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Message: [QUOTE="Powellfan, post: 3877935, member: 4819"] I am still trying to collect my thoughts, but overall I think this is an exciting hire and one that certainly injects some life into the Syracuse lacrosse program. I understand the trepidation by others on this board, and I'm not sure I can talk anyone out of that trepidation, because quite frankly, this is all very risky. But surveying the lacrosse landscape right now I think it is a very good move. I personally think hiring Shay would have been a home run choice and the clear number one, but we don't know if he was ever offered or pursued, or what happened there. The way I see it, there are four coaches who I would consider the "best" in the sport right now - Danowski at Duke, Tillman at Maryland, Tiffany at UVA, and Shay at Yale. For various reasons I don't think any of them (taking Shay out) would come to Syracuse. So SU would be left with a lot of candidates who I would personally be kind of ho hum about. We've listed them endlessly here so I won't rehash, but they would all have question marks and certainly none of the them would be "sure things". With Gait, you certainly have excitement and you certainly have buzz. I don't think any hire would create the sort of reaction this one is garnering from the larger lacrosse world. Of course this does not win you games, but I have to think that this sort of energy has to be a positive, not just on the recruiting trail, but also in the locker room and on the field. Something like this can't be measured but its just a feeling I have. I also like the makeup of this (potential) staff. Having someone like March on the staff I think is a huge deal. His arrival was one of the main reasons Syracuse's fortune in recruiting picked up and having him stay can only help make sure this '22 class sticks together. Plus he can certainly be a bridge from the old regime to the new. Others have been down on him this year due to on field performance, but I think he's still a very talented coach. Petro is obviously a wild card here, but I really think he can help fill in the gaps that Gait might have, seeing as there aren't many other 2x National Champion winning coaches wanting to be a coordinator. Plus you have to imagine that he'll be very motivated after the dismissal from Hopkins. I think its certainly worth the "risk" to bring someone like him in. Plus it's an added bonus to know a former Hopkins legend is working for the enemy! Another huge story line is of course his son Dom - nation's number two recruit behind Spallina who is apparently good friends with the Syracuse commit. Maybe he really likes UNC that much, maybe he wants to get out of his father's shadow - but seeing that SU was already a top four school for him, it would seem like a huge draw. This was also brought up on another message board - but do children of athletic coaches get free tuition for the Orange? If Spallina is the coach of the Women's team that could free up significant scholarship dollars. Add in the son or sons from the Defense Coordinator? That could be another very big consideration. I'm guessing there are rules to this, but I had to ask. Lastly, in regards to the timing of this and the leak - I know it wasn't great and I frankly wish things had been different. For one thing, it would have been nice of Inside Lacrosse to put Dekso's picture on their article instead of just Gait. He deserves a lot more attention than what he's getting. I hope the SU media department is working very hard on a tribute to one of the best coaches of all time. That said, I am glad they have someone lined up already and aren't going to take a month to do a search. With the way the season ended I think opposing coaches would have been all over the '22 class, and the new coaches would have been way behind when it comes to the '23 class as well, not to mention transfers which already are being picked up. Now hopefully Gait and co can hit the ground running and build on this momentum. He certainly has some right now. [/QUOTE]

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