Gary Gait's legacy has already been cemented as a player. Now, as a second-year head coach with the Syracuse men's lacrosse team, he hopes to build the next generation of stars on the field.

“For me, it’s the opportunity to help young men come in and figure out what they want to do with their life and have success on the lacrosse field while doing that," Gait said. "I just hope they have an incredible experience here, that when they do leave, they look back and say, ‘I wouldn’t have done anything different. I loved it here.’ And it’s my job to provide that opportunity.”

Gait's first season at the helm didn’t go as planned. The Orange struggling to a 4-10 finish, but Gait called it a transition year for him, moving from the women’s game to the men’s.

“We all learned last year," Gait said." "We learned what each other was all about. And I think this year, we’ve really focused on aligning and making sure we’re on the same page moving forward. It’s definitely been a lot better and there’s a lot more cohesion on the field in terms of what we want to do as a coaching staff. And it’s been a lot of fun.”

That confidence stems from an influx of young talent, players eager to learn, competitors willing to buy into what Gary and his staff are all about.

“We’re not figuring it out as we go," Gait said. "So we are able to, I think, utilize them a lot better as a coaching staff. We know what kind of offense these guys should be running, where they excel, what are their strengths and weaknesses and that kind of thing. That’s really allowed us as the coaches to hopefully put a better product on the field and have a team that will have more success just by understanding talent and making sure it fits the strategies we’re putting in.”

As Gait looks to return to championship weekend, his brother, Paul, is always on his mind. A fall back in November left him paralyzed in his lower body.

Gait said he’s learned a lot from his brother since the accident.

“There are going to be challenges in life and nothing goes your way, but it’s how you respond to it," Gait said. "Much like I was saying before about how you react to adversity. And he’s taken on being paralyzed with a great mindset. He’s not going to let it stop him from doing the things he wants to do or following his dreams and continuing to build his lacrosse business, so certainly an inspiration to me. If he can get that done and go through the things he’s doing, then I can coach up a team and get us back to the Final Four.”