The fifth-annual Maverik Showtime National Recruiting Spotlight took place from Monday, July 8 through Thursday, July 11 at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut.
One of the preeminent stops on the summer recruiting circuit, Showtime featured over 300 players representing a diverse geographical area from the 2015 and 2016 classes, breaking down to roughly 160 per grade.
Some of the nations top college programs were on hand to take in the action, including defending National Champion Duke, Maryland, Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Ohio State and many, many more.
Here are five players that stood out and some others who made an impression from the 2015 class.
MAVERIK SHOWTIME NATIONAL RECRUITING SPOTLIGHT: FEATURED FIVE (2015):
Note: Click here for our Featured Five from the Class of 2016.
1. SIMON MATHIAS
Position: Attack
Class: 2015
High School: Ridgefield (CT)
Overall: A smart and productive attackman, Mathias stood out at a loaded position. He was most effective dodging from X, where he showed equal skill feeding or creating his own shot. Moving with his eyes up to locate teammates, he allowed situations to dictate whether to pass or attack the cage on his own awareness that will be useful at the next level. He also showed good IQ in the 2015 All-Star game, making a nice back-cut from X on a ball-watching defender, finishing with poise near the crease. While his offensive skillset was impressive, what stood out most about Mathias game was his tenacity in the riding and clearing game. He caused numerous turnovers with his hustle, relentlessly hounding defenders carrying the ball. Meanwhile, while his team was clearing, he worked to get open, cutting hard to open areas and flashing for the ball all over the field.
From the Notebook: Good dodger from X. Good vision. Can score. Tenacious rider. Plays with an edge. High IQ. Works hard. Hustles.
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2. NICHOLAS YEVOLI
Position: Midfield
Class: 2015
High School: Massapequa (NY)
Overall: A versatile player, Yevoli is a do-it-all midfielder: he faces off, has excellent lacrosse IQ offensively, and is an effective short-stick defender. He was able to spark numerous fast breaks by winning draws to himself. On those breaks, he was a threat to score, displaying a fundamentally sound bounce shot on numerous occasions. Offensively, he has a tremendous IQ, knowing when to attack the cage or move it on. In the 2015 All-Star game, he dodged effectively down the wing getting a step on his defender before making a precision pass to the crease for a layup goal. He also scored a goal driving hard from the low wing. Has an impressive pedigree father, the late Joe Sr., was an All-American at UNC, while older brother Joe was an All-American at UVA and finished his career at Syracuse (where he was also an All-American) before playing in the MLL.
From the Notebook: Versatile. Plays well in every phase. High IQ. Good fundamentals. Smart. Gritty. Workman-like attitude.
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3. DYLAN JOHNSON
Position: Defense
Class: 2015
High School: Cherry Creek (CO)
Overall: A tall, rangy defender, Johnson is an impressive player out of Colorado. He displayed solid athleticism and footwork, using these attributes to play very aggressively on ball carriers. He was particularly noteworthy in loose ball and transition situations. He used his reach to corral loose balls deftly, and then flashed very good speed in the open field to leg out clears on multiple occasions. With solid handle, he also got into the offensive act, notching two assists in the 2015 All-Star Game. Johnson is a Denver commit.
From the Notebook: Tall. Athlete. Rangy. Good straight-ahead speed. Plays out on ball carriers. Utilizes poke-check well.
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4. ISAAC PAPARO
Position: LSM
Class: 2015
High School: Staples (CT)
Overall: Paparo is an impressive LSM who shines in transition and with the ball on the ground. He has an outstanding stick, which he used effectively on the wings to gobble up ground balls. He carried with ease, sparking numerous transition opportunities, and also got into the offensive action quite a bit. In one sequence, he was able to pick up a contested ground ball off a faceoff, move it on to a short stick, backcut a defender, make a difficult catch in traffic, and fire one past the goaltender. Defensivley, he has an active stick, and while on the shorter size for an LSM, he displayed excellent footwork and technique.
From the Notebook: Outstanding stick. Ground ball machine. Transition LSM. Gets into offensive act. Shorter. Good feet. Athletic.
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5. TURNER UPPGREN
Position: Goaltender
Class: 2015
High School: Choate Rosemary Hall (CT)
Overall: Uppgren is an impressive goaltender who is a verbal commit to Duke. He plays with good poise in the goal, and was consistently in excellent position to face shots. He tracked the ball well from the outside, but was perhaps more impressive in tight, where he made some excellent saves. Uppgren communicated well in the cage without being overzealous, and made some very nice outlets passes to spark transition the other way. On one possession in a game we took in, he strung together some excellent saves – first stopping two outside shots before making a doorstep save. He then got the ball up-and-out to a breaking defender.
From the Notebook: Good position. Plays angles well. Communicates calmly. Good outlet passer. Highlight reel stops inside.
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Others who made an impression:
Nick DelBene M 2015 Yorktown (NY): A big, athletic midfielder, DelBene stood out with his powerful shot and dodging ability from up top. He has good speed and is a very effective dodger from the top of the box, where he was able to get downhill effectively. His shot was hard and accurate on the run with a good over-the-top release that coaches should appreciate.
Timothy Mattiace LSM 2015 Huntington (NY): Mattiace is an athletic LSM who has tremendous takeaway ability. He does not throw a ton of checks, but instead uses excellent technique and timing to dislodge the ball from carriers. His handle is also outstanding, showing good ability to pick up ground balls and leg them to the offensive end.
Riley OSullivan A 2015 Don Bosco Prep (NJ): OSullivan had an impressive All-Star game, displaying his scoring ability on multiple occasions. He has excellent poise and quick hands inside, catching anything thrown in his direction. The Syracuse verbal a hard and accurate shot as well.
Matt Borges D 2015 Garden City (NY): A big, physical defender, Borges is a disruptive checker who frustrates ball carriers with a barrage of hard chop-checks. He caused a few turnovers with his relentless stick, and showed very good ground ball ability to get the ball up and out. He also played well off-ball, communicating and putting himself into good help position.
Darien Clay D/LSM 2015 Newton North (MA): Clay is a lock-down defenseman with excellent athleticism. His footwork is outstanding, allowing him to press out on ball carriers without getting beaten to the goal by a dodger. He covers ground effortlessly, and played outstanding position defense.