Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
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Final
Men's Lacrosse
12
vs Georgetown
16
Men's Lacrosse Press Conference Quotes
9/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Coach John Danowski
Opening Statement
"I want to thank everyone for coming today. I'm delighted to see everyone here. It was great to be practicing today and back to coaching. It's exciting to be in a new environment with this group of young men and I was delighted to be out there today."
On moving forward
"You take it one day at a time. For me personally, there's so much going on in my life with getting adjusted to being here, there's so many things for me to learn and get it right each day. For me the picture is a very small one; I'm living and working on a day-to-day basis. On so many different levels it's a day-to-day operation."
On teaching
"One of the exciting things about teaching and education is that you really hope that you can teach life's lessons. Whether it's teaching these young men about the value of showing up to practice or about working hard and working through adversity and not giving up, you hope they carry it through their lives. You just hope that you grab every teachable opportunity and you don't give up on anybody. "
On the number of walk-ons
"From what I'm told, we have the biggest number of walk-ons that they've had here in a long time. Where I'm from, I'm used to walk-ons and I'm used to those big numbers trying out. We had 12 initially come out and now we're down to 10. I told them I wasn't sure how many would make it. I respect them and admire them for coming outt; there is a talented group of returnees so to come out and to take a chance like that takes a lot of courage."
On the opportunity to coach his son
"When the whole recruiting process began, I wanted Matt to go to the best academic school possible. That was all I cared about. I thought that lacrosse was something you would do for four years and then you would have the rest of your life. I thought that wherever he chose that's what I wanted for him. My fear was, or maybe still is, that you're tougher on your son than you are on the rest of the kids; that you hold your son to a much higher standard because you want everyone to know that you won't show favoritism. But everyone I've talked to who has coached their son has said that it's an unbelievable experience. I'm going to trust all those people."
On why he took the job
"I took the job to be at Duke University. The allure of being an educator at one of the top schools in the country, that was number one. I've always seen myself as a teacher and an educator first, and to be a teacher here is a tremendous opportunity. Athletically, to be in the ACC and to work with this high-caliber of athletes, it was just a great opportunity. That was first and foremost. "
On being back at practice
“It was great. I haven't played lacrosse with these guys in six or seven months. There was a lot of excitement, it was fast paced and guys were running around. I'm not in shape yet so it was tiring but it was good to be back.”
On his dad, John Danowski, being the head coach
“Different. It's my first time with him being my coach. I enjoyed it. We had a good time, it was a good practice so hopefully we'll keep going like this and he doesn't yell at me too much. He might make an example out of me a couple of times but that comes with the territory.”
On how strict the new coaching staff will be
“My dad has a great sense of humor and a great personality. I think on the field it will be a lot more relaxed and more fun. We have the Duke University student-athlete policy for all students here so we know what the rules are, what the guidelines are and we're going to abide by them to make his job as easy as possible.”
On the pressure of beginning a new season
“We put pressure on ourselves as soon as we got here. Duke is an elite university and we try to bring the lacrosse team to the level we were at in 2005. There's pressure that we have put on ourselves, the pressure that the coaches will put on us but outside that I think that's the pressure that we feel.”
On blocking out distractions this year
“Everybody has their own way of dealing with things but for me when I'm on this field it's about lacrosse. It's one of the best parts of my day. It's why I came here and it's what got me here. I'm thankful for it and I realize what a privilege it is to be here.”
On working hard this season
“We work hard because we want to be the best team we can be. That's why we're out here at 6:30 in the morning, that's why we're lifting twice a week, that's why we are working hard because we want to be the best team possible.”
On interaction with Duke and Durham communities
“My dad has always been a big proponent of community service. As a team, we're going to work within the Duke community and the Durham community. We're going to be around and do what we can to give back to what has given us so much.”
On how it felt to be back on the field
"It was great. I think all the guys are really excited. We're here to be student-athletes and part of that is being on this field and practicing. It's great to get back to that routine. Everyone is motivated for this season. A lot of guys worked extremely hard in the off-season to prepare for the fall and spring seasons."
On Coach Danowski:
"He's a great coach. He had an extremely successful season last year at Hofstra; they went 17-2. He's bringing a lot of that to Duke and we're excited to have him here. Today was my first practice with him so I'm sure I'll learn more about him tomorrow and this week and throughout the season. I knew him a little bit as Matt's dad beforehand but it's nice to have him here now on the field with us."
On what coach was saying in the huddle:
"He was walking us through some drills. Obviously he has his own agenda so some of his drills are going to be different, so he's been explaining those details. Today and the rest of this week is going to be about teaching, he said. He's an educator and that's going to include a lot of the stuff we do on the field. We look forward to getting to know more about him."
On getting past last year's circumstances:
"I think we're all excited about this year. Part of the process is getting back on the field and we're all excited to do that. Today was the first step and it will hopefully be a successful fall and spring. We're all looking forward to getting better every day; that's part of our goal. Today was the first step of that."
On having a lot to prove this season:
"I think we have a lot to prove because we have a new coach who has been extremely successful. We were extremely successful in 2005 when we made it to the national championship game so in that sense we'll put pressure on ourselves. Beyond that I think it's just going out there and playing lacrosse."
On how this first fall practice is different from last year's first fall practice:
"I don't think it was too different. When we get out here everyone is ready to go. There is a lot of chatter and a lot of excitement among the guys. That's always the case because we love the sport and we love being out here. The chance to do that is certainly an opportunity to appreciate. It's an honor to play for Duke University, a world-class institution, and I think we're all proud to represent it."
On his responsibilities as a co-captain:
"I think everyone on this team is responsible for themselves but obviously there is senior leadership and co-captain leadership. On the field it pertains to playing hard in practice every day and giving my full effort. Off the field it's just being a leader and I think that goes from making sure guys know where to go to class and making sure they get their work done. There are many faces to being a captain."
Players Mentioned
M
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