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Message: [QUOTE="Newhouse_83, post: 3030056, member: 7139"] So, this team, like all the others in the past decade, didn't go to Championship Weekend ... but they could have? Got it: the contractions and delivery went well, but the baby was stillborn. Yes, nobody's going every year like it's the '90s or the aughts, but if we're OK with being 0 for 10, we're insane. I forget what it's called in logic, but the pulling a lone example out of a problem and using it to summarily dismiss the entire argument is not effective reasoning: "We wanted Wisnauskas to stay here. He wanted to be closer to his GF in Maryland. Nothing we could do about that. Therefore, trhe fact we lose commits is never our fault." That's like a doctor saying "if I could just relieve this one symptom this one time, your disease is cured." Sometimes the answer might be something you aren't willing to change -- say a kid who's performing as a freshman like Salcido did his first year thinks he should play more. You know he's not good enough, so you're not going to sell out your values to keep a kid from maybe leaving. But if you pay attention when kids tell you about why they're thinking about leaving, and you talk to your own players about why this group of recruits decommitted, some themes will emerge, and that'll help you fix some things. (this is not a radical idea; switch pharmacies and see how fast Wegmans or whoever sends you a "hom can we get you back communique.) You're not going to save everyone -- the kid who bails for Michigan of Nova because he has a better chance to play isn't a big deal, and there'll always be kids who leave for the girlfriend -- but if you're hearing more than once or twice that a kid felt that Danowski or Pietramala or Tiffany made the kid feel like he gave a damn about them and your guy(s) didn't, that's something you need to address. All this stuff comes back to the braintrust -- the coaching staff. Re: The "we're one alpha away from the FF" claim. Whose job is it to get one to come here, or to develop one? The coaches'. They turned Rice into one, and they (and KR) deserve credit. They thought they had one in Evans, but didn't. No huge shame in that, either. The problem is that every other coach in our conference is doing so. Of greater concern: so are Tambroni. And Toomey. And Shay. And those are guys/programs we never had to worry abotu before. Again, if someone can find the Youtube vid of Donahue taking parents' questions about how to get kids recruited, please post it so we can see if that's the kind of spiel that's going to inspire a HS lacrosse star in 2019 to want to play for the guy. I'm not saying nuke the guy based on that, and not every coach needs to give Dino babers speeches but one of the things that needs to happen here -- frankly, Desko should initiate it -- is a 360-degree analysis of the program. Hell, you have a number of good marketing profs on campus. Ask for a volunteer or two to look at our salesmanship, and improve what we can do better. (Some of this is probably on the SID.) It seems to me the football program did something similar a few years back and made some positive changes. If our coaches are all "old-school gentlemen," they'd return phone calls -- especially to people with whom they have a relationship they do, or should, value. You point out that these guys attend events (other have pointed out that they don't see as much of SU's coaches as they do of others). That category counts for nothing for when the NCAA issues tournament bids. Now here's a thought: Assuming Chris Wojcik doesn't have a new gig yet, how would he look as our OC? John Tillman coaching tree, ties in New England and Philly, and mid-40s, so a spring chicken by our standards. Thoughts? [/QUOTE]

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