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Joey Spallina paused to think about the last time he went through a lacrosse tryout. It took him a few seconds to revert back to an All-American team he made as a junior in high school in 2021. Outside of that, there hasn’t been much.

Since middle school, Spallina has been considered a lacrosse phenom. He played for Mount Sinai’s (New York) varsity team as an eighth grader, blossoming into the No. 1 player in the country. He was then given No. 22 — worn by many SU greats — and entrusted with helping bring a mediocre program back into national prominence.

The pressure on Spallina to deliver is immense. However, when he traveled to Utica, New York, for the Team USA Box Lacrosse tryouts in September 2023, there was no pressure. The 66-man player pool was filled with National and Premier Lacrosse League stars. Spallina was the youngest of them all. It wasn’t a guarantee he would even make the final cut. As a result, he played freely and reaped the benefits.

“It was just go out there and play hard, make the right play and hopefully things will take care of itself,” Spallina said.

Following two more observation periods, Spallina was named to Team USA’s 23-man roster for the World Lacrosse Box Championship. From Sept. 20-29, he’ll be in Utica competing for his country. Spallina is one of two college players on Team USA, alongside Cornell’s CJ Kirst. Despite his youth, SU’s star attack could play a pivotal role for the U.S. as it looks to make it to the championship game for the first time.

Over the past two summers, Spallina has made waves playing Junior A box lacrosse for the Orangeville Northmen in Ontario, Canada. Spallina’s goal in year one was to refine his offensive repertoire. He did just that, recording 148 points, the most ever by an American in the Ontario Junior Lacrosse League.

Despite the gaudy numbers, Spallina said he was still figuring out the intricacies of box. Though this summer, he felt more comfortable and didn’t think as much.

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The results were evident. Spallina scored 80 goals and dished out 122 assists in 29 games. Alongside SU teammate Trey Deere, who will suit up for the Haudenosaunee National Team, Spallina led Orangeville to an OJLL title. His 13-point Game 7 performance proved crucial in a 20-12 win over the Mimico Mountaineers.

“He’s playing the best lacrosse right now that I’ve ever seen him play,” Joe Spallina, his father, said.

The mere decision to play in the OJLL got many people’s attention within the box community, including USA head coach Regy Thorpe. He knew the level of commitment for an American player to participate in a predominately Canadian league.

Thorpe kept tabs on Spallina throughout the summer and invited him to Team USA’s first training camp a year ago. Initially, Thorpe felt it was somewhat of a longshot for Spallina to make the team. Team USA attack Joe Resetarits said it was the first time the team had a “legit” tryout since he’d been involved.

With the popularity of field — and especially box — lacrosse growing, Thorpe helped garner a more organized selection process. Resetarits said previously the USA roster was depleted due to various injuries and a lack of commitment. This time, a group of 150-to-160 players were highlighted as potential players. Before a tryout, the group was cut in half.

Spallina had his work cut out for him, but he quickly proved Thorpe wrong.

Across the two-day training camp, Spallina displayed his usual poise seen at Syracuse. He flashed his elite passing ability while also showing an eye for goal. Resetarits, the all-time American points leader in the NLL, said Spallina looked like an NLL player with his ball movement and quick understanding of the game’s flow. As the player pool was cut down to 46, Spallina remained.

The next weekend, players were split into two teams, who both participated in the North American Invitational — a premier box lacrosse tournament. Despite it being his first in-game action against professionals, Spallina was right at home. He helped Team USA White to the LAXNAI championship, further boosting his status within the group.

“He just made plays, and didn’t seem to make many mistakes. So we certainly drew our attention to his consistency,” USA offensive coordinator Brian Hobart said.

Joey Spallina will look to lead Team USA to its first-ever gold medal at the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships. Joe Zhao | Video Editor

A final tryout was held seven months later in June. The roster was trimmed down to 32. Only six wouldn’t make the final cut, with three being alternates.

Over a month later on July 31, Spallina remembers sitting around a couple of hours before Game 1 of the OJLL Final. Then, he received a call from Hobart. He informed Spallina that he made the team. The news was made official on Aug. 14 when Team USA announced its roster.

“He earned it, he made the team for a reason,” Resetarits said. “The coaches know he’s going to be good for us, and he’s gonna hold his own.”

Though he’s the youngest player on USA’s roster, Spallina doesn’t read too much into it. The year prior, then-reigning Tewaaraton Brennan O’Neill was in a similar situation. As the only collegiate player on Team USA for the World Lacrosse Championship, O’Neill scored 14 goals in seven games, including a hat trick in the Gold Medal Game against Canada in a 7-5 win.

It’s not a one-to-one comparison, yet Spallina could have a similar impact. Hobart didn’t shy away from Spallina’s importance. Typically a ball-dominant player, Spallina will act as more of a cutter in Hobart’s system. He said that Spallina’s going to need to score for them to be successful, especially with star player Tom Schreiber sidelined with an injury.

“My goal is to just go out there and play as hard as I can and bring those young legs to a legit team,” Spallina said.

A 3-time PLL MVP, Schreiber is considered by some as one of the best lacrosse players of all time. For Spallina, Schreiber was the player he was looking forward to playing with most.

Players like Jack Hannah, Blaze Riorden and Resetarits also piqued Spallina’s interest. Admittedly, Spallina was starstruck at the first session. He grew up idolizing these players, watching them on television. Now, he gets to play with them.

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Yet the goal for Spallina and the rest of the group is simple: make its first-ever appearance in the championship game. Canada and the Haudenosaunee have met in all five World Box Lacrosse Championship finals. The Canadians have claimed victory in each, while the Americans claimed bronze.

The first step for Spallina is getting through a familiar face. On Sept. 20, Team USA takes on the Haudenosaunee in the Adirondack Bank Center, pitting Spallina and Deere against each other.

Living together over the past two summers in Orangeville helped foster a close bond, but for the first time they’ll be on opposite ends. Deere is set to play transition defense and some offense for the Haudenosaunee. In preparation, the two have been going one-on-one against each other in practice. Spallina joked that he’s been burning Deere, but said it’ll be exciting to play against each other for the first time.

Despite it being his first time playing for Team USA, Spallina’s approach remains the same. He’s going to go out there and play his game, without anyone dictating otherwise. It’s the exact mentality he’s brought to Syracuse. Spallina has totaled 156 points in just two seasons. He helped the Orange to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2021 as a sophomore this past season.

His newest challenge isn’t one of bringing a team back to the pinnacle of lacrosse. It’s about getting them to reach the peak for the first time. Spallina will have the chance to do that, donning his No. 22. And with a slight color change.

“Playing for team USA, it’s every kid’s dream,” Spallina said. “It’s gonna be awesome, and I can’t wait to put on the red, white and blue.”

Published on September 19, 2024 at 12:17 am

Contact Zak: zakwolf784254@gmail.com | @ZakWolf22