By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/12/10
Many of the top club and scholastic teams from Philadelphia, Long Island and Maryland and around the Mid-Atlantic region will compete in the inaugural F4 Showbine fall recruiting tournament Saturday and Sunday at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J.
The Showbine combines a round robin style showcase with an NFL-based physical combine where players also are tested in a sprint, a jump and shooting skills. As many as 100 college coaches are expected to attend the two-day event.
Some of the club teams competing include Philly’s Duke’s Lacrosse Club, Twist (2011, 2012) and Black Bear, New Jersey’s SJ Shamrocks and Red and Black Lacrosse, Long Island’s Sting (two squads) and Express, Maryland’s MadLax and Connecticut’s CT Chargers.
Some of the scholastic teams include Philly’s Braveheart (Penn Charter), Spring-Ford and Salesianum (DE) as well as Long Island power Ward Melville (split squads). With several at-large teams, there will be more than 30 squads overall. A schedule is expected to be released today.
The Diamond Nation facility, used for baseball year round, features a unique setting of four turf fields placed back-to-back-to-back-to-back. The coaches will be able to view four games and also the combine-style testing at the same time from a heated tower in the middle of the complex.
Each team will play three games and be cycled in for the testing, which will feature split times for the first and second 20 meters of the 40-meter dash, the high jump, shooting on the run and fastest shot.
The event is being directed by recently-hired Richmond club coach Glenn Carter, the former coach at Ursinus College.
“This is a chance for the players to show themselves off to college coaches,” Carter said. “It’s got the combine aspect with the NFL-style 40 split times. They’ll get a split from zero to 20 and 20 to 40, plus an overall time.
“Some attackman are great in the first 20, and same with defensemen. Some great transition middies don’t get their full speed going until the second 20. Division I coaches want to see times, and borderline kids that show good speed can benefit.”
Carter said some players that may not have received much attention can shine in this format.
“Some lacrosse players have shows their (talent) on the field and some are just coming into their own. Some higher-end coaches may take a chance because of what they show here.”
Diamond Nation offers a centralized, two-story coaching view tower with 360-degree windows. The combine part of the event will be held on smaller fields that also are in full view from the tower.
“The coaches can see every game and every field without ever having to leave the building,” said Carter.
