LION’S SHARE: After taking over the starting job his freshman season, Jamie Trimboli is expected to lead a young Syracuse offense

This year, Syracuse is not the experienced team it’s been in the past. It’s lost over half of the points from its starting offense last season. The two best players — midfielders Salcido and Nick Mariano — led the Orange with 51 and 50 points, respectively, en route to All-American seasons. Those two drew the long poles and most defensive attention, which allowed Trimboli to break out as a freshman.

“It’s different,” Trimboli said about his new role, “because last year I had two All-Americans on my line. This year, I get a little more attention.”

Only three Syracuse players that ended last season as a starter return, and just one has played in head coach John Desko’s system for two years — junior Nate Solomon. For Syracuse to return to its dominant history, one that just graduated its first class without a Final Four appearance since 1979, Trimboli, a sophomore, will need to step up as a veteran midfield presence and a leader of the offense.

On last season’s midfield line, Salcido constantly joked Trimboli was the “lion cub,” since he was the only non-senior. Trimboli earned playing time early, and he was named the starter just seven games in. Right before, Trimboli had the game-tying assist in an eventual overtime win at longtime rival Johns Hopkins. Then he hit the Duke shot.

“He played a lot bigger than he talked about,” Salcido said. “He stepped up in times where we needed it. That’s where you get that lion-like, competition-type mindset.”

This attention was nothing new for Trimboli. At Greece Athena (New York) High School, he had been the star player. But the program was fairly new, Joe said, and the team struggled to boast a team as dominant as nearby powerhouse Victor (New York) High School.

In summer 2013, Joe stood on the sidelines, talking to other dads on Trimboli’s club lacrosse team, Sweetlax. Trimboli had just finished a strong freshman season at Greece Athena. Most of Sweetlax’s players played for Victor, yet had been unable to take home the state title. One of the dads mentioned that, with Trimboli, Victor “would win the states for sure.”

A few months later, after talking to his wife, Joe decided to sell his house and move. It was in the middle of Trimboli’s sophomore year right before lacrosse season began. The initial sale of the house fell through, but his dad knew the importance of playing lacrosse at Victor, so he moved himself and Trimboli into an apartment there while the rest of the family remained.

Leaving home meant leaving the place where Trimboli honed his skills. It was in the backyard of his house, where he’d work with his older brother, Joey, on mechanics. But Trimboli knew the competition level was much higher and Victor would be the best opportunity for him to develop as a lacrosse player.

For almost 15 months, Joe and Trimboli lived together in a “bachelor pad,” Joe joked. They drove the roughly 25 miles home on weekends to stay with the rest of the family. The decision to still move allowed Jamie to compete at a higher level, as he soon developed into Syracuse’s top-ranked recruit in the 2016 class.

“(Jamie) got to be better and here we are at Syracuse,” Joe said. “Jamie’s dream come true. This is what he wanted and it just worked out.”

At Victor, defenses honed in on shutting down Trimboli. His right hand and quick first step made him a hot commodity and often the center of opposing defense’s game plans. To limit Trimboli, the defense tried forcing him left.

With the added attention he was receiving, Trimboli found it to be the perfect time to work on dodging and shooting left. Joey would often watch his brother shoot right and then left, pointing out any differences in his shot.

“Everyone was trying to shut him off in high school and take away his right hand,” Joey said. “… Playing at Syracuse, he had to play with a left hand.”

The next step was using his left hand in games. Because of Victor’s long-standing success — Trimboli made the state title game all three years he was there, winning his last two years — the team often won games handily.

When Victor took large leads, Trimboli decided to strictly play left handed. The repetition resulted in the midfielder becoming nearly ambidextrous, something the defense and analysts recognized right away upon his arrival to Syracuse. Mark Dixon, an ESPN lacrosse analyst, came away impressed with his ability to shoot on the run with both hands, and defender Tyson Bomberry initially couldn’t tell which hand his teammate was dominant with.

“If you had told me if he was a righty or lefty before we went out, I probably wouldn’t be able to tell you,” SU goalie Drake Porter said. “That’s how good he is down both alleys on the run … both are perfect form. … On the run he does have the best (off-hand).”

The ability to go left will be critical in Trimboli’s sophomore campaign. He’s no longer blanketed by two All-Americans. He will draw the attention of the long-stick midfielder rather than a short stick defensive midfielder, which adds a new element to dodging and creating offense at the collegiate level.

As it became seemingly clear Trimboli would be the future of the midfield, plus the added pressure from the expectations of being a first-line midfielder as a freshman, Trimboli wanted to improve his skill set. So when he had free time, he worked on his shot. Often times, it was with Salcido before practice.

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There, Salcido gave him pointers. By feeding each other and watching Trimboli’s shots, Salcido taught the then-freshman where to release his shot and how to get it off quicker.

Trimboli said he usually held onto the ball and took “a little too long” to shoot after high school, and Salcido knew to play collegiately, faster shots were crucial. He helped guide Trimboli through the beginning bumps and transition. It took Trimboli just two games to score his first goal, coming in a one-goal victory over Albany.

Salcido was there to guide him through the process. And with whatever Salcido said, Trimboli listened. He finished the year with 13 goals and poured in two in SU’s 11-10 win over Yale in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

“I think he’s going to take the next step,” Dixon said. “Oftentimes you see the great ones in the game jump from that really good freshman year, a lot of them become first-team All-Americans in their sophomore campaigns.”

Trimboli needs to progress from a freshman who, just a year ago, was the last option on a star-studded midfield line. Though there were moments where he shined, he still remained in the shadows of a Syracuse team that fell in the Elite Eight.

But this season, he needs to step into the spotlight. It’s his turn to become a lion.

Banner photo by Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

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