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Gary Gait performed his typical schtick while breaking down Syracuse’s 10-8 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals loss to Denver — he lauded the opponent, reminisced on how a couple of plays could have shifted the outcome and gleamed about what lies in the future.

But he didn’t mince words when making his disappointment known.

He repeatedly discussed the litany of opportunities his team squandered en route to missing a Final Four berth. Joey Spallina’s late chance that rattled off the crossbar and “wide-open shots” in the first half which sailed off-target were fresh in Gait’s mind.

He even brought up a transition strike from Billy Dwan that was saved by Pioneers goalie Malcolm Kleban. As the defender sat directly next to Gait at the podium postgame, the head coach detailed his shock at seeing Dwan fail to score one of his signature pole goals.

“(Dwan has) scored on every one of those and today he didn’t do it,” Gait said. “Opportunities that we normally make just didn’t go our way.”

Dwan said he was still proud of SU’s year — going from a missed postseason in 2023 to earning the No. 4 overall seed. While Michael Leo, who sat at the podium with a towel draped over his head, solemnly shared his discontent from the loss, he still declared Syracuse isn’t going anywhere.

“We’re going to be on top next year, for sure,” Leo said.

As disappointing as this year’s conclusion was, Leo might be right. Gait’s squad set out with a goal in 2024: regain the “Orange Standard.” They achieved that. Through SU’s first NCAA quarterfinals appearance since 2017, it has returned to national prominence. Syracuse’s resurgent season may be overshadowed, for now, by a painful postseason exit. But the Orange have proven they have the correct foundation and young core to continue to grow.

Sustained success comes with time, however, and SU was too inconsistent this year to win a national title. Gait needs patience to build his alma mater back into a champion.

Though, he’s on the right track.

“I’m just incredibly proud of where they’ve taken the program,” Gait said of his 2024 team. “From an 8-7 year (in 2023) to a 12-6 year with 12 wins over some of the best teams in the country. Now we just have to go out and create some consistency.”

As a head coach, postseason shortcomings are nothing new for Gait. He helmed Syracuse’s women’s program from 2008-21 in his first Division I head coaching job. Gait formed a sustainable culture of winning through elite recruiting at SU. Yet he never got over the hump, failing to win a first national championship despite 12 NCAA Tournament berths and three national title game appearances.

Following former head coach John Desko’s retirement, Gait opted to lead Syracuse’s men’s program starting in June 2021. For a man who SU Director of Athletics John Wildhack called the “Michael Jordan of lacrosse” at his introductory press conference, the expectations on Gait couldn’t have been more daunting.

But through Gait’s three seasons helming Syracuse’s men’s program, he still hasn’t captured his first coaching championship. His first two seasons yielded just 12 total wins and no NCAA Tournament appearances.

At the same time, Gait’s recruiting prowess carried over, continuing to pluck out the Orange’s next group of stars — headlined by Spallina, 2022’s No. 1 overall recruit.

And in 2024, his 17th head coaching season, Gait’s plan began to come to fruition.

A team almost solely constructed with his recruits and a slew of impactful transfers put Syracuse back on the map. Signature moments like SU’s March wins over then-No. 2 Johns Hopkins and then-No. 4 Duke and closing the regular season by defeating then-No. 4 Virginia at home signified that Gait is well on his way to creating a powerhouse.

His latest postseason setback, though, should not be treated harshly.

Syracuse’s regular-season achievements along with its NCAA Tournament first-round win over Towson are enough to deem this season a major step forward. Gait’s group was young, inexperienced and was forced to gel together quickly — due to multiple transfer portal additions, while John Odierna was hired to replace defensive coordinator Dave Pietramala.

It was always unrealistic for this team to win a national title. The 2024 season was about bringing back Syracuse’s national championship expectations, not winning one. Improving from a fifth-place finish to second-place in the ACC — the sport’s toughest conference — was a massive milestone for the Orange. Especially when all the pressure rested on sophomore Spallina.

Joey Spallina registered 88 points in his sophomore season with Syracuse. Jack Henry | Staff Photographer

Syracuse offensive coordinator Pat March developed an offense that revolves around Spallina’s facilitating and finishing ability. He regularly possessed the ball at X to either pass to cutting teammates, or dart out and slot home a wraparound goal.

Spallina was so involved in the offense that outcomes often seemed to come down to his performance. The attack took the most scrutiny among SU players throughout the season, even prompting Christian Mulé to defend Spallina following Syracuse’s Feb. 28 loss to then-No. 5 Army, where Spallina went scoreless.

“He’s not going to have 10 points every time he plays,” Mulé said of Spallina. “People are just way too hard on him.”

Though Spallina dominated in nearly every contest, the lows were pretty low — including zero-point efforts versus Virginia and against Denver. But the highs? He was undeniably one of the best players in the nation, becoming the only underclassmen to earn a Tewaaraton nomination.

The sophomore posted three performances with nine or more points, while also tallying seven points against then-No. 13 Cornell and registering four goals and four assists in his NCAA Tournament debut against Towson.

His 88-point season — 37 goals, 51 assists — gave him the third-most points in the nation as of May 22. It was also the highest point total ever for a Syracuse sophomore, breaking Gait’s 36-year-old record of 87.

Spallina’s rapid explosion is more important than his few rough outings. His performances in big games will get better. The players who win Tewaaratons and NCAA Championships are usually seniors or graduate students, as seen this year with Notre Dame’s Pat Kavanagh and Virginia’s Connor Shellenberger headlining the Final Four. Spallina will lead SU deeper into May, he just needs time.

Gait and his staff should also receive credit for the impactful moves they made to boost Syracuse. They fortified the faceoff unit with Tufts transfer Mason Kohn and freshman John Mullen. They formed a lethal midfield by adding veteran Princeton transfers Jake Stevens and Sam English. The development of role players like Luke Rhoa and Dwan are commendable too.

The Orange were a significantly improved bunch from their first two years under Gait. And it resulted in coming just one win away from their first Final Four since 2013.

With its star in Spallina and an established recruiter in Gait, the sky’s the limit for Syracuse.

“You’re going to lose and you learn from it. You come back and be better the next time, and that’s how you develop the ability to win games,” Gait said. “And we have been going through that process for three years…I just think we’re going to continue to do that until we’re back, until we have success.”

Gait’s win total has ballooned by four each year since he’s taken over the men’s program. He still hasn’t conquered his postseason demons from his days as SU’s women’s head coach. Yet he’s already shown that he’s building sustained success. Who’s to say he can’t raise a trophy soon?

A few years down the road, Gait’s typical postgame schtick will not always resort to pondering the future. Instead, he will bask in his glory each time the calendar flips to May — just like he did as a player.

Cooper Andrews is the Managing Editor at The Daily Orange, where his column appears occasionally. He can be reached at ccandrew@syr.edu or on X @cooper_andrews.

Published on May 23, 2024 at 11:58 am