A bit of an "old man yelling at the sky" rant from me, but here it goes. I just can't get over the radio interview Gait did prior to this game, in the midst of a two game losing streak, sunglasses on, cruising down I-81. Call me old fashion, I just can't picture any of the other successful coaches like Tillman or Corrigan presenting themselves that way. It may seem like nothing, but it just irks me for some reason.
A poster after the Cornell game made a point about the way the benches for each team looked during the game. I can't remember exactly the post, but something about the Big Red sideline being organized and clean, while the Orange seemed sloppier by comparison. At the time I thought it was overblown and I almost responded with a sanctimonious, "seriously???". Now I am singing a different tune, and I think that poster was on to something (sorry for not remembering the name).
The game of college lacrosse right now is ruled by dictators who have their hooks into every aspect of their program, and leave almost nothing to chance. The Corrigans, the Tillmans, and yes younger and up and coming coaches like Chemotti and even Buzec. These guys run their programs with an iron precision. Yes, they've been lucky enough to coach some great players, but almost year and year out they are building consistiant contenders.
For years and years, Syracuse was known as the high flying, shoot first ask questions later type of team. It was fun and exciting and in total contrast to other teams like Hopkins and Princeton which were led by control freaks who didn't want their own players to be flashy. Now that the landscape has "evened out" with lots more talent however, it's clear to me that Syracuse isn't making any headway with their free flowing brand of lacrosse.
It saddens me, but if SU wants to break through and make it to Memorial Day again, they need discipline and focus. This team has talent, but without hall of fame players, their run and gun ways won't be successful. You need to have a solid foundation to fall back on, and right now the Orange have nowhere to put their feet. They are in free fall.
I don't know the inner workings of how the SU program operates, but it seems to me that coach Gait is way too hands off. Listening to interview with players you get the idea that Gait isn't very hands on, and lets his assistants do most of the work. This is not the way forward in the modern game. These last few games have shown a team that doesn't have the mental makeup to make a late charge into the postseason. Syracuse used to be able to get away with not playing the best for four quarters, knowing eventually a Powell brother would bail them out. This team, for as much talent as it has, does not have that sort of star power to pull that off. Unfortunately, it acts like it does.
To me, teams like Virginia, Duke and UNC can get away with this "stars" based model, because they bring in top 5 recruiting classes every single year. But we've also seen how that can back fire when talent doesn't live up to the hype. Just look at Virginia and Duke this year, and UNC for the last couple of years. Notre Dame seems to strike the balance between having a solid foundation along with having stars/top 5 recruiting. Syracuse is probably not going to reach that level of recruiting, they need a coaching edge, and right now they don't have it.
It's not always perfect, obviously (Chemotti has yet to win tournament game, Cornell missed the tourny last year even with CJ Kirst, Corrigan took many years to win his first title, etc). That said there is a focus and togetherness of these programs right now that Syracuse just seems to be lacking. I also have a hard time imaging any of those coaches squandering the talent SU has right now. When these types of programs lose top players, you almost always know they'll be replaced with another very good player who will carry out that coaches vision.
If things continue to go wrong for the Orange, I hope they move on from Gait and focus their efforts on a staff that will bring discipline and rigor to a team badly in need of it. Hopefully there is still room for the lacrosse we all fell in love with, but first they need to focus on winning games.
