"I want to thank John Wildhack and Gary Gait for this opportunity," Pietramala said. "I'm so excited to work with Gary and be on the same team as him. I've always had great respect for this program, its tradition and the fan support Syracuse has. I'm looking forward to being part of all that, getting to know the players and getting to work."

Pietramala – one of the best defensemen to ever play the sport – brings over 30 years of coaching experience to the Syracuse staff. Most recently, he spent 20 seasons as the head coach at Johns Hopkins, where he guided the Blue Jays to two NCAA Championships, seven final fours and became the program's all-time winningest coach (207-93).

He spent last season working for Legendary Sports Group. "I want to thank Legendary Sports Group, Brendan Kelly and Dave Cottle for allowing me to stay involved in the sport and I appreciate the opportunity they gave me," Pietramala said.

Pietramala fills out Syracuse's full-time coaching staff as Gait retained Pat March as an assistant coach as well. March is entering his third season with the Orange.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Dave to the staff here at Syracuse," Gait said. "He's a phenomenal coach and we're fortunate that he's bringing his experience and track record of success to Syracuse."

Pietramala returned to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins prior to the 2001 season, where he immediately led them to Championship Weekend four times in his first-five seasons. The Blue Jays won the National Championship in 2005 and 2007 under his watch.

Prior to taking over at Hopkins, Pietramala spent three seasons as the head coach at Cornell. With the Big Red, he oversaw a quick turnaround, leading them to a 23-17 record, the first NCAA Tournament appearance in five years, and just their second in over a decade when the 2000 team made it.

Pietramala also had assistant coaching stints Gilman, Johns Hopkins, Penn and Loyola before securing his first head coaching job with the Big Red in 1998. He has mentored over 100 All-Americans in his career, including 98 in his head coaching tenure alone.

As a player, he is known as one of the best defensemen ever. He led the Blue Jays to the 1987 NCAA Championship and the 1989 title game, where they fell to Syracuse in what is widely considered to be one of the best championship games ever.