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John Galloway instructed his players to turn their sticks upside down. He lofted the ball softly from a few yards out, hoping his goaltenders would save it to the ground without allowing the ball to bounce outside the crease.

Its one of the many drills Galloway runs in an effort to try and make the Duke goaltenders as versatile as possible. This one improves hand-eye coordination.

This is Galloway, the coach.

One of the most celebrated goaltenders in NCAA lacrosse history, Galloway spent his entire life in Syracuse, capturing three Section III titles at West Genesee High School and two national championships in four years at Syracuse. After last season, the lifelong Syracuse native reached the end of the road at home. With no vacancies in the Syracuse coaching staff and a desire to remain in lacrosse, he had no choice but to leave his hometown.

After meeting with Duke head coach John Danowski at the spur of the moment to inquire about a coaching position, Galloway joined the Blue Devils as a volunteer assistant coach last fall. He will stand on the opposite sideline from the Orange when Syracuse faces the Blue Devils in the Konica Minolta Big City Classic at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., at 4 p.m. Sunday.

At some point in time, your playing days in college have to end, and I was fortunate enough to stay in the sport, Galloway said. Obviously I miss everything at Syracuse. Im always going to bleed Orange, but I took the next step, and Im really enjoying the coaching ranks.

A year removed from finishing his illustrious career at Syracuse, where he spent all four seasons as the Oranges starting goaltender, the 23-year-old now spends his time mentoring the Blue Devils goalies. He also plays professionally for the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse.

But the NCAAs all-time winningest goalies roots havent deserted him. Everything he learned during his life in Syracuse, he has carried with him to Durham, N.C. And that knowledge has earned him ultimate respect from his players.

Hes one of the best goalies to play in college, so he knows what hes talking about, Duke starting goaltender Dan Wigrizer said, Its great being able to trust your coach, and whatever he says I believe hes right. Its easy to listen to him. We have a real great relationship. I trust whatever he says, and hes helped a lot in every aspect of my game.

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MLAX | Switching goals: Former Syracuse goaltender Galloway begins coaching career at Duke