Spring Break
The Daily OrangeMcCullough: Syracuse lacrosse poised to dominate new Big East conference
By Andy McCullough
Posted: 2/17/09, 12:11 AM EST Section: Sports
But if Sunday was any indication, that automatic qualifier will be, well, automatic for Syracuse in the opening years of the league. St. John's and Villanova have never played in the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers last made the playoffs in 2004. In 2007, Duke waxed Providence, 18-3, in the first round.
In the coming years, the developing programs will phase in scholarships: The conference will allow each team to have 12.6. The Orange is already at that number. Schools like Providence are not. "We're just in the beginning stages of phasing that stuff in," Providence head coach Chris Burdick said Sunday afternoon.
Between budget concerns and Title IX restrictions, rustling up a dozen scholarships takes time. But equal scholarships doesn't mean the footing will be equal between the smaller teams and Syracuse.
College lacrosse is top-heavy, and power shifts like a glacier. That's no secret. People say the game is spreading and they say parity is coming. They say so, but the same teams keep winning. Since 1992, just four teams (Syracuse, Johns Hopkins, Princeton and Virginia) have won the national title.
Other programs can pop up and nip at the heels of the ruling class, before fading into the background. Delaware made the final four in 2007. The last two years, Duke built a scoring juggernaut that imploded during championship weekend. It's hard to develop staying power.
Which is where Georgetown and Notre Dame - the stepping stones - come in.
Just a few years back, Georgetown was expected to crack that group. In 2005, the Hoyas recruited a sterling class, but Brandon Cannon, Miles Kass and Jerry Lambe only made the final four once during their four years together. One member of that class, Scott Kahoe, transferred this year to Syracuse.
"It's almost a complete attitude adjustment," Kahoe said. "Going from a team that aspires to be a national champion to a team that knows how to win national championships."
Last year, Notre Dame had its chance to break through. The Fighting Irish held an 8-7 lead over Syracuse heading into the fourth quarter of the national quarterfinal. Then Dan Hardy and Pat Perritt started scoring, and the lacrosse world properly aligned.
Syracuse went to the Final Four.
Notre Dame went home.
Right now, that's a conceivable goal for the Big East's four smaller programs. If everything goes according to plan, the teams can elevate from also-ran to fringe contender. The Friars can take what happened Sunday and build from it.
"You're getting into a Carrier Dome, with probably a larger crowd than they're used to playing in front of," Desko said. "You've got the music and the lights and all the hoopla. And it's a playoff atmosphere. And I think the more that they experience those kind of games, and those kinds of venues, the better off they'll be in the long run."
But that long run will probably take a while.
Big East lacrosse is coming. Expect the expected.
Andy McCullough is the enterprise editor at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear occasionally. You can reach him at ramccull@syr.edu.
In the coming years, the developing programs will phase in scholarships: The conference will allow each team to have 12.6. The Orange is already at that number. Schools like Providence are not. "We're just in the beginning stages of phasing that stuff in," Providence head coach Chris Burdick said Sunday afternoon.
Between budget concerns and Title IX restrictions, rustling up a dozen scholarships takes time. But equal scholarships doesn't mean the footing will be equal between the smaller teams and Syracuse.
College lacrosse is top-heavy, and power shifts like a glacier. That's no secret. People say the game is spreading and they say parity is coming. They say so, but the same teams keep winning. Since 1992, just four teams (Syracuse, Johns Hopkins, Princeton and Virginia) have won the national title.
Other programs can pop up and nip at the heels of the ruling class, before fading into the background. Delaware made the final four in 2007. The last two years, Duke built a scoring juggernaut that imploded during championship weekend. It's hard to develop staying power.
Which is where Georgetown and Notre Dame - the stepping stones - come in.
Just a few years back, Georgetown was expected to crack that group. In 2005, the Hoyas recruited a sterling class, but Brandon Cannon, Miles Kass and Jerry Lambe only made the final four once during their four years together. One member of that class, Scott Kahoe, transferred this year to Syracuse.
"It's almost a complete attitude adjustment," Kahoe said. "Going from a team that aspires to be a national champion to a team that knows how to win national championships."
Last year, Notre Dame had its chance to break through. The Fighting Irish held an 8-7 lead over Syracuse heading into the fourth quarter of the national quarterfinal. Then Dan Hardy and Pat Perritt started scoring, and the lacrosse world properly aligned.
Syracuse went to the Final Four.
Notre Dame went home.
Right now, that's a conceivable goal for the Big East's four smaller programs. If everything goes according to plan, the teams can elevate from also-ran to fringe contender. The Friars can take what happened Sunday and build from it.
"You're getting into a Carrier Dome, with probably a larger crowd than they're used to playing in front of," Desko said. "You've got the music and the lights and all the hoopla. And it's a playoff atmosphere. And I think the more that they experience those kind of games, and those kinds of venues, the better off they'll be in the long run."
But that long run will probably take a while.
Big East lacrosse is coming. Expect the expected.
Andy McCullough is the enterprise editor at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear occasionally. You can reach him at ramccull@syr.edu.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Tim Conway
posted 2/17/09 @ 8:39 AM EST
Mr. Andy McCullogh;
There's an obvious reason you are the Enterprise Editor! You have learned your craft well and written a really nice article here. (Continued…)
GU Lax
posted 2/17/09 @ 9:58 AM EST
Good piece, but it is Brendan Cannon, not Brandon, and Georgetown never made the final four with Cannon/Kass/Lambe.
Also, Cannon and Kass were recruited in 2003 and showed up at Georgetown in 2004. (Continued…)
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