It was reported on Tuesday by Inside Lacrosse that the Virginia Cavaliers Head Coach Dom Starsia will not return to UVA. Starsia won four National Championships in Charlottesville, VA, and finishes with a 274-103 record at UVA. The Cavaliers last won a title in 2011, but have not won an ACC game since April 26, 2014 and have not won an ACC regular season game since beating Syracuse on March 1, 2014. Just as eye raising, the Cavaliers have two losing seasons since that 2011 Championship run.
2012 |
12-4 |
Lost in NCAA Quarterfinals |
2013 |
7-8 |
Did not make NCAAT |
2014 |
10-6 |
Lost in NCAA First Round |
2015 |
10-5 |
Lost in NCAA First Round |
2016 |
7-8 |
Did not make NCAAT |
If we were to rank the top, active, NCAA lacrosse coaches based on resumes, I would certainly give Starsia consideration to be in that top five. While he had a tough couple of years recently, he is easily one of the best in the nation.
We heard rumblings that this was on the way a few weeks ago, but nothing was confirmed until this week.
Our friends over at Streaking The Lawn put together a quick look at who could replace Starsia. Right now there seven coaching vacancies at the D1 level: Binghamton, Vermont, Virginia, Princeton, UMBC, Jacksonville, and Hartford. Obviously, UVA and Princeton are the most attractive jobs available right now.
It will be very interesting to see not only who Virginia hires, but what the recruiting repercussions will be with this move. Currently, UVA has the number one senior and junior recruits and the number two sophomore recruit in the nation committed. Take a look, that is a loaded 2017 incoming class.
Name |
Pos. |
High School |
Ranking |
Dox Aitken |
M |
Haverford School (PA) |
#1 Senior |
Mitch Gordon |
A/M |
St. Paul's (MD) |
#20 Senior |
Jared Conners |
D/LSM |
Pittsford (NY) |
#27 Senior |
Milan Murray |
M |
Thayer Academy (MA) |
#37 Senior |
Matt Moore |
M |
Garnett Valley (PA) |
#1 Junior |
Alex Rode |
G |
St. Paul's (MD) |
#3 Junior |
Will Rock |
LSM/D |
Gonzaga (DC) |
#6 Junior |
Ian Laviano |
A |
Cold Spring Harbor (NY) |
#12 Junior |
Grayson Sallade |
M |
Manheim Township (PA) |
#2 Sophomore |
Ross Pridemore |
A |
McCallie (TN) |
#10 Sophomore |
Cade Saustad |
LSM/D |
Highland Park (TX) |
#19 Sophomore |
Andrew Russell |
M |
Victor (NY) |
Sophomore Watch list |
While John Desko is in a much different position, the release of Starsia does not help Desko's status. I think Eamon McAnaney put it best:
UVA is setting some sort of precedent for a non revenue sport by firing a hall of famer who won a title 5 years ago good luck replacing him
— Eamon McAnaney (@EamonMcAnaney) May 17, 2016
I would think that Desko has a lot more leeway at the moment, especially given that the Orange have only missed the NCAA Tournament once in the Desko era. Personally, I think you keep Desko, pretty much no matter what. I think getting rid of him would be disastrous, and I've been pretty vocal about that.
Nevertheless, there is no denying that the Syracuse fan base has grown restless over the last few years. Some of that is due to Desko's demeanor on the sideline with his calm demeanor drawing the ire of certain parts of the fan base while another part of it is simply a lack of Championships and SU's overall performance in the Tournament since 2009. First Round losses to Army and Bryant certainly did not help. I have to think that those who wanted Starsia out and those that want Desko out have a similar narrative: the game has passed them by.
With Syracuse in the midst of a search for its next Athletic Director, it is anyone's guess how Desko will be treated. Mark Coyle seemed to be ok with letting lacrosse run itself, although that could have been him focusing on his job search. The new AD will be coming in somewhat hamstrung. Dino Babers has yet to coach a game so you pretty much have to give him at least a few years, and on the basketball side, a successor to Jim Boeheim has already been chosen. Therefore, a new AD looking to make his or her mark can either reverse one of Coyle's decisions, which doesn't seem likely, focus on the Carrier Dome renovations, or make a splash with the third biggest sport at Syracuse, lacrosse. I still think it is a long shot that Desko's job is in jeopardy, but I can definitely imagine a new AD coming in with a strong directive to get back to the National Championship game. That kind of directive has a lot more power behind it at a place like Syracuse where Gary Gait sits in the wings.
However you feel about the Syracuse Head Coach, I think we can all agree that a very clear message has been sent in the lacrosse world. As the college game gets more competitive and gains more exposure, I think this is the first step of college lacrosse embracing that "win now" mentality that has completely enveloped college football and basketball. In years past, programs took a lot of pride in long-tenured coaches. While you hear a lot of NCAA football coaches talk about a family, lacrosse has been the men's sport that truly exuded that theme with coaches who are more teachers and mentors than anything else. Don't believe me? Ask the Syracuse lacrosse alumni.
Dom Starsia won a National Championship in 2011. He had some of the best recruits in the nation coming down the pipeline. Yet following his third losing season since becoming the head coach in 1993, Starsia's contract went un-renewed.
Good luck Coach Desko, because your five National Championships and 223 wins have just been put on notice.
The Syracuse Orange travel to Providence, RI to take on the Maryland Terrapins in the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Faceoff is scheduled for noon on Saturday and the game can be seen on ESPNU. Of course you can also follow me @OrangeLax for updates.