Spencer Lee Observations

[Millardhawk]

1) Thought it was the wrong idea to pull the redshirt from Spencer Lee. We saw how hard B Snyder worked to get back in FB only to get rolled up and re-injured to be done for the year. The way some wrestlers truly maliciously attack an injury gave me my reservations. I was in the camp of put him on the shelf and get 100% right. Would like to know if he would say if he was at less than 100% and what %. If he was not 100% look out as he will be unimaginable scary good. BTW, if he was 100%, still really scary good!

2) The young man is respectful, self assured and confident the way he presents himself in post match interviews. Teams should make a video and show to all athletes, basketball, football & especially wrestling.

3) Within 25-30 seconds of the match with Suriano you knew Spencer was going to win. It appeared Suriano would have rather wrestled from the 3rd row. He didn't want anything to do with Spencer and based on the "The March of Lee in March" to the finals, you can't blame him. If Suriano wouldn't have been retreating all match, a Major would have been the minimum.

4) The young man is a student of the sport; he learned from the two defeats and become much better. While I don't think a loss is ever a good thing, but it is always a learning experience and what you do with the data is what will differentiate you from your opponent in all facets of life. He proved it with Tomasello.

1st Chapter at Iowa was phenomenal; can't wait to see 2 through 4!!

 

[ginormous.headed.circus.midget]

I too was not in favor of pulling the redshirt, not that it mattered, for the same reasons above...

As it turns out, other than the two losses, the only bad thing to come out of this season for Spencer Lee, is we now only have three seasons left to enjoy this kid.

 

[AFHawk86]

I’m in favor of doing anything legally and morally acceptable to build and develop a winning team NOW!

 

[choosenuetral]

When the boogie man goes to sleep at night, he has nightmares about Spencer Lee

Let the Chuck Norris replacement joke parade launch into the offseason.

 

[VicHawkeye]

Spencer Lee is an easy guy to root for. I like the way he whips the opposition and then credits his teammates, coaches, family and friends. Seemed like he was even doing a bit of a sales job for top recruits to join him in the Hawkeye family.

I look forward to following Lee all through his career and to Iowa winning national championships too.

 

[WhoaNellieCy]

Spencer Lee is an easy guy to root for. I like the way he whips the opposition and then credits his teammates, coaches, family and friends. Seemed like he was even doing a bit of a sales job for top recruits to join him in the Hawkeye family.

I look forward to following Lee all through his career and to Iowa winning national championships too.

Ya, agree, like the way he wrestles, represents his team/university, credits others and humility and gratitude, well done.

I thought it was interesting his mom was a former judo athlete, that must have helped his wrestling career as well.

 

[pumpdog20]

I’m in favor of doing anything legally and morally acceptable to build and develop a winning team NOW!

I'm good with stopping at legally, because people's perception of morally can be different and that is what's keeping us behind to begin with.

 

[caseyballzz]

Listening to him talk about throwing his mom was hilarious. His mom was in JUDO so she evidently put him down and put him in an arm bar. The kid is a pleasure to watch and listen to.

 

[McCulloughd]

I'm just waiting for someone to post something really stupid. You know it's going to happen.

 

[kingslayer_85]

I am a PSU fan but have to thank poster Dagboi since he was the first and most aggressive in pushing free the lee. I said before that I thought he was the best wrestler to come out of high school and continues to be just incredible to watch. He is a great face for the program and has to help in the recruiting, who wouldn’t want to be a teammate of his.

 

[goiahawkeyes]

I sure am glad he chose Iowa. I don’t need to tell you guys but he’s really freaking special. Not many guys are this good this early in their career (not Stieber, not Dake) and I can’t wait to watch him for the next 10 + years.

 

[MonteHawkeyeSS]

Spencer Lee will be the guy that puts Iowa wrestling back where it belongs.

 

[LumbeeIndian]

I'm just waiting for someone to post something really stupid. You know it's going to happen.

Big Lee fan but really gotta feel for Suriano. The timing of the Suriano video wasn’t exactly ideal for his psyche. Would’ve been interested to see the results of this match had FLO not put it out there right before Nationals.

 

[artradley]

I agree with OP except on #3. Suriano was wrestling his style; frustrate the opponent through aggressive, but defensive, wrestling then capitalize on one mistake.

I didn't feel it was won until 8 seconds to go in the first period.

 

[Kwoodhawk]

Big Lee fan but really gotta feel for Suriano. The timing of the Suriano video wasn’t exactly ideal for his psyche. Would’ve been interested to see the results of this match had FLO not put it out there right before Nationals.

Oh yeah......the video hurt Suriano.....sheeeessshhhh.....

yeah...his poor psyche........poor baby.........

so much for his Jersey Tough guy image.

Interested to see results of match if Flo had NOT put it out before Nationals???

Are you freaking kidding me? I really can't express how dumb of a post you just made.

Absolutely inane.

Even with all these silly, stupid, pissing match comments being posted on the board right now........Yours is the Winner.

 

[bbwretler]

Big Lee fan but really gotta feel for Suriano. The timing of the Suriano video wasn’t exactly ideal for his psyche. Would’ve been interested to see the results of this match had FLO not put it out there right before Nationals.

Mmmm, so it was the video that caused him to be dominated by Spencer? Perhaps he should not have agreed and wanted to do it. Curious that he seemed pretty much good with himself in that video. Maybe this was just your way of being stupid but sometimes it’s hard to tell with psu posters.

 

[LumbeeIndian]

Safe to say my post constitutes stupidity?


You’re welcome McCulloughd...

 

[LumbeeIndian]

Mmmm, so it was the video that caused him to be dominated by Spencer? Perhaps he should not have agreed and wanted to do it. Curious that he seemed pretty much good with himself in that video. Maybe this was just your way of being stupid but sometimes it’s hard to tell with psu posters.

Funny, I don’t recall you being one of those calling out fellow Hawkeyes fans for being stupid when they said the Spencer Lee video would affect his performance at Big10s.


Maybe I missed it tho...

 

[ginormous.headed.circus.midget]

Perhaps he knew, deep down he couldn't bear Spencer in a match by actually wrestling offensively so he does the video and uses a strategy he feels will allow him the best chance for a championship

Hang around, hope not to get called for stalling and make it an overtime or one scramble match. At least it's a coin toss and maybe his strength is an asset.
The video is a built in excuse for him...

 

[pablow]

Oh yeah......the video hurt Suriano.....sheeeessshhhh.....

yeah...his poor psyche........poor baby.........

so much for his Jersey Tough guy image.

Interested to see results of match if Flo had NOT put it out before Nationals???

Are you freaking kidding me? I really can't express how dumb of a post you just made.

Absolutely inane.

Even with all these silly, stupid, pissing match comments being posted on the board right now........Yours is the Winner.

Could you imagine how well Spencer could have wrestled if Aunt Flo hadn't referred to him as "The Field."

 

[nu2u]

Here's my amateur wrestling fan take: Lee is one of the best wrestlers, if not the very best, at scoring back points when the action goes to the mat. 18-0, 18-0. That was on the front of Suriano's mind and as a result, he wrestled tentative and defensive. Suriano lost decisively 5-1 but he wasn't embarrassed 18-0. He lost the match in the locker room.

 

[pablow]

Here's my amateur wrestling fan take: Lee is one of the best wrestlers, if not the very best, at scoring back points when the action goes to the mat. 18-0, 18-0. That was on the front of Suriano's mind and as a result, he wrestled tentative and defensive. Suriano lost decisively 5-1 but he wasn't embarrassed 18-0. He lost the match in the locker room.

A two takedown 5-1 win against Suriano is very dominate. Suriano is a bitch to takedown - in fact his defense is near world class. I'm still shocked Spencer got two.

 

[grapplefann]

Here's my amateur wrestling fan take: Lee is one of the best wrestlers, if not the very best, at scoring back points when the action goes to the mat. 18-0, 18-0. That was on the front of Suriano's mind and as a result, he wrestled tentative and defensive. Suriano lost decisively 5-1 but he wasn't embarrassed 18-0. He lost the match in the locker room.

Gotta agree.

 

[McCulloughd]

Oh yeah......the video hurt Suriano.....sheeeessshhhh.....

yeah...his poor psyche........poor baby.........

so much for his Jersey Tough guy image.

Interested to see results of match if Flo had NOT put it out before Nationals???

Are you freaking kidding me? I really can't express how dumb of a post you just made.

Absolutely inane.

Even with all these silly, stupid, pissing match comments being posted on the board right now........Yours is the Winner.

You beat me to it .

 

[Kwoodhawk]

You beat me to it .

Yep............tech falled you before the match even started............

 

[Drmac22]

After seeing the way Bo Nickel acted and the way he was pimping everything PSU it was in total contrast to how Spencer and even Snyder acted.. I look forward to Lees career.. I honestly believe barring injury he will be a 4timer.

 

[evashevsky58]

Spencer Lee will be the guy that puts Iowa wrestling back where it belongs.

I tend to think that is one of his reasons for coming here

 

[Dagboi]

Spencer Lee is an easy guy to root for. I like the way he whips the opposition and then credits his teammates, coaches, family and friends. Seemed like he was even doing a bit of a sales job for top recruits to join him in the Hawkeye family.

I look forward to following Lee all through his career and to Iowa winning national championships too.

And a hell of a lot more subtle and effective sales job than Nutjob Nickal. Despite the same “adrenaline rush.”

 

[Chickenman Testa]

He’s absurdly strong and, despite some arguments to the contrary, he looks perfectly-sized for the weight. He’s just proportioned a little differently - crazy big legs for a little guy.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I'm sure Spencer was tempted to turn him in the 3rd, but the last thing he wanted to do was get overly aggressive and end up giving up a reversal and back points. He played it smart and appropriately conservative, but he controlled him completely on the mat -- if he'd really gone for it, I suspect he could have turned him and gotten the major, if not more.

Have to say, even as dominant as he is on top, I didn't expect him to control both Tomasello and Suriano the way he did, turning Tomasello and controlling but not actually turning Suriano.

And all of this without a full off-season to train. Next year -- a complete off-season to train without having to rehab, with a free knee. Hodge time, baby!

And to top it all off, we couldn't ask for a better ambassador for the program. He's a game-changer, for sure.

 

[UndercoverHawk]

I'm sure Spencer was tempted to turn him in the 3rd, but the last thing he wanted to do was get overly aggressive and end up giving up a reversal and back points. He played it smart and appropriately conservative, but he controlled him completely on the mat -- if he'd really gone for it, I suspect he could have turned him and gotten the major, if not more.

Have to say, even as dominant as he is on top, I didn't expect him to control both Tomasello and Suriano the way he did, turning Tomasello and controlling but not actually turning Suriano.

And all of this without a full off-season to train. Next year -- a complete off-season to train without having to rehab, with a free knee. Hodge time, baby!

And to top it all off, we couldn't ask for a better ambassador for the program. He's a game-changer, for sure.

Think he may have talked to a certain wild man about a lead late in the third of the national championship

 

[Dagboi]

I am a PSU fan but have to thank poster Dagboi since he was the first and most aggressive in pushing free the lee. I said before that I thought he was the best wrestler to come out of high school and continues to be just incredible to watch. He is a great face for the program and has to help in the recruiting, who wouldn’t want to be a teammate of his.

Thanks, kingslayer! I just caught on early to how special Spencer could be cuz I had followed a lot of his HS and international matches. Even then, you could see how he just processes everything quicker than others, and has an incredible feel for leverage and pushing his positions to advantage in creative and unexpected ways. He’s able to tap into the “flow experience” of wrestling better than anyone I’ve ever seen wrestle. And does it all at an incredible rate of speed.

You also see how tightly he keeps his opponent pinned to his chest in scrambles and top position/close quarters, which nearly always has him ending up with the advantage when the dust settles—something we can likely credit to his family’s Olympic judo experience. Not only was his mom a judo Olympian, but his dad was also a coach for the US judo team. Just a great, supportive family who have instilled in him the proper mindset and attitude to achieve your maximum potential as an athlete. Something TnT-via-Gable also know a thing or two about.

Appreciate the compliment, but I also appreciate all the other supportive fans here who have voiced their support for Spencer and his talent now that more of the fan base has seen it for themselves this year in Black and Gold, and have wholeheartedly endorsed his coming out of redshirt.

He said himself right after taking the title how important it was that “the best teammates in the world” helped him believe in himself and believe that he could do it this year, and I like to think that this great group of guys and gals on HR also played a small part in helping him believe in and accept his potential to achieve great things. I’m sure it’s daunting for someone so young to come to terms with all this attention and the expectations to achieve every time out, but I hope we can make the weight on his shoulders a little easier to bear by expressing our confidence and pride in his character and ability. To me, that’s what being a fan is all about—holding up the mirror to your athletes’ ability and potential, so they can have the confidence that they need to excel.

SUPERMAN LEE, NCAA Champ (1/4)

 

[artradley]

Oh yeah......the video hurt Suriano.....sheeeessshhhh.....

yeah...his poor psyche........poor baby.........

so much for his Jersey Tough guy image.

Interested to see results of match if Flo had NOT put it out before Nationals???

Are you freaking kidding me? I really can't express how dumb of a post you just made.

Absolutely inane.

Even with all these silly, stupid, pissing match comments being posted on the board right now........Yours is the Winner.

He was making fun of our earlier thread about the Desanto film.

 

[sdvike]

Could you imagine how well Spencer could have wrestled if Aunt Flo hadn't referred to him as "The Field."

Referring to him as in the field only helped Spencer. He is a fierce competitor.

 

[#10Hawk]

Big Lee fan but really gotta feel for Suriano. The timing of the Suriano video wasn’t exactly ideal for his psyche. Would’ve been interested to see the results of this match had FLO not put it out there right before Nationals.

I am sure that's why he didn't beat Spencer in the finals ;-)

 

[jvclark]

He’s absurdly strong and, despite some arguments to the contrary, he looks perfectly-sized for the weight. He’s just proportioned a little differently - crazy big legs for a little guy.

And freakishly strong hips and core.
He fought off a pretty deep shot by Suriano last night. Don't recall Suriano even making another offensive move after that.

 

[Kwoodhawk]

He was making fun of our earlier thread about the Desanto film.

Oh no. NO NO NO NO NOOOOOO

That can't be true. (gulp)

He didn't put (sarc) in his post. So it's not true. Right? Ya gotta put (sarc) in or it doesn't count.

Anyways........I didn't post anything about the Desanto video....so I'm good.

 

[SmartAggressive]

Spencer Lee is a stud. That is all.

 

[rossel 33]

I agree with OP except on #3. Suriano was wrestling his style; frustrate the opponent through aggressive, but defensive, wrestling then capitalize on one mistake.

I didn't feel it was won until 8 seconds to go in the first period.

I wonder if Lee's loss to Bresser at Midlands helped Spencer against a guy like Suriano.

 

[rossel 33]

After seeing the way Bo Nickel acted and the way he was pimping everything PSU it was in total contrast to how Spencer and even Snyder acted.. I look forward to Lees career.. I honestly believe barring injury he will be a 4timer.

Bo did forget one thing though in his speech afterwards.... he never mentioned "fun".... might have to do time in a reeducation camp