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The Powell brothers pretended to be Gary and Paul Gait playing lacrosse in their backyard as children. But there were three siblings, so the older two, Casey and Ryan, would act as the Gaits. Michael Powell, the youngest, was demoted to goalie.

At Syracuse, Powell finally got his chance to emulate the Gaits, wearing Gary’s No. 22 throughout his four-year career. On Saturday, his jersey will join Gary’s in the JMA Wireless Dome rafters.

“There’s very few that have done what he’s done and reached the goals that he set for himself,” said John Desko, former Syracuse head coach. “They couldn’t be doing it for a more deserving person or player.”

Powell surpassed Casey and Ryan’s record for SU’s all-time leading scorer, recording 307 career points and winning two Tewaaraton Trophies. He is also the only four-time winner of the Jack Turnbull Award, presented to the nation’s top attack, and won two NCAA Championships as well.

Powell had more pressure on him than any player in the history of the program, according to former Syracuse attack Sean Lindsay. Ryan had graduated in 2000 prior to Powell’s arrival, and before he even stepped onto the Dome turf, Powell was already recognized as a star.

“You never saw him get rattled. He never got too up or too down with the weight on his shoulders,” Lindsay said. “This guy came out and destroyed everybody’s expectations.”

Desko said Powell made an impact from the get-go. Unlike Ryan, he didn’t rely on physicality to get open on the attack. Instead, Desko said he was closer to Casey, using his quickness and creativity to get past defenders. Former Syracuse attack Michael Springer said he had one of the best first steps he’d seen, able to break anybody down in front of him.

Powell became famous for his trick shots, which included a litany of behind-the-back and between-the-leg moves. Desko said he was a crowd-pleaser as a freshman, but he wasn’t like some other players who would try to be flashy and consequently end a play unsuccessfully.

“Mikey had a purpose for it, even if it’s a behind-the-back pass or a between-the-legs shot. It was based on what his defender was doing,” Desko said.

Springer said Powell made the hardest trick shots look effortless. Once, he even pulled off a front flip into a shot — known as “the move” — with ease at Lake Placid the summer before his senior year, trying it in the final regular season game.

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“We had front row seats to all this stuff,” Lindsay said. “As his teammate, I was spoiled every day.”

Springer said Powell had one of the best first steps, able to break anybody down in front of him. He used his first step and complete offensive package, scoring 70 points in his first year to rank second all-time among SU first-year players. That season, Powell led Syracuse to the National Championship in 2001 versus Princeton.

Lindsay said Powell carried the team in the final few minutes of the game, scoring the game-tying goal to send it to overtime. But the Orange lost to the Tigers 10-9, failing to win a second straight title.

Powell came back hungrier as a sophomore, becoming “everything” for the team, Springer said. Despite the Orange having a talented senior class, Powell continued to lead the offense. He was just as skilled on the ride as he was with scoring. There wasn’t any facet of the game that he didn’t excel in, Desko said.

“We had unbelievable players, but when you have Mike Powell on the field, it’s a different animal,” Lindsay said.

Powell snatched the Tewaaraton Trophy after leading the Orange back to the national title game, playing Princeton again. The Tigers defense tried to stop him, but it wasn’t enough. He scored four goals and dished out four assists, notching SU’s game-winning 13th goal off a right whip into the top right corner.

“Anytime you can win that last game, it’s very special,” Desko said. “You strive as a player to reach that goal, and it’s certainly really rewarding.”

Springer said Powell rarely had an off-day. But the Orange struggled during Powell’s junior season, losing to Johns Hopkins in the Final Four. For Powell, it was a low point. He scored a career-low 64 points, and there was a lot of negativity around the team for not reaching the National Championship, Lindsay said.

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But, just like the rest of the challenges in Powell’s career, he rose to the pressure. During his senior season, he broke Ryan and Casey’s record in SU’s regular season finale against Georgetown, leading the Orange back to the national championship, this time versus Army.

The Golden Knights game-planned around Powell, thinking that if they could stop him from scoring, they could win the game. But Powell’s ability as a “complete player” made him more of a facilitating threat. Lindsay said he was always looking to feed.

“He had eyes in the back of his head,” Desko said.

Powell took on the task of being the primary distributor, Lindsay said. He finished with four assists to cap off an illustrious career back on top of the mountain.

“The guy is the greatest player to pick up a stick,” Lindsay said. “What he sees on the field, not a lot of people can see. It was just a matter of (if you’re) ready to catch the ball.”

Published on March 9, 2023 at 1:38 am

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