Phaup played out his high school season under coach Mark Princehorn, who became a mentor to him during the recruiting process. He headed to Syracuse as an unknown commodity out of a school not regarded for lacrosse.
It was another test for him, but nothing compared to what he had already experienced.
“Back then, and it was just a few years ago, a single mother and son going Division I was unheard of,” he said.
The college years were also going to be a challenge for his mother, but she decided she was going to travel to every game.
“I was leaving my only child, and we hadn’t spent a long time apart,” she said. “Whenever we traveled, he traveled with me. The idea that this time, during this trip, it would be only me in the car on the ride home was tough for me.”
It took a couple of years for him to find his confidence at Syracuse, but he’s shown progress each year. Through five games, he has won 53 of 78 faceoffs (67.9 percent) for an Orange team that has handled opponents with ease. The Orange are No. 1 in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men’s Top 20.
Phaup has found his routine — taking Adderall Monday through Thursday and “letting loose” during Friday pre-game practices. He can be laser-focused on the faceoff, but he’s also the “class clown,” according to assistant coach Tommy Castanza.
“He comes to practice, and he’s ready to go,” Castanza said. “If he could take faceoffs for two straight hours, he would do that. Sometimes I’m like, ‘Hey man, let’s take a break.’ He’s go, go, go.
Castanza said he often finds Phaup doing 100-200 extra reps after practice at Manley Field House. When he’s not in class or talking to his mother, he’s headed to the practice field.
He knows he’s been through a lot, and he’s grateful for the opportunity he has in front of him.
Phaup does not speak to his father today, and he said he doesn’t have any interest in doing so at the moment. He’s focused on living his life to the best of his ability.
“It got to a point where I said to myself, ‘Why am I sad that I don’t have a father?’” he said. “I have the best mom in the world that has taken me to all these lacrosse practices, taken me on vacations, paid for all my lacrosse heads and dealt with all the stupid stuff that I do. Let’s take some pride in that.”
He’s also found ways to harness the ADHD that plagued his childhood. At 21 years old, Phaup has exceeded the limits that were once placed on him, and he’s not done working. He hopes to be an All-American and pro lacrosse player in the coming years.
Above all, he hopes to make his mother proud.
“It’s very surreal that you see somebody that’s out there living his dream,” Beth Phaup said. “He’s doing something that he absolutely, positively loves with a group of people that he absolutely loves. It just makes my heart warm.”