Despite the generational gap, Syracuse men’s lacrosse head coach John Desko and Le Moyne men’s lacrosse head coach Dan Sheehan come from the same background.

It’s a background that has helped both coaches elevate their squads in the collegiate lacrosse world.

Both are graduates from West Genesee High School – Desko in 1976, Sheehan in 1991. Both played lacrosse under coach Mike Messere. And, most importantly, both earned 2004 lacrosse national championships.

Both coaches will face each other when SU, the NCAA Division I champion, and Le Moyne, the Division II champion, square off at the Pumpkin Stick-Out at 11 a.m. on Sunday at Coyne Field. SU also faces Herkimer at 12:30 p.m. and Dartmouth at 2 p.m.

‘I haven’t seen Le Moyne a lot, except, obviously, the Division II championship game,’ Desko said. ‘Le Moyne plays a nice brand of lacrosse with tempo and with players who like to play. Every year they have gotten better.’

With an 80-27 career record, including an undefeated 10-0 mark in Northeast-10 Conference play last year and the school’s first national championship, Sheehan has been able to carry the fundamental-based approach he picked up from Messere when he played for the Wildcats as a high school midfielder until 1991.

‘The game is much more enjoyable to watch when the ball doesn’t hit the ground,’ Sheehan said.

Both Sheehan and Desko point to Messere as the foundation from which they placed team fundamentals as a top priority. Desko played lacrosse at midfield during Messere’s first year in 1976. After graduating that year, Desko joined the Orange and SU scored a school record 238 goals during his sophomore season. Because of his speed, he switched to defense as a junior and helped SU hold its opponents to 104 goals that year.

Desko’s love for lacrosse turned into him coaching the sport. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, Desko became a top assistant for SU Hall of Fame coach Roy Simmons Jr. Fittingly, when Simmons retired in 1998, the head position was Desko’s for the taking.

The strong familiarity Desko gained from being a lacrosse player, particularly at SU, has helped pave the way for his understanding of what his players need to do to be successful.

‘One of the things (you do) as a coach is evaluate your players,’ Desko said. ‘There are some who need a kick in the pants, and there are some who need a slap on the back. To understand the tradition of the sport here, knowing the root of it helps.’

With 21 freshmen and a handful of transfers entering the lineup this year, Desko plans to use this fall as a way to see how well the newcomers will mesh with the veterans of the 2004 championship squad.

‘The biggest thing is how the players respond in a game situation against a team,’ Desko said. ‘We see this in games because we can’t see it from individuals in practice.’

Published on October 6, 2004 at 12:00 pm