raf4488
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As we are looking at the program’s worst season in several years and some believe a coaching change is necessary, I thought it would be good to look at recent performance. I don’t think any other program has had the sustained regular season success of SU since 2010, but high seeds have not translated into final fours and titles. SU always had the reputation for elevating their play in May, but we’ve seen the opposite recently.
2010 #2 seed, 1st round
2011 #1 seed, Quarters
2012 Unseeded, 1st round
2013 #1 seed, Title game
2014 #2 seed, 1st round
2015 #2 seed, Quarters
2016 #8 seed, Quarters
2017 #2 seed, Quarters
Earning a top 2 seed for 5 of the last 7 years is outstanding, but only one of those teams reached the final four and two lost at home in the first round to vastly inferior opponents. So what is the best way to judge this program's recent performance, and does this performance give us confidence in future success? The NCAA losses have been brutal, the regular seasons have been great for the most part.
Personally, I believe the consistently strong 14-15 game seasons show that Desko is still an excellent coach. We have probably been the strongest team in a juggernaut ACC since we joined in 2014. The early NCAA losses were very disappointing, but most of them were decided by a single goal. With a few more favorable bounces, it is possible that this era could’ve been viewed as an extremely successful period of SU lacrosse.
It is not the 1990s anymore. The explosion of revenue in college athletics has led to increased investment in lacrosse and other non-revenue sports. There are more D1 programs, and more schools are fully funding these programs. Talent now comes from across the country. SU still has its place among the elite, but this elite group is larger today, and this group does not win as often as it used to. The main reason SU has had less NCAA success is stronger competition, and this is not the fault of the coaching staff. Not saying they are blameless, but the sport has clearly changed.
2010 #2 seed, 1st round
2011 #1 seed, Quarters
2012 Unseeded, 1st round
2013 #1 seed, Title game
2014 #2 seed, 1st round
2015 #2 seed, Quarters
2016 #8 seed, Quarters
2017 #2 seed, Quarters
Earning a top 2 seed for 5 of the last 7 years is outstanding, but only one of those teams reached the final four and two lost at home in the first round to vastly inferior opponents. So what is the best way to judge this program's recent performance, and does this performance give us confidence in future success? The NCAA losses have been brutal, the regular seasons have been great for the most part.
Personally, I believe the consistently strong 14-15 game seasons show that Desko is still an excellent coach. We have probably been the strongest team in a juggernaut ACC since we joined in 2014. The early NCAA losses were very disappointing, but most of them were decided by a single goal. With a few more favorable bounces, it is possible that this era could’ve been viewed as an extremely successful period of SU lacrosse.
It is not the 1990s anymore. The explosion of revenue in college athletics has led to increased investment in lacrosse and other non-revenue sports. There are more D1 programs, and more schools are fully funding these programs. Talent now comes from across the country. SU still has its place among the elite, but this elite group is larger today, and this group does not win as often as it used to. The main reason SU has had less NCAA success is stronger competition, and this is not the fault of the coaching staff. Not saying they are blameless, but the sport has clearly changed.
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