Regardless of the Scanlan situation its time for a change at the Top | Syracusefan.com

Regardless of the Scanlan situation its time for a change at the Top

JeremyCuse

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I have debated posting this as I have been a Desko fan but this season has showed what most of us have known/thought for probably the last 5/6 years, its simply time for some fresh blood at the head of the program. Could it risk a mass exodus from the 2022 class that looks outstanding, yes, but I believe we have reached the end of the "but next year" rationalization for keeping the status quo.

Desko has kept the program more then competitive in the ACC and roughly a top 15 team each year but the post-season success has fallen off the cliff and it looks like the current regime has simply run out of answers. The lack of elite level recruiting has finally caught up and in the year of the super team we have been exposed. 4 blowout losses when the team wasn't competitive and the game was over by halftime is a damning indictment on how far the program has fallen. Blowout losses happen, once maybe twice a year but never like this. This SU team in the prime of the Desko era would have blasted ND on Sat after getting embarrassed earlier in the year, instead the game was over at half and we struggled to simply maintain possession without turning it over or winning a faceoff.

The problems we have are multiple and many are recurring issues that the fanbase has been screaming about for years. We have struggled with slides and off ball defense and the ability to defend the big little game for about a decade now and yet it's still an issue year after year after year. We still don't have an elite level attackmen despite Rehfuss having an outstanding year. Sowers, Gray and Kavanaugh are all top end attackmen that have carried there teams and have rarely been shut out or taken out of the game completely. We simply don't have a player like that on the roster and it shows. When ND's best defender took Rehfuss out of the game we had no answer. We tried to run the offense up top out of the midfield but after the first couple of possession ND adjusted and we had no answer. On the flipside defensively we again lack that elite lockdown defender. Were relying on a D3 transfer (a hell of a player by the way) to come in and be our #1 guy against an ACC featuring outside of Bernhardt the top attackmen in the nation. We put Wycokff in a no win situation and outside of Moore he has been beat up by Sowers, Kavanaugh, Gray, etc.

Personnel decisions continue to be baffling and often bizarre. As good as Phaup was against UVA last week it was clear by the end of the 1st quarter on Sat that he was going to struggle against ND's formidable duo. Yet we ran him out there until there was 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Why? Where was Varello where was Savage? Why did we sit on Savage's shirt for half the season, then burn it and then never have him see the field again? Why in a roster of a dozen plus midfielders are we running two converted attackmen on the 2nd line when of them (Ferris) is clearly not comfortable playing middie and the other (Cook) has been an offensive black hole. Where is Magnan, Fiorini, Lewis, Birtwistle etc. If the defense is continuing to struggle where are the other polls on the roster. Why have a roster of nearly 60 when half never play and you need to be Hiltz to play as a frosh. There are plenty of other examples but you get the point.

Just to many ongoing issues and questions that remain an issue year after year. Even the offense that was supposed to be the best since the champ teams of the late 2000's has grossly underperformed. The 1st midfield has been inconsistent with 2/3rds often MIA, Curry hasn't been close to a 1st team AA and we have struggled to get Hiltz invovled for long stretches and have completely abandoned him dodging. I am unclear at times what March is trying to do beyond initiating from up top with the middies or inverting or the occasional dodge from Rehfuss when he isn't drawing an elite defender. What happened to initiating form the wings, what happened to the crisp ball movement, where is the transition and fast break offense we saw make a bit of a comeback 2 years ago?

In the end the bottom line is 1 final four in 12 years, none in 7 years and soon to be 8 and a team that hasn't' been a post-season factor since 2013 or gotten out of the 1st round since 2017 and then promptly got blown out. The 2022 recruiting class offers a potential return to the SU of old but at this point do you a trust a 12-2 SU squad to get to the final four or is it more likely they get upset in the 1st round again. The fact that you have to hesitate to answer that question tells you all you need to know. I like John Desko he was/is a legend at SU but its clear to anyone being objective that his era has come to an end. SU can't wait till it completely falls apart like Hopkins, its' to make a change.
 
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I have debated posting this as I have been a Desko fan but this season has showed what most of us have known/thought for probably the last 5/6 years, its simply time for some fresh blood at the head of the program. Could it risk a mass exodus from the 2022 class that looks outstanding, yes, but I believe we have reached the end of the "but next year" rationalization for keeping the status quo.

Desko has kept the program more then competitive in the ACC and roughly a top 15 team each year but the post-season success has fallen off the cliff and it looks like the current regime has simply run out of answers. The lack of elite level recruiting has finally caught up and in the year of the super team we have been exposed. 4 blowout losses when the team wasn't competitive and the game was over by halftime is a damning indictment on how far the program has fallen. Blowout losses happen, once maybe twice a year but never like this. This SU team in the prime of the Desko era would have blasted ND on Sat after getting embarrassed earlier in the year, instead the game was over at half and we struggled to simply maintain possession without turning it over or winning a faceoff.

The problems we have are multiple and many are recurring issues that the fanbase has been screaming about for years. We have struggled with slides and off ball defense and the ability to defend the big little game for about a decade now and yet it's still an issue year after year after year. We still don't have an elite level attackmen despite Rehfuss having an outstanding year. Sowers, Gray and Kavanaugh are all top end attackmen that have carried there teams and have rarely been shut out or taken out of the game completely. We simply don't have a player like that on the roster and it shows. When ND's best defender took Rehfuss out of the game we had no answer. We tried to run the offense up top out of the midfield but after the first couple of possession ND adjusted and we had no answer. On the flipside defensively we again lack that elite lockdown defender. Were relying on a D3 transfer (a hell of a player by the way) to come in and be our #1 guy against an ACC featuring outside of Bernhardt the top attackmen in the nation. We put Wycokff in a no win situation and outside of Moore he has been beat up by Sowers, Kavanaugh, Gray, etc.

Personnel decisions continue to be baffling and often bizarre. As good as Phaup was against UVA last week it was clear by the end of the 1st quarter on Sat that he was going to struggle against ND's formidable duo. Yet we ran him out there until there was 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Why? Where was Varello where was Savage? Why did we sit on Savage's shirt for half the season, then burn it and then never have him see the field again? Why in a roster of a dozen plus midfielders are we running two converted attackmen on the 2nd line when of them (Ferris) is clearly not comfortable playing middie and the other (Cook) has been an offensive black hole. Where is Magnan, Fiorini, Lewis, Birtwistle etc. If the defense is continuing to struggle where are the other polls on the roster. Why have a roster of nearly 60 when half never play and you need to be Hiltz to play as a frosh. There are plenty of other examples but you get the point.

Just to many ongoing issues and questions that remain an issue year after year. Even the offense that was supposed to be the best since the champ teams of the late 2000's has grossly underperformed. The 1st midfield has been inconsistent with 2/3rds often MIA, Curry hasn't been close to a 1st team AA and we have struggled to get Hiltz invovled for long stretches and have completely abandoned him dodging. I am unclear at times what March is trying to do beyond initiating from up top with the middies or inverting or the occasional dodge from Rehfuss when he isn't drawing an elite defender. What happened to initiating form the wings, what happened to the crisp ball movement, where is the transition and fast break offense we saw make a bit of a comeback 2 years ago?

In the end the bottom line is 1 final four in 12 years, none in 7 years and soon to be 8 and a team that hasn't' been a post-season factor since 2013 or gotten out of the 1st round since 2017 and then promptly got blown out. The 2022 recruiting class offers a potential return to the SU of old but at this point do you a trust a 12-2 SU squad to get to the final four or is it more likely they get upset in the 1st round again. The fact that you have to hesitate to answer that question tells you all you need to know. I like John Desko he was/is a legend at SU but its clear to anyone being objective that his era has come to an end. SU can't wait till it completely falls apart like Hopkins, its' to make a change.

Like you Jeremy I have always been a Desko fan but I can't argue with any of what you said here.
 
So who then? Realistically, who at that level can fill his shoes? REALISTICALLY, who?
 
My largest complaint with the staff is recruiting on long pole D. Unlike with the O, it very much is a talent issue. Wycoff was an excellent portal pick up, but he should not be our number 1 guy. How have we not had one guy in the 2019 OR 2020 class who is an impact from day 1 type long pole? Mellen, Kennedy, Firman, Helmer, Cunningham, all these guys came in on day 1 and did big things for us. The fact that a Furman recruit Horan is out there now, and not a project still behind a couple guys, is completely unacceptable. The starting line up this year should have been DePietro, Wycoff, and a freaking highly rated Kennedy/Mellen type younger stud who is in line to be the new number 11, with Murphy as a reliable back up. Clary is our only young long pole recruit worthy of Syracuse lax and he is injured, but what can happen will. The lack of depth at D is worthy of all the heat. The losses at SSDM are truly unfortunate with our 2nd and 3rd having been out and potentially our 4th best in Woody out for the season. It is a big ask for any team in the nation to shake that off. Olexo is not incompetent and a top 4 of Dearth, Dami, Aviles, and Olexo should be enough talent to get the job done.

As for O I think the talent is there and we need to get better with how it is used down the stretch. We should move Curry down to attack. It was discussed by some very early in the year and more and more that is looking like quality analysis. Seeing Curry get little to no points the last few games is unacceptable given his talent. He has all the talent in the world. He is already not seeing the field as much as he should due to faceoffs, but then you add that he sits while an extremely weak 2nd middie line goes out and does nothing (they would be strong if Buttermore was healthy and Seebold was not at attack to replace scanlan). He has no injury or stamina concerns like Dordevic and is already inverting on a large percentage of his dodges. He looks to pass more than our other starting mids. Him and Dordevic are our matchup nightmares when they get going so the goal has to be to get them going as much as possible like your sharp shooters in basketball. Putting the ball in the cage is the best way to help our D.

As for the current staff being kicked out? I suppose I have moved from firmly against it to on the fence. 2022 is March's first real recruiting class and it is a top 5 class in the nation on O. We most likely get another year of Curry Dordevic Quinn and Seebold next year. That along with further development from Hiltz, some young talent hopefully stepping up and I think we stay competitive. We lose some talent but so do all the ACC schools. Then the Spallina show begins and it almost definitely fills in the need for that truly quality attack that we have been craving (although I think Rehfuss is doing that for us this year overall). I very much still want that to happen, along with the highly rated D recruits/ssdm worthy athletes in that class. In fact I am willing to put up with my many gripes with the staffs recent performance to see that happen. Is this year truly worthy of blowing it all up? Dami and Aviles return which is huge as your D is only as good as your weakest link. We have Bobby Mo and then some time off to get healthy, adjust to personnel changes, and put some more mental distance between the team and this scanlan nonsense. Get past the first round and hang with or beat an elite team in the second, and im fully against blowing it all up.

This is one of the more competitive years of college lax that I can remember and it is certainly the most competitive era. There has been a new national champ every year since 2014. MD is the only school that has put together true consistency (even Duke had a period of early exits and poor records in 15-17). It is a dog eat dog world out there and this year jacked it up to 11 with the ivy transfers and extra eligibility. Desko picked a bad year to have the rug pulled out from under him at the x (going from one of the best to one of the worst off of a sudden rule change), picked a bad year for a scandal (for which I truly believe he is not the main one at fault) that is clearly rocking the teams mental state, and picked a bad year to lose key depth at the crucial SSDM position late. I feel for him and what he has gone through. I also know that we have put it together at times this year. The UVA faceoff success i think is truly a fluke, and the D even with the SSDMs back will still give up goals to elite teams, but I have not given up on the O, which has real talent and was truly was getting it done earlier in the season even against good teams, and O can still get you wins in spite of deficiencies elsewhere. Ask me again in a month, but for now my final answer is that it is hard to drop the current crew at present given the circumstances.
 
So who then? Realistically, who at that level can fill his shoes? REALISTICALLY, who?

There are multiple realistic options of coaches who likely be considered if the job was open, most of which have been mentioned numerous times before on here and I think you know that.

March will definitely get a look based on his recruiting ability and the impression that he is an excellent up and coming coach.

Shay will likely get a call but I think he is unlikely to leave unless SU makes a sizeable offer but its not impossible for sure.

Chemotti would be a candidate for obvious reasons being a Syracuse area guy though he played at Duke.

Murphy at Penn has done a nice job and I could see being in the mix but he's a duke guy with no local connections. Not a disqualifier by any chance but could come into play depending on what the Admin is looking for.

I don't believe Tiffany or another high level HC would be an option outside of maybe Shay so I won't list them. Galloway hasn't done enough at Jax to be a realistic candidate.

I don't believe Alberici or Tambroni would be good fits for SU.
I don't think SU would have any interest in Petro or Marr.

Cassese would be a guy I could see on the short list, good success at Lehigh, good but not great recruiting and a guy primed for a bigger job.

Shay, March, Chemotti, Murphy and Cassese would all be realistic options and there is likely 1 or 2 more that I can't think of off the top of my head.
 
Jeremy, well said.

My frustration this year has come from the defensive end and at the X. Im glad Phaup had a good game against UVA, but he has let the team down all season. We never stood a chance against any big teams this year because we never had possession... The O never had an opportunity to settle in. SU would have blown Duke out if they won more than 2 faceoffs... The offense has to play on pins and needles because they need to be perfect - they know the ball is going the other direction at the faceoff. Hard to get into a rhythm like that. As mentioned above - why haven't changes been made on faceoffs? Its pretty darn clear things aren't working out as is. Why not give some of these guys on the bench a shot?

As far as defense, thank goodness Porter is one of the best goalies I've ever seen. Can you imagine if we didn't have him? The D hangs him out to dry constantly. Slides are a mess and they look like they are just going through the motions. I wish we had a true lockdown defender like Mellen (when he wasn't broken in one way or another).

The offense has been stale at times, but I haven't given up on them. They have so much talent and they don't get to see the ball very much...
 
Good post Jeremey. The one thing that has me nervous about making a move, like you stated, is the 2022 class of recruits. But Desko does not have a good track record of keeping recruits on board and I beleive this summer/fall will be quite stressful as we wait for singing day. Just waiting for that dreaded Ty Xanders tweet telling us one of the top kids has decommitted (for the umteenth time) and I imagine this board will be in full meltdown mode. I imagine Tillman, Breschi, Tiffany, Corrigan, etc pestering some of these kids a good amount. Also, I don't think they would be guaranteed to lose out on the kids already committed if they did make a change. I think there might be a bigger risk in keep the current staff if I am being honest.

Doctah - good post as well, as always. I'm still digesting most of it, but I think waiting for things to turn around next year will not bring us the results we want. Yes, other teams will lose players, but when I look at rosters for other teams, there are a lot of good players returning. Duke loses a lot but I don't think they relied on their 5th years as much as we thought they would - they still bring back Montgomery, Caputo, Williams, O'Neil and Robertson. Even losing Sowers they might have the best attack in the country. UNC returns the presumptive Tewaarton favorite in Grey, ND adds to their Kavanaugh stockpile by one in Chris, a top 5 recruit. I could go on, but what I'm trying to say is that while Syracuse returns some nice pieces in 2021, I think they will still be behind the same teams they are now. All the eggs were in this basket and its gone really badly. Again, next year's defense, on paper will lose some really important pieces and they lose their best offensive player in Rhefuss. Maybe there are some hidden gems in next year's class, but right now it doesn't look that way. They should and probably will mine the transfer portal, but its not going to look like last year's and they'll still be competing with other top teams for that talent.

A lot of these issues are out of Desko's hands, yes, but some of them aren't, and I am not buying some of the excuses. Yes, they are down big on the SSDMs but they weren't in blow out losses to Army and ND (the first time). The face-off rule change effected everyone, not just SU. I just can't see things getting better and if you wait another year, when things potentially could get worse, then you're starting from an even weaker position from a rebuilding standpoint. Yes, the coaches will have to the end of the season, and it's been a weird one and maybe they'll surprise us, but if things end like I think they will (most likely another first round exit), I think its time to make a change.
 
Jeremy like your post and assessments all over the field. Subsitutions, desko, state of the program...well you know what you wrote:)

I would add...

Going into the season I also thought that Drake Porter was going to be the best goalie in the ACC. I know a lot of goals have been the result of our ball watching defense and shots where he has no chance to stop point blank. I would argue there has not been elite play in net on some outside shots or even some lucky saves because our goalie is so athletic and throwing himself around back in net. If I look back on our championship teams it felt like we always had great play in the cage. Games where our goalie kept it close when we had no business being in a game. Times where I would say that god we have Galloway back there or Mulligan or Pfifer, etc. I also believe our goalies always had incredible vision and crisp outlet passes to set up fast clears. Our offense was all about speed and movement starting in the movement from defense to offense. Transition goals were our trademark. Maybe the game has changed because not a lot of teams play that way. Even in the ACC I don't feel like there are a lot of run and gun teams. I miss the days when lacrosse was the fastest game on two feet. Now it is more set plays on offense and the best players winning matchups.
 
I'm a grumpy old man who hates change (well, actually I'm a grumpy middle-aged man).

It's bad enough that I'll have to learn the names of an entirely new football coaching staff next year, and I'll have to learn the names of a brand new basketball coaching staff in a few more years.

Now you want me to remember new LAX coaches too?

Is there no end to your cruelty?
 
There are multiple realistic options of coaches who likely be considered if the job was open, most of which have been mentioned numerous times before on here and I think you know that.

March will definitely get a look based on his recruiting ability and the impression that he is an excellent up and coming coach.

Shay will likely get a call but I think he is unlikely to leave unless SU makes a sizeable offer but its not impossible for sure.

Chemotti would be a candidate for obvious reasons being a Syracuse area guy though he played at Duke.

Murphy at Penn has done a nice job and I could see being in the mix but he's a duke guy with no local connections. Not a disqualifier by any chance but could come into play depending on what the Admin is looking for.

I don't believe Tiffany or another high level HC would be an option outside of maybe Shay so I won't list them. Galloway hasn't done enough at Jax to be a realistic candidate.

I don't believe Alberici or Tambroni would be good fits for SU.
I don't think SU would have any interest in Petro or Marr.

Cassese would be a guy I could see on the short list, good success at Lehigh, good but not great recruiting and a guy primed for a bigger job.

Shay, March, Chemotti, Murphy and Cassese would all be realistic options and there is likely 1 or 2 more that I can't think of off the top of my head.
And we get the same list as always. As I expected.
 
A lot of these issues are out of Desko's hands, yes, but some of them aren't, and I am not buying some of the excuses. Yes, they are down big on the SSDMs but they weren't in blow out losses to Army and ND (the first time). The face-off rule change effected everyone, not just SU. I just can't see things getting better and if you wait another year, when things potentially could get worse, then you're starting from an even weaker position from a rebuilding standpoint. Yes, the coaches will have to the end of the season, and it's been a weird one and maybe they'll surprise us, but if things end like I think they will (most likely another first round exit), I think its time to make a change.
With the face offs it is something that everyone had to deal with but who has come out on top and on the bottom this year is somewhat random. Teams that are doing well aren't doing it out of some genius coaching maneuvers, they are doing it because they happen to have guys who do well under the new rules. Desko deserves no heat for Phaup and Varello happening to struggle massively under the new rules. Does he deserve heat specifically for things like not going to Varello sooner or trying savage on Saturday? Yes, but having two guys who were the best two headed monster in the acc now be the worst is simply bad luck, and that is the fundamental issue at the x. It's not like we can just start calling Desko a bad recruiter at the X. He has clearly been a good one recently with Williams transitioning into the duo who was doing big things for us in 2019. Both Williams and Phaup were under the radar guys. I want to give him a chance to bring in a Williams style transfer now that the new rules are established and our incompetence there is a known issue.

Our issues with recruiting look like they are starting to be addressed in 2022. We are making inroads for the modern game, getting a lot of players who are excelling in the main prevailing hotbeds of MD and Long Island and having a high impact on the travel circuit. March has valuable connections. The best player in the class of 2022 is committed to play here in 2 years. We lose some of those inroads if we change the staff now and would also more than likely lose Spallina. On top of that the list of acceptable new coaches is so damn small. Would I blow up the 2022 recruiting class to bring in a Cassese or a Chemotti who only strike me as maybes for success rather than a slam dunk? Hell no. Also we have to realize that a new coach likely means no more Pat March who has shown promise. It most likely means moving everybody out and finding some O and D coordinators who could be hit or miss. My list would basically be the highest of high quality in the Ivy league who may be sick of Ivy league BS. That would be Shay and Murphy at Penn (some might even think he has not done quite enough). If people think this year is so horribly bad that it warrants blowing up the 2022 recruiting class and bringing in a 6-5 head coach at Richmond or a Lehigh coach who was 9-8 in the last full season...I think that is letting your emotions get the better of you. I would support a new coordinator at D.
 
Did this board exist in 2007? Did it burst into flames and have to be rebuilt?
 
And we get the same list as always. As I expected.

So whats the answer then, just keep the status quo until Desko retires and then shut the program down? The passive aggressive responses aren't needed, if you think Desko is still the guy then make your case.
 
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The potential to lose guys already committed (namely Spallina) should have zero, and I mean ZERO, bearing on the decision to move on from this staff or not. There will be people who argue the staff should stay until they bring the 2022 recruiting class to campus and you should not listen to them. If a program needs a change then it needs a change. No single class or individual player is going to change the trajectory of the program on their own if the other issues are systemic. You take the temporary recruiting hit, rebuild, and you'll be better for it in 2-3 years. Plus, maybe Spallina et al maintain their commitments. He strikes me as a kid who'd have gone to Syracuse no matter who the coach was.

Look at Virginia. Look at Hopkins. They have had a tough year, yes, but these last two games show why they were right to make the change when they did. Milliman is going to have them back in the top 10 in a year or two. Another staff with a different perspective and a different style can have Syracuse back in the annual Final Four discussion but you have to be willing to deal with the growing pains.
 
Jeremy like your post and assessments all over the field. Subsitutions, desko, state of the program...well you know what you wrote:)

I would add...

Going into the season I also thought that Drake Porter was going to be the best goalie in the ACC. I know a lot of goals have been the result of our ball watching defense and shots where he has no chance to stop point blank. I would argue there has not been elite play in net on some outside shots or even some lucky saves because our goalie is so athletic and throwing himself around back in net. If I look back on our championship teams it felt like we always had great play in the cage. Games where our goalie kept it close when we had no business being in a game. Times where I would say that god we have Galloway back there or Mulligan or Pfifer, etc. I also believe our goalies always had incredible vision and crisp outlet passes to set up fast clears. Our offense was all about speed and movement starting in the movement from defense to offense. Transition goals were our trademark. Maybe the game has changed because not a lot of teams play that way. Even in the ACC I don't feel like there are a lot of run and gun teams. I miss the days when lacrosse was the fastest game on two feet. Now it is more set plays on offense and the best players winning matchups.

I became a Syracuse fan back in the mid 90's because of the style they played, it was awesome and beyond fun to watch. Yes the game has mostly slowed down for years now but I've pined for the days Syracuse would ramp up the run and gun!
 
Jeremy, Just a few factors to consider as it pertains to this year only. Not going to comment on past years or personnel decisions. Those stand alone.

1) C19 made this year so very unusual. Can be said same for all but it certainly impacted. No fall ball, no access to certain facilities , minimal off field interaction allowed , practices are get on get off and gatherings are still restricted limiting interaction. and integration. Fall practice hindered by suspension of several keys then resumption of practices much later than most others which showed vs Army. Prevailing environment still makes it more difficult to recover what you lost in off season prep, ie film study and meetings still via zoom.

2) Injuries, every team has them but defensive depth and versatilty was hit early and then later again with injuries to Clary , Aviles and then DP . Made for fewer options , unable to shift and adjust. .Barlow could have been playing dm, Kennedy might have been able to shift back down as needed.

3) Transfers and rule changes. Dont need to regurgitate the names that went elsewhere but others added more that strengthened .Season might be completely different if Cuse pursued a Gallagher or Ierlan aggressively but who truly knew that changing faceoff rules in offseason would impact some good ones so greatly.

4) Current player support for Desko. Blood is already in the water and know some sharks already already circling. if the support is truly there does some remaining keys enter portal if a change is made . Already figure some depth will enter. Recruiting has turned up. Do some recruits second guess their decision if Desko leaves and March moves on . Finally the thought that a HOF career is partially tied to a stain nauseates. Be removing that first .

Not a enjoyable year , expectations were too high and it's been tainted by much . My take is it be better to have a planned and orderly transition in a normal year just as many corporations do. nm
 
Your insane if you think they hire outside of a. SU alum. There have been only 4 coaches in the last 100 years+ Sure hasn’t worked out well for Hopkins. You hire outside of SU and you completely burn any and all championship legacy. I do not believe they will fire Desko but should they the choice should be Gary Gait he is the biggest name in SU lacrosse history with head coaching experience. He has done an amazing job building the women’s team and has publicly said if he could win a championship with the women he would love to go back to the men’s game. He fills all the criteria
 
The potential to lose guys already committed (namely Spallina) should have zero, and I mean ZERO, bearing on the decision to move on from this staff or not. There will be people who argue the staff should stay until they bring the 2022 recruiting class to campus and you should not listen to them. If a program needs a change then it needs a change. No single class or individual player is going to change the trajectory of the program on their own if the other issues are systemic. You take the temporary recruiting hit, rebuild, and you'll be better for it in 2-3 years. Plus, maybe Spallina et al maintain their commitments. He strikes me as a kid who'd have gone to Syracuse no matter who the coach was.

Look at Virginia. Look at Hopkins. They have had a tough year, yes, but these last two games show why they were right to make the change when they did. Milliman is going to have them back in the top 10 in a year or two. Another staff with a different perspective and a different style can have Syracuse back in the annual Final Four discussion but you have to be willing to deal with the growing pains.
I guess I look at recent changes like March in for for long long time OC Donahue, as well as the make up of the 2022 recruiting class, and it makes me feel like the issues with Cuse are not truly "systemic." Both of those to me look like a staff/admin that is making real attempts to adapt to changes by hiring outside of the family and leaning in to the travel circuit/MD and LI hotbeds in a way that we haven't in the past. I agree in a sense that it should not hold all on a recruiting class, but to me this recruiting class signifies change, along with being our strongest in almost a decade. As you say about Milliman having a tough year but most likely bringing Hopkins back to prominence in 2-3 years, I feel like these recent changes to our approach could be fulfilled positively in 2-3 years and built upon. I would accept a D coordinator change or a top of the top head coach change if we bring them in and (this goes without saying) I certainly hope your hunch is right about Spallina and his commitment.
 
I'm 100% on-board.

This is business like any other business. And when there is consistent performance issues, you make changes...not just for tomorrow, but for the future of the "company".

This "company" and culture is being left behind, out maneuvered and out innovated,,,and its leadership is slipping further and further away from relevance to the new generation of players who want a coach who is "all in".

I recall speaking with Nate Soloman's parents at one scrimmage who said Nicky wanted UNC because Breschi was "one of the boys". ... Look at Shay, Tillman,,,even Dino...last night he was racing up and down the sidelines giving high fives for good plays and at one point on a hot mic ran over to a group of guys coming off and said "get your S--T together - He's all in .

We've got to rip the band aid off now - short term pain for the long term gain.

It needs to be carefully managed with a transition plan in place to mitigate loss of future prospects...perhaps a guy like Shay coming in would actually galvanize the recruits instead of turn them away?

I don't see things getting better. I'm ready,
 
Your insane if you think they hire outside of a. SU alum. There have been only 4 coaches in the last 100 years+ Sure hasn’t worked out well for Hopkins. You hire outside of SU and you completely burn any and all championship legacy. I do not believe they will fire Desko but should they the choice should be Gary Gait he is the biggest name in SU lacrosse history with head coaching experience. He has done an amazing job building the women’s team and has publicly said if he could win a championship with the women he would love to go back to the men’s game. He fills all the criteria

The Gait ship has sailed, he's not a viable option.
 
The Gait ship has sailed, he's not a viable option.
I've said it before in other threads - I want no part of someone who has not been involved in the NCAA men's game for, well, forever.

And I love GG and all he's done for SU WLax.

Edit: and all he did for SU MLax, putting us on the map as a player.
 
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