Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/14/18
From Press Release
Since its inception in 2009 when Andy Hayes, then the head boys’ lacrosse coach at Episcopal Academy, organized a fall recruiting event to give local Philly kids an opportunity to be seen by college coaches, the Philly Showcase has grown into the most prestigious lacrosse recruiting event of the Fall season.
The 10th annual Philly Showcase, Showcase X, will take place this weekend at United Sports in Downingtown, where the event has been held since 2014 after outgrowing its Episcopal roots.
Over the last nine years, just over 5,000 players have participated in the Philly Showcase, representing 940 high schools, 36 states, and four Canadian provinces. Players are drawn from all over the country by the opportunity to be seen by almost every major college program in the nation.
This year, the Philly Showcase will feature almost 700 players from the 2020, 2021 and 2022 grad years selected from thousands of nationwide applicants. All players will be graded throughout the day, and the top 40 from each grad year will compete in All-Star games to complete the afternoon. Sunday will feature 84 of the most competitive club programs in action at United Sports and Downingtown West High School for the Boys Philly Invitational.
Last year 188 college coaches were in attendance, including coaches representing 64 of the 70 NCAA DI programs. Coaches are drawn by the elite talent on display. In the last decade, the Philly Showcase has featured hundreds of DI players, current pro players, national team players, and two of the last three Tewaaraton Award Winners, Dylan Molloy and Matt Rambo.
Brett Manney, NXT’s VP of Recruiting Events, has directed the Philly Showcase since 2012. “Philly Showcase X is the culmination of a decade of hard work,” he said, “We are committed to running the Philly Showcase at the highest possible level for every stakeholder and we believe the success of the event is proof that we have succeeded.”
“As a former DI head coach, I know that both players and coaches look at the Philly Showcase as the gold standard,” added Peter Lawrence, NXT President and EVP of Boys Lacrosse. “When players execute on this big stage during the final weekend of the November recruiting window, their stock goes up. Making the Fab 40 all-star game at the Philly Showcase is a badge of honor that players are proud to put on their resume, and often leads to a college commitment,” .
Showcase X will also feature several new and special aspects. All players will receive an extensive Nike gear pack and an equipment pack provided by Epoch Lacrosse, including an early-release Z One head. The Friday night registration and kickoff will include a leadership talk by former National NCAA Coach of the Year, Jim Stagnitta, and a charity college coach basketball game raising money for HEADstrong’s Nick’s House initiative. Finally, Epoch athlete, 2016 Tewaaraton winner, and Philly Showcase alum, Matt Rambo, will be at the Epoch tent to meet and greet the participating athletes.
