SYRACUSE -- This was not the way this season was supposed to end for Jamie Trimboli and the Syracuse Orange Men’s Lacrosse team. An undefeated season should have sent the Victor, NY native off into the sunset. And Trimboli would have been fine with that result. He already had his future set, and it wasn’t the road you’d expect someone like him to travel.

The team captain and biology major wasn’t preparing for a life of pro lacrosse, but a post playing career dealing with dollars and cents. Jamie secured a promising position at a wealth management and financial advising firm in Rochester. But with the way the season ended his future boss gave him the green light to return to Syracuse.

“(He) told me that I have my whole life to work and I’d kick myself if I didn’t take the opportunity,” Trimboli says. “That was really helpful and it’s what really made this possible.”

With that blessing Jamie announced Thursday, via social media, he’s signing up for another run.

And while Jamie, along with his boss is open to him playing professionally on the weekends it’s not guaranteed. Like the popular ESPN documentary about the 1997-98 Bulls, Trimboli know this might be his ‘Last Dance.’ Even if it’s the same mentality he had going into last season.

“I have to work as hard as I can, because I don’t know if I’m going to play again after this. So, I have to reset now and bring that same mentality into 2021. Work just as hard this year and do just as much to try and make 2021 the special year.”

If it was anything like 2020 Trimboli will do just fine. The Victor product was in the middle of his best season at SU both individually and as a team. His 17 goals and 20 points were good enough to lead all midfielders nationally in points-per-game and earned him first team all-American honors. The Orange were 5-0 and ranked number one at the time of the cancellation. With that kind of disappointment Trimboli’s decision to return was easy. As it was for some of his fellow seniors. Goalie Drake Porter, midfielder Peter Dearth and faceoff specialist Danny Varello have already announced they’re coming back for one final run. It’s a decision Trimboli says they made together.

“We all talked how we wanted to get back and spend another year living with each other. We’re best friends off the field as well. So, to be able to be back (at Syracuse) with your best friends living out your dreams on the field – as well as creating memories off the field – is something we all wanted to do together.”

“We’re fortunate enough that the university and the program is going to be able to provide for us to be able to make those memories. We’re all super grateful and we’re glad we’re not going back without our buddies.”

That leaves one more ‘buddy’ Orange fans are waiting for. Unlike the others, all-American Stephen Rehfuss would be a six-year senior if he were to return. That was the same situation all-American defender Nick Mellen faced earlier this month before deciding he would not return for a sixth season at Syracuse.