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On the surface, not much has changed since 2008 fall ball for the Syracuse men's lacrosse team. The national championship trophy still belongs to Syracuse. John Galloway wants more from his own performance. The attack unit boasts fast players. Pat Perritt stood on the field chatting with the assistant coaches.

But then Cody Jamieson ran onto the practice field wearing the coveted No. 22 jersey. Jeremy Thompson trotted not far behind. The sight shed light on the reality that it's a year later -- and things are very different.

The Orange are two-time defending national champions, but their stars are gone and replaced by new players on the rise. Kenny Nims, Matt Abbott and former-No. 22 owner Dan Hardy are now playing professionally on Major League Lacrosse teams. Perritt is finishing his degree and just came by to say hello.

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Jim Rogash/Getty ImagesThis image of Cody Jamieson scoring Syracuse's championship-winning goal is out of the Orange's minds.

Syracuse will face Navy and Harvard this weekend in the culmination of its fall ball schedule, with veteran stars such as Galloway and Joel White, some familiar names such as Jamieson and rising stars such as Thompson and JoJo Marasco leading the way.

Fall Ball Philosophy

Coach John Desko, fresh off his first consecutive pair of national titles as head coach, wants to do it all during fall ball. Normally, Syracuse runs three offensive sets, but Desko is trying to get the new attackmen comfortable with at least two for now. Desko said it's hard without players such as Nims and Hardy, who have been using the three sets for four years. Now Desko has to start with a young group virtually from scratch. He said he's more concerned with doing one or two sets better than doing all three in a mediocre fashion.

Regardless, Desko wanted to accomplish a lot during fall ball and said the team has risen to his expectations.

"In Syracuse, we've always had to do or try to do more than other schools in the fall," Desko said. "We're not sure where we are going to be in the spring. We are not sure if we are going to have a full field that day. We try to get more done in the fall, so it's more of just a refresher in the spring. We really hit the ground running."

Long-pole defender Joel White said the new players are transitioning well and the defense's communication is key right now with the loss of Sid Smith to graduation.

"We're really excited to be here," White said. "We're helping [new players] through. I'm really happy with their progress. There's definitely going to be a lot of freshman contributing in the games."

White and Galloway agreed this is a new team, new year. They said their hangover from the 2009 title is gone and they still have a lot to prove if they want to make it back to the championship without their usual suspects.

Fresh Faces

JoJo Marasco, Brian Megill and redshirt freshman Ryan Barber were the names the Orange rattled off immediately as the fresh faces that could make the biggest difference on the field.

"The new players are doing a great job, and I'm really proud of the strides they've made during the few weeks they've been on campus," Galloway said. "A couple guys are standing out and a couple guys are pushing the older guys. That's what makes a great team."

The biggest news for SU is the arrival of Jeremy Thompson, a junior transfer midfielder from Onondaga County Community College. Like Jamieson, Thompson boasts two NJCAA national championships. He scored 20 goals and registered 28 assists for the Lazers during their undefeated 2009 season. Thompson's arrival helps replace Pat Perritt and Dan Hardy on the Orange's first midfield line.

"He's probably a little more talented than I thought," Desko said of Thompson. "It's just a matter of he's been in a lot of freelance situations in the past, but you can't do that here. You have to learn the offenses and know where you are supposed to go and where your looks are."

Key Battles

This weekend, seniors Chris Daniello, Max Bartig and Tim Desko will start at attack for SU during the scrimmages. John Desko also said Ryan Barber will share time with the trio. The international team tryouts will take away a handful of players for the Orange, giving some other guys playing time. In 2009, Daniello and Tim Desko traded a starting attack spot while Stephen Keogh and Kenny Nims played the majority of the game. With Jamieson in for a whole season, who the starting three will be come spring will be an exciting battle.

"Cody was just getting into it at the end of last year," White said. "To see him play a full season for us is going to be real nice. That battle for the third attack spot will be exciting."

Jamieson inquired about the No. 22 with an assistant coach, and after some consideration, because the spot was open, the number was deemed his. With the historical pressure of the number and the players who have worn it, the coaching staff will be expecting a lot from him.

Lingering questions

Who will replace Kenny Nims?
John Desko said no one can play like Nims. His dodging, his view of the field -- no one else has the style Nims played with, thus making it even harder to replace the 2009 Most Valuable Player of the NCAA final.

Stephen Keogh and Cody Jamieson were Desko's best picks for players on the rise to help close the void Nims left on attack.

Who will be in the third close defense spot?
Goalie John Galloway, close defenders Matt Tierney and John Lade all return to the defense this season, but Sid Smith's presence will be missed. White is still on the long-stick, so just one spot is clearly up for grabs.

"I'm a leader now back there on defense," White said. "We're going to miss Sid back there with a lot of talk. So that's what I'm trying to do: talk. Having four guys there who have done it before is real nice. So I'll really be able to help that one new guy who has to play with us."

Will the new Big East Conference affect this season?
Desko doesn't seem to think so. As an unrecognized conference, winning the conference doesn't get Syracuse anything yet.

"I think it will help us in some of the games," Desko said. "Maybe games we could overlook in the past can help us not overlook them now. It adds more excitement to those kind of games."

Three-peat?
Roy Simmons Jr. and the 1988 to 1990 Syracuse lacrosse teams were the last to win three national titles in a row, and the third title technically doesn't count under NCAA standards because of infractions incurred when Paul Gait played in the championship game while ineligible.

Desko just scored his first back-to-back titles, but his team is still hungry for more. It's a long road to Baltimore, but the Orange want to consider themselves in the running.

"Personally, I'd like two more national titles," Galloway said. "It's the 2010 season and we're looking for another title."

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