Sept. 6, 2007

by Clare Lochary, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

In 2000, Daryl Gross was an associate athletic director at the University of Southern California when the Trojans hired a new football coach. The conventional wisdom at the time said that Pete Carroll was a big mistake, an NFL reject who was 17 years removed from the college game and didn't know the first thing about recruiting.

"To make a long story short, he's the winningest active head coach in Division I," said Gross, now athletic director at Syracuse.

Gross doesn't like to play it safe. Most ADs looking for a women's lacrosse coach would have opted for a well-established assistant, or maybe tried to poach a head coach from a smaller program. Vanderbilt's Cathy Swezey or UMass's Alexis Venechanos come to mind.

But Gross made a bold choice, pursuing Syracuse legend Gary Gait to helm the Orange's thriving program. Gait's five-year hiatus from the women's game and lack of NCAA head coaching experience are moot points for his new boss. Gait is a proven champion, which is what Gross wants for his programs.

"Nine years at Maryland and seven national titles as an assistant? I think the assistant and the head coach become almost one after that long. I totally disagree with the assumption that he doesn't have experience," said Gross. "I want my student-athletes to be competing for national championships and know what that feels like. So he fits right into what we're doing,"

Gross is a relative newcomer to Syracuse, having begun his tenure as AD in February 2005. He grew up in Los Angeles well before the SoCal lacrosse explosion, but was well-versed in the Orange obsession with the sport. A self-proclaimed sports nut who will watch pretty much any televised game, Gross said he has spent many Memorial Day weekends observing the NCAA lacrosse tournament.

"And it was always Syracuse in the [men's] final four. And I thought that was a really, really cool thing," said Gross. "I was fired up about coming out here and checking out lacrosse."

Birds' Nest

It's a good thing Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala played baseball in high school before switching to lacrosse. He won't have to worry about getting the ball over home plate when he throws out the ceremonial first pitch at Orioles Park at Camden Yards on Friday as part of a pre-game ceremony honoring the Blue Jays for their 2007 NCAA title. All of the returning players and most of the seniors will be on hand for the occasion.

After the ceremony, the Orioles will play the Boston Red Sox, who currently lead the American League East. The struggling O's, who are 2-12 in their last 14 games, might consider asking the Blue Jays for some advice on how to escape a slump. Hopkins began the season with a 4-4 record and ended it as national champions.

Correction

Last week's column incorrectly stated that there were 10 men coaching Division I lacrosse. There are nine: Tony Zostant (Binghamton), Scott Teeter (Canisius), Michael Scerbo (Duquesne), Ricky Fried (Georgetown), Jim Drivas (Manhattan), Mike Mansour (Niagra), Jake McHeron (Siena), Gait (Syracuse), and Jebb Chagan (Villanova).

The error occurred when I counted Zostant twice. Zostant left the head coaching position at St. Bonaventure on August 7 for his current position at Binghamton. The Bonnies have yet to name a new coach.

Have Mercy

Detroit Mercy has confirmed that it will add both men's and women's lacrosse teams beginning in the 2008-09 season. Since the Titans primarily plays in the lacrosse-free Horizon League, the women's team will play in the American Lacrosse Conference. The men's team is currently investigating membership in the Lacrosse America Conference (formerly the Great Western Lacrosse League). Detroit Mercy plans to announce its men's and women's coaches in the near future.

News & Notes

Merrimack promoted Mike Morgan from defensive assistant coach to head coach of its Division III men's lacrosse program. Morgan graduated from Merrimack in 2000, the same year he was named an All-American and New England Player of the Year. He replaces Bartolo Governati, who coached the Warriors for just one season...Monmouth women's lacrosse coach Kelly Van Zile has added two very young assistants to her staff. Sarah Masterson graduated from Fairfield this spring, after captaining the Stags for her junior and season seasons. Brianne Tierney is a 2007 Colgate graduate who won two Patriot League titles in 2004 and 2005. Tierney is also the daughter of Princeton men's lacrosse coach Bill Tierney.