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Brendan Curry reads defenses like they’re “dealing cards face up.” 

That’s how Curry’s high school coach describes the All-American’s abilities. Curry always knows where his five offensive teammates are and where they’re going to be. He can dish the ball from the invert at X, from the top of the box and from the wings. He can feed from anywhere because he’s “the smartest player on the field,” said Torre Kasemeyer, Calvert Hall (Maryland) High School’s offensive coordinator and Curry’s current shooting coach. 

This season, the junior leads Syracuse’s (4-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast) two other All-American midfielders in total points (17) and ranks fourth on the team behind the first-line attacks. His abilities as a facilitator have him on pace for 16 assists, breaking his previous career-best of 14 (2019) in two fewer games. For Curry, it’s all driven by his offensive vision.

“Honestly, I look at him a lot like Peyton Manning,” Kasemeyer said. “The guy’s got an absolute cannon for an arm but a computer for a brain.”

Curry is more modest, though. He credits SU offensive coordinator Pat March for switching up the offense when the opposing defense figures it out. He credits March and head coach John Desko’s game-to-game adjustments so SU can take advantage of matchups. And he credits his fellow midfielders, Tucker Dordevic and Jamie Trimboli, as well as SU’s second midfield line and its star attacks — all of whom he consistently feeds.

This season, many of those feeds have come in an inverted offense, a scheme SU’s used sporadically this season that features offensive midfielders behind the net instead of attacks. The Orange turn to the invert when they need a spark or a quick goal late in the shot clock, Curry said. 

It’s a useful offensive set because every team slides — or doesn’t slide — differently against the invert, Desko said. The invert varies depending on matchups, and he’s trying to use it sparingly so there isn’t too much film available. But the goal is to draw a short-stick defensive midfielder to X, a position where Curry said many shorties aren’t comfortable. 

With Syracuse’s deep offense between its midfield and attack lines, opponents have no choice but to put the short-stick on Curry. “You’re going to short-stick Chase Scanlan?” Kasemeyer said, laughing. “That’s a tough dilemma to have.” 

Curry’s capitalized on frequent short-stick matchups with inverted offensive schemes this season, finishing with a seven-point performance against Virginia and five more against Stony Brook. 

“We were able to attack (UVA at X), and then we have unbelievable step-down shooters that we can just toss it up to,” Curry said after Syracuse’s 20-10 win on Feb. 27. 

He’s thrived in the invert at SU. He can win a 5-yard race to the opening of the goal against almost anyone. His speed is dangerous because “he can beat you on a one-step or he can get you on a long run,” said Todd Curry, his dad and an SU Hall of Fame midfielder. The junior midfielder forces defenses to slide and opens passing lanes. 

Curry’s passing also poses a threat— he’s smart enough to read the opponent’s slide package, which is already “flip(ped) upside down” by the invert, Kasemeyer said. The vantage point in the invert is different from the top of the box, too, because it opens up Curry’s distribution options.

“He’s the best dual-threat midfielder … that’s ever played for me,” Kasemeyer said of Curry’s shooting and feeding abilities. 

Back at Calvert Hall, Curry led the offense primarily from the top of the box. Kasemeyer now wishes he used Curry in the invert more frequently, but he emphasized that it wouldn’t have made much of a difference because the Syracuse midfielder is effective anywhere on the field. “The vision doesn’t change,” Todd said. 

Brendan Curry’s dual abilities as a passer and a shooter make him dangerous in the invert. Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports

Curry’s abilities as a passer stem back to when he started playing soccer at 5 years old, Todd said. The sport taught his son how to play with his head up and to deliver passes where teammates are going to be instead of where they currently are. He played soccer and developed that “forward vision” until 10th grade, and it all translated directly to lacrosse. 

He also developed that vision because he grew up with Todd, a three-time All-American, Kasemeyer said. Todd pushed his son to focus on the fundamentals, such as driving, using stick skills with both hands and knowing where and when to shoot. He continued developing those fundamentals by watching his game film throughout high school and during his time at SU. The film boosted Curry’s confidence by showing him how to be more effective and efficient on offense, Todd added. 

Compared to most players, Curry had next-level decision-making skills, Kasemeyer said. Many take a chance on a skip pass over a defender that may not get through in hopes of getting a point for an assist. But Curry’s smart enough not to risk that, Kasemeyer said. 

“If it’s not there, he’s not going to force it,” Kasemeyer said. “And then he has something to rely on … He can always dodge whenever he wants.”

Brendan Curry is one of the smartest players on the field because of his vision, according to his high school coach. Courtesy of Rich Barnes | USA Today Sports

During the offseason, Curry continued to build on his vision by working with former Calvert Hall teammates who now play Division I lacrosse at schools such as North Carolina, Johns Hopkins and Ohio State. It helped Curry improve his play off the drive by recreating scenarios such as when Dordevic has the ball and Curry needs to reposition himself to receive a skip-pass, Kasemeyer said. 

“When you’ve got book-end guys like (Dordevic and Curry) … the field’s going to become unbalanced very quickly when either one of those two dodge,” Kasemeyer said. “So it’s playing off of that.”

After notching three assists —  tied for the second-most of his career — in a 17-9 win over Stony Brook on March 12, Curry sat down in front of a laptop screen for a postgame press conference on Zoom. When asked about the invert and his play from X, he explained some of his reads: one where he didn’t wait for Owen Hiltz to uncover in a pocket of space, another where Stephen Rehfuss was wide-open on the crease, several skip passes he didn’t see, and so on. Curry said he needed to take his time. 

In his mind, despite three assists, despite a computer for a brain and despite the defense dealing him cards face up, he can still improve his vision. 

Published on March 31, 2021 at 10:55 pm

Contact Roshan: [email protected] | @Roshan_f16