The Rising DIII Summer Showcase is one of the premier opportunities for Division III prospects to be seen by most of the top college coaches from the DIII ranks. Held at Springfield College, this June’s camp included players from all over the country. Each player made the trip seeking the up-close and personal exposure that is the hallmark of the Rising Showcase series.
Day 1 included in-depth positional instruction from top college coaches such as Hamilton, Haverford, Williams, Colby, Western New England, St. Lawrence, Springfield and Union College. The afternoon session consisted of up-tempo offensive and defensive concepts and finished with team scrimmages. Also included in Day 1 was a session on mindfulness and mental preparation led by Ethan Saal of Bmindful, to teach players how to find and maintain their mental edge. The day finished with a college coach recruiting presentation for parents and players complete with a Q&A session.
Day 2 had all six teams of athletes playing three games each on one field in front of over 45 College Coaches. A highlight of the Rising Showcase experience is the opportunity for all players to meet and interact with coaches, and obtain immediate feedback on their performance throughout the game play.
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The Rising Lacrosse crew had eyes on the ground and, as usual, were provided with notes on players in attendance thanks to our network of coaches in attendance.
Below is a look at some of the top performers from this year’s Rising DIII Summer Showcase.
For more information about the Rising DIII Fall Showcase to be held Sunday, October 23, 2022 at Babson College, please contact Seth Jacoby at seth.jacoby@threestep.com.
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Friedman’s quickness allowed him to get a step on his man. He got inside and scored off the dodge. He looked particularly comfortable stepping into his outside shots, scoring when he got the chance.
St. Onge moves well for a defender his size. He had good form and used his stick well to harass the opponent. His style contains a good mix of competitiveness and aggressiveness, making him a highly sought-after prospect who committed to Babson College shortly after the showcase.
Wasen is a physically mature defender. Whether boxing out an attackman at the center line or executing a switch with timeliness and technique, Brady’s athleticism cannot be ignored. He displayed his foot speed and agility when he traded in his pole for a short stick and covered dodging middies without needing a slide.
Hazard has a way of making marginal shots look like easy saves. He adeptly turned away a variety of shots including a couple of low off-stick shots from 10 yards. He had a confident outlet rewarding defenders who broke upfield.
Clark is efficient in his movement. He tracked the ball well and only moved when he needed to. The lefty matched stick well and blocked shots in close. He made an impressive save off a high-to-low shot from five yards out. Clark’s outlet was as effortless as some of his saves.
Magel is a versatile middie who dodges with his head up, putting pressure on the defense at all times. He has a quick rollback and effective left hand. He scored as a dodger as well as off-ball; stepping in to bounce one or faking and finishing in the slot, effectively mixing up his shot placement.
Boyer is an athletic dodger who routinely generated quality scoring opportunities. He’s most effective as a righty who prefers a sidearm release, but Boyer can also step away to feed or re-dodge and score.
Erdmann is a flashy left-handed attackman with solid skills and vision to match. He showcased a variety of shot options, often starting low and changing planes on occasion. He routinely set up his defender and rolled back to shoot. On another post-up he snuck one behind his back just above GLE. Erdmann committed to Denison University in early July shortly after the showcase.
Bulger is an athletic and team-oriented player who can fulfill a variety of needs at the midfield. He created quality looks off the dodge and put passes on teammates’ sticks. He is unselfish and makes those around him better.
Wright is a fast and athletic-looking middie who specializes in 1 v 1 dodging. He did a really nice job squaring his defender and keeping his head up throughout. Wright can put an accurate pass on a teammate’s stick in the crease or fly down the right alley and put a bouncer past the keeper. He has intense competitiveness that can’t be taught.
Auszura is fast and can get to the middle with a combination of speed and will. He has a great overhand shooting motion with both hands. He is a threat to score in transition and during settled offense. Auszura committed to Clarkson University in early July.
Kuster is a highly effective face-off specialist with the skill and ability to take a shift on offense. At the X he routinely won the draw and got himself out of precarious double teams and dished the ball to a teammate with a backhand flip or more traditional pass. He proved himself on offense by creating off the dodge and scoring with both his left and right hands. Kuster possesses a snappy overhand shot that would make many an offensive player envious.
Tepedino is a productive off-ball finisher who scored on breaks and found seams in the slide package. He proved opportunistic with the ball getting topside and inside his defender finishing on most inside of 10 yards.
Weiss showed flashes of dynamic range. He started the day by catching one at the X and driving topside to score. Weiss scored on a backside dunk. He ripped a screenshot around a sliding defender, off the far pipe and in.
Gagnon is a big defender who uses his range. On ball, he got out to hands and had good enough feet to back it up. When he slid, he covered ground and got his stick on his man. He knocked down passes. Gagnon handled well enough to bump up to the wing to get a loose ball and handled it under pressure. He paid attention on the ride and reacted to make plays.
Bowden stood out with his two-way play. He’s got good footwork and technique making him tough to gain an advantage on. On offense, he took out the trash. He found loose balls in front of the net and put them home. On the crease he snagged an errant pass just off the ground and buried it.
Harden is a solid defenseman whose presence was felt. He applied pressure in many situations. Whether it be covering 1 v 1, sliding or scrapping for a loose ball, Harden won his matchups and got the ball.
Swartwood is an active defender with good speed that moves well. He got out to poke and elbow, and otherwise make a play. When his cover gained a step, he stayed on to trail check. He’s not afraid to blast a shot in transition.
Snyder’s off-ball play was excellent. He dominated loose balls in between the lines and off the wing. On one ride, he snagged a loose ball with an extended hand, passed it to an adjacent attackman, got it back and scored in transition. He generated shots off the dodge. With a little fine-tuning of his shot placement, Snyder will be a lethal two-way middie.
Wynperle is a defender who used his range to get out after guys to take them out of their comfort zone. He is quick in the slide package and routinely made plays throughout the day.
Rome showed his versatility generating offense as both an attackman and middie and even held his own on defense. Rome finished his opportunities inside of six yards. He scored a Thompson backhand coming around the right side of the cage. On his strong side, he rolled back and finished with his right. He was automatic when left alone with the goalie.
Pelletier’s understated approach is based on a strong understanding of the game and solid fundamentals. He was quick and elusive, consistently snapping off shots to the upper corners.
Zdrojeski is a lanky attackman who keeps his head up when dodging and routinely gained a step or two off the dodge by attacking space north-south. He will be a handful as he continues to develop athletically.
As a younger attackman, Kohler stood out as someone with a tall frame and scoring touch around the crease. He assimilated teaching points and showcased an understanding of the off-ball component of the two-man game. He will be someone to watch as he continues to develop.
