The program isn't in great shape right now. But remember that:
1. He didn't exactly inherit a goldmine
2. He was introducing a new system in 2022.
3. He is doing some excellent recruiting.
Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
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Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Between the recruiting class was well as the transfers, they will be very good next year.
I’ll be interested to see how long Pietremala stays. You have to assume AD’s are calling him for any open head coaching job.
I’ll be interested to see how long Pietremala stays. You have to assume AD’s are calling him for any open head coaching job.
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Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Are you kidding me? Half of the invites to the Lax classic are Syracuse commits. They have a class coming in that is so far and away the best class that if only half live up to the billing, that it would still be the best class. AND, the guys transferring to SU are scary good.
Forget Gait, Heck Joewillie78 assisted by Peter Brown could make this a Top5 team, easily.
GOBIGRED
Joewillie78
Forget Gait, Heck Joewillie78 assisted by Peter Brown could make this a Top5 team, easily.
GOBIGRED
Joewillie78
Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Cuse will likely struggle some next year given how young their players are esp given MD, GT, RU and a few others age and experience. On paper the next two classes are strong. If their players develop i think they will be a strong competitor again.
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Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Gait may do great. But talent is not the whole enchilada.joewillie78 wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 12:07 pm Are you kidding me? Half of the invites to the Lax classic are Syracuse commits. They have a class coming in that is so far and away the best class that if only half live up to the billing, that it would still be the best class. AND, the guys transferring to SU are scary good.
Forget Gait, Heck Joewillie78 assisted by Peter Brown could make this a Top5 team, easily.
GOBIGRED
Joewillie78
Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Talent is important as says a fan, but at the highest level you do need coaching. We didn't see much of that from Gait this year. Petro's d may not have been particularly effective, but he was working like hell on the sidelines. Can't say the same for his putative boss.
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Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Classic mistake to conflate “arm waiving” with work. I don’t know but I wouldn’t assume based strictly on sideline behavior.molo wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 12:28 pm Talent is important as says a fan, but at the highest level you do need coaching. We didn't see much of that from Gait this year. Petro's d may not have been particularly effective, but he was working like hell on the sidelines. Can't say the same for his putative boss.
Now I love those cowboys, I love their gold
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Tell that to Maryland. Best players in D1 up and down the roster. And shocker, they're kicking the cr*p out of everyone they play.gymman1031 wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 12:19 pmGait may do great. But talent is not the whole enchilada.joewillie78 wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 12:07 pm Are you kidding me? Half of the invites to the Lax classic are Syracuse commits. They have a class coming in that is so far and away the best class that if only half live up to the billing, that it would still be the best class. AND, the guys transferring to SU are scary good.
Forget Gait, Heck Joewillie78 assisted by Peter Brown could make this a Top5 team, easily.
GOBIGRED
Joewillie78
But sure, it's Benson's coaching that's telling them to shoot 40%.
Sure is odd that Benson's coaching wasn't working so hot just a couple of years ago at Hopkins, right?
Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
You rarely saw it from Simmie if you watched him on the sidelines. He did it quietly...and trusted his players on the field.
And Simmie had the fiery coach all those years in Desko. Once Desko was made Head Coach, did you notice how much calmer and quieter he became on the sidelines?
This IS Syracuse lacrosse. And it has worked fairly well, don't you think? Simmie set the mold (or his dad, perhaps)....and the rest followed his lead.
Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
I like,
Joewillie78 assisted by Peter Brown
make it happen.
Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
I'm old but not necessarily old school and don't always equate noise with work. I have coached enough, albeit at a much lower level, to believe that lack of engagement is not a particularly good sign. The head coach at the Cuse was drawing assistant's pay this year. Wizard of Oz, Emperor's New Clothes anyone?
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Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Simmons was a great coach. Gait was a great player.
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Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
It’s a great question. Gait and Petro didn’t exactly make the best first impression last year. Gait with his strange sideline behavior and Petro with his sieve of a defense. I think Gait was a bit naive of what he was stepping into, he scheduled some very difficult games and didn’t use the transfer portal much.
I think and hope that he comes back a little wiser and better off for being around the mens game for a year. I think most Syracuse fans did not appreciate how hard the transition would be from the women's to the men’s game. In a post season interview he said he relied a lot on his assistants last year and this year he’ll be more involved. The first part is not exactly reassuring to hear from your head coach but it does sound like he knows there will be issues and address them.
That’s not meant to be a sleight on the women’s game, just that it’s a different game with different personnel. It’s really unclear how much men’s lacrosse Gait had watched the last however many years.
I’m encouraged by the transfer additions so far this off season and hope they add more. They desperately need to add a fogo still. It should be interesting to see how fast they incorporate the freshmen and I’m sure like OCanada said there will be growing pains. If they make it back to the playoffs this season I’ll be really impressed. The record last year was not very good of course, but they did have some performances that made you hopeful. They should have beaten Cornell and UNC and they stood toe to toe with Maryland for a while. Hopefully they can build off those performances next year.
I think and hope that he comes back a little wiser and better off for being around the mens game for a year. I think most Syracuse fans did not appreciate how hard the transition would be from the women's to the men’s game. In a post season interview he said he relied a lot on his assistants last year and this year he’ll be more involved. The first part is not exactly reassuring to hear from your head coach but it does sound like he knows there will be issues and address them.
That’s not meant to be a sleight on the women’s game, just that it’s a different game with different personnel. It’s really unclear how much men’s lacrosse Gait had watched the last however many years.
I’m encouraged by the transfer additions so far this off season and hope they add more. They desperately need to add a fogo still. It should be interesting to see how fast they incorporate the freshmen and I’m sure like OCanada said there will be growing pains. If they make it back to the playoffs this season I’ll be really impressed. The record last year was not very good of course, but they did have some performances that made you hopeful. They should have beaten Cornell and UNC and they stood toe to toe with Maryland for a while. Hopefully they can build off those performances next year.
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Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
We should be displaying the Kraus Simmons in Geneva this summer and fall conversely.Powellfan22 wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 12:58 pm It’s a great question. Gait and Petro didn’t exactly make the best first impression last year. Gait with his strange sideline behavior and Petro with his sieve of a defense. I think Gait was a bit naive of what he was stepping into, he scheduled some very difficult games and didn’t use the transfer portal much.
I think and hope that he comes back a little wiser and better off for being around the mens game for a year. I think most Syracuse fans did not appreciate how hard the transition would be from the women's to the men’s game. In a post season interview he said he relied a lot on his assistants last year and this year he’ll be more involved. The first part is not exactly reassuring to hear from your head coach but it does sound like he knows there will be issues and address them.
That’s not meant to be a sleight on the women’s game, just that it’s a different game with different personnel. It’s really unclear how much men’s lacrosse Gait had watched the last however many years.
I’m encouraged by the transfer additions so far this off season and hope they add more. They desperately need to add a fogo still. It should be interesting to see how fast they incorporate the freshmen and I’m sure like OCanada said there will be growing pains. If they make it back to the playoffs this season I’ll be really impressed. The record last year was not very good of course, but they did have some performances that made you hopeful. They should have beaten Cornell and UNC and they stood toe to toe with Maryland for a while. Hopefully they can build off those performances next year.
Now I love those cowboys, I love their gold
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Love my uncle, God rest his soul
Taught me good, Lord, taught me all I know
Taught me so well, that I grabbed that gold
I left his dead ass there by the side of the road, yeah
Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
GG’s first two classes would seem to answer the recruiting question at least on paper.
Seven NCAA Women's National Championships - University of Maryland Assistant Coach: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
NLL Champion's Cup - Colorado Mammoth Head Coach: 2006
Two MLL Steinfeld Cups - Baltimore Bayhawks Player-Coach: 2002, 2005
Seven NCAA Women's National Championships - University of Maryland Assistant Coach: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
NLL Champion's Cup - Colorado Mammoth Head Coach: 2006
Two MLL Steinfeld Cups - Baltimore Bayhawks Player-Coach: 2002, 2005
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Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
Recruiting talent is important but what’s more important is developing talent. Those kids have to get better as they spend time in school and I guess we’ll find out if GG can do it. Think about Duke - they have top classes every year and should be winning the tournament every year. And they’re not.joewillie78 wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 12:07 pm Are you kidding me? Half of the invites to the Lax classic are Syracuse commits. They have a class coming in that is so far and away the best class that if only half live up to the billing, that it would still be the best class. AND, the guys transferring to SU are scary good.
Forget Gait, Heck Joewillie78 assisted by Peter Brown could make this a Top5 team, easily.
GOBIGRED
Joewillie78
If you had a jury’s out, I’d have picked it.
Re: Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?
So how did Dano win all those titles before if he can't develop talent?PulpExposure wrote: ↑Mon May 30, 2022 2:22 pm Recruiting talent is important but what’s more important is developing talent. Those kids have to get better as they spend time in school and I guess we’ll find out if GG can do it. Think about Duke - they have top classes every year and should be winning the tournament every year. And they’re not.
Isn't it a shade more likely that the same people at Inside Lacrosse who told us that the Syracuse, Hopkins, UNC, Gtown, and Duke were getting 'top classes" were wrong? Because that's a whole lot of HOF caliber coaches that "aren't developing talent".
And the new transfer portal shows how unimportant coaching is relative to talent. Did Benson and Tillman develop Keegan Khan in the few months he was there?
Or did he show up after his senior season at Nova.....and Tillman simply pointed him at the opposing team's net and said "put the ball there"?
I know where my vote is. And speaking of Inside Lacrosse being horribly wrong on their evaluations of "recruiting classes", any remember where Keegan Khan was ranked? Take a guess.