John Desko called the whole thing a ‘distraction.’ In the opening week of the 2011 men’s lacrosse season, the last thing Syracuse’s head coach wanted was for his seniors to be thinking about their post-SU plans.

‘I think our guys in college really need to focus on their college experience,’ Desko said last Wednesday. ‘What the team’s trying to do right now, getting ready for our first game and the rest of the season and to graduate.’

But for the first time in the league’s existence, Major League Lacrosse moved its draft prior to the start of the collegiate lacrosse season. Seven members of the Orange were selected in the 2011 Major League Lacrosse draft on Friday, the most of any team in the country. Of the first 10 picks, four were SU players.

Joel White, a long-stick midfielder, was the highest Syracuse player selected when the Rochester Rattlers took him with the second overall pick. He will be joined by teammates Jovan Miller and John Galloway, who were selected by the Rattlers later.

In 2010, White led Syracuse with 78 ground balls. He has 204 in his career. White’s performance last season won him the Lt. Donald C. MacLaughlin Jr. award, given to the nation’s best midfielder.

The Rattlers took Miller, a midfielder, with the second pick of the second round, and then drafted Galloway in the fourth round.

‘The Lord answered my prayers,’ Miller tweeted from his personal account Friday. ‘Me, Joel, and Galloway get to play on the same team for years to come!!!’

Miller was a member of the 2010 All-Big East first team, notching 15 goals last season. Galloway was the nation’s top goaltender a year ago, winning the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. award. He had a 7.16 goals-against average and currently has the best average in SU lacrosse history with 7.55 for his career. Galloway was the first goalie selected in Friday’s draft.

SU midfielder Jeremy Thompson went to the Hamilton Nationals in the first round as the sixth overall pick. Last season — his first at Syracuse — the midfielder won 58.2 percent of faceoffs on the way to being named to the All-Big East first team.

The Boston Cannons selected midfielder Josh Amidon with the 10th overall pick in the second round. Amidon has 33 goals and 56 points in his career with the Orange. Also going to Boston was John Lade, as the Cannons took the defender with the fourth pick of the third round. Lade was second on the Orange in 2010 with 22 caused turnovers and also picked up 32 ground balls.

Attack Stephen Keogh was the final Syracuse player taken in the draft. Keogh, the first pick of the fifth round, will join Thompson in on the Nationals. He is Syracuse’s active leader in goals (100) and points (113).

All of the players taken were integral parts of Syracuse’s 2008 and 2009 championships, and they have led the Orange to 45 total victories during their careers. White, Galloway and Lade were all 2010 first-team All-America selections.

SU’s season begins with a scrimmage against Le Moyne and Hofstra on Feb. 5. The regular season gets underway on Feb. 20 when the Orange hosts Denver.

cjiseman@syr.edu

Published on January 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Chris: cjiseman@syr.edu | @chris_iseman