The fact that Slusher found lacrosse at all might be considered a major success. His father and grandfather both worked at Nike in Beaverton, Ore., meaning mainstream sports were a major part of Slusher’s life as he grew up. He played basketball, football and lacrosse at a young age, but found his passion for the latter thanks to help from former UC Santa Barbara player Reed Zabel, who worked with Slusher to improve his game.
With his multi-sport influence, Slusher quickly became one of the brightest stars on the West Coast. He committed to Princeton early in his high school career at Oregon Episcopal, where he established a reputation as being a do-it-all offensive threat. That skillset shined as he tried out for Team USA last summer.
Through four events with Team USA, Slusher has emerged as a leader of the offense.
“He communicates, he directs traffic and gets guys into the right spot,” offensive coordinator Pat Myers said. “He sets great picks, he rides hard, he picks up ground balls. He comes from Oregon, so it’s probably a credit to him and all the film he’s watched and studied. It’s something we identified in him early in the process, that he could be a leader and help be our QB on the offensive end.”
Slusher won’t be asked to shoulder the same load while at Princeton this season. That responsibility belongs to Michael Sowers, who went through the same U.S. U19 process in 2016. Slusher lines up with the Tigers midfield, while Sowers operates at X.
Although he’s only had a few months to learn from him, Slusher said he’s picked up a lot from Sowers’ game.
“I am used to playing behind the cage, but when you have someone like Mike Sowers, he will find you,” Slusher told Princeton’s Town Topic. “Literally since the day I got here, he has been the best leader, captain, player I can ask for. He took me under his wing. He showed me what it takes to be that good.”
Slusher, the 19-year-old from Oregon, is hoping to have the same impact on the lacrosse field as the Tewaaraton Award frontrunner. The U.S. U19 team, and Princeton for that matter, would gladly welcome it.