More often than not, Derek DeJoe has found himself in unfamiliar territory this season. The player that Syracuse head coach John Desko equated to a 3-point shooter prior to the year is opting for layups and slam dunks instead.

“I’ve been shooting from right around the crease as opposed to that 15-yard shot that I normally take,” DeJoe said. “It’s not necessarily easier or harder it’s just it only makes sense that it’s going to be easier to score close to the goal.”

In his senior season, DeJoe is scoring goals at a higher rate than the three years prior. He’s tied for third on the team with 10 goals, which is just three shy of his total through his first three seasons at No. 5 Syracuse (5-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast). His 45.5-percent shooting percentage is the best among the starters and ranks fourth in the ACC and 18th in the country. DeJoe has stepped into the starting midfielder role for the first time ever and blossomed as a result.

“It’s his last go around, so he wants to play,” Desko said. “Wants to make his own mark. And I think he is. I think he’s played very well.”

It took less than four quarters this year for DeJoe to showcase his new tool that’s led to such a high shooting percentage. He came from behind the net, slipped past his defender and fired a shot in from less than 10 yards out in the season-opening win over Siena on Feb. 13.

SU attack Dylan Donahue has seen DeJoe’s ability to dodge in practice over the last three years, but DeJoe never had a chance to display it in a game. He was confined to the man-up unit with a designated role of staying about 15 yards away from the net and shooting from the outside.

“It’s funny that before he was just a man-up player,” Desko said. “… He’s just improved his game. He’s dodging better, and he’s an outside threat. Doing a little bit more with the ball this year than he has in the past.”

What’s helped DeJoe with his dodging is work in the offseason and the daily one-on-one drills in practice that he says have increased this year.

And while other players such as Sergio Salcido or Nick Mariano draw the long-stick midfielder from opposing defenses, DeJoe normally gets the short-stick midfielder defending him, which is a favorable matchup.

“You’re supposed to beat your short-stick midfielder,” DeJoe said. “That’s how our offense is set up, for you to dodge, to beat the shorty and draw the slide and move it or you have the open shot.”

Through the first three games of the season, he didn’t have a shot saved. Nine shots, six on goal and six goals. He’s more than tripled the shooting percentage mark he set last year (13.8 percent).

The midfielder known for shooting from the outside estimates that he had only taken two perimeter shots prior to the game against Johns Hopkins on Saturday.

“I watch him, he’s more assertive in their offensive schemes,” Johns Hopkins head coach Dave Pietramala said earlier this season. “He’s more involved. … He shoots the living snot out of the ball and he’s hitting the goal.”

DeJoe’s jumped from the second-line midfield role he had to open the season to now being in the starting lineup. He filled a temporary vacancy left because of injuries to Tim Barber and Nick Piroli to make the first three starts of his career.

“He’s definitely proving himself,” Donahue said. “He’s there and he’s earned it.”

DeJoe’s career had remained relatively unchanged for the first three years, but now he’s seized the opportunity given to him this season. He’s emerged as the Orange’s most efficient scoring threat.

“Time helps everyone,” Donahue said, “and I think he finally figured out who he is. He’s getting a lot more comfortable dodging and moving off ball. He runs the offense awesome.”

Published on March 22, 2016 at 10:33 pm

Contact Jon: jrmettus@syr.edu | @jmettus