Desko

[BillSU]

2/13/19

“We kind of talked with Ryan over the years. He brings some good lacrosse knowledge,'' Desko said. ”He has a lot of energy. He’s definitely a player’s coach and brings a lot of enthusiasm with him.''

Whether he’s here long-term or pursues his coaching dream elsewhere, Powell expressed support for Desko’s ability to return the Orange to a spot among the nation’s elite.

"It absolutely can be the glory days again. You can make another run and go to several final fours in a row and compete for national championships every single year,'' Powell said of Syracuse’s future. "I just want to help out coach Desko, really. He’s a great coach and a good friend of mine. I’m willing to do whatever I need to do right now to help coach Desko and the staff and the school become more successful.

4 X AA at SU, never been away from the game. With his travel schedule knows lots of coaches and players.

 

[BillSU]

OR kick Gait up to coach the men's squad and look for a new coach for the women's side

 

[orange79]

OR kick Gait up to coach the men's squad and look for a new coach for the women's side

Someone who has never coached the men's college game? Love him and all, but pass.

 

[BillSU]

Someone who has never coached the men's college game? Love him and all, but pass.

Disagree - you think one of the best of all time can coach women but not men?! I do, thus the disparity in our thinking on this one.
A question '79, why is it that some here think Desko as a great lacrosse player, assistant and head coach with a marvelous record and great recruiter and career needs to go - age, can't connect with players, etc.? Or are you not on that train?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

Disagree - you think one of the best of all time can coach women but not men?! I do, thus the disparity in our thinking on this one.

Who says Gait can coach women? What's he ever won?

He might be packing his bags too.

 

[orange79]

Disagree - you think one of the best of all time can coach women but not men?! I do, thus the disparity in our thinking on this one.
A question '79, why is it that some here think Desko as a great lacrosse player, assistant and head coach with a marvelous record and great recruiter and career needs to go - age, can't connect with players, etc.? Or are you not on that train?

A. I am not on the "Fire Desko" train. But if it happens,
B. I am also not on the "Hire someone who has coached women's lacrosse for 12 years and been out of the men's college game even longer and never coached the men's game even though he is probably the greatest lacrosse player ever" train.

 

[BillSU]

Who says Gait can coach women? What's he ever won?

He might be packing his bags too.

"What's he ever won" OX, - since 2010 - Gait has guided the Orange to an overall record of 142-56 and eight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Orange have advanced to the national semifinals in six of those years and the national championship game twice. Not good enough?

 

[HOFCeluck]

Not good enough?

No.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

"What's he ever won" OX, - since 2010 - Gait has guided the Orange to an overall record of 142-56 and eight NCAA Tournament appearances. The Orange have advanced to the national semifinals in six of those years and the national championship game twice. Not good enough?

He's never won a National Title. Isn't that how we judge coaches around here?

Desko is 253-85 with 20 NCAA Tournament appearances and 5 Titles, yet that's not good enough for you.

 

[bjred]

As Gait takes on more responsibility with the Canadian national women's teams, one has to wonder if he might be getting ready to leave himself. He's definitely elevated the women's team up to a new height but just hasn't gotten over that final hump.

Anyway, I'd have to think that if he wanted to coach on the mens side then he would have jumped on one of numerous offers he's had to have received over the years. Heck even Hopkins got tired of waiting and found himself a nice gig.

 

[SDCuse114]

The Gait as the next men’s head coach talk needs to be put to rest.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[JeremyCuse]

Did anyone honestly think he wouldn't be? Desko has way to much cache built up here to get let go coming off a pretty good season despite the continued lack of success in the tourney. That said his seat is probably as warm as it has ever been including after 07.

 

[PhatOrange]

Wildhack would've kept Coach P around for 5 or 6 more years to (and maybe Shafer). But at least with lacrosse and being a name brand blue blood lacrosse shool you can right the ship in just a couple of years when the plug is finally pulled.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Wildhack would've kept Coach P around for 5 or 6 more years to (and maybe Shafer). But at least with lacrosse and being a name brand blue blood lacrosse shool you can right the ship in just a couple of years when the plug is finally pulled.

Coach P I think your right but I think Shafer he would have let go the same time Coyle did. The writing was on the wall there big time. John is a very smart guy and knows that rumbling are getting louder. The pressure is on the staff to have a good showing the next 1-2 seasons or I think he's going pull the plug.

 

[ClvrUsrnm]

Coach P didn’t win five national championships. He had his Mike Powell and went, what, 10-3 in his best season?

Desko may have slipped as a recruiter, but you could argue he’s the best coach in the ACC. Look what he’s done with lesser talent than Duke and Virginia the last few seasons. Still incredibly competitive, still beating those teams (admittedly, during the regular season). Switch the rosters from the past 6 years and Desko is trying to figure out where to store three more rings.

 

[JeremyCuse]

Coach P didn’t win five national championships. He had his Mike Powell and went, what, 10-3 in his best season?

Desko may have slipped as a recruiter, but you could argue he’s the best coach in the ACC. Look what he’s done with lesser talent than Duke and Virginia the last few seasons. Still incredibly competitive, still beating those teams (admittedly, during the regular season). Switch the rosters from the past 6 years and Desko is trying to figure out where to store three more rings.

Those are good points but your last one about switching the rosters is also a big time knock on Desko as he didn't inherit these teams obviously there are all his recruits. As I noted before you can make an argument either way about retaining Desko or letting him go and both sides would have excellent points. In the end Desko's fate is in his hands as he likely needs a final four appearance in the next two years or this whole argument is moot because SU will be forced to make a change.

 

[PhatOrange]

Coach P didn’t win five national championships. He had his Mike Powell and went, what, 10-3 in his best season?

Desko may have slipped as a recruiter, but you could argue he’s the best coach in the ACC. Look what he’s done with lesser talent than Duke and Virginia the last few seasons. Still incredibly competitive, still beating those teams (admittedly, during the regular season). Switch the rosters from the past 6 years and Desko is trying to figure out where to store three more rings.

Yeah because lacrosse with 7 or 8 schools and football are the same thing. the point is that wildhack is not going to be in the business firing coaches which is good, and he would've kept P around longer because of it, and that fact that P had earned that right. He's only the winning-est football coach in Syracuse history.

He's not going to fire Desko ever. Desko will end up retiring. Now it might be a 'suggested' retirement but that's the way I see it playing out.

 

[ClvrUsrnm]

Those are good points but your last one about switching the rosters is also a big time knock on Desko as he didn't inherit these teams obviously there are all his recruits. As I noted before you can make an argument either way about retaining Desko or letting him go and both sides would have excellent points. In the end Desko's fate is in his hands as he likely needs a final four appearance in the next two years or this whole argument is moot because SU will be forced to make a change.

I fully agree Desko’s biggest failing over the last 10 years is recruiting.

 

[Powellfan]

Coach P didn’t win five national championships. He had his Mike Powell and went, what, 10-3 in his best season?

Desko may have slipped as a recruiter, but you could argue he’s the best coach in the ACC. Look what he’s done with lesser talent than Duke and Virginia the last few seasons. Still incredibly competitive, still beating those teams (admittedly, during the regular season). Switch the rosters from the past 6 years and Desko is trying to figure out where to store three more rings.

Problem is, this isn't the NFL, Desko is responsible for creating the roster. He doesn't have a GM to blame things on.

 

[PhatOrange]

Coach P didn’t win five national championships. He had his Mike Powell and went, what, 10-3 in his best season?

Desko may have slipped as a recruiter, but you could argue he’s the best coach in the ACC. Look what he’s done with lesser talent than Duke and Virginia the last few seasons. Still incredibly competitive, still beating those teams (admittedly, during the regular season). Switch the rosters from the past 6 years and Desko is trying to figure out where to store three more rings.

You could argue Desko is the 3rd best coach in the ACC behind Danowski and Corrigon.

IMO Danowski is the best and it's not even really close. Since he took over in 2007, he's 193-59 with 3 titles and 10 final fours.

Desko is 156-56 since 2007 with 2 titles and 3 final fours.

Since joining the ACC 2014 - Present, Desko is 66-28 with zero final fours.

Since Syracuse joined the ACC Danowski is 82-30 with 1 title and 3 final fours. (parity hasn't stopped him)

 

[ForCuseSake]

You could argue Desko is the 3th best coach in the ACC behind Danowski and Corrigon.

IMO Danowski is the best and it's not even really close. Since he took over in 2007, he's 193-59 with 3 titles and 10 final fours.

Desko is 156-56 since 2007 with 2 titles and 3 final fours.

Since joining the ACC 2014 - Present, Desko is 66-28 with zero final fours.

Since Syracuse joined the ACC Danowski is 82-30 with 1 title and 3 final fours. (parity hasn't stopped him)

I agree with you that Danowski is tops in the ACC.

But I can't put that touch hole Corrigan above Desko.

 

[reedny]

Those are good points but your last one about switching the rosters is also a big time knock on Desko as he didn't inherit these teams obviously there are all his recruits. As I noted before you can make an argument either way about retaining Desko or letting him go and both sides would have excellent points. In the end Desko's fate is in his hands as he likely needs a final four appearance in the next two years or this whole argument is moot because SU will be forced to make a change.

I defer to you (and others on here) about LAX issues. But with the current state of the program (as evidenced by a thread like this), I can't help but think of what Babers has done with the FB program ... one that had struggled far longer than the 10 year LAX slump. I think we can all agree that Babers changed everything ... offensive and defensive schemes, recruiting, culture ... and more recently, wins. And he's over 50! So maybe there's a lesson to be learned there for SU LAX. I'm not jumping on the FD bandwagon, just pointing that out.

The "parity" argument seems like an excuse. Yes, the game's grown, more teams, a few different programs sprinkled into the top 20 (including PSU, disgustingly). But as Phat points out, the last decade of FF's also features many familiar national LAX powers. The difference seems to be that SU and a couple others (JHU and Cornell, maybe) are the casualties.

Realistically, JW's unlikely to fire a coach with Desko's history. So what else can be done? Recruiting is clearly off (a couple highly-touted recruit busts the last 1/2 years doesn't explain a decade-long down-turn). So what's the answer? More financial aid? A fresher offensive approach with 1 or 2 new (younger) assistants? Do we have a facilities issue (hard to believe)?

I'm all ears (eyes) for solutions, not excuses.

 

[ClvrUsrnm]

Definitely more financial aid. Definitely fresh blood on the coaching staff.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

No Syracuse
No Notre Dame
No Hopkins
No Cornell