On Monday, January 21 at the Indoor Sports Pavilion in Randolph, New Jersey, nearly 160 athletes competed at the inaugural D3 Showcase presented by SportsRecruits.com.
The action was solid all day, with 10 teams playing three games apiece. Each team was led by a DIII head or assistant coach and chosen at random prior to the showcase.
There was plenty of talent on hand, with many players making a mark on the coaches assembled. While certainly not an all-encompassing list, we put together a list of standouts three from each position, plus a long-stick midfielder, faceoff-man and goalie.
Here is a look at our All-Star Midfield, including the long-stick middie and faceoff positions.
MIDFIELD:
Gabe Greenberg (Short Hills, NJ/Millburn HS): Greenberg made his mark throughout the day as a two-way middie, playing excellently in between the boxes and winning 50/50 ground balls regularly. A fluid player, he displayed excellent athleticism and good footwork defensively. Offensively, he also showed the ability to generate a shot initiating offense from up top by dodging down the alley with purpose.
Cole Turpin (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan HS): Turpin possesses top-end speed. The midfielder was all over the field, constantly involved in the action on ground balls in both the offensive and defensive ends. He used his speed and quickness effectivley to spark transition with the ball in his stick. Defensively, he was able to cut off the fast break chances of his opponents by beating them back to the box. He used superior athleticism to track down ground balls and was able to break down defenders to generate goals when dodging. While an unofficial observation, Turpin certainly looked like the fastest player competing on the day.
Jacob VanLeenen (Warren, NJ/Immaculata HS): A big, athletic midfielder, VanLeenen flashed big-play ability throughout the showcase. He was able to use his ideal size and speed to beat defenders from the top of the box down the alleys, and on numerous occasions displayed a powerful and well-placed shot. He was often able to out-athlete the competition, beating players down the field and getting great looks on cage regularly.
LSM:
Sam Sweeney (Denver, CO/Colorado Academy): The Colorado product was a ground ball machine. Like many who are good at getting the ball off the ground, Sweeney showcased an impressive ability to use his stick to work the ball out of traffic to areas where he could collect it. He was a force on the faceoff wing, gaining control in crowds regularly. Defensively, he utilized his quickness to stay with dodgers, and used his stick well to disrupt passers by throwing well-timed checks on the move.
FACEOFF:
Trevor Baptiste (Denville, NJ/Morristown-Beard HS): What first comes to mind when looking at Baptiste is his large and athletic frame, but when watching him what really stands out are his quick hands. Baptiste was impressive at the faceoff X, making his mark with quick moves to flip the ball forward to himself on many occasions. If tied up, he was then able to utilize his aforementioned size to box out opponents and control ground balls.