Syracuse, NY -- Kevin Drew, a senior defensive midfielder on the Syracuse University lacrosse team, will be on the field Thursday when the Orange officially opens preseason camp with two practices sandwiched around its annual media day at the Manley Field House Arena.Drew, considered among the best players in the game at his position, was suspended indefinitely from the team in late October after he was charged by Syracuse police with driving while intoxicated, hit and run and resisting arrest.
&8220;Kevin has been out of school and has now been reinstated,&8221; coach John Desko said this afternoon. &8220;He has been punished and will continue to fulfill his consequences. It&8217;s great to have him back so he can continue his education and play lacrosse.&8221;
Drew has played in 45 games during his SU career and has been an integral part of a defense that has allowed no more than 7.4 goals per game over the last three seasons, the best defensive run in school history. Blessed with great speed and a hard right-handed shot, he has also sparked SUs transition game, scoring 13 goals in his career.
Drew will be a welcome addition to a group that lost seven of 10 starters to graduation following last season, the nucleus of a team that has shioned a 60-8 record over the last four seasons and has won two national championships. His return answers one question on a team that will enter the season with several others.
Four-year starter and two-time goaltender of the year John Galloway is gone. So is two-thirds of the starting close defense, including All-American John Lade. All-America longstick midfielder Joel White also graduated along with the team&8217;s entire first midfield and leading goal-scorer Stephen Keogh.
&8220;A lot of times you don&8217;t know all there is to know about your team until midseason or three-quarters through the season,&8221; Desko said. &8220;This definitely could be one of those groups.&8221;
The experts think so. The Orange is ranked No. 7 in the nation in Face-Off Yearbook, an arm of Inside Lacrosse, and No. 8 by Lacrosse Magazine. Considering the losses the rankings are kind, probably in deference to SU&8217;s status as one of the sport&8217;s giants.
&8220;The last couple years anyway you come back and you pretty much know who&8217;s who,&8221; Desko said. &8220;Most definitely this year we&8217;re still trying to figure that out.&8221;
The process began this afternoon when the players gathered to run, the culmination of strength coach Hal Luther&8217;s off-season conditioning program. The team will then dine together and will kick off camp at 9 Thursday morning for the first of two practices. The second one will be at 3:30 Thursday afternoon.
&8220;We&8217;re doing two-a-days ,and what we try to do is spend mornings a little more explaining and going over offenses and defenses and plays,&8221; Desko said. &8220;It&8217;s on the field, but it is more walkthroughs. The afternoon will be more stick drills, one-on-one, three-on-three and six-on-six and then scrimmage. It will be more of a real practice.&8221;
The return of Drew is good news. The latest on highly regarded midfielder and Corcoran High alum James Cathers is not.
&8220;To my knowledge he is not here,&8221; Desko said. &8220;He has yet to come see me and talk to me, so I don&8217;t know what his plan is for the future.&8221;
When Cathers barely iled to get a qualifying score to gain admission at SU in the ll of 2010 he opted to attend prep school briefly rather than go the junior-college route. The decision would have given him four years of eligibility at Syracuse, but so r he has not enrolled.
what a punishment, not a single practice haha
would love to know what those consequences are.
probably something harsh like after he exhausts his elgibility lacrosse wise he no longer will be ablegame walkthroughs to take classes at su.
drew is an exceptional player but it will be a complete joke if he is allowed to play the kid could have killed someone. how is the ncaa going to suspend kids for trading equipment for tattoos (a victimless crime) but let a felony go unpunished the NCAA needs to reevaluate what should and should not be a punishable offense...the Syracuse program has a proud history but things like this have come up in the past (Dan Hardy) and nothing has been done. Drew took advantage of a flawed system by leaving school before he could be punished it looks bad for the program and the school when there are 40 other kids on the team who have done things the right way. if i were logan tousaw id be upset i wasnt allowed back on the team for my incident this past summer. I hate to say it but it feels like drew gets the exemption because of his prowess on the field and I hope that is not the case
Id rather desko come out with a Damon like statement. he didnt murder anyone
I mean the kid takes the coaches sons car without permission(apparently) , is drunk, runs from cops, hits parked cars and doesnt miss a practice?
I mean it was real harsh punishment for him not to be allowed to attend a class DURING XMAS BREAK when there were no classes.
Also about deserving second chances, I am going out a limb and going to say his second chance started right after that nasty scar appeared on his ce because from what people say that wasnt an accident.
Let me guess, they will likely suspend him after the season as well. Just as long as the lax program doesnt suffer. the only consequences being taught is that sport comes above all else. What an example being set.
Syracuse University lacrosse defender Brian Megill tries to continue a recent tradition of excellence
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