Syracuse midfielder Steven Brooks hasn’t heard from Harvard’s John Duboe since winter break, but that doesn’t mean he has forgotten.

Brooks can vividly recall his hometown friend’s taunts and promises when the two were back home in Illinois – where only nine miles separated them.

‘He kept running his mouth that they were going to crush us (in the scrimmage),’ Brooks smiled. ‘He said Harvard is going to come into the Dome and beat the ‘Cuse. I just said, ‘Right…you keep running your mouth, I’ll sit back.’ It will be fun.’

Overriding Brooks’ personal rivalry is Syracuse’s need to improve its shooting accuracy – Brooks included. The traditionally offensive-powered Orange went defensive in last weekend’s season-opening scrimmage, winning 12-5 against Hofstra and 9-3 over Le Moyne. Syracuse’s suffocating defense allowed scant scoring opportunities and the Orange won both games with ease. But they could have been full-fledged routs.

‘We didn’t score the ball as much as we should of,’ Brooks said. ‘Twenty percent shooting is not good for us.’

Although official statistics were not kept, Brooks said the team had 53 shots in the first game, which equates to a 23 percent shooting percentage. Over the past 11 years, the Orange has finished below 30 percent only once. Hosting Harvard tomorrow at noon, Syracuse’s first priority is to get shots off quicker and put the exclamation point on scoring opportunities.

‘We cradled the ball one too many times and by the time we took the shot our angle was a little off the cage,’ said the lefty Brooks, who has also developed an effective right-handed shot. ‘We just got to realize that we have to release the ball quicker. … It was our first scrimmage and we’ve just been playing against ourselves for the past month.’

Erratic shooting is a problem that heals itself, said the senior Brooks.

‘Once you get the feel for other teams and play in a game situation against other people, shots will fall,’ he said. ‘Definitely. We’ve just been playing against ourselves for awhile now.’

The first thing Orange head coach John Desko did after last weekend’s tri-scrimmage was analyze film of both games. Finishing offensive rushes was the thorn in an otherwise mistake-free five hours. Quality didn’t match quantity.

‘We seemed to generate a lot shots, but maybe weren’t good shots, whether it was flat angles or bad technique,’ Desko said. ‘We really didn’t have a lot of good shots as far as where we were in relation to the goal. So now it’s a matter of just doing more shooting drills and more shooting on goaltenders.’

And if Brooks gets his wish, Syracuse will be changing its primary shooting drill sometime soon. Currently, the team is using blue dummies to shoot at during practice. The preseason All-American Brooks dismisses the dummies with disappointment as if they’re a consolation prize.

He misses Hector.

‘Hopefully we can get Hector the Rejecter out here soon,’ Brooks said. ‘We haven’t brought him out. (Assistant coach Kevin) Donahue is hiding him I think. Instead we have these blue dummy things that aren’t working for us I think. Shooting at Hector would be a lot better.’

‘Hector the Rejecter’ is an oversized goalie figure that attaches to the lacrosse net. It contains miniscule openings in the corners and the off-stick hip, closely resembling an oversized goaltender. Hector may not provide the playful trash-talking that Duboe did in December, but Brooks is eager to face him just the same.

‘With the big blue dummies you just get a big blue thing,’ Brooks said. ‘I feel that with Hector and the slots, it’d be a lot better. You get more real-time shots.’

To Brooks’ dismay, Hector must continue to collect dust in the equipment room for at least this weekend. In a more conventional scrimmage, Syracuse has another opportunity to clean up its offense and continue to grow under assistant coach Lelan Rogers’ revamped defensive scheme with the season opener against Villanova on Feb. 17 looming.

It’s also a chance for Brooks to snag bragging rights in his homegrown weight room. In Illinois he regularly works out with the sophomore Duboe, while also joining him at local lacrosse camps.

Brooks may have bit his tongue a month ago, but before Thursday’s practice he half-sarcastically delivered one clear message for his lifting partner.

‘I don’t get to go against many Illinois kids ever, especially in the Dome,’ Brooks said. ‘…Come to my place, I’m going to give you a beating.’

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on February 7, 2008 at 12:00 pm