SU Men’s Lacrosse Welcomes New Class


Syracuse’s 2012-13 men’s lacrosse incoming class is rife with solid players at every position. The class, in total, features 14 incoming players, including transfers Mike Daniello from Johns Hopkins and Sean Young from Towson.

“I think it’s a talented, athletic group,” said SU head coach John Desko. “It’s a group with good physical size. We are excited to get them on the field this fall and see what they can do.”

On July 1, we listed defenseman Ryan Palasek (Rocky Point, N.Y.) as one of the players to keep an eye on at the next level. Following in his brothers footsteps to Syracuse the 205 lb d-man picked up two ground balls and caused one turnover in the Under Armour All-American Game.

SYRACUSE 2012-13 SIGNEE PROFILES
Tyler Avallone, Goalie
Chester, N.J. (Mendham HS)
Ranked sixth among goalies, and No. 62 overall, in the Class of 2012 by Inside Lacrosse … Made 244 saves as a senior … Posted a 6.20 career goals-against average and a .670 career save percentage … Team MVP and captain.

Elliott Burr, Midfield
Hamilton, Mass. (Hamilton-Wenham Regional HS)
Set the Hamilton-Wenham season scoring record with 101 points (61 goals, 40 assists) as a senior in 2012 … Finished his scholastic career with a school-record 180 points (110 goals, 70 assists) … Three-time all-league selection … Team captain as a senior … First Hamilton-Wenham alum to play Division I lacrosse.

Paolo Ciferri, Midfield
Ithaca, N.Y. (Ithaca HS)
2012 U.S. Lacrosse All-American … Helped lead Ithaca to back-to-back state championship game appearances … Two-time all-section choice … Tallied 30 goals and 23 assists as a senior … Scored 126 career points (68 goals, 58 assists) … Team MVP and captain.

Mike Daniello, Attack
Cross River, N.Y. (John Jay HS/Johns Hopkins)
Played in eight games and picked up one ground ball as a freshman at Johns Hopkins in 2012 … 2011 Under Armour All-American as a high school senior … Helped the lacrosse team to two sectional championships, one regional title and one trip to the state semifinals … Totaled 108 goals and 76 assists … Two-time all-section and two-time all-league pick … Younger brother of former SU All-American Chris Daniello (2007-10).

Derek DeJoe, Attack/Midfield
Fairport, N.Y. (Fairport HS)
Listed 21st among midfielders, and No. 71 overall, in the Class of 2012 by Inside Lacrosse … U.S. Lacrosse All-American … Led Fairport to consecutive Section V championships … Notched 138 career points (93 goals, 45 assists), including 31 goals and 16 assists a as senior … Team captain.

Jeff Desko, Attack
Marlborough, Mass. (St. John’s-Shrewsbury HS)
U.S. Lacrosse All-American and participated in the 2012 Champion All-American Showcase as a member of Team Liberty … Helped St. John’s-Shrewsbury to two Central Massachusetts titles, and an appearance in the state championship game as a freshman … Recorded 49 goals and 30 assists a senior … Finished his high school career with 289 points (178 goals, 111 assists) … Two-time Worcester Telegram & Gazette Super Team selection … Father, Dave Desko (1981-84), uncles Jeff Desko (1983-86) and John Desko (1976-79), and cousin, Tim Desko (2009-12), all played lacrosse at Syracuse University … Uncle, John Desko, is the head lacrosse coach at Syracuse.

Joe Gillis, Midfield
Bernardsville, N.J. (Seton Hall HS)
Named to the All-Essex County First Team as a junior and senior … Led the Pirates to the 2010 Essex County championship … Totaled 15 goals, 21 assists, and 47 ground balls as a senior … Notched 47 goals, 51 assists, and picked up 83 ground balls in his high school career … Two-time team captain … Also played football and basketball.

Jay McDermott, Defense
Duxbury, Mass. (Duxbury HS)
Rated the 34th-best defenseman in the Class of 2012 by Inside Lacrosse … Led the Dragons to two state championships (2011, 2012) … Part of Duxbury defense that allowed double-digit goals just once in 25 games during its 2012 state title run … Recipient of the lacrosse program’s Jonathan Taylor Memorial Award.

Evan Molloy, Goalie
Manhasset, N.Y. (Manhasset HS)
Ranked No. 18 among goalies in the Class of 2012 by Inside Lacrosse … Made 126 saves as a senior … All-county selection … Team captain … Father, Jamie Molloy (1977-80), and grandfather, Kenneth Molloy (1940-42), both played lacrosse at Syracuse University … Father, Jamie Molloy, holds the SU record for career saves (766).

Ryan Palasek, Defense
Rocky Point, N.Y. (Rocky Point HS)
Ranked 15th overall, and fourth among defensemen, in the Class of 2012 by Inside Lacrosse … Under Armour and U.S. Lacrosse All-American … Participated in the 2012 Champion All-American Showcase as a member of Team Spirit … Tallied four assists and 72 ground balls as a senior at Rocky Point … Two-time all-state, all-county and all-league selection … … Owns the Rocky Point career record for caused turnovers (167) … Earned team MVP honors … Two-time team captain … … Also earned all-county plaudits in football … Younger brother of former SU attackman and 2012 Orange leading scorer Tommy Palasek (2011-12) … Father, Tom Palasek, graduated from Syracuse University in 1987 and played two years of JV lacrosse.

Connor Pequigney, Midfield
Severna Park, Md. (Archbishop Spaulding HS)
Sixth-rated faceoff specialist in the Class of 2012 by ESPN High School … Earned All-Anne Arundel County honors … Honorable mention all-state selection … Recorded 27 goals, 15 assists, and won better than 50 percent of his faceoffs during his career … Team captain … Also earned all-country honors in football.

Daquan Rockett, Midfield
Ithaca, N.Y. (Ithaca HS)
Helped lead Ithaca to back-to-back state championship game appearances … Earned first-team all-league honors as a defensive midfielder … Totaled 15 goals, nine assists, and 76 ground balls in his career, including seven goals, four assists, and 44 ground balls as a senior.

Colin Woolford, Midfield
Norwalk, Conn. (Choate Rosemary Hall)
Spent 2012 at Choate Rosemary Hall prep school … U.S. Lacrosse All-American … Team captain … Recorded 21 goals and 10 assists … Played for 2012 Empire State Cup champion New York City and earned all-tournament honors.

Sean Young, Defense
Oakville, Ontario, Canada (Hill Academy/Towson)
Appeared in 14 games and collected seven ground balls as a freshman at Towson last season … Led the Hill Academy Pride to North American Lacrosse Invitational championship … Named the Pride’s defensive player of the year.

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