By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/31/09
Registration begins at midnight tonight for the inaugural Philly Lacrosse Showcase, a major recruiting event open to any scholastic boys’ sophomore, junior or senior.
The event will be held Saturday, Nov. 21, at Episcopal Academy and feature 210 of the top scholastic players in the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. Those interested in registering can go to http://www.phillyshowcase.com. The registration fee is $130.
The event – which is being sponsored by Phillylacrosse.com – was developed by Andy Hayes, Episcopal Academy head coach and Eastern Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association (EPSLA) president. Hayes also co-directed the inaugural EPSLA Showcase in June.
That event brought more than 50 Division I coaches to Philadelphia to watch two All-Star Games and has helped lead to numerous scholarship opportunities for Philly players in the current senior and junior classes.
The overwhelming success of the Showcase caused Hayes to create the Philly Lacrosse Showcase in hopes of further promoting players in the Philadelphia region, while also opening it to players from other areas.
The registration process will close after 70 players, evenly distributed by position, have signed up in each class. The players will be guaranteed to compete in three morning games in front of college coaches. The tournament committee will choose the players to compete in the “Fab Forty” All-Star Game for each class in the afternoon.
Hayes expects that coaches from nearly every Division I program will attend. Coaches from top Division II and III schools also will attend. Phillylacrosse.com will provide comprehensive and real-time coverage throughout the day, including updates on the choosing of the All-Star teams, the games themselves and individual player updates.
Players from all over the East Coast and beyond are expected to register. There are no restrictions; players that have signed or committed can still register.
The 2-year-old EA campus at Newtown Square features two turf and two grass fields and plenty of parking.
The morning games will be coached by invited Philly scholastic coaches. Already, Hayes said Brian Samson (Conestoga, team reached state finals), Dan Keating (Malvern Prep, former coach at St. Joseph’s Prep), Eric Gregg (St. Joseph’s Prep, finished No. 3 in PA Media Rankings), Mark Duncan (Shipley School, Friends Schools League champion), Randy McNeill (Abington, Suburban One National Conference champion) and Josh Hanlon (Neshaminy) have committed to be coaches. In the All-Star games, coaches will be paired together.
Sept. 1 is the first day coaches can contact the rising junior class members. Nov. 11-18 marks the NCAA early signing period, when rising senior lacrosse recruits are allowed to sign National Letters of Intent.
The rain date for the event is Sunday, Nov. 22.
Philly Lacrosse Showcase, Nov. 21, at Episcopal Academy, Newtown Square, PA
7:30 a.m. Registration
Games will be 2 25-minute halves with 2 min halftime
8:45-9:45 Game #1
9:45-10:45 Game #2
10:45-11:45 Game #3
11:45-12:45 Game # 4
1:15-2:15 “Fab Forty” Senior Game
2:15-3:15 “Fab Forty” Junior Game
3:15-4:15 “Fab Forty” Sophomore Game
All-Star Games will be filmed and sent to all coaches who attend the event.
