Conclusions from the season | Syracusefan.com

Conclusions from the season

RoofBeam

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1). Based on the championship games for both the men and women I think it is fair to say that neither
team came anywhere close to rising to the occasion. This used to be the hallmark of SU lax, at least on the men's side, and it hasn't been that way for awhile. The losses would have been much easier to accept if the teams had played well and with sustained intensity in their final games.

2). If the performance of Jordan Evans this year was not the result of a lingering injury I think the team would be best served if he moved to the second middie line, perhaps giving that unit some scoring potential. I don't think next year's team gets to Memorial Day with Jordan playing the same role on attack as he did this year.

3). I am not sure any of the redshirt freshmen middies have the offensive game to force meaningful playing time in the future. Maybe they were just not ready to play but I expected more athleticism and better stick skills than I thought I saw from them.

4). Let's hope a couple of the young D-men turn out to be studs who don't take forever to learn the slide packages...and while at it let's hope that our SSDM's can do a markedly better job next season at not being beaten on the first move.

5). I have not been one to express active dissatisfaction with the coaching staff...until now. I think it might be time for a change. To my mind, John has grown a little too comfortable with the idea that parity is a fact of lacrosse life and the program seems to have lost those expectations of excellence that fed its success.
 
Am I wrong or did SU beat UNC twice this year? Did I watch a game where one team won their 1st title since '91 and the other hasn't won since '75?

This whole "Fire Desko" stuff is a bunch of garbage. Give me some people who are better replacements- Gait? Tambroni? Even all the Tillman love has resulted in 0 titles. Guess what folks- it's not easy to win National titles these days. Maybe the program hasn't lost the expectation, maybe it's some fans who are stuck in the past.
 
Am I wrong or did SU beat UNC twice this year? Did I watch a game where one team won their 1st title since '91 and the other hasn't won since '75?

This whole "Fire Desko" stuff is a bunch of garbage. Give me some people who are better replacements- Gait? Tambroni? Even all the Tillman love has resulted in 0 titles. Guess what folks- it's not easy to win National titles these days. Maybe the program hasn't lost the expectation, maybe it's some fans who are stuck in the past.

If UMD and UNC played 10 times they would likely split the series. Same with us. We get a few of those pipes in and different story. If Malloy plays a better game we are right there as well
 
Am I wrong or did SU beat UNC twice this year? Did I watch a game where one team won their 1st title since '91 and the other hasn't won since '75?

This whole "Fire Desko" stuff is a bunch of garbage. Give me some people who are better replacements- Gait? Tambroni? Even all the Tillman love has resulted in 0 titles. Guess what folks- it's not easy to win National titles these days. Maybe the program hasn't lost the expectation, maybe it's some fans who are stuck in the past.

Like most things the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Syracuse has slipped from where it once was as a program there is little doubt of that. The question is that due to parity or other issues. SU has been to one final four since 2009 despite having some great teams. Maryland has been to 6 straight final fours I believe, I don't think Maryland is that far ahead of SU. Firing Desko isn't the answer but I also don't think dismissing people who want change out of a hand is the answer either. 1 final four in 7+ years is very damming regardless of Parity. This is still an elite level program but the failures in the NCAA tourney are starting to add up and are another year or two of disappointing seasons from becoming a really big issue.
 
Like most things the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Syracuse has slipped from where it once was as a program there is little doubt of that. The question is that due to parity or other issues. SU has been to one final four since 2009 despite having some great teams. Maryland has been to 6 straight final fours I believe, I don't think Maryland is that far ahead of SU. Firing Desko isn't the answer but I also don't think dismissing people who want change out of a hand is the answer either. 1 final four in 7+ years is very damming regardless of Parity. This is still an elite level program but the failures in the NCAA tourney are starting to add up and are another year or two of disappointing seasons from becoming a really big issue.

I don't disagree that the program has slipped from where it was. I think it's fine to question some of the recruiting decisions (non-Thompson), or question player development/coaching strategies. Single-elimination tournaments lead to some weird things. Talent is usually enough to overcome some of that weirdness, so with talent spread out more than 20 years ago, how does SU adjust?

I just have an issue with the whole "replace Desko with Gait/whoever and everything will be fine" narrative. Someone would have to point to the rationale behind that being a slam-dunk decision.
 
I don't disagree that the program has slipped from where it was. I think it's fine to question some of the recruiting decisions (non-Thompson), or question player development/coaching strategies. Single-elimination tournaments lead to some weird things. Talent is usually enough to overcome some of that weirdness, so with talent spread out more than 20 years ago, how does SU adjust?

I just have an issue with the whole "replace Desko with Gait/whoever and everything will be fine" narrative. Someone would have to point to the rationale behind that being a slam-dunk decision.

Recruiting has been the biggest issue, the 2013 and 2014 classes have been bad, 2o13 could be classified as a disaster at this point and that's being kind. The 2015 class shows real promise and 2017 and 2018 look excellent. The key maybe this falls class (2016), we really need that to be a strong complimentary class to the 2015 Sophmores to help bridge the gap to 2017 and 2018.

Other issue is that Syracuse the last half decade or so (2013 being the outlier) has uncharacteristically struggled in the NCAA tournament. This is a bit puzzling and baffling when you consider how well Syracuse has played May in the past and how well it has continued to play in the conf tournaments. Something seems off with the last few team in the tourney. Is it nerves? Excess partying? Coaching? something else? The fact that SU came out flat against Albany and Maryland despite feeling "disrespected" by their seeding position is concerning to say the least.

Syracuse has also struggled to have that truly elite player at any of the key positions since their last title runs in 08 and 09. Goalie play has been below average and before Ben faceoffs were a disaster for the most part. Offensively the team has had some great seasons since 09 but didn't really have that go to big time scorer that they had in the Powell era with Ryan, Casey, and Mike or even with a guy like Leville. Staats was hurt to much, Rice was great but was more of a feeder, Donahue again a great player but was playing out of position this year for the good of the team. Galasso at full health the second half of last season was pretty close to that player but by the time he was finally right it was to late. Going into next year Molloy and Ben look to give SU its best 1=2 combo at Goalie and X that they have since Probably Danny Brennans frosh year. With both of them being Seniors we really need to take advantage. I fear at this time next year we are going to look back and realize we wasted three years of an elite faceoff guy in Ben Williams.
 
I wonder who UVA will hire? They hire a guy and win a title before we do that would really hurt Desko in my opinion.
 
Recruiting has been the biggest issue, the 2013 and 2014 classes have been bad, 2o13 could be classified as a disaster at this point and that's being kind. The 2015 class shows real promise and 2017 and 2018 look excellent. The key maybe this falls class (2016), we really need that to be a strong complimentary class to the 2015 Sophmores to help bridge the gap to 2017 and 2018.

Other issue is that Syracuse the last half decade or so (2013 being the outlier) has uncharacteristically struggled in the NCAA tournament. This is a bit puzzling and baffling when you consider how well Syracuse has played May in the past and how well it has continued to play in the conf tournaments. Something seems off with the last few team in the tourney. Is it nerves? Excess partying? Coaching? something else? The fact that SU came out flat against Albany and Maryland despite feeling "disrespected" by their seeding position is concerning to say the least.

Syracuse has also struggled to have that truly elite player at any of the key positions since their last title runs in 08 and 09. Goalie play has been below average and before Ben faceoffs were a disaster for the most part. Offensively the team has had some great seasons since 09 but didn't really have that go to big time scorer that they had in the Powell era with Ryan, Casey, and Mike or even with a guy like Leville. Staats was hurt to much, Rice was great but was more of a feeder, Donahue again a great player but was playing out of position this year for the good of the team. Galasso at full health the second half of last season was pretty close to that player but by the time he was finally right it was to late. Going into next year Molloy and Ben look to give SU its best 1=2 combo at Goalie and X that they have since Probably Danny Brennans frosh year. With both of them being Seniors we really need to take advantage. I fear at this time next year we are going to look back and realize we wasted three years of an elite faceoff guy in Ben Williams.
Who are the 2013 guys? Is that's Evan's class? Those kids really need to step-up but the most odd thing about that class is that it was supposed to be great. Maltz,Evans, Firman, Forkin.
 
Who are the 2013 guys? Is that's Evan's class? Those kids really need to step-up but the most odd thing about that class is that it was supposed to be great. Maltz,Evans, Firman, Forkin.

1 Jordan Evans, M, Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.), Syracuse
17 Scott Firman, LSM, Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.), Syracuse
18 Dylan Maltz, A, Stone Bridge (Va.), Syracuse
20 J.T. Forkin, M, Long Beach (N.Y.), Syracuse
33 Nick Weston, M, Salisbury School (Conn.), Syracuse
34 Nick Mariano, A, Yorktown (N.Y.), UMass
39 Parker Ferrigan, G, Baldwinsville (N.Y.), Syracuse
53 Gale Thorpe, A, Jordan-Elbridge (N.Y.), Onondaga CC
61 Hayes McGinley, M University School (Ohio), Syracuse

Spencer Schmidt
Matt Lane
Ryan Simmons
Josh Pulver
Joe Demarco

Randy Staats
Niko Manning
Michael Iacono
 
3 in a row.

5 since 2007.

It gets worse. Since their title in the previous millennium, Maryland has gone to 19 Final Fours, lost in 9 title games. That is a failure of epic proportions, perhaps not matched in any other sport. Buffalo Bills fans don't know the futility of the final game to the degree of Maryland lacrosse fans.
 
1 Jordan Evans, M, Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.), Syracuse
17 Scott Firman, LSM, Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.), Syracuse
18 Dylan Maltz, A, Stone Bridge (Va.), Syracuse
20 J.T. Forkin, M, Long Beach (N.Y.), Syracuse
33 Nick Weston, M, Salisbury School (Conn.), Syracuse
34 Nick Mariano, A, Yorktown (N.Y.), UMass
39 Parker Ferrigan, G, Baldwinsville (N.Y.), Syracuse
53 Gale Thorpe, A, Jordan-Elbridge (N.Y.), Onondaga CC
61 Hayes McGinley, M University School (Ohio), Syracuse

Spencer Schmidt
Matt Lane
Ryan Simmons
Josh Pulver
Joe Demarco

Randy Staats
Niko Manning
Michael Iacono
So 3 transfers, thats on JD and staff. Simmons sucks, Weston sucks, and Evans was massively overrated.
 
The expectation that Syracuse should be playing Memorial Weekend every year is bananas. The game has changed so much in the last 30 years. More kids playing. More schools participating. Parity has never been higher. Teams are just better than they used to be. First round games aren't a guaranteed win anymore. Just like making the NCAA Hoops Final Four, it does take a little bit of luck, as well as favorable matchups. The dominance that 'Cuse displayed in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s will not happen again in this sport. Lacrosse has changed.

Had the bracket been laid out differently, Cuse could have been in the Final Four and everyone would be singing a different song because "at least we made the Final Four".
 
So 3 transfers, thats on JD and staff. Simmons sucks, Weston sucks, and Evans was massively overrated.

C'mon. Can we not refer to Syracuse athletes as sucking? There's a board for that at syracuse.com . You can still make your point without insulting language.
 
So 3 transfers, thats on JD and staff. Simmons sucks, Weston sucks, and Evans was massively overrated.

Scrubs McGinley suspended for a year for assaulting someone on M Street and transferred to get a fresh start, and Forkin was an academic issue.

Ferrigan was in a log jam at goalie and got impatient.

Maltz was in a log jam at attack and got impatient.

How is that all on Desko?
 
The expectation that Syracuse should be playing Memorial Weekend every year is bananas. The game has changed so much in the last 30 years. More kids playing. More schools participating. Parity has never been higher. Teams are just better than they used to be. First round games aren't a guaranteed win anymore. Just like making the NCAA Hoops Final Four, it does take a little bit of luck, as well as favorable matchups. The dominance that 'Cuse displayed in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s will not happen again in this sport. Lacrosse has changed.

Had the bracket been laid out differently, Cuse could have been in the Final Four and everyone would be singing a different song because "at least we made the Final Four".

Big difference between looking for the final four every year and going to one in seven years. Not sure where this "SU needs to be playing memorial weekend every year" insinuation is coming from I haven't seen that from anyone here. I think some people are disappointed/less then thrilled because SU has been to one final four in 7 years and has underachieved with some loaded teams ie 2011, 2014, and 2015. At some point the excuses of parity and matchups isn't going to fly. Syracuse lacrosse is held to a different standard then about 95% of the other Div 1 lacrosse programs that's just how it is. If Alabama fball or Kentucky bball made the final four once in seven years the outcry would be 100 times worse then what's on here right now.
 
People have every right to be frustrated. The two biggest problems I can see right now are the lack of consistency and the lack of player development. Both of those issues point to coaching, the latter more than the former. We beat the current NC twice this year but lost to a bad Cornell team and needed a massive 2nd half turn around to beat Albany in the first round only to get hammered by UMD in the quarters. It's like we never know which team is going to show up game to game. On the player development front it seems like we have more than our share of recruiting busts of late and kids are not consistently improving over the course of their careers. Why did it take Salcido until this year for the light bulb to seemingly go on ? We've rehashed Evan's ups and downs here ad nauseum and the ongoing problems with the mids (both on O and D). I'm not calling for anyone's heads but folks have a right to be asking questions. Mediocrity is what happens when you accept average results. We should all expect more from this program.
 
So 3 transfers, thats on JD and staff. Simmons sucks, Weston sucks, and Evans was massively overrated.
Really?
That's not how we talk about student athletes on this board.
 
So 3 transfers, thats on JD and staff. Simmons sucks, Weston sucks, and Evans was massively overrated.

I like Weston and think he has a lot of talent. However, it looks like he was afraid to make a mistake so he was playing very passive.


Really need 2nd team middies to step it up next year. Hopefully, Romano and Trimboli will be ready.
 
I like Weston and think he has a lot of talent. However, it looks like he was afraid to make a mistake so he was playing very passive.


Really need 2nd team middies to step it up next year. Hopefully, Romano and Trimboli will be ready.

Trimboli or Romano could challenge for that 3rd spot on the 1st line. SU is going to have a myriad of options for the 6 main spots which is technically down to 4 with Salcido and Mariano being locks for the first two. You have Westin, Simmons and Lane as the upperclassmen with lane probably having the most success this past season, then you have the redshirt soph middies ie McKinney, Ford, Carlin, then you have the guys who redshirted last year - Romano (Under AA), Hutchings, O' Reilly and then you have the incoming guys including Trimboli and the OCC transfer. I didn't include Voight because I think he's going to be moved back to his natural position at attack. Lot and lots of potential options but SU needs to develop some of that young talent with Mariano and Salcido being Seniors.
 
Trimboli or Romano could challenge for that 3rd spot on the 1st line. SU is going to have a myriad of options for the 6 main spots which is technically down to 4 with Salcido and Mariano being locks for the first two. You have Westin, Simmons and Lane as the upperclassmen with lane probably having the most success this past season, then you have the redshirt soph middies ie McKinney, Ford, Carlin, then you have the guys who redshirted last year - Romano (Under AA), Hutchings, O' Reilly and then you have the incoming guys including Trimboli and the OCC transfer. I didn't include Voight because I think he's going to be moved back to his natural position at attack. Lot and lots of potential options but SU needs to develop some of that young talent with Mariano and Salcido being Seniors.

Agree that on paper, we look to have a lot of options but Desko has shown a reluctance to give the young uns any sort of sustained run which I believe is a mistake. There very much needs to a "next man up" approach here IMHO. If your starters don't perform, you keep trying until you find the pieces that click. That could mean that upperclassman sit but so it goes. The OP's comment about Westin playing scared is spot on. We also desperately need attackers that can play in traffic in front of the net. Watching UNC and MD yesterday really brought home to me how much that facet of the game seems to be missing from this team.
 
Bottom line - for years Hopkins & us split all of the top talent and the titles.

Now it is spread around much more evenly. You take any of the Top Ten teams & let them play each other & it is pretty much a 50 - 50 or 60-40 proposition as to who beats who. It is simply a question of who gets hot at the right time.

I am tired of all this get rid of Desko garbage. Is it his fault our shooters hit pipe instead of net & our goalie had a bad game ? The margins between teams are so thin now that just a couple of pipes and/or cheap goals are game changers.

Does anybody here really believe that this year we had championship talent ? We played for a FF berth, that is probably the upside as to how good we were.

Right now we are amongst several programs who are pretty much Top Ten every year. If we had that in hoops we would no longer be SU - we would be Boeheim U. So, why do fans here think that is so ugly for the lax program ???

We can't bring back our history.

If truth be told, I think the last few seasons we have just not had the truly elite superstar. I think if we had one of those players we would have won a title or two. When we get that player that will be the time to raise expectations.
 
People have every right to be frustrated. The two biggest problems I can see right now are the lack of consistency and the lack of player development. Both of those issues point to coaching, the latter more than the former. We beat the current NC twice this year but lost to a bad Cornell team and needed a massive 2nd half turn around to beat Albany in the first round only to get hammered by UMD in the quarters. It's like we never know which team is going to show up game to game. On the player development front it seems like we have more than our share of recruiting busts of late and kids are not consistently improving over the course of their careers. Why did it take Salcido until this year for the light bulb to seemingly go on ? We've rehashed Evan's ups and downs here ad nauseum and the ongoing problems with the mids (both on O and D). I'm not calling for anyone's heads but folks have a right to be asking questions. Mediocrity is what happens when you accept average results. We should all expect more from this program.
This was our complaint about the recent Dom Starsia. Players never progressed from the talent level they had when they entered school. IMO we should have been sending human waves of midfielders at our opponents based on the talent level we had, but the same guys were coming on the field all the time. If anything you would think that you would want to play your 3rd midfield at least once per game, both for game experience and to tire out the lead defenders of your opponents. That wasn't happening, and probably hadn't since 2006. :(
 
This was our complaint about the recent Dom Starsia. Players never progressed from the talent level they had when they entered school. IMO we should have been sending human waves of midfielders at our opponents based on the talent level we had, but the same guys were coming on the field all the time. If anything you would think that you would want to play your 3rd midfield at least once per game, both for game experience and to tire out the lead defenders of your opponents. That wasn't happening, and probably hadn't since 2006. :(

If I was a Virginia lacrosse fan, I'd mention 2006 as often as I could.
 

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