John Desko didn’t need to see the improvements Dave Hamlin’s made because he could already hear them.

Over the course of two seasons, the Syracuse head coach could tell his defender was morphing from a shy freshman to a confident, vocal leader. After Hamlin struggled to communicate effectively on the field, the junior has evolved to a point where during games Desko can hear Hamlin’s voice ringing out to help command the SU defense.

‘His personality is quiet to begin with,’ Desko said. ‘So as a freshman, I think that was something the coaches, especially coach (Lelan) Rogers, kept stressing with him, had to keep reminding him to communicate with the other players on the field. But he’s gotten a lot better with that. I think he’s much more comfortable with it.’

After redshirting his freshman year and serving as a backup the last two seasons, Hamlin’s stepping in as a starter at close defense this year. Unlike Brian Megill, who has started every game since he has been in a Syracuse uniform, Hamlin had to patiently wait his turn, knowing that there would be a time when now-graduated defenders John Lade and Tom Guadagnolo would need replacements. Hamlin will finally get that chance Sunday in the Orange’s season opener against Albany at 2 p.m. in the Carrier Dome.

He and the rest of the SU close-defense unit will try to replicate the type of shutdown defense it has boasted for the past several seasons. And it all starts with the close defenders’ communication on the field. Something Hamlin struggled to pick up.

Though communicating on the field was a challenge for him as a freshman, Hamlin learned by watching SU’s starting unit flawlessly connect on its coverage from his place on the sideline.

‘Their talk, their communication, which I’ve always had trouble with. In the last year, I began to pick it up, our whole defense as a whole, I think,’ Hamlin said. ‘… Really, just playing with each other, being comfortable with each other on the field, and that came from that great communication.’

Now, Megill said Hamlin ‘never shuts up’ on the field, yelling out formations, commands and assignments to him and fellow close defender and new starter Matt Harris. The lingering apprehension has been eliminated completely.

‘I think more of it when I was a freshman two years ago and he was a redshirt freshman, he seemed a little bit shy,’ Megill said. ‘Now, he’s opened up. He’s opened up like a book.’

Hamlin earned valuable playing time last season when Lade went down with an ankle injury that kept him on the sideline for two games. He said that stretch of games alone provided ample opportunity to grow as a player, helping him ease into his full-time starting spot now.

Megill is an imposing force on close defense and can guard opponents’ top scorers regardless of their size, while Hamlin is quick on his feet and can neutralize opponents’ fastest dodgers.

Despite Hamlin’s abilities, he still spent the better part of the past two seasons on the sidelines. How many minutes he saw — if he saw any at all — varied from game to game, something he’s glad to not have to deal with anymore.

‘It was a little unsettling last year warming up, and there were some games where you wouldn’t see any time to games where Lade would come out in the first quarter, and I’d have to play the rest of the game,’ Hamlin said.

In the Orange’s first game of the season, the close defenders are going to receive an immediate test against one of the country’s top scorers in Albany attack Joe Resetarits. Desko called him the ‘quarterback’ of Albany’s attack, as Resetarits finished 2011 with 31 goals while also notching 13 assists.

Hamlin has been waiting for three years for this chance, and on Sunday, he’ll finally be out on the field as a starter.

If things are going well, Desko should be able to hear Hamlin’s voice resonating throughout the Dome. And Hamlin knows strong communication is what’s going to help make the difference between a win and a loss for the Orange.

‘It always takes a little while getting used to playing with new guys,’ Hamlin said. ‘But like I said, that communication probably cuts that time in half because it makes playing with new guys so much easier.’

cjiseman@syr.edu 

Published on February 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman