This year, Miles and Lyle Thompson, brothers from the Onondaga who are teammates at the University at Albany, State University of New York, are among the five men's finalists for the award. Miles led the nation in goals per game, and was second in overall points. The only player with more points this season was Lyle. Along with their cousin Ty Thompson, they fuel the highest-scoring offense in the sport, and if either of the Thompsons were to win it, he would be the first Native player to do so.
It's a juxtaposition that's hard to miss: Lacrosse was created by Native Americans; Tewaaraton is the Mohawk name for the sport.
"When you're born, you're given a wooden [lacrosse] stick, and it just goes to show that lacrosse is in our tradition," Miles told me. "Being Native American, everyone plays the game."
