2023 Fall Ball

[DMVCuseLax]

The question is: what was Kol doing on O'Neill. I believe Petro's defense often ended up winging it, because slide patterns never reached the point where all 6 knew what to do in most of the situations they faced. Watched Hopkins go through the same fire drill procedures for years. Too complicated or miscommunicated, I do not know. We saw too many examples of d players sliding alone when it was not called for and vice versa last year. I am sure that the best teams do not include a weak defender, that is someone who struggles athletically against even mediocre offensive players. Depth means that tired defenders are replaced by above average ds who do not lose their men at the first sign of adversity.

I am not going to name anyone from the current group as deficient until I see them play in the new system. Right now, I cannot name six defenders, ssdm, LSM, or long ds who are above average.

Doubt that Petro was winging anything.

Slide packages fail when guys don’t do their jobs. Is a player not doing his job on slides the coach or the player? Could be a combination of both but no coach is reinventing the game, so these guys should know slide packages by the time they get to the Syracuse level of play.

Don’t get your last comment. Plenty of above avg players on D but at the end of the day it take 6 guys to be be in unison. Doesn’t matter if 1 or six guys are great if they aren’t working together.

 

[JDOrange]

Without seeing any fall ball activities or any of the new guys (transfers or freshmen), my ideal lineup at close is Fig (going off hype here and other poster comments), Olexo, and Dwan. Two ACC-caliber cover guys and a solid off-ball, QB type. Then you have Wright, Schmitt, Drago, etc. splitting time at LSM and face-off wings.

Lose a little in transition maybe but Saam still got up the field plenty last year at close. And the other guys are supposed to be GB machines. Caccamo and Clary have had their moments but the consistency hasn't been there. Kol struggled last year, but who didn't. Maybe another year of experience, a new system, and not drawing an alpha attacker can help him there.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Without seeing any fall ball activities or any of the new guys (transfers or freshmen), my ideal lineup at close is Fig (going off hype here and other poster comments), Olexo, and Dwan. Two ACC-caliber cover guys and a solid off-ball, QB type. Then you have Wright, Schmitt, Drago, etc. splitting time at LSM and face-off wings.

Lose a little in transition maybe but Saam still got up the field plenty last year at close. And the other guys are supposed to be GB machines. Caccamo and Clary have had their moments but the consistency hasn't been there. Kol struggled last year, but who didn't. Maybe another year of experience, a new system, and not drawing an alpha attacker can help him there.

Agree, mainly because Olexo at close would let us properly use the high quality depth we have at LSM. Schmitt should be seeing plenty of time given his talent level. Him or Wright, who is also quite talented, would be looking at very limited time if Olexo is a permanent LSM next season. He was still able to push it in transition from close D like you said. We got the same from Kennedy when he moved to close. Would probably be easier to keep Olexo at close than try Schmitt or Wright down there.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Agree, mainly because Olexo at close would let us properly use the high quality depth we have at LSM. Schmitt should be seeing plenty of time given his talent level. Him or Wright, who is also quite talented, would be looking at very limited time if Olexo is a permanent LSM next season. He was still able to push it in transition from close D like you said. We got the same from Kennedy when he moved to close. Would probably be easier to keep Olexo at close than try Schmitt or Wright down there.

Ya that was my feeling yesterday as well. I find it hard to believe SU is going to run Olexxo Schmitt and Wright all at LSM with 2 of the 3 seeing reduced playing time and third guy probably only seeing the field a few times a game. Makes very litle sense. Maybe they love Saam at LSM but even then don't you have to at least try Wright or Schmitt at close? To me the answer is obvious, Saam should get a look at close first just to valuable a cover guy to pair with Riley.

 

[Powellfan]

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

The Canadian Jordan Vincent (#55) taking a run at SSDM vs classmate Leo in that 1st pic. Being from British Columbia, I’m sure he’s played box. Good size, listed at 6’1” 197 lbs. Late add to last year’s class from IMG who Marachek likely put Gait on to.

 

[AD31]

Doubt that Petro was winging anything.

Slide packages fail when guys don’t do their jobs. Is a player not doing his job on slides the coach or the player? Could be a combination of both but no coach is reinventing the game, so these guys should know slide packages by the time they get to the Syracuse level of play.

Don’t get your last comment. Plenty of above avg players on D but at the end of the day it take 6 guys to be be in unison. Doesn’t matter if 1 or six guys are great if they aren’t working together.

I just think Petro is old skool and has his way of wanting things done. If u don't then he's in ur face letting u hear it which I know when I played that's how it was I'm sure a lot of u guys it was the same. U messed up and u got ur ass handed to u. I played better that way but kids today they don't get that back in HS or even much at home like we did so I think kids were nervous of messing up and confused under Petro. I mean the man can coach just he's old skool. Some kids can handle it some can't today. He's also not open to guys doing things they are more comfortable doing like it seems the new coach is. It's Petro way or no way. I think the kids loved him as a person but some struggled with how he coached em. I mean Clary can cover I can really see him rebounding this yr plus he was dinged up all yr last yr. Love everything I been hearing about the new coach and the D. We know the offense is gonna be good so if the D is solid it can be a big yr. Hope so being Will Marks final season. I know he's pumped up.

 

[AD31]

Any word on how the Fogo transfer from Tufts has looked? Haven't really heard anything on him. Curious how he does jumping up to this level. He dominated D 3 but could Richuisa have too? Hoping he dominates tho for sure. Sounds like the freshmen Mullins looks good.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

Any word on how the Fogo transfer from Tufts has looked? Haven't really heard anything on him. Curious how he does jumping up to this level. He dominated D 3 but could Richuisa have too? Hoping he dominates tho for sure. Sounds like the freshmen Mullins looks good.

Tufts transfer has been out with a wrist injury.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

I just think Petro is old skool and has his way of wanting things done. If u don't then he's in ur face letting u hear it which I know when I played that's how it was I'm sure a lot of u guys it was the same. U messed up and u got ur ass handed to u. I played better that way but kids today they don't get that back in HS or even much at home like we did so I think kids were nervous of messing up and confused under Petro. I mean the man can coach just he's old skool. Some kids can handle it some can't today. He's also not open to guys doing things they are more comfortable doing like it seems the new coach is. It's Petro way or no way. I think the kids loved him as a person but some struggled with how he coached em. I mean Clary can cover I can really see him rebounding this yr plus he was dinged up all yr last yr. Love everything I been hearing about the new coach and the D. We know the offense is gonna be good so if the D is solid it can be a big yr. Hope so being Will Marks final season. I know he's pumped up.

Nothing but positive things for the D. If that continues in the spring it will be a great final season for all of the seniors.

 

[DMVCuseLax]

The Canadian Jordan Vincent (#55) taking a run at SSDM vs classmate Leo in that 1st pic. Being from British Columbia, I’m sure he’s played box. Good size, listed at 6’1” 197 lbs. Late add to last year’s class from IMG who Marachek likely put Gait on to.

If you are a guy that is going to be on the bench for whatever reason and you want to play, SSDM is worth a try.

 

[AD31]

If you are a guy that is going to be on the bench for whatever reason and you want to play, SSDM is worth a try.

Especially if u played football in HS. If u played defense and ur tough it's definitely worth moving to SSDM. U don't need great stick skills just play tough defense have foot speed u can get on the field. My buddy's son plays football he's in 9th grade and wants to play lax now but thinks it's to late to start. I said no way start now and play SSDM. If he's good at it he can play in college somewhere.

 

[AD31]

Nothing but positive things for the D. If that continues in the spring it will be a great final season for all of the seniors.

Definitely all the seniors just I know Will and been watching him since his freshman yr at LIU so would love to see him go out on top. Glad hes finally getting the recognition he deserves.

 

[AD31]

Tufts transfer has been out with a wrist injury.

Oh ok thank you

 

[SULAXAHOLIC]

Would there be any possibility that with this sudden influx of depth at LSM they give Wright a run at SSDM? He plays box so it can’t be foreign to him might be an interesting experiment

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

Great shot of Finn’s entire personality in one photo. Just loves Lax & always plays free & loose. He probably just soaked a slash lol.

 

[315Upstate]

Big dilemma is at LSM olexo wright Schmitt all accomplished high end LSM then add Sageder who saw significant playing time it’s clear one of top 3 will move low and No chance wright is moving to SSdm Overall there are many more options for the staff
ssdm is a much more athletic group than last season and I have heard it’s Rosa Rice Spallina kempney Titus there are a few others including Trujilo injured

 

[DMVCuseLax]

Big dilemma is at LSM olexo wright Schmitt all accomplished high end LSM then add Sageder who saw significant playing time it’s clear one of top 3 will move low and No chance wright is moving to SSdm Overall there are many more options for the staff
ssdm is a much more athletic group than last season and I have heard it’s Rosa Rice Spallina kempney Titus there are a few others including Trujilo injured

Told Trujillo was among the top 3 before the injury. Should be good with some down time.

 

[Powellfan]

"Syracuse benefitted from seasonally warm weather this fall. Coach Gary Gait now is joined by DC John Odierna. Gait mentioned in his press conference that Odierna is aligned in his coaching style and the players have gravitated to the new coordinator. But who can cover Connor Shellenberger, Brennan O’Neil the Kavanaghs and Owen Duffy? To win in the ACC you need elite defenders. The ACC is a big boy league.

The Orange transfer portal additions are significant. Princeton transfers Sam English and Jake Stevens offer middle of the field experience and excellence. Lehigh transfer Christian Mule is highly skilled and has exceptional offensive IQ. UNC transfer Matt Wright adds depth to the LSM group. Coach mentioned that Saam Alexo will be playing LSM in the spring after flip flopping between close and pole in 2022. That’s a better fit.

Goalie Will Marks was a healthy scratch in the scrimmages and all eyes will be on the new FOGO Mason Kohn when the season starts on Saturday February 3 against Vermont. Kohn is a grad transfer from Tufts who went 71% in 2023. Kohn had a two-sport career at Tufts, where he played both lacrosse and hockey for the Jumbos. He started his college career focusing on just hockey before picking lacrosse back up in his junior season. So, there is room for growth. His success or failure, looms, gigantically, large given the disparity between Syracuse offense and defense.

Keep an eye on freshman Trey Deere who should get PT. The passing between Joey Spallina, Finn Thompson and Owen Hiltz will trend weekly on X (Twitter). Cuse will score in 2024. No doubt. Gait openly said, “We are loaded on offense.” The Orange offensive unit is going to be super fun to watch."

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Powellfan]

In the interview Will Mark strait up says that in the old D every movement was heavily planned out, "if this happens then this happens" and says that often lead to confusion and miscommunication. He sounds impressed with the changes. "It is a much more effective way of playing defense, and you can see it in our play throughout fall ball."

Interesting comment that caught my eye as well. One would think that if things are planned out so much, that would make things easier for a defender? "If the ball goes to X, then you have to slide here". But I guess if something unexpected happens then all heck breaks loose. Or with so many variables it just becomes too confusing.

I think we had a discussion during last season that some defenders looked scared in Petro's system, that they became frozen in certain situations. I think hearing from Gait and some of the players this was indeed the case. I wouldn't say the players or Gait are "slamming" Petro but it does seem telling that they haven't gone out of their way to say how much they miss him.

My understanding of Oderina's coaching philosophy is to give the players the tools to make their own decisions. I keep thinking of Brendan Krebs saying that "Odierna gives you the tools to be your own boss". It seems like the players have been given some freedom to make to their own decisions, based on his coaching. Less pressure, and they make decisions that much quicker. I wouldn't expect them to say unkind things about their new coach, but they do seem genuinely happy playing for Oderina. We will see when the season starts for real.

 

[Powellfan]

ssdm is a much more athletic group than last season and I have heard it’s Rosa Rice Spallina kempney Titus there are a few others including Trujilo injured

Nice to see some new faces mixed in with that group. Excited to see Kempney in a new spot, I think he could really thrive as a defensive midfielder. I still worry about the size of the group, based on the roster:

Rosa - 5'11 194
Rice - 5'11 191
Spallina - 5'10 174
Kempney - 6' 174
Titus - 5'11 169
Truilijo - 5'9 178

So only one guy over 5'11 in Kempney. How will that stack up against other ACC/Big 10 teams? Not saying you can't be a good defender and be under 6 foot, but I think it would be good to have at least one guy who could match up size wise with teams that employ midfielders like Eric Dobson, or Griffin Schutz. Perhaps I still suffer from flashbacks from Myles Jones absolutely crush Paolo Ciferri years ago.

 

[AD31]

Interesting comment that caught my eye as well. One would think that if things are planned out so much, that would make things easier for a defender? "If the ball goes to X, then you have to slide here". But I guess if something unexpected happens then all heck breaks loose. Or with so many variables it just becomes too confusing.

I think we had a discussion during last season that some defenders looked scared in Petro's system, that they became frozen in certain situations. I think hearing from Gait and some of the players this was indeed the case. I wouldn't say the players or Gait are "slamming" Petro but it does seem telling that they haven't gone out of their way to say how much they miss him.

My understanding of Oderina's coaching philosophy is to give the players the tools to make their own decisions. I keep thinking of Brendan Krebs saying that "Odierna gives you the tools to be your own boss". It seems like the players have been given some freedom to make to their own decisions, based on his coaching. Less pressure, and they make decisions that much quicker. I wouldn't expect them to say unkind things about their new coach, but they do seem genuinely happy playing for Oderina. We will see when the season starts for real.

Kind of seems like a breath of fresh air. I said a few times last season the guys loved Petro but felt a lot of pressure and it's tough to play like that. I kind of think of Aviles as he was an AA as a freshman then took a step back a little under Petro. He wasn't able to play free he had to play Petros way or get yelled at. . Maybe he doesn't transfer if he knew Petro was leaving. I know Murphy took a step back midseason as Petro did not like him throwing checks, he scored vs Maryland and said Petro was pissed. Dump it off and get off but like he said no one came to him so he shot it. The ground ball vs UNC he drew 3 fouls and faught for the ball Petro told him he should have avoided contact. He told me he felt pressure like whatever he does he's gonna get yelled at and he lost some basic fundamentals like waiting for his man instead of backpedaling and opening his hips. He was drawing slides because of it and I actually picked up on it and told him. I don't care who u are or how fast if ur guy is running full speed and ur waiting flat footed he's going by u. He finished the season playing much better especially it was his final games of his career so the pressure was off he just wanted to play. I said yesterday Petro can coach he's just old skool and set in his ways. Kids today not all take to that kind of coaching, This new coach seems like the perfect fit after an old skool hard nosed coach like Petro. U gotta play free and have fun to play ur best. Hopefully it makes a big difference with the D this yr.

 

[AD31]

Nice to see some new faces mixed in with that group. Excited to see Kempney in a new spot, I think he could really thrive as a defensive midfielder. I still worry about the size of the group, based on the roster:

Rosa - 5'11 194
Rice - 5'11 191
Spallina - 5'10 174
Kempney - 6' 174
Titus - 5'11 169
Truilijo - 5'9 178

So only one guy over 5'11 in Kempney. How will that stack up against other ACC/Big 10 teams? Not saying you can't be a good defender and be under 6 foot, but I think it would be good to have at least one guy who could match up size wise with teams that employ midfielders like Eric Dobson, or Griffin Schutz. Perhaps I still suffer from flashbacks from Myles Jones absolutely crush Paolo Ciferri years ago.

Shouldn't have a shorty on Dobson or Schutz. Ryan Terafenko is one of the best and he's not tall. I don't think it's a big deal for a shorty no matter what he's at a disadvantage with a short stick so most important is foot speed and toughness. Terefanko plays solid tough defense and has great footwork. I'm excited about this new group just still a little nervous with Rosa. Love the kid he's tough but he doesn't have the foot speed. Would rather see him play man down and someone like Spallina play ahead of him.

 

[AD31]

Kind is seems like a breath of fresh air. I said a few times last season the guys loved Petro but felt a lot of pressure and it's tough to play like that. I kind of think of Aviles as he was an AA as a freshman then took a step back a little under Petro. He wasn't able to play free he had to play Petros way or get yelled at. . Maybe he doesn't transfer if he knew Petro was leaving. I know Murphy took a step back midseason as Petro did not like him throwing checks, he scored vs Maryland and said Petro was pissed. Dump it off and get off but like he said no one came to him so he shot it. The ground ball vs UNC he drew 3 fouls and faught for the ball Petro told him he should have avoided contact. He told me he felt pressure like whatever he does he's gonna get yelled at and he lost some basic fundamentals like waiting for his man instead of backpedaling and opening his hips. He was drawing slides because of it and I actually picked up on it and told him. I don't care who u are or how fast if ur guy is running full speed and ur waiting flat footed he's going by u. He finished the season playing much better especially it was his final games of his career so the pressure was off he just wanted to play. I said yesterday Petro can coach he's just old skool and set in his ways. Kids today not all take to that kind of coaching, This new coach seems like the perfect fit after an old skool hard nosed coach like Petro. U gotta play free and have fun to play ur best. Hopefully it makes a big difference with the D this yr.

In fact most of the top Short sticks who played for team USA and PLL aren't very tall. They all have great footwork and tough. I think Spallina can be a great shorty I'm excited to see him this yr. I think Trujillo with a yr under his belt can really contribute this yr too. Rather see those two and slower Rosa on man down.