Slafkosky joins Cottle as former Terps. Cottle stepped down as head coach on May 16, one day after No. 3 seed Maryland was upset by unseeded Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

A former Johns Hopkins midfielder who helped the Blue Jays capture the 1974 national championship in his senior year, Slafkosky said he wasn’t shocked by Tillman’s decisions, which also includes retaining assistant coach Ryan Moran.

"Twenty-seven years ago when they hired Dick Edell [from Army where Edell and Slafkowsky began working together], I came down with him," Slafkosky said. "That’s how the cycle goes. I’m really glad they kept Ryan. I would’ve loved to have been the other guy, too, but out of all the young guys I’ve worked with, I think he’s going to be a heck of a lacrosse coach. I think John made the right decision there."

Under Slafkosky, the defense finished the 2010 season ranked ninth in Division I, surrendering just 8.4 goals per game. The Terps also ranked first in the country in caused turnovers, forcing 11.4 per contest.

Slafkosky said he doesn’t know what’s in store for him for the immediate future. His youngest son Alex, a defenseman, finished his freshman year at Maryland, and Slafkosky, who lives in Catonsville, said he prefers to stay within the area.

Slafkosky said he is planning to interview for an undisclosed vacant Division III position and could coach on the high school level, but after that, the future is uncertain.

"I don’t know. I’ve got a couple things, but nothing definite," he said. "I talked about something a week ago, but nothing happened. I guess it was bad luck talking about what I had hoped to do. I’m lucky. I’ve had so many people call me up and try to push for me. And I tell them, ‘Don’t push that hard.’ Sometimes if you get too many people pushing, people back off."