PLL. This is where I might get some proverbial shit from the peanut gallery. That’s fine. I’m not a PLL coach so the point is moot anyway. But if I had the number 1 pick, I would take Connor Shellneberger and here is why: And this is no disrespect to Brennan O’Neil. He is a unique and unconventional talent, the likes of which we might not see for a very long time. Some of the skills he possesses, and plays he can make are just jaw dropping. He makes me wonder how someone can so big and so fast can still be the most skilled player on the planet. I like to compare him to the greatest point guard in NBA history Magic Johnson. When magic came into the league, he had this unbelievable 6’9 frame. He looked like he should be playing the 3 or 4 spot with his frame and body composition, but had the incredible athleticism, and incomparable ball handling ability. It’s just rare to see players that are that physically intimidating with that level of finesse and skill (supposedly, I was too young to remember seeing him play in person). When I see Brennan O’Neil, I see what might be the greatest pure goal scorer in college lacrosse today. He is so big and fast. He has an incredible ability to beat double teams, get to spots on the field effortlessly, and find a way to free his hands and release the ball in places that are seemingly so tight and congested it is hard to make sense of. With that said, I believe Shellenberger is the more complete player.
Shelly is more fundamental, which I believe gives him a slight advantage. O’Neil can do things with the stick that can make little kids, and regular shmoes like myself lose their minds upon witnessing. But those flashy type plays aren’t what make a player great. You can’t rely on them all the time. They are a very infrequent part of one’s repertoire that should only be deployed when necessary. You see in HS, he can pull off a lot of the these ‘highlight’ reel type plays and tricks on the field because the competition he faces allows for it. As he gets to college, he can pull them off from time to time, but not nearly as often. I believe against professional defenders, he might not be able to dip in his bag of tricks as often as he is able to do even now in NCAA DI. It’s like in Remember the Titans, where the Head Coach, Denzel Washington’s character chastises his new QB prospect, the affable “Sunshine.” He tells him, “you can throw the ball a mile, but can’t pitch it 3 yards.” The point being, it’s cool that he can do those things, but if there’s no use of them on the field, they more or less useless. You see some of the most skilled basketball players of all time in the Harlem globetrotters. So why don’t any of them play in the NBA? Because those skills don’t translate vs the greatest athletes and competitors in the world.
And these are just wordy analogies. Of course the majority of what O’Neil does will undoubtedly translate to the pros. He’s big, he’s fast, and he’s a lights out shooter. He will fit in immediately. I’d like to point out that I think his style of play does limit him a bit. No doubt over time he will improve and continue to discover new depths to his development. People remember the great Tom Schreiber at Princeton. No doubt he was a stud in college, but I don’t think people thought then that he would eventually become the best lacrosse player in the world. At least I didn’t. O’Neil has that type of potential, but he will need to learn how to become more than a goal scorer. Not to say he can’t feed, but not as well as Shelly. They don’t use him as the quarterback, and I don’t believe they will in the PLL. He is a downhill dodging machine. He will alley and re-alley all day long. He will sweep and he will pull up before the slide gets to him in time. Also, being a lefty, actually hurts him I think, because he will be used to balance offense above GLE finding more of home on the wing. None of these are bad things btw. This might seem confusing to the reader thinking, ‘this guys is just saying good things about Brennan O’Neil.’ Obviously he’s good, he was picked #1 overall. I think his style of play is more congruent with many other guys in the league already. And even though I believe he could end up as the best one to do it in the PLL, the league is riddled with 6’3, downhill, freak athletes already. It caters to those guys, you might say. I’ll never say he’s a dime a dozen, because that would be the farthest thing from the truth, but he will have to ascend to the top before we are all convinced he is the greatest professional player in the world. Romar Dennis, Miles Jones, and Sergio Perkovic are players that carried similar potential to O’Neil (both in college and pros) due to their freakish size and athleticism. All are good players, but most certainly nowhere close in the discussion of who is, or could be the Goat, which is what we are talking about (or should be) with a number 1 overall pick.
I like Shelly because personally, I’d rather have a general on the field quarterbacking my offense. For me that is an attackman that can be on the field at all times, and has the ball in his stick the most. I think that player is the premier player in the game, not a downhill guy coming out of the box. And yes, I know O’Neil plays attack for Duke. I see him as mostly a middie in the pros, just like he was for team USA, but we’ll see how that goes. I think Shellenberger’s IQ is better. He seems to be more in command of what the entire offense is doing as opposed to players playing off of O’Neil’s dodge heavy style of play. I think Shelly is more polished in his decision making. He has an amazing sense of when to push tempo, and when to back off. He can elongate plays with his poise. He is the best passer in the country. He can see through the defense a step or 2 ahead of the rotation. This is where I believe shelly is more dangerous. And the best part about Shelly is he is a keystone offensive weapon that is comfortable anywhere on the field. I love that he can play on the wings, at X, and up top above GLE. He is very patient, and doesn’t rush or force too many plays. He is a lethal outside shooter with his hands free. He is a step down sniper, and I think that gets overshadowed by everything else he does. For all these reasons I think Shelly is the better option. If I was playing 6’s and just needed a dude to get the ball and score, I would take O’Neil. But in championship formats, low time situations, under 2 minutes, or overtime, I think Shellenberger with the ball in his stick is harder to defend, as a team we’ll say. O’Neil is hard to defend, but dare I say easier to scout or plan for. I just think Shelly is too dynamic in his unique ability to attack from anywhere. He has every dodge in the book at his disposal. I think O’Neil is more of a 1 move and go kind of guy, and Shelly can dance, rodeo step, bounce out, and re-dodge with more confidence. And when the game is on the line, like it was today, there is no way he is not going to get the ball in his stick and make something happen for his team. In crunch time, he is my guy.
So in conclusion, you have two once in a generation type players to pick from. At the end of the day there are like 8 PLL teams, so first pick or second pick, you really can’t go wrong with either one. Who knows, Pat Kavanagh might end up being better than both of them. I’d like to end this piece with a little post script. I so do appreciate anyone that takes 5-10 minutes out of their day to read my ramblings. It means a great deal and is very humbling to know that every once in a while, something I write makes sense or resonates to someone. I have a unique opportunity coming up soon. As a native born citizen of the country of Chile, I am in the fortunate position to be coaching Team Chile’s Men’s National Team in their first ever International competition this weekend at the Heritage Cup in Philly. I am humbled and honored to be leading fellow countrymen into battle for the first time. It will be an experience that I am beyond excited about. I am looking forward to being back east, and who knows, might even make it to championship weekend. If anyone spots me, I’ll be the guy in coaching Team Chile in the UD Spartans clothes. Feel free to say hello and stop by Haverford college to watch the international teams play throughout the weekend. Having said that, I will not be able to submit a blog for the upcoming week. I look forward to hopefully writing about my experience for my next blog and picking up the following week. Thanks again for all the great support from lacrosse fans near and far.
KASEY BURST
The HC at the University of Dubuque, Kasey brings all things college lacrosse to your inbox.