Coach Desko Media Day Quotes
2011 Syracuse Men's Lacrosse Media Day
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Manley Field House - Syracuse, N.Y.
On JoJo Marasco wearing jersey number 22:
"As a coaching staff, we look at the guys that are here and we are aware of the fact that they may want number 22. I think it's great that they feel they want the challenge of wearing number 22. I think he accepts that and he'll wear it well."
On the importance of the senior class leadership:
"We have a large group of freshmen. We have a whole new group and the seniors will have to do a lot of teaching. They will have to lead by example on and off the field. We are happy that we have the senior group that we do to spread that message to the freshmen class of what it takes to be successful on a Division I lacrosse team, especially here at Syracuse University."
On the expectation of being ranked No.1 in the country and managing playing time:
"I think that experience means a lot and the kind of schedule we have will help prepare us for the rest of the season. We practiced about five weeks in the fall and this is our first day of spring practice. There is some good ability in the freshman class, but I think as far as learning the system that the freshmen will be the first ones to tell you that they are not there with the upperclassmen yet. We'll see in the next few weeks if we can scrape a couple of freshmen in with the older guys and see who learned in the fall and has come back ready."
On John Galloway:
"Every year we've seen growth. I agree that it was his best year last year. We threw him to the wolves right away his freshman year (in 2008) and we came out national champions. I've always said he might be the best clearing goalie in the country and as good as anyone we've ever had. His save has come along every year. Last year it was there and he was as good of a goalie as anyone in the country. When you add his clearing ability, especially with a team like Syracuse, it makes us that much better."
On the BIG EAST Conference:
"I think we've learned and we're getting used to the conference. I think the conference has some really good teams and some teams that will come up by being in this conference. I think we've learned that we can't take anyone lightly. Even if it's a team that we are supposed to beat, we still have to come out and be excited to play and play hard just like we do with anyone else on our schedule. I think in the back of our minds the conference is one thing and the playoffs and the ultimate goal are another thing. The conference just adds some extra incentives. It also adds the opportunity for some guys to be recognized with conference honors."
On playing early games in NFL venues:
"I think for us, being in those venues helps with everything. It helps in recruiting, helps being on national television, and with the budget. I think playing in those venues is like playing in a playoff atmosphere and it prepares us for the playoffs."
On the defensive unit:
"I think for a lot of years people have associated us with our high-scoring offense, but I think in the past couple years, our strength has been with our defense, especially with John Galloway stepping up in goal. In a lot of our games that were tight last year, we didn't have to outscore teams. We just had to be patient on offense and let our defense get stops. I think right now our strength is our defense."
