Why is it only Iowa's wrestling room where guys are mad and leave the program unhappy? How come none of the best guys ever leave PSU unhappy? Why don't PSU guys ever burn out or get injured?
Carter Starocci, Cael's Hodge-block, and Hotel California
- Thread starter GracefromAbove
- Start date
Because Cael is an elite world class coach and not stuck in the 80's and 90's mindset. He adopts with modern times and relates to any and every personality.
TnT on the other hand only recruit kids that fit the "iowa" way and runs them into the ground that normally results in injury or regression of skill.
TnT on the other hand only recruit kids that fit the "iowa" way and runs them into the ground that normally results in injury or regression of skill.
He will be wresting at Nationals in two weeks for Penn State. Just wants a little attention
If Carter wanted to wrestle, PSU doesn't need him to win Nationals, and Cael said no to Carter competing, then Cael cost Carter the chance to win the Hodge this year even if Carter does wrestle and dominate his way to a 4th NCAA in KC.
He’s mad because Cael won’t let home wrestle on an injured knee. I guess Cael isn’t Iowa tough.
My guess is this leads the way to Carter's return in 2025.
Star likely doesn't win the Hodge even if he's undefeated.
There's 3 or 4 guys on his own team that might have better chances.
Haines, Messenbrink, and Brooks all have more wins and higher bonus % plus Bartlett will get strong consideration too simply for the amount of wins he'll have if he pulls it off. Oh and he's undefeated too.
Oh goodie. Another thread on this. What would we ever do without it?
Cael did the right thing. Star is a drama queen. There’s no chance he’s not wrestling in KC.
Cael did the right thing. Star is a drama queen. There’s no chance he’s not wrestling in KC.
People reading too much into this. He just got to chapter 13 in Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire.
If Carter was able to wrestle and wanted to wrestle, but Cael decided on the forfeits, then Cael voluntarily ended Carter's 64-match win streak. As everyone knows, Carter's last loss was to Kemerer at Big 10s three full years ago. Competitors who care enough to rack up two full undefeated seasons and are working on a third consecutive undefeated season are not the type who are fine taking losses to Andrew Sparks for no reason.
From Carter's perspective, if he wanted to wrestle the Big 10 Tournament this weekend as Cael said publicly, 80% Carter would have surely beaten Andrew Sparks and Edmund Ruth. From Carter's perspective, the story does not get better with 20/20 hindsight that Shane Griffith couldn't wrestle the championship.
From Carter's perspective, if he wanted to wrestle the Big 10 Tournament this weekend as Cael said publicly, 80% Carter would have surely beaten Andrew Sparks and Edmund Ruth. From Carter's perspective, the story does not get better with 20/20 hindsight that Shane Griffith couldn't wrestle the championship.
Or Carter could have retweaked something that would benefit from rest. The team didn’t obviously need his points.
I'm not questioning that Cael thought Cael was making a smart decision for Carter. In terms of giving Carter the best shot at 4 national titles with the least risk, Cael was right. In terms of Cael giving Penn State a shot at two 4xers, which is in Cael's interest, Cael also made the best decision in having Carter take these two Ls.
However, if Carter's goal was to not only win 4 titles, but to go undefeated 3-straight years, and cap his career with a 2024 Hodge, then Cael did not make the best decision for Carter.
Based on Carter's social media, Carter seems to be leaning toward the view I am suggesting Carter holds currently.
I do not think Bartlett will contend for the Hodge.
Bartlett reminds me of Pat Lugo. This year he wins nearly every match by one takedown and because of that can lose to almost anyone on a given night. Talented of course, but he has a lot of guts to pull out wins that could go either way. I hope Woods beats him if they meet at NCAA, but he's the one PSU guy I might root for against someone else in a final. Haven't done that since Cassar against Steveson.
You imagine the backlash if an Iowa wrestler left town and wasn’t in a team photo?
To each his own but Bartlett is the last of the current Nits I’d find myself cheering for…
I might cheer for him if he were wrestling Echemendia?
😏
Or maybe even took some trophy they won, which wasn't first place, and threw it in a trash can?
With age comes wisdom…..
But I’m also a beleiever in letting kids nake their own nistskes, and I am nonfan of heicpter parenting….
Carl is right, but beinf eight is bit the piont tn be nde here…..
When tou got a stroenf head on your handss, give the strong head the oportjnity ti rove himself righr or wronf.
Im no starfish fan, but carl nees ton step aside here and let the dide rove hisself.
But I’m also a beleiever in letting kids nake their own nistskes, and I am nonfan of heicpter parenting….
Carl is right, but beinf eight is bit the piont tn be nde here…..
When tou got a stroenf head on your handss, give the strong head the oportjnity ti rove himself righr or wronf.
Im no starfish fan, but carl nees ton step aside here and let the dide rove hisself.
Do you have any clue on how to ****ing spell?
This post hurt my brain.
i'm starting a GoFundMe for your new keyboard.
Or when a rumor goes around that you left nationals after MFFing out, despite being at the tournament the entire day?
I’d guess he had one too many Scrotches tonight.
I think Carter likes the drama to some degree . Everyone’s all crazy everywhere about this and I’m all 🤷♂️🤔
Eventually we find out.
Eventually we find out.
Add PSU-homer and Cael-lover Justin Basch to the group that thinks Carter is now out of the Hodge race due to Cael's call to prevent Carter from wrestling. Basch doesn't openly say that Cael's decision cost Carter the opportunity to wrestle for the Hodge, because that would be too critical of Cael, but his analysis regarding Hodge favorites after conference championship weekend sure puts Basch in the Cael Hodge-blocked Carter corner .
"I think he's going to lose [the Hodge] on a technicality. Even if he comes back and runs the table at NCAAs, I'm not sure what will hurt him worse in voting. The two "losses" on his record now, or what I think is more important, the lack of a conference championship on his resume." Basch, March 11, 2024, If I had a Hodge Vote
"I think he's going to lose [the Hodge] on a technicality. Even if he comes back and runs the table at NCAAs, I'm not sure what will hurt him worse in voting. The two "losses" on his record now, or what I think is more important, the lack of a conference championship on his resume." Basch, March 11, 2024, If I had a Hodge Vote
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Who cares about the Hodge when you can be part of a more elite club, the 4x club?
Especially when he was a longshot to win the Hodge anyway.
Carter, like Brooks, probably planned to win both a 4th national title AND the Hodge this year. Elite athletes typically don't set a goal for themselves, put themselves in a position to pursue the goal, and then take it lightly when their coach eliminates one of the goals.
I agree that 4x is a more impressive and rare feat. However, if Carter had a busload of family and friends at Big 10s, he clearly planned to wrestle and win, which means he thought all of his goals remained attainable this year going into Big 10s.
So? No one knows any internal conversations and the coach makes the call. Maybe the most successful coach ever, at least up there. None of this matters. Fans visiting, or what Carter wants. Cael wants him to wrestle safely and win his fourth. He hurts his knee, medical forfeits, he gets no Hodge. Like now and it's silly to say it won't happen because it already happened in the most unlikely way. He had the tech fall but was pushing for a pin and hurt his knee.
He gets dramatic and likes attention. I can't blame him and don't care what he does. This is what's called no big deal.
If this is no big deal, then the Hodge trophy is no big deal. Most wrestlers, coaches, media, and fans think the Hodge is pretty important.
Given the strength of PSU's team this year, PSU's team NCAA championship will not be changed whether Carter wrestles at nationals or not, which Cael certainly knew before Big 10s. With that team background in mind, the decision should have been entirely focused on Carter, Carter's health, and Carter's priority for his own goals. I think there's a great case to be made that holding Carter out was the best decision for Carter. However, odd that Carter did not know that he would be forfeiting out until Carter and his family were already in Maryland.
None of that contradicts your point that Carter is dramatic and loves attention.
It can’t possibly hurt as bad as mine. Jeezuz, what happened last night? Did we get 2nd?
I agree to some extent. PSU doesn't need Carter's points. Why not let him make his own choice and if he gets injured worse at big tens, it will have no impact on PSUs results at NCAAs.
Why did Carter even enter big tens only to medical forfeit? Wouldn't he have qualified for NCAAs even if he didn't MFF out of big tens?
Starocci was not a longshot to win the Hodge at any point this year. He's been on everyone's short list all season long.
Flowrestling (JD Rader) had Carter as #1 in their January 10 Hodge rankings and moved him all the way down to #2 in the February 19 rankings.
Hodge Voting Criteria are Record, Bonus-Point%, Quality of Competition, and Sportsmanship. Without these two Cael-mandated losses, Carter was trying to go undefeated for a 3rd straight year so his record was not going to be an issue. His bonus % going into Big 10s was 91.6%. His Quality of Competition was shaping up to be competitive. And we all know that Sportsmanship is just a category to allow people to vote the eye test, career results, or for a split between two media favorites like Brooks-Starocci.
You have to participate in the conference/qualifying tournament in order to receive an at-large bid.
Rule is that he had to come out to the mat twice to take losses in order to be eligible for an NCAA at-large.
