Writing is on the wall for Gait, this isnt gonna work.

[JeremyCuse]

Hottle was a human turnover yesterday.

Didn't really want him anywhere near the ball in the last minute.

Very true but your looking for speed in that situation or ability to absorb checks. I would have gone English or Anderson or Rice first but I could see a case for Hottle.

 

[CuseAlum87]

I am no Lacrosse expert (first post I think) but it seems like having a Faceoff wizard should be a cheat code when you have fairly evenly matched teams? And yet it's a constant struggle. How

Strong goalie play, too many turnovers, an inefficient offense etc. it's what you do with the extra possessions that make the difference. also, in a low scoring game(not many face offs) the advantage isn't as large.

 

[cuselaxss26]

Well as said english cramped up shortly before that hiltz double turnover. So possible he wasn’t full speed or was hurting so didn’t want to risk it. Also not like he hasn’t made wrong move in double team either before. Only thing can think of is coaching staff had hiltz do it vs ND n prob our most accurate shooter n assumed he could prob take step or two up n throw it in net. Also problem was hiltz froze on what he wanted to do. Almost like he wanted to just try play keep away or be pushed out or run for the hills. Running for hills should always be the call.

But blame coaches not having rice n even mccarthy on so can get back on D if what happens happen. But also like said can’t play stall ball 3 mins left up 2. Yes can waste clock while trying to attack. McCarthy turnover is all on him. He could have ran straight thru the shorty before double could get there but he stopped which is big no no. Think if he just ran n either tried to truck the shorty at midline or just ran he’s getting pushed from behind. Which ball is ours again. But mccarthy also could turned back n went to our pole behind as still had time to get it over.

Think it shows in final seconds or min of tight important game our guys seem to panic or not make the calm correct choice. Can’t blame that on coaches. But all the other things stated the use of timeouts def on coaches for sure. Also will blame coaches lil bit on our players just throwing a stupid far no chance shot at end of shot clock. It happen least 2-3 times joey , hottle n wanna say leo did also. I get if once even twice (grant after once should say something) but can’t do that makes way to easy of save n clear fast break chance.

But overall the weekend was a huge success. Now is the time gait n coaches need to prove their self. Made tounry now go make a run. Mccool didn’t have single save in 4th so hopefully this was his let down game n next one he’s back to 20saves. 10 TO in first half also problem need be fix. Also emo has to bury their chances 0-3 come on. They had chances but spallina hits post on one n deere rushes shot on another. Deere had least two more steps could took and throw fake or two before shot. Just still stupid unforced mental mistakes being made. But overall pleased with the teams play. Let’s keep it rolling !

 

[Powellfan]

Definitely would have liked to see the offense play with a bit more urgency down the stretch yesterday. There were a number of good shots that just missed when they were up by three, and I thought getting to four would have completely iced the game. Just felt like they started running out the clock with too much time left. With a stout defense and locked in FOGO, I see why that strategy made sense, but in the end it played into Duke's hands. SU was lucky that two of the last three Duke possessions ended in sloppy turnovers.

Also thought Matt Ward made a good point on the broadcast - better to throw the ball into the corner on those late possessions than working for a poor shot. They allowed Duke to clear easily and didn't waste much time. If you are going to commit to burning the clock, then really commit to it. Plus SU was giving Duke fits on the ride all game. Make them earn the clear and take some more seconds off the clock.

Having Hiltz be the primary ball carrier to end the game was surprising to me as well. It worked out against Notre Dame on Friday (scoring the empty net goal), so perhaps we should have expected it. I didn't mind him having the ball before the second time out, but giving him the ball to start the last possession, after he just sprinted around for a good 30 seconds seemed not very smart. Perhaps they were worried about English's health after the head shot he took? Maybe Hiltz, as a captain, just demanded the ball. Again, just hope they learn from it.

Last point, but thought Anderson was awesome yesterday, and that his best play didn't result in a goal. I thought he would be a bull in the China shop type of player prior to the season, him not having a classic box lacrosse background, I didn't give his passing much thought. But he made a terrific skip pass late in the game to Thomson that the attackman just couldn't finish. It was one of the best passes I saw all game. He's a really talented and it's not just do to his size and athletic traits. If he keeps playing that way this team will go far.

 

[cusefan88]

I think it boils down to Gait could get a lot more out of the team (at least this seasons team).

The bad turnovers and hustle. If they limit that type of play they can win the title but it's very inconsistent.

I'm hoping the run in Charlotte shows the roster what they can do when they're mentally engaged and ready for the whole game.

 

[DoctahLexus]

Definitely would have liked to see the offense play with a bit more urgency down the stretch yesterday. There were a number of good shots that just missed when they were up by three, and I thought getting to four would have completely iced the game. Just felt like they started running out the clock with too much time left. With a stout defense and locked in FOGO, I see why that strategy made sense, but in the end it played into Duke's hands. SU was lucky that two of the last three Duke possessions ended in sloppy turnovers.

Also thought Matt Ward made a good point on the broadcast - better to throw the ball into the corner on those late possessions than working for a poor shot. They allowed Duke to clear easily and didn't waste much time. If you are going to commit to burning the clock, then really commit to it. Plus SU was giving Duke fits on the ride all game. Make them earn the clear and take some more seconds off the clock.

Having Hiltz be the primary ball carrier to end the game was surprising to me as well. It worked out against Notre Dame on Friday (scoring the empty net goal), so perhaps we should have expected it. I didn't mind him having the ball before the second time out, but giving him the ball to start the last possession, after he just sprinted around for a good 30 seconds seemed not very smart. Perhaps they were worried about English's health after the head shot he took? Maybe Hiltz, as a captain, just demanded the ball. Again, just hope they learn from it.

Last point, but thought Anderson was awesome yesterday, and that his best play didn't result in a goal. I thought he would be a bull in the China shop type of player prior to the season, him not having a classic box lacrosse background, I didn't give his passing much thought. But he made a terrific skip pass late in the game to Thomson that the attackman just couldn't finish. It was one of the best passes I saw all game. He's a really talented and it's not just do to his size and athletic traits. If he keeps playing that way this team will go far.

Agree with Ward on those poor shots being potentially risky compared to throwing it in the corner, but we did the bare minimum of getting back on defense quickly and not giving them any opportunities in transition. Night and day from the first game against Duke, where nearly half of their goals came in transition.

Agree that it was a huge game from Anderson. Taking the body against that slightly smaller lsm and finding the back of the cage is exactly what we need from him. And he has absolutely shown flashes as a passer too. He is the future of this team, but he is also the present. Think we have him in a good spot adding some much needed firepower to the second middie line.

 

[ColdAnger]

Team played excellent this weekend, everyone deserves credit including the staff, much better performance against Duke and another win against a ND team who has had our # a half decade +.

That said there was still some questionable decisions by the staff late in both games though certainly more for Duke. Certainly McCarthy clearing up the sideline right into a double trap is on him but the staff also has to let him know hey the double is coming, stay away from the sideline as much as possible. They actually had a great play on where Hiltz came over and was wide open for the pass. That's not on the staff per se but it has happened to many times the last few years to be noted as a one off either.

The more egregious one was the final possession for SU. First we took the second timeout when Hiltz wasn't in trouble, why burn it there when he's essentially running free? We also called it when he was below GLE so on the re-start he could't shoot at the next, that's 100% on the staff. I love Hiltz but there's no universe where he should be the guy on the re-start, he's not the most fleet of foot and you could see that turnover coming a mile away. The re-start has to be either with English or Anderson, maybe Hottle if you hoping his size can squeeze through the double and just run around with that speed. It's those little things that are frustrating because we nearly went to OT ona a game we had zero business losing. Still the team/staff got the job done, hopefully it continues.

What big moments has this staff coached in? When compared to Corrigan or Danowski or Tillman who have been there done that, over and over and over, their experience pales in comparison. I think Gait and staff deserve the opportunity to grow as a leadership team and you only do that within the crucible of competition.

 

[PAcuse]

What big moments has this staff coached in? When compared to Corrigan or Danowski or Tillman who have been there done that, over and over and over, their experience pales in comparison. I think Gait and staff deserve the opportunity to grow as a leadership team and you only do that within the crucible of competition.

You might want to check Gary's coaching career over...
7 straight National Championships as an assistant for MD woman's team
All his trips to the final four and NC with our woman's team
Plus he played in some the most pressure filled games while at SU

 

[UrbanaOrange]

What big moments has this staff coached in? When compared to Corrigan or Danowski or Tillman who have been there done that, over and over and over, their experience pales in comparison. I think Gait and staff deserve the opportunity to grow as a leadership team and you only do that within the crucible of competition.

Great take!

 

[SULAXAHOLIC]

I remember being at Stony Brook playing Hopkins in the quarterfinals in 2006 and Desko gave a freshman Dan Hardy the ball to try to break a double Greg Peyser picked up a long pole to help double. Hardy was stripped quickly Desko took a lot of crap over it maybe fair maybe not. His logic was Hardy played his entire high school career being doubled and gave him a shot. I can’t fault Gary for putting faith in one of his most reliable players to make a play. It’s a roll of the dice no matter what you choose

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

How do people feel about using Mullen to break the double? Good strength and speed. Used to getting beat up. Warped head for better ball retention. I suggested this to Shrmdougluvr Jr and he thought "no bueno."

 

[swish7]

Laughing that this thread was bumped. Good lord let it slide.

People seem confused on what a 'great coach' is. I don't know, but final 4s are a good marker. Program turnarounds are a good marker.

DI Men's Lacrosse Championship History | NCAA.com

The complete list of NCAA Men's Lacrosse DI champions from the first season to today.

www.ncaa.com

A quick scan shows these names

• Corrigan
• Tillman
• Tiffany
• Shay
• Breschi
• Tierney
• Danowski
• Toomey
• Starsia
• Desko
• Pietrmala

Gait needs to make a GD final 4 before bumping this thread. He has a very good path to it.

I would defend him if the team played more mistake free. They make a lot of mistakes, as has been thoroughly covered by other posters.

Enjoy the 2 wins & the sudden display of 'want to' on GBs and D.

 

[JeremyCuse]

What big moments has this staff coached in? When compared to Corrigan or Danowski or Tillman who have been there done that, over and over and over, their experience pales in comparison. I think Gait and staff deserve the opportunity to grow as a leadership team and you only do that within the crucible of competition.

True at least at this level with Mens D1, but some of this stuff is Lax 101, you don't need to be Corrigan or Tillman to know when not to take a TO late.

 

[JeremyCuse]

How do people feel about using Mullen to break the double? Good strength and speed. Used to getting beat up. Warped head for better ball retention. I suggested this to Shrmdougluvr Jr and he thought "no bueno."

Interesting idea, I can see the rationale but two major concerns.

The biggest being you don't want him getting injured even if a freak incident especially not during a faceoff. YOu lose him to a knee or collarbone from a slash its season over.

The second being as good as Mullen is with the ball after winning a draw he doesn't do a ton of contested passing or shooting. The last thing you want is him to break the double and then go to pass to Joey and send it 10 yards over his head. Again not saying he would do that but your asking him to do stuff he doesn't normally do. Who you want in that spot is probably English or Rice, guys who clear all the time and in English's case play a ton of offense.

 

[JeremyCuse]

I remember being at Stony Brook playing Hopkins in the quarterfinals in 2006 and Desko gave a freshman Dan Hardy the ball to try to break a double Greg Peyser picked up a long pole to help double. Hardy was stripped quickly Desko took a lot of crap over it maybe fair maybe not. His logic was Hardy played his entire high school career being doubled and gave him a shot. I can’t fault Gary for putting faith in one of his most reliable players to make a play. It’s a roll of the dice no matter what you choose

If he had a look at the cage like on Friday, zero issue with Hiltz on the restart after the TO. However, yesterday, Hiltz had just got done running around for 30 seconds and also isn't the most fleet of foot and most importantly had no angle to shoot. I don't know if anyone could have broke that double from where it started, just wish we had a better plan. Would rather HIltz just hold the ball for a second and then throw a low velocity looper/pop up toward the other back corner and hope a fast middie can get to it before Duke does. Even if it goes OOB its gonna take a decent chunk of the clock especially if it doesn't go OOB and your gonna have plenty of time to set up defensively. Duke's also gonna have little time left by the time they clear the ball and get it into the box for a TO

 

[ColdAnger]

You might want to check Gary's coaching career over...
7 straight National Championships as an assistant for MD woman's team
All his trips to the final four and NC with our woman's team
Plus he played in some the most pressure filled games while at SU

Being an assistant in the women’s game, for Maryland, with significant talent advantages is not the same. Nor was it the same, being the best player in the world on those SU teams. Coaching the men’s game in this era is materially different and he’s only been doing that for a short time.

 

[Dcuse]

Laughing that this thread was bumped. Good lord let it slide.

People seem confused on what a 'great coach' is. I don't know, but final 4s are a good marker. Program turnarounds are a good marker.

DI Men's Lacrosse Championship History | NCAA.com

The complete list of NCAA Men's Lacrosse DI champions from the first season to today.

www.ncaa.com

A quick scan shows these names

• Corrigan
• Tillman
• Tiffany
• Shay
• Breschi
• Tierney
• Danowski
• Toomey
• Starsia
• Desko
• Pietrmala

Gait needs to make a GD final 4 before bumping this thread. He has a very good path to it.

I would defend him if the team played more mistake free. They make a lot of mistakes, as has been thoroughly covered by other posters.

Enjoy the 2 wins & the sudden display of 'want to' on GBs and D.

Duke made like 8 unforced turnovers yesterday. Fire Danowski?

 

[PAcuse]

Being an assistant in the women’s game, for Maryland, with significant talent advantages is not the same. Nor was it the same, being the best player in the world on those SU teams. Coaching the men’s game in this era is materially different and he’s only been doing that for a short time.

I agree it is.
I guess I was just thinking along the lines of being in high pressure situations.

 

[Whitey23]

Duke made like 8 unforced turnovers yesterday. Fire Danowski?

Retire Danowski.

 

[FloridaCuse]

Duke made like 8 unforced turnovers yesterday. Fire Danowski?

That's up to the Dookies.

 

[tbonezone]

if you're thinking relay race the best time to hand off the baton is when you have the lead. we got some forward momentum so let's move on . providing we find someone with the speed and ability to finish the job.

 

[FloridaCuse]

For those who have participated in this thread and have not seen Gary's interview with Mark Packer on ACC PM on Tuesday, Gary made a comment that he avoids looking at social media because some fans probably "want me fired". Anyone want to bet that either he's read or knows about this thread???

 

[GoSU96]

if you're thinking relay race the best time to hand off the baton is when you have the lead. we got some forward momentum so let's move on . providing we find someone with the speed and ability to finish the job.

Pure genius right there

 

[W'boro'Cuse315]

if you're thinking relay race the best time to hand off the baton is when you have the lead. we got some forward momentum so let's move on . providing we find someone with the speed and ability to finish the job.

I don’t agree with moving on from Gait at all but I just have to say that this is my favorite post of the week. Again, anything short of a complete first round collapse/lopsided loss to Harvard & I’m completely behind giving Gait another year to get to the F4 but your analogy had me questioning & second guessing myself for a while. Bravo!

 

[JeremyCuse]

For those who have participated in this thread and have not seen Gary's interview with Mark Packer on ACC PM on Tuesday, Gary made a comment that he avoids looking at social media because some fans probably "want me fired". Anyone want to bet that either he's read or knows about this thread???

Staff and players do read the board, don't know about Gait himself but they absolutely do read it.