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THE DAILY ORANGE

NO HIBERNATION

Everyone calls Payton Anderson ‘Bear.’ His drive to improve doesn’t hibernate.

By Nicholas AlumkalSports Editor

T

he Anderson house looked like a gym. Logs were carried through rooms. A speed ladder doubled as living room furniture. Battling ropes inhabited the basement.

The setup expanded outside. Lacrosse nets spotted the yard like hydrangeas. Pull-up bars were bolted next to a swing set. A rebounder held court. When winter hit, the cars were parked outside so training could move into the garage.

“Anything and everything a kid and a person would need for performance training is at the house,” Rob Anderson said.

Most nights, the soundtrack of the Anderson residence was the steady thump of lacrosse balls. Payton Anderson and his father, Rob, were putting in the hours. Rob got the idea from Malcolm Gladwell’s 2008 book “Outliers: The Story of Success,” which argues that roughly 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” are required to achieve mastery in complex fields. Rob wanted to “obliterate” the standard. He aimed for 15,000 shots per month.

Repeating the same lacrosse drills since age 4, Anderson’s relentless work paid off. It’s become second nature, he said, so when he arrives in a situation he’s practiced, Anderson doesn’t need to think. It also allowed the class of 2024 No. 18 recruit to make an immediate impact as a freshman for Syracuse in 2025.

Anderson stepped up when attack Finn Thomson went down with a broken arm, scoring 14 goals in 15 games while showing confidence in late-season play. Now, ESPN analyst Paul Carcaterra, a family friend, called Anderson the “natural replacement” for prolific departing attack Owen Hiltz.

“Payton has such a physical presence that he could own a lot of matchups with opposing teams’ second defenders,” Carcaterra said. “So it’s going to make teams really think and be strategic on who they put where.”

Anderson admitted he took SU’s season-ending 14-8 loss to Maryland hard. But in the offseason, those drills haven’t just continued; they’ve ramped up.

“I’ve never seen him more focused,” Rob said of Anderson’s offseason work rate. “I’ve never seen him work harder. I’ve never seen him put more time into his body. I’ve never seen him put more time into shooting, into his scoring. Ever. Ever. At any point.”

Rob instilled that work ethic in Anderson early. A sports trainer and self-proclaimed “extremist,” he shared his expertise with Anderson and his three other children — Matthias, 13, Cadyn, 17 and Javon, 26.

“A little of that (work ethic) has rubbed off on all four of them,” Rob said. “And because I’m such an extremist, a little bit is a lot.”

Rob tracked Anderson’s wall-ball reps since he was 4 years old, starting at 3,000 a month and building toward 15,000. He later tracked Anderson’s shots with a speed gun, aiming to up his 75-mile-per-hour middle school shots to 100 by high school. Sessions rarely lasted over 15 minutes, but Anderson could complete 450 reps in that time. Plus, Rob never wanted to leave Anderson exhausted or dreading the training, he said.

Whether in the backyard, driveway or the garage, Rob and Anderson trained his stickwork every offseason until Anderson was 17. Gospel music blasted as Anderson repeated the same regimen. He strafed shots with both hands, from different angles and situations.

“It just was always about us,” Rob said. “I tried my best to make it so he never felt alone in the process. I never said, ‘Hey, get outside on the wall. Hey, you got to go out and shoot. Hey, you got to go work out.’”

Most workouts were “really hard,” Rob said. Each one ended with a hug.

Payton “Bear” Anderson honed his lacrosse game through hours of training with his father and will now have an increased attacking role in 2026. Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer

Along the way, Anderson earned a nickname. As a toddler, he’d crawl past Rob, open up Rob’s dresser drawer and throw out all his socks. He also loved running face-first into the family’s couch, Rob added.

It was on that same couch that, at age 6, the Andersons were taking a family picture. Anderson’s hand covered Cadyn’s entire rib cage, Rob said. Right then, Rob had a revelation.

“Oh my gosh, he has a bear paw,” he said.

The name stuck. Anderson became Bear.

It’s what his family, friends and teachers call him. It’s also felicitous to how he plays on the field.

“If you gave a bear a lacrosse stick, good luck getting them off their line,” Carcaterra said.

However, there was no hibernation in Anderson’s drive to improve. If he wasn’t working on his stickwork, he was training with Rob, who held a hand shield to help him embrace contact. Or he was standing one-footed on a BOSU ball catching tennis balls. Or mimicking videos of NFL legends Adrian Peterson and Champ Bailey to reinforce his footwork.

Later, Rob would have him work each side of his body separately when exercising, doing single-leg squats or jumping on one foot, to lay the foundation for his coordination. Finally, they put it all together through basketball training, which Anderson did weekly during sixth grade, seventh grade and high school. It was in middle school that Anderson said he understood the value of all the repetitions and sessions.

If you gave a bear a lacrosse stick, good luck getting them off their line
Paul Carcaterra, ESPN lacrosse analyst

The nimble Bear was released for the Orange on March 29, 2025, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Syracuse trailed 5-1 late in the first quarter of Anderson’s first start.

“There was just no energy,” Rob said. “And I know his mannerisms. And I knew all he needed was the ball.”

With under 20 seconds left, SU goalie Jimmy McCool made a save. Defender Michael Grace hoisted a pass from behind midfield to Anderson on the right wing.

Anderson received the pass and took off. He saw his one-on-one matchup, UVA defender George Fulton, and knew he was faster than him, he said. Anderson’s one thought was to get to the net. He did, not without going airborne, heels over head. While in mid-air, Anderson deposited the ball into the back of the cage.

Defender Riley Figueiras called it a “juice goal” that helped the Orange ultimately secure the 12-10 comeback win.

However, it took Rob four or five years to discover what “triggers” Anderson to take that initiative. It’s not to make himself happy. He’s triggered by not wanting to let anyone down, Rob said. He’s triggered by wanting to be part of the reason people celebrate.

Anderson said he began to understand that about himself in high school. David Bruce, Anderson’s head coach at the Brunswick School, recognized Anderson’s ability as a freshman, as he made the distinguished prep school’s varsity team. But Anderson often deferred to the upperclassmen, Bruce said.

The turning point came at the 2022 Maverik Showtime Showcase at the end of his sophomore year, with college coaches watching.

“He didn’t shy away,” Bruce said. “We had some older guys that were probably more spotlighted, and (Anderson) took it on himself.”

From there, Anderson was comfortable being the star.

“Now, the switch is permanently flipped,” Rob said.

Anderson’s freshman season culminated in a key contribution. Yet, the first moment Anderson remembers from the campaign was playing Duke. No, not the ACC Tournament Championship triumph over the Blue Devils, where he scored twice. Anderson recalls the Orange’s first date with Duke on April 19, which ended in an 11-7 defeat.

“That was one of those moments where I realized that I was prepared, and it just comes down to executing and slowing the game down when you’re not scoring the ball,” Anderson said.

When the Orange’s second meeting with the Blue Devils arrived, Anderson had learned to let the game come to him, he said. That proved literal. Anderson got to his spot to the left of the net in the third quarter, waited for a Joey Spallina pass, then fired a low shot into the net. He followed it up by scoring the game-winner with under 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, when he charged down the right goal line extended.

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Once the NCAA Tournament began, the production continued. The then-freshman converted two more scores against Princeton in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. Syracuse’s future was making plays in the present.

But the season came to a screeching halt a game later, when the Terrapins tore apart the Orange in the Final Four. Since then, Anderson has aimed to make his game more well-rounded, with a specific focus on releasing his shot quicker. He even worked out with Carcaterra in Stamford, Connecticut, over winter break to practice quick shots and finishing in uncomfortable situations, Anderson said.

Those training habits began working with Rob and continued through high school. At Brunswick’s graduation ceremony, every student delivered a speech. Anderson’s served as an expression of gratitude to his father. Rob said he felt seen. He never asked for a thank you. If he wasn’t doing everything humanly possible to help Anderson succeed, then he said he wasn’t doing his job, he added.

Although Anderson now works out separately, his dad’s motivation remains. Before every game, Rob sends Anderson the same song — “Kingdom” by Kirk Franklin — and the same text. The message? He’s ready.

After all those cold nights in the backyard, the driveway and the garage. After countless repeated training sequences. After sharpening his footwork and physicality.

After all that, Bear has been bolstered.

“Anytime in-game, I know that I’m ready,” Anderson said. “To play and make a play happen for my team. That goes back to all the hours of training with my dad.”

Photographs Courtesy of SU Athletics, Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer