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Gary Gait left the University of Maryland in 2001 because he was passed over for the men’s lacrosse head coaching job. He’d spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach for the Terrapins’ women’s team, which won seven straight NCAA Championships from 1995 to 2001.

He yearned to take the next step. Yet, Maryland had other ideas. It chose Dave Cottle to replace Dick Edell as its men’s head coach ahead of the 2002 season. Gait transitioned to coaching in the National Lacrosse League and eventually helmed Syracuse’s women’s team.

The Terrapins went about finding a new coach before the 2011 campaign, and Gait said they contacted him about the opening. But he declined. He was happy at his alma mater.

“It was nice that they thought I would be a good coach for them years later,” Gait said Tuesday. “But (I) decided to stay here at Syracuse.”

Maryland pivoted to John Tillman, who has led the Terrapins to two NCAA titles in 14 seasons. Gait finally made the jump and became SU’s men’s coach in 2022. Now, the two collide in the Final Four Saturday in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Gait is still searching for his first-ever coaching win against the program he envisioned helming one day, while Tillman aims to improve his all-time record versus the Orange to 8-0. Here’s what the head coaches had to say ahead of No. 6-seed Syracuse’s (13-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast) NCAA Semifinals matchup against No. 2-seed Maryland (13-3, 3-2 Big Ten):

“The Tortoise and the Hare”

Syracuse-Maryland matchups are much like the children’s fable, “The Tortoise and the Hare.” Slow and steady wins the race. That’s been the case throughout the last 15 years. The Terrapins’ methodical, turtle-esque playstyle consistently trumps the Orange’s high-octane, rambunctious scheme.

This narrative got proven again on Feb. 15 in College Park, where Maryland held Syracuse to a horrific .171 shot percentage in an 11-7 SU loss. Star Terrapin defenders like AJ Larkin and Will Schaller silenced the Orange’s vaunted attack, holding them to their worst performance of the season to date.

“They executed a slow-down game. They used the shot clock almost every single possession,” Gait said of Maryland postgame. “It wasn’t an up-and-down game … they were able to play their game and it worked out for them.”

If the Orange want to upset the Terrapins, they’ll either need to beat Maryland at its own game or make it conform to theirs. Gait didn’t reveal what Syracuse will do to adjust to the Terrapins’ sluggish playstyle but said changes are coming. In the meantime, Gait gushed over Maryland’s defense, hailing it as one of the country’s top units every year.

“Oh my God, they’re so good defensively,” Gait said. “They’re a well-oiled machine on the defensive end of the field, and they make it tough.”

As for Tillman, who built his legacy off constructing Maryland’s well-renowned defense, he said he’d rather have his guys play faster. But, he said it’s always going to play the style that tests the opposition most effectively. While that probably means another slow-paced game is in store Saturday, Tillman spoke on balancing a smart, efficient style of play with the desire to get out in transition against Syracuse.

“We’ll run any time we can,” Tillman said. “If we can generate early shots that are good shots, we’ll take them. But we’re also not going to be reckless and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to take a shot every 10 seconds’ and just give the ball back.”

Assessing Spallina

Joey Spallina’s eight-point detonation in SU’s NCAA Quarterfinal win over Princeton last Saturday immediately goes down as one of the star attack’s best games. His tenacity was off the charts. His accuracy was pinpoint. His passing was even cleaner. Everything worked.

Making sure Spallina’s heater continues is massive for the Orange’s chances in the Final Four. In Gait’s eyes, that comes down to Spallina remaining in the same headspace.

The head coach said he’s told Spallina the same thing since his arrival in 2023: do whatever the team needs from you to win. Right now, that seems to be unleashing for gaudy statlines and making long poles look silly.

“‘Don’t buy into pressure and all that other stuff, just play on the grass and enjoy the game like you usually do,’” Gait said of his advice to Spallina.

Gait said seeing Spallina smiling throughout the quarterfinal game showed he’s locked in on the task at hand. The Orange constantly preach playing loose and without fear — a mindset Spallina has run with this season. His tally of 89 points is tied for fourth-most in SU single-season history.

Gait searching for another “first”

It’s been a year of “firsts” for Syracuse in 2025. The Orange went on their first five-game-plus winning streak under Gait, won their first ACC Tournament title since 2016 and advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 2013.

But Gait guns for a new first — his first win over Maryland, a program the Orange have only bested twice since Gait finished his collegiate playing career.

The shortcomings versus UMD stacked up recently, with Syracuse falling to Maryland once each regular season from 2022-25. Those losses include an overtime controversy and defeats where SU’s offense never found a rhythm.

“The idea of them having a run against us doesn’t really phase us,” Gait said. “It’s another game, another opportunity.”

Gait understands Maryland has had Syracuse’s number, though he feels this year’s squad is different. He mentioned SU’s ability to respond from a regular-season loss at Duke with a win over it in the ACC title game, as well as a season-sweep over Notre Dame for reasons why the Orange are ready to buck their sour trend against the Terrapins.

“My staff does a pretty good job of not just trying to hit repeat and do it again and hopefully play better but actually making some good adjustments to have success,” Gait said.

Praise for assistant coaches

Both head coaches talked about the importance of their assistant coaches — Pat March and John Odierna for Gait and Jesse Bernhardt for Tillman. The coaching battle between Gait and Tillman is more prominent on paper, but each side’s assistants are engaged in tactical battles of their own.

Gait and Tillman rely heavily on their assistants. Gait said former UMD women’s head coach Cindy Timchal put immense trust and power in him while he served on the Terrapins’ staff, which helped set a foundation for his coaching career. He implores the same mentality for his offensive coordinator, March, and his defensive boss, Odierna.

“I recognize these guys are very talented. They’re a couple of the best minds in lacrosse right now,” Gait said of March and Odierna. “My job is, ‘How do I make my team have the best opportunity?’ That’s by letting these guys do what they do. So certainly we have discussions, talk about what the approach is, all that stuff. But I let them coach.”

Tillman likes what he’s seen from SU’s assistants.

“(March) does a great job with the offense and John does a really good job with the defense. They seem like everybody is working together, everybody’s on the same page,” Tillman said.

Tillman, similar to Gait, directed praise at Bernhardt, who runs UMD’s defensive unit. He credited Bernhardt for doctoring the game plan that broke the Orange in mid-February. Ahead of the rematch, Tillman said they’re poring through film to spot the differences between SU’s squad then and now. Tillman and Bernhardt want to “re-acclimate” their players to Syracuse’s attack. He feels the Orange are firing on all cylinders right now, unlike their first matchup.

“Obviously, we can’t let them go nuts,” Tillman said of Syracuse. “We can’t give up 19 goals. That’s going to be really hard.”

Published on May 20, 2025 at 3:11 pm
Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews