Ex-lacrosse star Huber recalled for strength, competitive fire

In the photo that accompanied many of the stories about his death this week, Jeremy Huber is rocking a thick strip of hair on his upper lip.

An 18-year-old freshman at Johns Hopkins. With strong mustache game.

“The kid was shaving in eighth grade,” Chris Eissler said. “He was just so much bigger, so much stronger than other kids.”

Huber was known as the “Manchild” in Las Vegas lacrosse circles, a nickname given to the 6-foot-1-inch, 205-pound defenseman as much for his physical dominance on the lacrosse field as his overall maturity.

A three-year captain for Palo Verde and the salutatorian at West Career and Technical Academy last spring, Huber was found dead in his dorm room Monday morning, Johns Hopkins officials said. Baltimore police do not suspect foul play, and the cause of Huber’s death is still being investigated.

“He literally was living out his dream. That’s the sadness of it all,” said Gary Campo, who coached Huber at Palo Verde and with the Vegas Starz club team. “He was a kid who was going to compete to be the best at whatever he did. He showed that in school, and he showed that on the lacrosse field. He was just a competitive soul.”

Huber stood out as a freshman because of his imposing stature and natural leadership, according to Campo, and he earned first-team all-state honors his final three seasons.

Huber led Palo Verde to Southern Nevada Lacrosse Association state titles in 2011 and 2012. He orally committed to play for Johns Hopkins, the nine-time NCAA champions, as a junior.

“He was able to transition from the defensive end and become an offensive threat, and that’s not always the easiest thing to do,” Campo said. “Especially here in Vegas, that’s like a rarity.”

Eissler, whose son Kieran is a sophomore midfielder at Johns Hopkins, estimates he coached at least 50 games against Huber in his career. One of the most memorable came in 2012 when underdog Palo Verde met Eissler’s Henderson (Coronado) Cougars in the SNLA varsity state final.

The game was tied 5-5 at halftime, but Huber, then a sophomore, scored seven seconds into the third quarter to put the Panthers ahead, and they went on to a 10-7 victory.

“He was like a truck coming down the freeway,” Chris Eissler said. “Jeremy went from a kid that I coached to an adversary to a teammate of my son, and I think one of the reasons the two boys are at Hopkins is they had each other to play against. You can’t get better if you don’t have competition, right?”

Johns Hopkins held a candlelight vigil to honor Huber on Thursday night at its athletics stadium. The Blue Jays canceled their scrimmage against Loyola (Md.), which was scheduled for Saturday, and will open the season Feb. 7 at home against Baltimore-Maryland County.

Many of Huber’s friends and former teammates in Las Vegas gathered at The Crossing Park on Monday night to remember him, and several others took to social media to share their memories. Mark Lovejoy, the president of the Palo Verde lacrosse club, said they are waiting for Huber’s parents to return from Baltimore to discuss how to honor him.

Huber is survived by his parents, Robert and Nancy, and younger brother Justin. Funeral arrangements have not been finalized.

“In December, right after Christmas, he came back to the school and worked at our holiday lacrosse camp,” Campo said. “While they were doing registration and handing out T-shirts and all that, we had 15 minutes of just having a catch and talking about ‘How’s Hopkins?’ and stuff. … It was definitely a cool little moment. I’m glad I had that moment with him.”

Contact reporter David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidSchoenLVRJ.