Desko reflects on a season full of last-minute adjustments and more coaching than normal | Syracusefan.com

Desko reflects on a season full of last-minute adjustments and more coaching than normal

Love the "more coaching than normal" part of the headline.

"Well, let's be honest, this is a game where dudes run around with sticks and balls," Desko said, mumbling the phrase "no homo" under his breath. "It's about as organized as kids running around in the yard. Usually I just have to roll the balls out and we win games, but this season I actually had to like, coach, and stuff."
 
Going to need to bring in new some blood, we can teach the Massa/Fowler technique all we want to our guys but not sure its going to make much difference.
 
That faceoff technique is as much about strength and positioning as it is about technique. Massa was a high school wrestler and Fowler is on Duke's football team. We need to find guys like that. If they're trying to teach the new technique to our current players, the coaches are making a mistake,


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OrangeXtreme said:
The coaching staff already has SU's faceoff specialists learning the technique Duke's Fowler and Bryant's Kevin Massa both used to surpass the NCAA single-season record for faceoff wins this year.

That will be the next adjustment for Desko and his staff to make as lacrosse continues to evolve.

http://www.syracuse.com/orangelacrosse/index.ssf/2013/05/syracuse_lacrosse_john_desko.html
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Who am I to question Desko, right? But, I'm starting to think that he really doesn't understand the FO problem.
 
OrangeinBoston said:
Who am I to question Desko, right? But, I'm starting to think that he really doesn't understand the FO problem.
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I think he understands it. But I doubt they have much flexibility in terms of scholarship money with the class that's coming in. They're pretty much stuck with the three returning faceoff specialists and they're trying, it seems, to make the best of that situation. They should try to bring in a promising walk-on and promise him scholarship money as a sophomore if he can get results.


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OrangeXtreme said:
The coaching staff already has SU's faceoff specialists learning the technique Duke's Fowler and Bryant's Kevin Massa both used to surpass the NCAA single-season record for faceoff wins this year.

That will be the next adjustment for Desko and his staff to make as lacrosse continues to evolve.

http://www.syracuse.com/orangelacrosse/index.ssf/2013/05/syracuse_lacrosse_john_desko.html
Expand...

I hope the technique (I would call it "pitchforking") is outlawed, although it can't happen for another season.

However, Fowler beat our guys with pitch-and-pop, and other more traditional techniques also. I would like to see more use of the long stick at the face off, ala Megill. Muck it up, and get our wings to come in do some of the dirty work.
 
longtimefan said:
I hope the technique (I would call it "pitchforking") is outlawed, although it can't happen for another season.

However, Fowler beat our guys with pitch-and-pop, and other more traditional techniques also. I would like to see more use of the long stick at the face off, ala Megill. Muck it up, and get our wings to come in do some of the dirty work.
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Two problems with this:
1. If the long pole loses the FO, he's out of position.
2. Repeated FO's can tire out the long pole.
 
cuseguy said:
I think he understands it. But I doubt they have much flexibility in terms of scholarship money with the class that's coming in. They're pretty much stuck with the three returning faceoff specialists and they're trying, it seems, to make the best of that situation. They should try to bring in a promising walk-on and promise him scholarship money as a sophomore if he can get results.


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This has been a problem the past 4 years. Why didn't he recruit a different type of face off guy the past three years. I think he was so used to the stars signing up to play for us that he's been 1-upped in recruiting certain positions. I think the patting on the back for 08 and 09 has finally turned to the realization that it's gong to take more work to stay on top than it ever has. He hasn't had a solid, money playmaker or face off guy in awhile. It's time to pull up the bootstraps and go to the next level.

I knew that Fowler kid had to be a football player. He looked like he had been working out for more than lax. Now they have a 6-4 guy who also looks like a football player (he kinda plays like one too...did he ever pick up a stick before college?)
 
PeteCalvin said:
I think the patting on the back for 08 and 09 has finally turned to the realization that it's gong to take more work to stay on top than it ever has. He hasn't had a solid, money playmaker or face off guy in a while
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We've talked about our faceoff woes for the better part of Desko's tenure. At this point, we have to consider it to be a position he has limited ability to recruit for, or coach.

For me, the '09 congrats ended when the Galloway and White class never won another. 08 and 09 was won on the backs of some uber motivated senior classes.

I agree that it will take more work than ever to get back on top. As it always should. I hope Desko is on top of this, adjusting staff or strategy as needed.

I'm still not so sure what's so magical or mysterious about winning at least 50% of faceoffs.
 
swish7 said:
We've talked about our faceoff woes for the better part of Desko's tenure. At this point, we have to consider it to be a position he has limited ability to recruit for, or coach.

For me, the '09 congrats ended when the Galloway and White class never won another. 08 and 09 was won on the backs of some uber motivated senior classes.

I agree that it will take more work than ever to get back on top. As it always should. I hope Desko is on top of this, adjusting staff or strategy as needed.

I'm still not so sure what's so magical or mysterious about winning at least 50% of faceoffs.
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28 D1 teams averaged 50% or above including such giants as Mercer, Canisius, Sacred Heart, and Siena. I just don't get it.
 
OrangeinBoston said:
Two problems with this:
1. If the long pole loses the FO, he's out of position.
2. Repeated FO's can tire out the long pole.
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Doesn't have to be a regular long pole--can be your second LSM, or 4th or 5th D-man. We have depth among the long poles. Let's use it.
 
By the end of the game we had two long poles on he faceoff. One at X and one on the wing and it still didn't matter. We lost ground ball scrums Which is other thing we did poorly that can win or lose games.

Nothing fancy about the way the duke guy faced off. Brut strength as he would win the clamp which appeared to me to be strength ant not speed, and then push the other guy off he ball with his shoulder and size.
 
PhatOrange said:
By the end of the game we had two long poles on he faceoff. One at X and one on the wing and it still didn't matter. We lost ground ball scrums Which is other thing we did poorly that can win or lose games.

Nothing fancy about the way the duke guy faced off. Brut strength as he would win the clamp which appeared to me to be strength ant not speed, and then push the other guy off he ball with his shoulder and size.
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I would say that the SU wing play was under par this past year. Turn some of those extra bouncy legs loose and go get some ground balls. GTown's face off man this past year was a long pole, and he was very good.

My point is that there is more than one way to compete at the X (or dot, or whatever it's called now).

Also, Fowler won draws every which way. He popped it loose and ran it down several times.
 
i apologize for my grammar and spelling, posting from my iphone butchers everything.
 
this may be a stupid question but is there any rule about plowing through the guy like an offensive lineman in football?
 
Jables said:
this may be a stupid question but is there any rule about plowing through the guy like an offensive lineman in football?
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If your opponent is within 5 yards of the ball, and you do not hit from behind, nor too high or low, have at it.
 
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