North Carolina Game...

[PhatOrange]

Why would either guy want to coach at SU. Yale has recruits begging to get in and lots of money. Tiffany coaches in relatively warm weather, in a state very near Maryland for easy recruiting, with exceptional lacrosse facilities and lots of money. Assume for the sake of argument, SU's main problem is recruiting. Virginia and Hopkins brought in young coaches for good reasons, one of them being that kids hope for a bright future and, to some, old coaches with teams that seem to deteriorate over time do not engender such hope. Remember how March amped up our enthusiasm? Petro and Desko can flat out coach. The previous Virginia coach was a great recruiter for years until he wasn't. There are many factors in SU's inability to recruit the top guys. They still get some but not with much depth. I do not advocate for a coaching change. I am only suggesting that youth is an advantage in a coach. Oh, and don't forget Brodie Merrill.

Here we go again. Why would any coach want to coach at one of the most storied programs??? We'll be lucky to get the Brockport St coach I suppose.

Here are my counter points. Both grew up in the shadow of the Dome. Lars Tiffany and Andy Shay are both 50. Thank you for considering that young. Unless you're talking about UVA assistants? Shay would probably rather be coaching any team than a team not playing. Syracuse can match everything and then some except warm weather. UVA can have Maryland talent. Syracuse happens to be located 3/4 hours from Long Island/CT/Mass. Syracuse just needs a coach who can crack the code on LI (as well as the parochials down there.)

Of course Desko and Petro can coach but sometimes it's just time for new blood.

 

[Troughin']

looks like overreaction time. desko was acc coach of the year from '15 to '18. you finished the abbreviated '20 season #1. you have recruits coming in. the acc this year is a bear. desko & co. are not going anywhere.

Agree he's not going anywhere, but the coaching awards are meaningless- haven't been in a championship in 6 years, won one in 10, and we're about to miss our first tourney altogether since 07'. Those are the real measures of a coach.

 

[ivorytower]

Bad game.

Thank all those who returned and played their last home game.
Grateful to watch their play and efforts over the years

Just wait is all Ill say .

 

[JeremyCuse]

Yeah, I don’t think my post advocated for full time zone.

Zone stopped UNC and created a turnover in the last 2 minutes of the first half (but the ensuing possession was wasted by Quinn’s shot). I stopped watching at halftime so I don’t know if they tried it again.

The defense doesn’t slide well and track cuttters. Hard to tell how much of it is talent, tired legs, or scheme.

I lean toward scheme because we’ve seen more talented defenses look equally lost when sliding and communicating.

Defensive talent differential (and new FO rules) have turned what used to be close wins/losses into runaway defeats.

I hear what your saying, but SU historically has struggled to play zone and this current crop of guys doesn't seems like good candidates for that to change. I could see it working maybe here or there but I dont know if SU could run it more then a handful of times a game before it got exposed. I could see SU going to a bit of a packed in D sort of like what Albany did to us this year. Forcing SU to try and make pinpoint passes or hit from the outside.

 

[JeremyCuse]

You don’t fire a coach like Desko in a year like this (no fall, new transfers, COVID protocol) off the back of game where you lost two players to injury! The over reaction on this board is unbelievable. Desko & staff have always coached us out of trouble and deserves some faith.

The players on the field have not found their feet at all and don’t look comfortable either in the package or in transition!

We have no Def depth & injury has hit hard, has Col redshirted? Faceoffs not producing, poor clearing and not enough possessions.

I hate to disagree Woody but while I am not* calling for Desko to be fired, if he was let go it certainly wouldn't be an overreaction. One final four in 1 years, no final fours in 8 years, 2 straight 1st round losses and a likely tourney miss this year. Hard to say any move would be an overreaction, were not talking firing Danowski or something here.

Secondly, outside of Clary SU has been relatively lucky when it comes to injuries this year. The fact there is no Depth is strictly on Desko, he's been over two decades, he has only himself to blame for lack of quality of depth.

 

[JeremyCuse]

One factor to consider among the wreckage: All the ACC teams but SU are significantly improved from a year ago. Each has added several top talent players including at least one attack. Particularly relevant are FOGOs, goalies and top attacks. SU added one good defenseman. I think these changes dropped SU figuratively out of the ACC league. I believe Denver, Georgetown and Lehigh would beat SU convincingly. Each has added through transfer significant top talent contributors.

Think carefully about coaching changes. For example, John Galloway for defensive coordinator. I have watched several Jacksonville games over the past two years. They are mistake prone, especially in unsettled situations. They do not adjust well to tactics like 10-man rides. They do not ride well or dominate the middle of the field on Fogos. The level of overall defensive talent is way below that of relatively new programs like Utah, Richmond, Robert Morris, etc. I love the guy, but I would not hire him to coach.

Another observation: The absence of Ivy league lacrosse has had a significant effect on SU in this sense. The league regularly attracts a large proportion of transfers which this year would have diluted the ACC's talent pool. In the seasons to come, SU will have to catch up with the rest of the ACC if they want to regain competitiveness. Hopkins faces the same problems SU does. It's a very expensive school losing its advantages due to the expansion of the sport and the rise of transfers.

Good post but disagree with your take on the IVY. The IVY hurt SU by not playing and guys like Sowers, McCarthy, the dude from Penn etc deciding to transfer and ending up at other ACC schools. The IVY is rarely a big transfer destination as some schools don't even take in transfers. Only Yale and to a lesser extend Penn have really hit the transfer market and even then its been a player or two at most.

 

[JeremyCuse]

went thru this on another thread. firstly and ironically, unc was first adopter on "zone/switching/recover" defense years ago. with breschi.

imo, what cuse needs to do is identify what they do fairly well (on ball d, goalie can make saves if he can track and not be hung out).

then identify what they don't do well... slide identification and backup slides.

so cuse could in theory stay with the base of what they're doing and slough in off ball, come out to on ball (it's what i coach as a base)... be taking up space unless adjacent is cleared thru. but they need to absolutely cut down on actually sliding (poorly) and put responsibility at 90% own guy/10% off ball. instead of every defender worrying about sliding and the ball. let drake track shots, get balls stuck in sticks, and make players win 1 v 1 battles against you.

I agree with this and what laxobserver posted, its way to late in the season to try and make some giant overhaul or solve their slide issues which have been a problem for a decade. I agree that SU would be better off going going with a bit of a packed in slow to slide approach that puts the onus on defenders to win the 1 on one 1 matchup. SU could at least have a shot playing that way, although against the Sowers and Gray's of the world your gonna get dusted a few times, its the risk you have to take.

 

[Powellfan]

I hate to disagree Woody but while I am not* calling for Desko to be fired, if he was let go it certainly wouldn't be an overreaction. One final four in 1 years, no final fours in 8 years, 2 straight 1st round losses and a likely tourney miss this year. Hard to say any move would be an overreaction, were not talking firing Danowski or something here.

Secondly, outside of Clary SU has been relatively lucky when it comes to injuries this year. The fact there is no Depth is strictly on Desko, he's been over two decades, he has only himself to blame for lack of quality of depth.

Couldn't agree more on the depth issue - SU has one of the biggest rosters in the sport year in, year out. In addition to that, they had five fifth year seniors come back which should have given them unprecedented depth this year. They had some transfers yes, but that was mostly due to the over recruiting over the years. This roster is bloated right now if anything.

 

[Powellfan]

I don't think Desko will be let go this year either, but things may change if the season finishes with two more blowouts (or three if they somehow get in the tournament). Kind of crazy we are even discussing this to be honest, at the start of the year I had hopes that, given last year's success on the field and recruiting haul, Coach March would be groomed for the top spot when Desko decided to move on. But, alas, here we are.

The candidates I have off the top of my head would be:

Andy Shay - the clear cut top choice, runs a consistent program, recruits the area well and is a local. Not sure how strong his ties are to Yale, but it seems like the Ivies have a hard time hanging on to coaches recently (Milliman to Hopkins, Tiffany to UVA, Tamborini to Penn State).

All others I would consider gambles a bit, but they are as follows:

Joe Alberchi - puts out consistent teams each year, and just blew out the Orange. Doesn't have much post-season success over the years and I'd wonder about recruiting - Army goes after very specific kids, but he is familiar with the area. I would say his stock has increased this year.

Sean Kirwan - I don't think SU would go after an assistant, but Kirwan is the top one in the county and I can't imagine he'll stay at UVA much longer. Innovative offensive mind at both Virginia and Brown and is young.

Kevin Cassese - A guy not on my radar much before this year but has done good things at Lehigh which must be a tough place to recruit to. He's a Duke guy but has to wonder if that job will ever open up to him, as the younger Danowski might be in line for it, or someone else from the Duke coaching tree.

Mike Murphy - I don't think he has any connections to upstate New York, and is also a Duke grad, but again, Ivy League coaches might be there for the taking and he has put together good Penn teams recently.

The Orange connections - I don't think Galloway has shown enough at Jacksonville, though I find it hard to beleive anyone could do very well there, and Gary Gait, despite his credentials as a player and coach for the Women's team, I have to imagine it would be a big transition to coach the men's team.

I think Danowski, Tillman, Tierney and Tiffany are pretty much considered the other top coaches in the country right now, but have a hard time seeing any of them making the move to Syracuse for a variety of reasons. So would you feel better about the program with someone from the above list? Outside of Shay I think the rest would all have questions.

 

[ForCuseSake]

I don't think Desko will be let go this year either, but things may change if the season finishes with two more blowouts (or three if they somehow get in the tournament). Kind of crazy we are even discussing this to be honest, at the start of the year I had hopes that, given last year's success on the field and recruiting haul, Coach March would be groomed for the top spot when Desko decided to move on. But, alas, here we are.

The candidates I have off the top of my head would be:

Andy Shay - the clear cut top choice, runs a consistent program, recruits the area well and is a local. Not sure how strong his ties are to Yale, but it seems like the Ivies have a hard time hanging on to coaches recently (Milliman to Hopkins, Tiffany to UVA, Tamborini to Penn State).

All others I would consider gambles a bit, but they are as follows:

Joe Alberchi - puts out consistent teams each year, and just blew out the Orange. Doesn't have much post-season success over the years and I'd wonder about recruiting - Army goes after very specific kids, but he is familiar with the area. I would say his stock has increased this year.

Sean Kirwan - I don't think SU would go after an assistant, but Kirwan is the top one in the county and I can't imagine he'll stay at UVA much longer. Innovative offensive mind at both Virginia and Brown and is young.

Kevin Cassese - A guy not on my radar much before this year but has done good things at Lehigh which must be a tough place to recruit to. He's a Duke guy but has to wonder if that job will ever open up to him, as the younger Danowski might be in line for it, or someone else from the Duke coaching tree.

Mike Murphy - I don't think he has any connections to upstate New York, and is also a Duke grad, but again, Ivy League coaches might be there for the taking and he has put together good Penn teams recently.

The Orange connections - I don't think Galloway has shown enough at Jacksonville, though I find it hard to beleive anyone could do very well there, and Gary Gait, despite his credentials as a player and coach for the Women's team, I have to imagine it would be a big transition to coach the men's team.

I think Danowski, Tillman, Tierney and Tiffany are pretty much considered the other top coaches in the country right now, but have a hard time seeing any of them making the move to Syracuse for a variety of reasons. So would you feel better about the program with someone from the above list? Outside of Shay I think the rest would all have questions.

Good list. Cassese has done a fantastic job building Lehigh. It doesn’t have the history or pedigree for recruiting but it’s in a very good location (Bethlehem itself is not much different than Syracuse).

It’s a 3 hour or less drive from every northeast hotbed (LI, MD, Philly, Upstate NY) and has a very good academic rep for a small school (~5k student population).

Not many Upstate NYers are familiar with Lehigh but a lot of Tri-State folks see it as a good landing spot for kids who can’t get into an Ivy.

 

[sholokov2]

I don't think Desko will be let go this year either, but things may change if the season finishes with two more blowouts (or three if they somehow get in the tournament). Kind of crazy we are even discussing this to be honest, at the start of the year I had hopes that, given last year's success on the field and recruiting haul, Coach March would be groomed for the top spot when Desko decided to move on. But, alas, here we are.

The candidates I have off the top of my head would be:

Andy Shay - the clear cut top choice, runs a consistent program, recruits the area well and is a local. Not sure how strong his ties are to Yale, but it seems like the Ivies have a hard time hanging on to coaches recently (Milliman to Hopkins, Tiffany to UVA, Tamborini to Penn State).

All others I would consider gambles a bit, but they are as follows:

Joe Alberchi - puts out consistent teams each year, and just blew out the Orange. Doesn't have much post-season success over the years and I'd wonder about recruiting - Army goes after very specific kids, but he is familiar with the area. I would say his stock has increased this year.

Sean Kirwan - I don't think SU would go after an assistant, but Kirwan is the top one in the county and I can't imagine he'll stay at UVA much longer. Innovative offensive mind at both Virginia and Brown and is young.

Kevin Cassese - A guy not on my radar much before this year but has done good things at Lehigh which must be a tough place to recruit to. He's a Duke guy but has to wonder if that job will ever open up to him, as the younger Danowski might be in line for it, or someone else from the Duke coaching tree.

Mike Murphy - I don't think he has any connections to upstate New York, and is also a Duke grad, but again, Ivy League coaches might be there for the taking and he has put together good Penn teams recently.

The Orange connections - I don't think Galloway has shown enough at Jacksonville, though I find it hard to beleive anyone could do very well there, and Gary Gait, despite his credentials as a player and coach for the Women's team, I have to imagine it would be a big transition to coach the men's team.

I think Danowski, Tillman, Tierney and Tiffany are pretty much considered the other top coaches in the country right now, but have a hard time seeing any of them making the move to Syracuse for a variety of reasons. So would you feel better about the program with someone from the above list? Outside of Shay I think the rest would all have questions.

Cassese and Murphy are fine coaches. Lehigh over the years has been a solid team in all phases: well conditioned, tough, creative offensively, aggressive but disciplined defensively, cohesive, and consistently in contention. Cassese gets the most out of his players. I think at SU he would recruit very well.

Murphy has already proven his recruiting chops at Penn. He develops his kids very well and teaches offensive tactics as well as anyone. I would welcome either with enthusiasm.

Alberici developed Army into a top caliber team. He has had one great advantage: a bunch of mature, dedicated, smart, disciplined young men. Most have come through an extra year of preparation on the jv team. He does not have to ride herd on them. Would he want to come to SU after the shenanigans of the last couple seasons?

I wonder if SU admin would fire Desko in the midst of the current adversity. If I were the AD, I'd wait to determine the repercussions. Desko's an old pro. Let's see how the team reacts. Any more signs that he has lost control might do him in. It's the signs of surrender on the field that bother me.

 

[laxobserver]

Alberici probably isn't leaving Army. Maybe for the Duke job.

Cassese throws his name in the hat for every high profile opening. I would expect him to be in the running should the job open up.

Shay can be had at the right price. I think all Ivy coaches are going to be open to moving around given what happened with the league this year. Hopkins approached Shay last year and he didn't immediately say no. Obviously that job went to Milliman, another Ivy coach.

 

[MD Cuse Fan]

Alberici probably isn't leaving Army. Maybe for the Duke job.

Cassese throws his name in the hat for every high profile opening. I would expect him to be in the running should the job open up.

Shay can be had at the right price. I think all Ivy coaches are going to be open to moving around given what happened with the league this year. Hopkins approached Shay last year and he didn't immediately say no. Obviously that job went to Milliman, another Ivy coach.

I agree about Shay, for the right amount of money and what's happened with the Ivy the past couple seasons I'd imagine the time would be right to get someone in that situation. Now I really don't think they're moving on from Desko but the timing could be right if Shay is your guy.

 

[ThundrTroll]

I don't see Desko getting sacked.

There are a couple of West Genesee guys in Jeff Tambroni (Penn State, played at Hobart) and Dan Chemotti (Richmond, played at Duke) who I wouldn't overlook.

 

[Powellfan]

I don't see Desko getting sacked.

There are a couple of West Genesee guys in Jeff Tambroni (Penn State, played at Hobart) and Dan Chemotti (Richmond, played at Duke) who I wouldn't overlook.

Yes, I would include those two as well, but I think Tambroni took the Penn State job because his wife got a job opportunity there, and his record has been pretty mediocre without Ament. And Chemotti is impressive but I think he just leveraged the Hopkins opening for a new contract at Richmond. Who knows maybe a different situation would sway him but I’d say it’s a sign he stays.

Just as an aside, pretty crazy how many coaches have connections to Duke. Cassese, Murphy, Alberchi, Chemotti and I’m sure there are more I am missing.