Syracuse head coach John Desko brought in plenty of reinforcement this season with the second-ranked recruiting class in the nation, according to Inside Lacrosse. The class is made up of 19 freshmen, some of whom Desko expects to play a key role in their first season with the Orange.

‘It’s one of our larger classes,’ Desko said when the class was announced in September. ‘We like the group. There are a lot of good players. It’s balanced at all positions and adds a lot of depth to our lineup.’

Here’s a closer look at four of the freshmen in the class:

Billy Ward

Attack

C.W. Baker (Baldwinsville, N.Y.)

John Galloway said he’d never seen anything like it.

The work ethic of this 5-foot-7, 167-pound freshman took the team by storm. Billy Ward made an impression on arguably the nation’s best goaltender without ever playing a game.

‘Billy Ward is the hardest working kid on our team,’ Galloway said. ‘No question about it.’

In a class of 19 freshmen, Ward has already separated himself. His can’t-stop, won’t-stop attitude has proved infectious in the early part of the 2011 season. On a team with multiple All-Americans, Ward’s determination supersedes them all.

‘He is 120 percent, 100 percent of the time.’ Galloway said. ‘At practice, in the weight room, in the conditioning — I’ve never seen anything like it.’

Ward is the highest-rated player in John Desko’s Class of 2010, checking in at the No. 14 overall spot and the fourth-best attack in the country. While at C.W. Baker High School, he earned All-American recognition following a senior season in which he scored 44 goals and tallied 41 assists.

Being the go-to guy in high school makes Ward composed and under control on the field.

‘He makes the right decision with the ball,’ SU midfielder Jovan Miller said. ‘And I don’t think he’s a liability. So I definitely see him as someone who is going to participate.’

But even if he doesn’t get to participate on the field right away, Ward has already contributed to the team in another way. At a young age, he’s demonstrating an understanding of how hard you have to work to one day be the best.

‘He’s just a guy that you watch on the field, and it kind of motivates you to go a little harder,’ Galloway said. ‘Especially for those freshmen, he’s really showcasing what you have to do to be a Syracuse lacrosse player. And people are starting to follow his lead.’

— Michael Cohen, asst. sports editor

Jake Bratek

Midfield

Jamesville-DeWitt (N.Y.) High School

Inside Lacrosse ranked Bratek as the seventh-best midfielder and the 19th overall prospect in his class heading into his first year with the Orange. The Syracuse native led Jamesville-DeWitt High to four Section III championships and two state championships through his high school career. With a wiry 6-foot, 163-pound frame, the Syracuse coaches have been impressed with his speed and quickness.

Bratek developed into more of a scorer than a playmaker in his time at Jamesville-DeWitt. He scored 178 goals in his four years there while dishing out just 52 assists. Those 230 points rank him as the highest-scoring midfielder in school history. In his senior year alone, he tallied 60 goals before sitting out with a broken collarbone.

Head coach John Desko said the veteran midfielders had a clear edge over the freshmen due to their experience with the system and with college lacrosse in general. Still, the coach added that if any of the first-year players can pick up the team’s sets quickly, they have the talent to see some playing time.

— Zach Brown, staff writer

Matt Harris

Defense

Stevenson School (Buffalo Grove, Ill.)

Inside Lacrosse rated Harris 11th among defenders and 38th overall in the 2010 class. Harris was also a 2010 U.S. Lacrosse All-American and a first-team all-state selection. During his high school career, he scored 21 goals, had 34 assists and picked up more than 300 ground balls.

‘I just want to show them that I can understand things, learn the system and be a good teammate,’ Harris said. ‘You have to gel with the older guys if you plan on getting playing time, so just show them you can learn the system.’

Harris said he had been picking up the system well and didn’t have many problems adjusting to the collegiate level of play. A lot of those issues were worked out during fall lacrosse, giving Harris the chance to come into the spring without that distraction.

Syracuse head coach John Desko apparently saw how quickly Harris had made the adjustment and picked up the defensive system. Back on Jan. 13 at the team’s media day, Desko included Harris in the category of players competing for the third spot on the starting defense. While it’s unlikely Harris will be named the starter — with that spot likely going to Tom Guadagnolo — he’ll probably still see some playing time as a true freshman.

— Chris Iseman, asst. copy editor

Ben Levy

Goalie

St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School (Alexandria, Va.)

Ben Levy became a goaltender by accident.

As a seventh grader, he missed practice near the start of the lacrosse season. The next day, with his team without a goalie, Levy’s coach asked who wanted to step in net.

No one volunteered. So because Levy missed practice, Coach put him in goal.

‘And the rest,’ Levy said, ‘is history.’

Now Levy comes in as a freshman goaltender on Syracuse behind a current program legend in John Galloway. He is part of the Orange’s second-ranked 2010 recruiting class. He is one of four goalies on the team, along with Galloway, junior Paul Dubas and redshirt freshman Matthew Lerman.

And Levy comes in expecting to carry Galloway’s torch.

‘It’s a new thing being around the history of this program,’ Levy said. ‘John’s definitely a good guy to step in behind my freshman year. You start to know what the tradition here is all about.’

Levy said he started playing lacrosse in fifth grade. Back then, he played attack. After picking up the goalie position in seventh grade, he said he went to a few summer camps to hone his skills.

And last year, he led St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes to a 19-5 record. He was the 12th-ranked goalie in the Class of 2010. And though he likely won’t get much playing time this season behind Galloway, Levy is already looking toward the future.

Said Levy: ‘It’s definitely a fun experience.’

— Brett LoGiurato, sports editor

Published on February 16, 2011 at 12:00 pm