NCAA Men's Lacrosse Preview: Sum Greater Than the Parts at No. 7 Duke

USA Lacrosse Magazine is beginning its countdown to Feb. 1 — the first day of the 2025 men's lacrosse season — by releasing one team preview per day beginning on Monday, Jan. 13.

We continue the countdown with No. 7 Duke, which lost star power but is not lacking talent.

NO. 7 DUKE

2024 record: 13-6 (1-3 ACC)
Head coach: John Danowski
Assistants: Matt Danowski, Ron Caputo, Kevin Unterstein

Everybody acts like they forgot about Duke.

That’s what happens when a generational superstar graduates as part of a mass exodus of talent from a team that came tantalizingly close to winning a national title in 2023 but could not get back to championship weekend in 2024.

Look at the notable departures listed below. It could take a minute. We’ll wait. …

Welcome back.

If you’re keeping score at home, that’s the entire starting attack, two-thirds of the starting defense and more than 70 percent of the total offensive production. Six graduates were PLL draft picks, including 2023 Tewaaraton Award winner Brennan O’Neill, five-year defensive stalwart Kenny Brower and 2024 PLL LSM of the Year Tyler Carpenter. Uniquely, Duke last year featured the last two No. 1 picks in the NLL draft in Dyson Williams and O’Neill, the latter also going first overall in the PLL draft.

It is, simply, a massive void to fill, enough to fairly wonder if the Blue Devils squandered their best chance to win their first national championship since 2014.

Which means the Zen master of lacrosse has you right where he wants you.

“I have never had more fun than I've had than I've had this year,” head coach John Danowski said. “The freshmen have personality and enthusiasm. The fifth years have brought a reverence and respect for the program. And this is the first full year where our seniors are really operating like seniors since pre-pandemic. This group is just, they’re fun to be around.”

TOP RETURNERS

Andrew McAdorey, M, Sr. (28G, 9A)
Aidan Maguire, SSDM, Jr. (40GB, 15CT)
Benn Johnston, M, So. (21G, 8A)

Duke’s midfield depth is its strength. Offensively, McAdorey, Johnston and Max Sloat (19G, 8A) can each create their own shots and force defensive rotations. Cornell transfer Aiden Blake (18G) was a quality addition who offers utility on both sides of the ball. Defensively, Maguire and Jack Gray (16GB) anchor an excellent rope unit, maybe the best in the country with Henry Bard bumping up from close defense to long-stick midfield.

KEY ADDITIONS

Luke Grayum, A, Gr. (37G, 10A at Richmond)
Eric Malever, A, Gr. (15G, 22A at Maryland)
Liam Kershis, A, Fr. (39G, 47A at Shoreham-Wading River, N.Y.)

Meet the new starting attack in Durham. The previous trio of O’Neill, Williams and Zawada accounted for 224 points last year — a total higher than that of 20 teams in Division I.

Malever has “that great Maryland pedigree,” Danowski said, and will operate from X. Grayum, a lefty, slots into Williams’ spot. And Kershis demonstrated why he had scholarship offers from 30 schools with an MVP performance at the New Balance Senior All-America Game. “We’re trying to build chemistry and synergy between the three of them,” Danowski said.

The freshman class also includes defenseman Nik Menendez, who was the 2024 USA Lacrosse High School National Player of the Year, and highly touted faceoff man Ben McCarthy. Goalie Buck Cunningham will push incumbent Patrick Jameison in what Danowski characterized as a competition for the starting job.

NOTABLE DEPARTURES

Graduation: Brennan O’Neill, A; Kenny Brower, D; Dyson Williams, A; Josh Zawada, A; Tyler Carpenter, LSM; Jake Naso, FO; Aidan Danenza, M
Transfer: Charles Balsamo, M

X-FACTOR

Tomas Delgado, M, So.

A top-10 recruit in his class, Delgado profiles as a second-line midfielder poised to make a second-year jump. He saw time at both offensive and defensive middie as a freshman. His athleticism and compete level are elite. Remember when Duke seemed to have an endless supply of big-time midfielders? When Dave Lawson, Justin Turri, Deemer Class, Myles Jones and others just wore down defenses with a barrage of downhill dodges? This Blue Devils offense could be a bit of a throwback.

THE NARRATIVE

With all the moving parts, Danowski offers an important clarification.

“We’re not a young team and we’re not an old team,” he said. “We’re a new team.”

The Blue Devils won’t lack for talent. They never do. It’s just that no one knows who they will feature most prominently when the season starts Saturday against Bellarmine.

“This is a classic case where the sum has to be greater than the parts,” Danowski said. “We have no star players here. There’s nobody people would be afraid of come game day.”

There are fewer wow moments in practice now that O’Neill and company have moved on, although O’Neill still lives in Durham and trains at Duke. But there is a collective sense of ownership and that’s encouraging to Danowski.

“Everybody is just trying to fill their role, and it’s really fun to dig into coaching the fundamentals,” he said. “We are back to teaching and finding out if we can coach or not.”