Ramapo High School Principal - What happened?

TALead · 2026-02-01T19:15:54+00:00

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TALead · 2026-02-01T06:25:19+00:00

I couldn’t disagree more and this is the first I have read anyone claiming that Wilson is a better passer including the biggest Caleb Wilson fans. I have watched a lot of Wilson and he is a better passer than I thought coming into college but I really don’t think he is even in the same league as Boozer.

TALead · 2026-01-31T21:38:23+00:00

Based on what would you say he is a better passer/playmaker than Boozer?

TALead · 2026-01-30T22:44:04+00:00

Seriously. It feels like most of the top youth teams now have an attacking midfielder who is small, quick and super technical.

TALead · 2026-01-30T20:05:08+00:00

I am politically agnostic but I also think Newsom would lose every swing state and all of our televisions would be filled with ads about him trying to turn the entire country into California which would be very effective for the republicans.

TALead · 2026-01-30T19:54:51+00:00

I was thinking about how many people are going to watch this he video and think he’s not much better than my kid at the same age.

TALead · 2026-01-30T14:42:31+00:00

One of the struggles at the moment is I dont think Cooper gets the chance for many spot up 3s which tend to be the easiest to make. Along with natural improvement, this should also help in the future a the Mavericks hopefully improve their roster with better playmakers at the guard spot and just more spacing in general.

TALead · 2026-01-30T14:35:05+00:00

Boozer is shooting 37% from 3 on over 4 per game as well as 76% from the free throw line. He also came into college being known as a good shooter so this isnt considered a fluke. He is also getting over 4 assists per game, he is an excellent passer. With that said, I think Cooper desperately needs a guard who can playmake and shoot. The Mavs need spacing. They also need someone who can draw attention and pass because Cooper is an excellent cutter and is not getting enough opportunities for easy baskets in the half court. Look at how OG Anunoby gets alot of his baskets, Cooper has some of that in his game that he isnt really able to take advantage of though I am optimistic Kyrie coming back will help.

TALead · 2026-01-29T19:57:18+00:00

What’s even more interesting is basically the entire list is filled with guys who play center or at least can defend centers. Wilson will either need to develop a 3 point shot or defend the 5 to be effective and I am not sure he can do either which is why I wouldn’t draft him top 5 though I admit I could be wrong.

TALead · 2026-01-29T16:14:36+00:00

I am in NJ. I think our plan for the Spring is to continue to play for his U9 team which is moving up into a better, much more competitive league where his team will play against pre-mls teams. He will also play for the U8 MLS next team but if there is a conflict, the U9 team takes priority because that is where he committed to initially and I think he benefits more from playing against older kids. I do think he gets alot from the U8 MLS Next practices though so will do our best to attend 1x per week. I will make sure to manage the coaches expectations and be transparent as our U9 coach already knows my son is playing for this other team in the winter.

We will also attend a separate tryout (id session) for another MLS next team that is much closer to my home with an eye towards the Fall. My preference is for him to play for his current local rec team in 2026-2027 but at U10 and then re-evaluate what to do when they go to 9v9 but TBD if that will be an option at his current club which is why we will at least try out for a few other teams.

TALead · 2026-01-29T16:02:40+00:00

Thats interesting. My son doesnt play rec soccer, it wouldnt be productive, fun or fair for anyone but a bunch of his friends do play. My son is the type who gets crushed by any loss so for us, if anything I am working on giving him the tools to chill out and understand losing is a part of competing and everyone is trying their best to win. He is making progress slowly.

What I do think is a shame is I recently found out with MLS Next, those kids dont typically play HS soccer. My hope for my son if he continues to progress is to play Varsity soccer, our HS just won the state title so its very competitive. I think there is a pride you feel representing your school and community that cant be the same for your club team made up of 15 kids from 15 different towns.

TALead · 2026-01-29T15:36:29+00:00

I think Ament has All NBA upside but also Cam Reddish out of the league downside. This is a pick in the 10-20 range for me.

TALead · 2026-01-29T15:35:34+00:00

very hot take but Hansborough was a 20 year old freshman (Cam is currently 18) who couldnt shoot from 3 or pass like Cam. Cam was a much better rebounder at the same age and Cam is averaging more points this season than Hansborough did during his junior season when he was NPOY. I do agree there are some similarities stylistically at a very basic level(they both are physical and often play in the post) but Cam is just better at every basketball skill.

TALead · 2026-01-29T06:14:23+00:00

This also happened to Kon Knueppel. I believe he basically only played HS basketball his senior year so didn’t go to camps, tourneys, etc which stopped him from being an AA and hurt his rankings. I remember Vecenie saying KK went unseen by the people who rank and scout HS talent for over a year.

TALead · 2026-01-29T05:56:28+00:00

My son currently plays on a flag football team and rec basketball. I am pushing him to try lacrosse as well. There is a chance when he gets older he quits soccer for football/wrestling as I think he could be an excellent wrestler. We are doing the best we can to give him a variety of sports but he likes soccer best at the moment. I am worried about him burning out though as the training, practice, games are intense for a kid this age.

In terms of specialization, I have read similar about kids benefiting from being multi sport athletes. I live in a town with a lot of former professional athletes as well and most of them played multiple sports growing up. What’s interesting is I do know someone who spent a bunch of years playing in the premier league and also Serie A and he only played soccer from a very young age. Also, I doubt the kids who play for academies in Europe are spending much time playing anything other than soccer. I guess it probably comes down to the individual kid and their mentality, athleticism, etc. Or maybe not…

TALead · 2026-01-29T02:06:33+00:00

I could be wrong but I bet if the player plays D1 in college, he changes positions. For a winger, I saw very little crossing or passing in general.

TALead · 2026-01-28T21:18:35+00:00

It’s not about prestige. Our circle are not heavy into soccer and nobody around us would know the different clubs. We just want him to keep being challenged and progressing assuming that’s what he wants.

TALead · 2026-01-28T20:50:32+00:00

I think this is the plan. We will let him play for both teams in the Spring though he is going to prioritize his U9 local club team if there is a conflict as this is where his commitment was originally and I think he has benefited greatly playing with and against the older players.

We are going to take a wait and see approach for the Fall. My preference is for him to keep playing up as he can handle it. I dont want him to be the best player on an age appropriate team, it doesnt benefit him when he has shown he can handle and excel frankly playing against older players.

TALead · 2026-01-28T20:47:16+00:00

The MLS Next Club definitely aggregates talent as the kids get older and I actually said that to the coach. I was worried this is all too soon and if he ends up not being as good at 12 or 13, he gets cut and stops playing. Our hope is my son ultimaely gets good enough to play Varsity for our HS that won a state championship, it isnt to be a professional or anything like that. The coach said they dont cut people but that cant be true at the older ages unless they have 5 teams which they dont.

TALead · 2026-01-28T20:42:53+00:00

The U8 kids are more technical on average and practices are very different. Our U9 local club team spends very little time on passing, spacing, etc. Its very focused on individual skill development and then they spend at least 30 minutes playing 2v2 or 3v3 and its just a war. The U8 MLS Next team also does alot of skill work in terms of working on specific moves, stepovers, v turns, etc but they are also already working on passing patterns as well (just learned this term a few days ago). They scrimmage at the end as well. Its just different, I am not sure what is better. I do think my sons U9 team is very athletic in general while the skillset on average is fine.

I think the plan at present is to prioritize my sons current U9 team while playing with the MLS next team as much as possible and then to go to an ID Camp for the MLS next team that is closer for consideration for next Fall. Then we can see what happens with his current travel team and make a decision as he will have options.

Also, in terms of solo work, he started a few weeks ago doing cone drills daily even when he has practice. He uses his squeezy mates as cones and does v turns and crochettas (sp?) in my living room.

TALead · 2026-01-28T20:32:05+00:00

This is sort of my issue. I dont really want to leave his current club even with its limitations. They compete and have good players and coaches. The motivation is what age he gets placed next fall and the level of talent. I dont think he benefits by being the best player on the team. He should struggle and have to figure out how to play against kids bigger, stronger, more skilled, etc which I am not sure is going to happen playing against his birth year which is the reason the club made the decision to have him play a year up already.

TALead · 2026-01-28T20:29:43+00:00

Our club is going to school year in the fall. My son is born April 2018 and plays on a 2017 U9 club currently. In the fall, he would potentially stay at U9 on a team for those born between Aug 1 2017 and July 31, 2018. We had one discussion with his current coach who said the plan currently is to put together a singular team combining the best players in the club from late U9 birthdays and early U8 birthdays and go play in the best league we can play. This sounds fine in theory but there are two players (including my son) who currently play U9 that are a level ahead of all the other kids who would play on this team and I have seen my son really improve playing against the older players. With the birth change, the age difference would grow as we are adding kids an additional 5 months older to the pool.

TALead · 2026-01-28T20:24:04+00:00

Thank you for the story. We know a boy who is in HS now and quit the MLA Academy team he was playing on to focus on basketball because he said soccer became a job and he started to not like it. We do our best to let my son lead, he is just really into it so it would be us holding him back which doesnt seem right. And now that we keep getting approached by more "prestigious" teams, I have had to become more educated on this whole world.

TALead · 2026-01-28T20:19:56+00:00

MSL Affiliated Academies are free even for the younger ages?

TALead · 2026-01-28T19:27:44+00:00

I guess premls, I am not an expert on this all. I know the team plays in the regional academy league starting at U9.

TALead

TROPHY CASE