Coach Desko Quotes
Men's Lacrosse Media Day
January 11, 2008
Carrier Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.
Opening Statement:
“We’re excited to get back. I think after the season we had last year, you just want to get out and play.
“We started this week a little earlier than we normally have. We’ve had the Carrier Dome because Pete Sala and Pat Campbell were good enough to set it up with the basketball team away twice this week. We’re going two-a-days because the guys aren’t in classes. We get a lot done this time of year just from having a full field.
“I think one of the things we’re really looking forward to this year is having a consistent group. It’s a little early to be talking about that but with some of the injuries last year and some of the things that happened off the field, we just couldn’t get in the flow of the game. We had very little consistency from week-to-week as far as who was going to be out there in the midfield and in the attack.
“I think the guys have come back with their eyes and ears wide open. Again, with the kind of season we had, I think they really bought into the conditioning and are ready to go this spring.”
On a fresh start in 2008:
“It’s great. Again, people probably don’t believe me, but right after the season last year, I just wanted to get going again. Fortunately, we had the summer to get out and recruit. We spent some time watching film, seeing what we did right and what we did wrong last year. With the kind of season that we had, I just wanted to get out and play – and I think the guys do also.”
On putting last year behind or using as a source of motivation:
“I think we do want to move on and get it behind us. We do want to learn from it. I think any coach is going to tell you what we did right and what we did wrong in the past season, and learn from our mistakes. We need to correct them, make sure they don’t happen again and improve. We’re just ready to go. We do want to put it behind us, but we don’t want to make the same mistakes as last year.”
On coaching changes:
“I think the media has made a fair amount of it, but it’s not such a big deal for us as a coaching staff. This is my 28th year coaching – and coach [Kevin] Donahue, coach [Roy] Simmons [III] and coach [Lelan] Rogers – we coached in college. We’re all pretty familiar with one another and I think if you look over the years, we’ve all coached different positions. We just felt that it was time for a little change. I think it’s going to make all of the coaches better.”
On the goalie situation:
“Well, right off the bat, you’ve got Pete [Coluccini] coming back after being a two-year starter and who has played two seasons against some of the toughest schedules in the country. So, he’s seen it all. But, the other guys have come back. Alex [Cavalieri] has come back and played very well, had a very good fall. We’ve only been going for four days now, but he’s had some terrific days in practice. John Galloway is a very talented freshman who is very athletic also. With Pete being out in the fall, Alex and John have gotten some great experience over a six-week season. It’s very much a competition right now.”
On the rule changes:
“I think time will tell. Right now, the big one is with the violation with the face-off. If the face-off man moves early, he’s got to come off the field. You’re working on things where if your face-off man has a violation, he’s sprinting off momentarily, and for as long as it takes him to get off the field and another player to get on the field, you’re a man down during that time. So, I think teams are going to learn a lot early in the season. They’re going to watch to see what other teams are doing, seeing if they are having any success being in a six-on-five situation.”
On changing style of coaching because of game’s changing pace:
“The game has changed a little bit. It’s more programmed. It’s more specialized. We’ve been a team that likes more of an up-tempo game and we really like to push the ball up the field, have some fun with it. So, we’re trying to find ways where we can keep doing that, but for us, I think what’s going to be very important is that our players understand all of the situations. How can we get this fast break? Can we get it? Is it there? And now, push the ball up the field. But, we can’t just blindly go out, throw the ball up the field and try to get a fast break every time, giving up those possessions.”
On Pat Perritt’s return:
“I heard from other coaches and fans that they love to [Pat] because the motor is always going, whether he’s on offense or he’s on defense. If there’s a loose ball, he’s getting after it and there’s no half-speed. That could be contagious for a team. So, we enjoy him.”
On returning from last season with a short number of players in the fall:
“That’s somewhat frustrating because you want to get going, you’ve fall ball and it’s our chance to get back on the field and improve. One of the things that you try to do in the fall is you try to look at combinations and who plays well with one another. You might tweak a midfield here or there because guys tend to look for another a little bit differently. You want to get going and you get out there, but three or four of the key players – Pete had the foot operation, Mike Leveille was out, Steven Brooks was out, Pat Perritt wasn’t here, Sean McGonigle, John Carozza still isn’t here – you don’t have those guys to mix and match, to see how they work with the younger guys. On a positive note, it’s an opportunity for all of those other guys to play. I think the freshman played a lot more than they normally would have. The upside is that those guys got more opportunities and we got to coach them more.”
