Does Gary Gait Turn Syracuse Around & Make Them A Regular Power?

[gymman1031]

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.

[Peter Brown]

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.

[joewillie78]

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

[OCanada]

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.

[gymman1031]

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

Gait may do great. But talent is not the whole enchilada.

[molo]

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.

[Farfromgeneva]

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.

Classic mistake to conflate “arm waiving” with work. I don’t know but I wouldn’t assume based strictly on sideline behavior.

[a fan]

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

Gait may do great. But talent is not the whole enchilada.

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.

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?

[a fan]

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.

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.

[10stone5]

Joewillie78 assisted by Peter Brown

I like,

make it happen.

[molo]

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?

[Peter Brown]

Joewillie78 assisted by Peter Brown

I like,

make it happen.

Can we play our home games in Sarasota rather than Syracuse?

[molo]

Simmons was a great coach. Gait was a great player.

[Powellfan22]

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.

[Farfromgeneva]

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.

We should be displaying the Kraus Simmons in Geneva this summer and fall conversely.

[a fan]

Simmons was a great coach. Gait was a great player.

Yes. So far. We need to give Gary more than one single season before we figure out if he can coach...but more importantly, if he can recruit.

[OCanada]

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

[PulpExposure]

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

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.

If you had a jury’s out, I’d have picked it.

[a fan]

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.

So how did Dano win all those titles before if he can't develop talent?

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.

[CU77]

Seven NCAA Women's National Championships - University of Maryland Assistant Coach: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001

And how many as head coach?