Former Syracuse goaltender John Galloway is transitioning from one of the most prestigious lacrosse programs in the nation to one that’s in desperate need of being turned around.

After spending last season as a volunteer assistant coach at Duke, Galloway, the winningest goaltender in college lacrosse history, accepted a job as Providence’s new defensive coordinator on Tuesday. Galloway joins the staff of new Friars head coach and former Blue Devils assistant Chris Gabrielli, who took over on June 21 after former head coach Chris Burdick resigned following Providence’s abysmal 2-12 season.

Despite the Friars’ recent struggles – they haven’t won more than three games since the 2009 season – Galloway said the school is supporting the program fully, and that he wanted to be a part of helping Providence become competitive once again.

“It starts with recruiting and changing the culture there,” Galloway said in a phone interview. “We’re going to heighten expectations, and we’re not going to assume we’ll lose a couple games. We expect to make a splash when we get there.”

Galloway said he and Gabrielli will have a clean slate to work toward building a championship-caliber team, starting with bringing in a crop of talented young players to go along with the veterans already on the roster. Given some time, they hope Providence will return to prominence.

And both coaches know plenty about achieving success given their respective backgrounds. They’re coming off a 15-5 season at Duke in which the Blue Devils made it to the NCAA tournament semifinals where they fell to Maryland 16-10.

During his one season working under Duke head coach John Danowski, Galloway said he saw a coaching philosophy that breeds success and cohesiveness. One he’ll look to bring to PC.

“He never freaked out, and he never got away from his standards and expectations,” Galloway said of Danowski. “I think that quality in a coach is really special now in a day where coaches seem to be always on edge.”

A major criticism of the Friars in recent seasons has been their offensive style, where they would frequently stall the ball and substantially slow the pace of the game. Galloway said he and Gabrielli have already spoken about their vision of the program, and discussed implementing a new up-and-down style that teams like Syracuse and Duke employ.

The quicker pace is the way the game should be played, Galloway said, and Providence’s style will reflect that.

“We’re excited to be able to introduce that speed of the game to these guys,” Galloway said. “And we hope they really buy into it, because we believe that with the talent that there is there already and we think we can bring in, we can compete in the Big East and compete nationally.”

Galloway worked with the goalies at Duke, but his new responsibilities will include running the entire defense. In addition to his 59 wins with the Orange, Galloway also has two NCAA championships on his decorated resume, giving him coaching credentials that are matched by few others.

Though he acknowledged the program will have its share of challenges, by changing the culture of the program immediately, Galloway believes the Friars are heading in the right direction.

Said Galloway: “That’s going to be our goal the day we step on campus.”

Published on July 5, 2012 at 7:07 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman