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NXT Senior Freshman Showcase
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NXT Philly Freshmen and Senior Showcase

Editor’s Note: Peter Tumbas is back on LAS and he’s talking about recruiting events, players who impressed, and a whole lot more down the line. In this post, Tumbas took in the NXT Philly Freshmen and Senior Showcases, and now he names some players who impressed!

Freshmen Showcase

At a freshmen showcase everyone is going to be small, but middie Tyler Corpora (Emmaus, PA) was likely the tiniest human competing. He was also one of the biggest competitors. Wherever the ball was, you’d find Typer Corpora.

Goalie Alex Rode (St. Paul’s, MD) was absolutely unconscious. Taking stage on the main field in front of the coaches lineup, the lefty made save after save. You could see the confidence in the opposition’s offensive weapons wilting. Legendary Syracuse defender Ric Beardsley, who was coaching against Rode’s team, at one point shouted, “This goalie is on fire.” Not bad. He’s a sure fire D1 prospect.

Attackman John Esposito (Wissahickon, PA) tallied three goals in the second half of one his games. The little righty did his damage in tight. 

Goalie Jake Floyd-Jones (Episcopal, PA) kept his mouth open all game. He was willing to bark orders during settled 6v6, gave instruction in the clear, and was supportive of his offensive teammates. Great leadership skills.

Middie Tanner Hallock (Forest Hills Central, MI) is a bull in a china shop. He dodged a middie from up top, avoided a couple slides, before scoring BTB on top of the crease. One of the bigger middies in attendance. 

Freshmen Showcase All Star Game

Attackman Ian Laviano (Cold Spring Harbor, NY) tallied just one goal but was arguably the best attackman at the event. How someone can be so polished at that age is beyond comprehension. 

Middie Jake Martellucci (Episcopal, PA) is very special between the lines thanks to his size, speed, and compete level. He scored once. 

FOGO Hunter Mazur (Strath Haven, PA) not only won the King of the X event but he dominated the ASG as well. He even scored once. 

LSM Tyler Senerchia (St. Anthony’s) gave middies fits. He’s fast, vicious, and good off the deck.  

Senior Showcase 

Attackman Ryan Cook (Avon Grove, PA) was everywhere. Not only did he log time at attack, but he also took middie runs, which is noteworthy because the event organizers combined the four senior teams into two teams thanks to several no shows. Therefore, there should have been more than enough middies to take runs, but Ryan Cook decided to take it upon himself to lead the team in time on the field. He definitely got his money’s worth.  If you’re a D3 school looking for a high energy lefty, contact Ryan Cook.

Attackman Dereck Downs (Hill Academy, Canada) tallied 4 points on eight touches in his first game. He should have had 5, but a middie dropped a feed on the crease. The hulking lefty scored off a dodge from the wing and a sweep from up top.

Attackman Patrick Haviland (Bella Vista, CA) showed off a willingness to pull the trigger on the run. He’s your prototypical California lacrosse player. Athletic and raw.  The natural lefty definitely drew interest from the coaches in attendance because, like Ryan Cook, he managed to take several middie runs despite the log jam on the sideline.

Defenseman Bryce Barnett (Plano West, TX) was the largest senior in attendance, but had the ability to match feet. Listed as a defenseman in the book, he played LSM during the first game.

Attackman Matthew Garrabrant (Salesianum, DE) showed off ballistic quickness behind the cage. Impressive considering the seniors were playing on grass and the temperatures were sub artic. 

Middie Jonathan Spevacek (Spanish River, FL) didn’t seem to mind the cold. He dodged with authority and scored a high to high goal that punished that far corner.

More NXT Notes

Syracuse had two coaches in attendance on Saturday. John Desko and Kevin Donahue. North Carolina head coach Joe Breschi and assistant Chris Feifs were there Sunday. Feifs was also out Saturday. You can tell the value of an event if multiple coaches from one school are out evaluating.

Saturday’s weather was somewhere between uncomfortable and miserable.  I can’t imagine what it was like to play in the bitter cold given what was at stake. The 2017s who went off in front of coaches from Syracuse, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Hopkins to name a few showed fairly outstanding mental toughness.

Sunday’s weather featured temperatures of 24 degrees and wind for the team portion of the showcase. I left after the first game. God bless the players, parents, and coaches who were there longer. I only watched the 9:30 game between the Tenacious Turtles and 3d. It was the first time I’d ever see the Turtles play in person. They didn’t disappoint despite the loss. When you consider that 3d is made up of the players from all over the country, the win over the Turtles isn’t as significant. Hope to see the Long Island squad in a warmer climate this summer. They won their next two games by a combined score of 22-4.

NXT included player Twitter accounts in the coaches books. Another reminder that what you do online, echoes in eternity. If you were a current high school player and the tournament or camp you were attending requested your Twitter account, would you share that information?

Watching freshmen with such fantastic stick skills and vision made me wonder, at what point in their career did they or their coaches decide it was time to take things to the next level.

You wouldn’t expect someone to at such an elite showcase to be sporting second bar syndrome, but one middie did just that. Then again, these are freshmen in high school. (Last week, I saw a 2016 with second bar syndrome in a Cascade R. That will jack your day up. First person to an athlete with second bar syndrome in an R?)

Senior attackman Luke Finneran from Greenwich, Connecticut was using a traditional pocket. He was likely the only athlete at the event using such a set up.

In more Connecticut news, one freshmen middie opted to wear a quarter zip unzipped under his reversible. Arguably the most Connecticut thing ever.