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Once in a blue moon, Brandon Aviles could retreat from his hectic student-athlete lifestyle to relax in the apartment he shared with his teammate, Russell Melendez.

On those occasions, the two reflected on life while Melendez, an avid musician, played songs on his guitar. Sometimes, Melendez also used his culinary talents to make pasta and chicken, what Aviles calls his best dish.

“I know it sounds simple, but pasta and chicken, there’s something about it … he put a little flavor to it,” Aviles said. “(He) always has a creative mindset to go about things a certain way.”

That mindset isn’t exclusive to the kitchen. On the lacrosse field, Melendez, a senior attack at Johns Hopkins, has used it to become a more versatile attack. In six games this year, Melendez has scored 14 goals and dished out eight assists. He’ll use his creative mindset to lead No. 7 JHU (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) into its pivotal matchup on the road against No. 11 Syracuse (4-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) Sunday.

Melendez’s creativity is cultivated by design. His mother, Christine, played a crucial role in teaching him to cook, while his older brother, Tommy, influenced his robust love for music. In high school, Tommy created original songs and published them on SoundCloud, accruing millions of plays.

When Tommy wasn’t creating music, Melendez often watched him play lacrosse at Archbishop Spalding High School (Maryland). As an eighth grader, Melendez met then-Spalding head coach Brian Phipps, who quickly saw him as a future staple in his attack.

In 2017, Melendez followed in his brother’s footsteps by enrolling at Spalding. Before playing a minute for the Cavaliers, he was determined to hang with the best. So, Phipps allowed him to practice with the seniors during fall workouts.

“He went head to head with our best defenseman (former Holy Cross defender Philip Turner),” Phipps said. “So, I knew he had that competitive nature, that toughness to want to challenge himself to be better.”

Russell Melendez transferred to Johns Hopkins after injuring his shoulder. Since then, he’s used his creativity to become an elite attacker for the Blue Jays. Courtesy of Johns Hopkins Athletics

Following an injury-marred freshman season, Melendez became a full-time starter the following season, which led to a breakout year as a junior, leading the Cavaliers in goals and assists.

That summer, Spalding participated in the National High School Lacrosse Showcase, a recruiting tournament held in Howard County, Maryland. Phipps said Melendez impressed programs, including Maryland and Penn State, throughout the 30-team tournament, with Spalding defeating Westlake (Texas) to win its bracket.

“There were some plays where Russell just looked unguardable,” Phipps said. “That’s when we were like, ‘Damn. This kid is the real deal, and he’s going to be pretty special.’”

Spalding featured a star-studded lineup in Melendez’s senior year alongside 15 other future Division I players.

“We were lining up to have a pretty special season at Spalding,” then-Spalding assistant coach Evan Hockel said.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented it. The Cavaliers suspended their season after just two games.

After that abridged campaign, Melendez started his collegiate career at Marquette, which he committed to as a junior in high school. As Inside Lacrosse’s No. 69-ranked recruit in the class of 2020, he became the program’s second-highest incoming recruit.

“(Watching him) was the same feeling I had when I first watched (PLL defenseman) Mason Woodward play defense for the first time,” former Marquette midfielder Jordan Schmid said. “I was like, ‘This looks way too easy for you, it makes no sense.’”

But Melendez faced a season-ending shoulder injury after seven games. He spent his time studying film and playing wall ball, often connecting to the speakers in the facility and listening to his playlists. By 2022, he was ready to cement himself as Marquette’s top attacker.

In its season-opener against Bellarmine, he looked the part, tallying a program-record five assists in a 9-8 victory.

“It was like, ‘This is a really young player (who’s) really just starting to figure it out,’” former Marquette head coach Andrew Stimmel said of Melendez’s performance. “You could see the glimpses of why he’s performing at such a high level right now.”

He notched four more goals in narrow losses to Utah and Michigan, bringing his point total to 10 before another shoulder injury halted his campaign.

That setback made Melendez realize he needed more muscle to compete at the highest level, Phipps said. He began to spend more time in the weight room, gaining 15 pounds.

“You’ve really seen him dedicate himself to the weight room to put on muscle and really take care of his body,” Phipps said. “(It’s) been super impressive for him to grow and kind of mature into that frame to play at the highest level.”

The additional muscle prepared him to take a step up in competition. After redshirting the remainder of 2022, he transferred to Johns Hopkins for the 2023 season. For the first time since he was a junior in high school, Melendez played an uninterrupted season and thrived.

Across 17 games, Melendez notched career highs in goals (37) and assists (16). His goal tally ranked fourth in the Big Ten, and his point total placed him sixth en route to First-Team All-Big Ten honors.

“(His biggest strength is) his creativity … he’s just one of those guys that has every tool in the toolbox,” Aviles said.

Aviles, who spent four years at SU before transferring to Johns Hopkins for his graduate year, didn’t know where Melendez’s creativity came from until living alongside him.

Throughout the Blue Jays’ 2024 campaign, Melendez peppered their apartment with various genres of music. His Instagram highlights, mostly dated to 2020, reveal a selection of hip-hop artists such as Trippie Redd and 21 Savage. But his taste had become much more diverse recently, expanding from Christmas carols to jazz.

One time in the spring, Melendez showed off his father’s old guitar. Aviles recalls it being built like Ol’ Reliable, the infamous jellyfish net from the Nickelodeon cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants. Despite the guitar’s unassuming appearance, it resonated with Aviles. According to him, it sounded like “a million bucks.”

Music became their escape. It helped them disconnect from the grind of collegiate lacrosse.

Conversely, it helped Melendez find his creative side on the field. Aviles emphasized that lacrosse has a strong visualization component. As Melendez got reps in practice, he pictured ways to create scoring chances.

That’s continued throughout his final year of collegiate eligibility. Whether he’s playing his guitar or firing a weak hand shot past an unsuspecting goalie, he always keeps a smooth composure, just like the jazz that reverberates throughout his apartment.

“Russell is one of a kind, that’s the best way to put it,” Aviles said. “He really embodies music.”

Published on March 6, 2025 at 12:23 am

Contact Mauricio: mjpalmar@syr.edu | @mpalmarSU