Syracuse, N.Y. -- It’s an obvious fit for Syracuse lacrosse senior defender Nick Mellen to pull on No. 11 this season.
That jersey traditionally goes to SU’s top defensive player every season. When Austin Fusco, who previously earned that honor, suggested to Mellen that he swap out his No. 21 for the new number, Mellen appropriately grabbed the handoff. Mellen is one of the country’s top shutdown close defenders as well as a two-time All-American.
“I take it as an honor. I’m wearing it with pride,” Mellen recently said. “But at the same time, it’s not going to change me. It’s not going to make who I am. It’s just a number. But hopefully I don’t let anybody down wearing it. I think I’ve done a pretty good job.”
Indeed he has. But as much as Mellen has proven his greatness, a new and true challenge awaits. It’s that of a mentor, and it’s one that could go a long ways toward defining Syracuse’s season. SU, which hosts a dual scrimmage with Hofstra and Vermont on Sunday (closed to the public), opens its spring schedule by hosting Colgate on Feb. 7.
Mellen is the one sure lock amid what otherwise stands as SU’s only potential vulnerability. He is the sole returner among the close defense, and must quickly help in the transition of the other players head coach John Desko decides to move in alongside him.
One-on-one defense has been a strength of Mellen dating back to his tenure at West Genesee. Communication and the awareness to help all of his other teammates across the field are skills that have not always fallen into that same category. But Mellen sounds as though that’s been a point of emphasis in his preseason.
“That’s not like a physical attribute. I think it comes more from upstairs. It’s more mental than emotional,” Mellen said. "I (previously) had a very one-on-one mindset. I took my one-on-one matchups and who I was guarding very seriously, which is a good thing that I do have.
"But you don’t want that just to be your type of style of play. Coaches always say the great defensemen are the ones that can make other people better and can help the other guys around them. It took a couple years (to evolve). Things have kind of came along. I’ve still got a lot of work to do, which I’m working on day-to-day here.”
Desko said he’s noticed Mellen developing a sharper look at the big picture.
“It’s been slow progress. At the defensive end of the field, that’s probably the hardest thing for us as coaches to teach, is the communication piece,” he said. “Nick’s always been a terrific cover guy. He’s got very good feet. He’s very quick, so he’s able to cover very quick attackmen. We’re asking him now to be a leader in the group, not that he wasn’t a year ago. There’s a few guys that don’t have a ton of game experience. He’s got to kind of be what we want our goalie to be. Talk the other guys through the defense, recognize situations and be a leader at the defensive end of the field.”
Mellen has the perspective to know what’s at stake. Already an established all-time SU great, he has a chance to grab a spot among the elite who have ever played in the program. If he earns All-American status again, he would be just the ninth Orange defenseman to claim that honor three times.
“I feel a lot of pressure. At the same time, I thrive off that. If I got complacent, then I wouldn’t have that edge anymore,” Mellen said. “I like my teammates to push me and try to make me better every single day just as they probably appreciate me trying to get them better every single day as well. I need the pressure. I kind of love it.”
Mellen will be neck-deep in that element this season. Waves of talented opposing attackers will be lining up to test him in potential season-tilting contests. He will have to hold off those challenges while at the same time tutoring his teammates on their magnified responsibilities.
As a Central New York product, Mellen knows all about Syracuse’s legacy and absence from the NCAA Tournament Final Four since 2013. He has an outsized role in ending that hiatus, and there’s just one more chance to do something about it.
“For me personally, it would mean the world to me to go to the final four,” he said. “That’s probably the one thing that I have left to check off on my resume, making it to final four weekend and competing to win a national championship. When I leave here, hopefully I’ve left a mark. Hopefully I’ve earned respect from my coaches and my teammates.”
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