Duke Men's Lacrosse 2023

[pamtelp]

Great great season. ND was the better team, but impressed how we fought back until we ran out of gas. So much talent and the future remains bright.

That having been said, I find Matt Danowski’s offenses to be frustrating. We score in bunches thanks to stellar talent, but just seems we fail to maximize what the offenses could be look (look no further than 2021). Today I just don’t understand the offensive game plan and our inability to crack the ND defense (like we don’t make the adjustments UVA does). Obviously great recruiter and I hope he continues to grow as a coach.

[duke2x]

Congrats to ND. Our coaching staff has to figure them out before they come to Koskinen next year.

[Native]

With the game tied, it looked like Duke was going to take control when they had two penalties called against them after winning face offs. Anyone know what they were called for?

If there was any frustration with the officiating today, it'd be inconsistency around the face-off circle, in my opinion. Typically, any kind of a hold or a push in the back of a player will award the possession to the other team. (Either that, or moving before the whistle.) There was a lot of ticky-tack stuff called today around face-offs. Jake Naso—our face-off guy—would win the initial clamp but would then usually get out-muscled by Notre Dame's face-off guy. I'd have liked to see Naso try to get the ball out faster to the other two players who come in from the wings, but we didn't do that for some reason.

Yeah, Duke worked our butts off to get back into this game. The team showed some serious heart.

+1. Was really proud of the effort in the third quarter, but it was too little too late.

[budwom]

Great great season. ND was the better team, but impressed how we fought back until we ran out of gas. So much talent and the future remains bright.

That having been said, I find Matt Danowski’s offenses to be frustrating. We score in bunches thanks to stellar talent, but just seems we fail to maximize what the offenses could be look (look no further than 2021). Today I just don’t understand the offensive game plan and our inability to crack the ND defense (like we don’t make the adjustments UVA does). Obviously great recruiter and I hope he continues to grow as a coach.

I think John Danowski's contract expires this year...I kind of expected him to retire had we won today, perhaps he still will. How likely is Matt to succeed him (another Succession)?

[DangerDevil]

The officiating was inconsistent all the way around today.

Several missed resets of the shot clock both ways.

[duke2x]

I think John Danowski's contract expires this year...I kind of expected him to retire had we won today, perhaps he still will. How likely is Matt to succeed him (another Succession)?

I expected that after the championship loss to Yale. I hope he will retire more like Coach K/Tierney and have a victory lap first. Duke could be a championship contender next year as well. As far as the next Duke coach, several alums from lesser conferences might be interested in the Duke job.

[Jedweb]

i did not play lacrosse when younger and don't understand tactics and strategy well enough to comment on some of the observations. I am so grateful that Duke hired Danowski after Pressler was forced out. Obviously Danowski is a superb coach. However, i don't under-stand why Duke was not ready to play against ND in either game this year. If O'Neill is a generational talent who merits all of the yammer-ing he gets from the announcers, i don't understand why he was held absolutely in check for three of four quarters this weekend. Not to put all of the blame on him - it was a team disappointment. i'm sure he feels frustrated. Perhaps some people on this board who have played lacrosse could comment on the "strong hand" bias that the announcers mentioned with some frequency. For a guy athletic and talented enough to play for a top tier program like Duke, is it reasonable to expect that with a lot of work a player can improve his pro-ficiency with the off hand substantially? Few people are naturally ambidextrous, but basketball players and some baseball players become proficient with both hands and (I assume) hockey players also. Wouldn't a top tier player with a strong off hand be much harder to defend?

[Dr. Maturin]

Duke was 4th in the country in scoring at over 15 goals per game. Brennan O'Neill led the entire country in points. I get the disappointment today, but some of the hot takes are a little short-sighted in my opinion.

[chrishoke]

Duke was 4th in the country in scoring at over 15 goals per game. Brennan O'Neill led the entire country in points. I get the disappointment today, but some of the hot takes are a little short-sighted in my opinion.

Fully agree. ND is a very worthy champ (even tho their coach is a whiney I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.). After so many disappointments, they were supremely motivated and frankly got some favorable breaks and bounces. I was proud of how our guys fought back but it was ND'S day. Our goalie was good but their goalie was amazing.

[MarkD83]

Losing a championship game is always hard to take but the win by Notre Dame brings up an interesting bit of trivia.

Every men's lacrosse team in the ACC has won a national championship (and if we can get past our dislike for Md) that includes the team that left the conference.

I do not believe this is true of any other college sport.

[DangerDevil]

Fully agree. ND is a very worthy champ (even tho their coach is a whiney I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.). After so many disappointments, they were supremely motivated and frankly got some favorable breaks and bounces. I was proud of how our guys fought back but it was ND'S day. Our goalie was good but their goalie was amazing.

All true statements!

Plus Notre Dame was due, 0-2 in previous championship games and 0-5 in the post season.

Our team was very gracious and patient in defeat. They waited several minutes standing in line waiting for the Irish to take a break from their celebration to shake hands. Another reason to be proud of the Blue Devils!

[gep]

All true statements!

Plus Notre Dame was due, 0-2 in previous championship games and 0-5 in the post season.

Our team was very gracious and patient in defeat. They waited several minutes standing in line waiting for the Irish to take a break from their celebration to shake hands. Another reason to be proud of the Blue Devils!

I saw this and thought to myself... what a classy group of guys... great sportsmanship.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I am far from a lax expert but I am smarter than the average bear. Whatever the coaches said at halftime, it clearly worked, so kudos to them for keeping the team in the game. But there seemed to be some strategic lapses. I still struggle with our lack of effort to have any sort of a ride - this has been going on for years - you can tell your attack to go hard after the ball without committing to a full ride - they just seem to sort of give up. And the few times we tried an all-out ride, it was an absolute disaster. Our clears also seem to be more of an adventure than they should be.

There also didn't seem to be much of a strategy on offense for much of the game. The D had lapses but overall played well. When he was in the net (as opposed to out of the net on dumb rides), Helm played well today after a meh performance Saturday.

Notre Dame was the better team today. A few breaks would have helped but they deserved it. Overall, it was a great season, so congratulations and thank you to the team and coaches.

[MCFinARL]

I'd have liked to see Naso try to get the ball out faster to the other two players who come in from the wings, but we didn't do that for some reason.

Me too. But I feel like our wing play on face offs hasn't been a strength for much of the year. (Not an expert, though.)

I think John Danowski's contract expires this year...I kind of expected him to retire had we won today, perhaps he still will. How likely is Matt to succeed him (another Succession)?

I expected that after the championship loss to Yale. I hope he will retire more like Coach K/Tierney and have a victory lap first. Duke could be a championship contender next year as well. As far as the next Duke coach, several alums from lesser conferences might be interested in the Duke job.

Duke has a lot of former assistants as well as former players in the head coaching ranks--Chris Gabrielli at Providence, Kevin Cassesse at Lehigh, Ben DeLuca at Delaware, John Galloway at Jacksonville, Brad Ross at Bryant among others. Personally, despite or maybe partly because of the potential appeal of a Danowski succession, if John Danowski retires I would very much like to see Duke hire someone like this who has head coaching experience.

If O'Neill is a generational talent who merits all of the yammer-ing he gets from the announcers, i don't understand why he was held absolutely in check for three of four quarters this weekend. Not to put all of the blame on him - it was a team disappointment.

To be fair, O'Neill has never claimed to be a "generational talent." This is the title the lacrosse commentators have saddled him with. He is a very good player who, like many good players, has limitations, which the well-designed Notre Dame defense capitalized on. I'm guessing he felt more pressure because of that moniker than was helpful. And for sure, I'm not sure the coaches put him, or the rest of the offense, in the best positions to be effective today.

[Aside, there are very few people who can legitimately be called "generational talents." In lacrosse, Jimmy Brown and Gary Gait are the only ones I am sure about.]

[DangerDevil]

I assume that none of our grad students return next year so that means that we won’t have Leadmon, Helm, Stephenson, Owen Caputo, Schnelling, Kerry, or Jack Frisoli. Are any other contributors from this season’s team not expected to be back?

Any of the seniors out of eligibility or expected to leave? Apparently Dyson will return for his COVID year.

https://www.timesunion.com/sports/ar...y-18108557.php

[FosterCoachK82]

Fully agree. ND is a very worthy champ (even tho their coach is a whiney I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.).

Never watched Notre Dame lax until today but he really gave that impression. Up 6-1 at halftime and all he could do was grumble about what they did wrong. And whenever Duke scored he looked outraged, like he was the victim of some great injustice. He seems like a very unpleasant person.

[DukeStanford]

“Good players work on their strengths; great players work on their weaknesses.”

With Brennan O’Neill’s exceptional left-handed skills obviously being evident from an early age, it’s a shame his youth/high school coaches and even Brennan, himself, didn’t make him focus on being a complete, two-handed player years ago. He should have put that devastating left-handed shot on the back burner just a little, while he developed complementary skills going to his right.

All too often, a ‘man amongst boys’ can get away with just overpowering his defender until his inevitable time of reckoning comes, as it did for Brennan in the Penn State and both Notre Dame games. Unfortunately, and as we just witnessed, a quality and smart defenseman can put the clamps on O’Neill and make him a non-factor.

[burnspbesq]

I think John Danowski's contract expires this year...I kind of expected him to retire had we won today, perhaps he still will. How likely is Matt to succeed him (another Succession)?

I still think that Kevin Cassese is (or should be) the first name that comes up in Nina’s succession planning. Although Brad Ross had a really impressive first season as a head coach, Kevin has by far the most impressive resume of any former Duke player or assistant.

A full search might include Casey D’Anolfo of Tufts, the most dominant program in D3.

[burnspbesq]

I assume that none of our grad students return next year so that means that we won’t have Leadmon, Helm, Stephenson, Owen Caputo, Schnelling, Kerry, or Jack Frisoli. Are any other contributors from this season’s team not expected to be back?

Any of the seniors out of eligibility or expected to leave? Apparently Dyson will return for his COVID year.

https://www.timesunion.com/sports/ar...y-18108557.php

I won’t feel fully comfortable about Dyson until after the NLL draft. If he gets drafted by Las Vegas, and has the chance to play for his dad, …

[burnspbesq]

Chris Gabrielli at Providence

Fired after the 2022 season. Now Brad Ross’ defensive coordinator at Bryant.