TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 11/28/21 – Courtesy of NXT Showcase Lacrosse

Year 13 of the Nike Boys Philly Showcase brought no shortage of talent to United Sports last Saturday at United Sports in Downingtown PA. Widely regarded as the nation’s premier recruiting event, the Showcase hosted over 650 athletes from the 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 recruiting classes

Each year Brett Manney, VP of Recruiting at NXT highlights the players that stood out above the rest. Below are those who caught Brett’s eye in the class of 2022 & 2023.

Brett Manney, is a 14-year professional lacrosse player, captain of the Albany FireWolves, and two-time captain for the USA National Indoor team, serves as the VP of Recruiting at NXT. He won two bronze medals with the USA National Indoor Team. He played on Delaware’s 2007 Final Four team, captained the 2008 team, made the North-South All-Star Game, and is the driving force behind Showcase Lacrosse’s nationally-known events. Manney sees players from all over the country at NXT events.

See TopLaxRecruits.com story on the event MVPs

2022/2023s

ATTACK
Cade Faulkner, 2023, St. Viator (IL), Team Illinois
It was a good day to be a lefty attackman as more than a handful made the All-Star game but Faulkner’s consistent play all day left an impact on many coaches. As an attackman who feels most comfortable from the lefty wing, the Southpaw plays with his head up and loves dodging from the side of the field. His ability to score with his feet set, get others involved (even with an occasional behind the back), and his size makes him one of the more attractive uncommitted 23’s in the country. The fact that he dodges hard and turns the corner to get his left-hand results in many goals and an MVP performance.

Honorable Mention:
Charlie Kraftson, 2023, Episcopal Academy (PA), NXT
Nathan Watson, 2023, Pomfret School (MA), Fighting Clams
Eric Hennessey, 2023, Shake (NY), Upstate Salt Kings
Luke Spanga, 2023, Southlake Carroll (TX), Iron Horse

MIDFIELD
Giuseppe Morici (FO), Washington Twp (NJ), Legacy
Not many people have the name Giuseppe anymore and not many face-off guys battle the way he does either. The South Jersey native does his face share of clamps and winning the ball forward but the King of the X winner also knows how to recover when he does not win the clamp. His quick instincts to maintain a possession despite losing the initial clamp is what was so impressive throughout the day. He is extremely valuable around the faceoff x to pick up groundballs and scrap to get his team a possession in any way possible. The St. Joe’s recruit is raw and should only get better with more reps against good competition.

Honorable Mention:
Tommy Baldini, Avon Old Farms (CT), 3d NE South
Jack Manero, Southlake Carroll (TX), Iron Horse
Alex Dixon, Brooks School (MA), Fighting Clams
Gavin Burke, Dominion (VA), VLC
John Totaro (FO), New Canaan (CT), Express North

DEFENSE
Tej Gadhavi, Mater Dei (CA), Cali Gold
The Cali product hails from the sports powerhouse Mater Dei and he could easily pass for a free safety on the football team the way he roams the field. He is aggressive on the ball approaching players out to the parking lot yet also is comfortable with the ball in his stick running it over midfield with ease. He constantly harassed offensive players by throwing poke checks and staying in the gloves or shadowing their backs when he was defending them. When he fills out his body and becomes more aware of off-ball situations he will be a complete defender.

Honorable Mention:
Will Brown, The Perkiomen School (PA), Zingos Black
Alex Bang, Albany Academy (NY), Sting National
Colin Singleton, Olmsted Falls (OH), Burning River

GOALIE
Matt Sentowski, Mountain Lakes (NJ), STEPS
Sentowski was a late addition to the showcase and the tall netminder made the most of his opportunity. Hailing from longtime New Jersey perennial power Mountain Lakes, Sentowski was a brick wall all day. He was very poised in net, not taking any bait from shooters which allowed him to make some great saves he could easily see. His calm demeanor combined with his great size and quick instincts allowed him to shine against some very good shooters all day.

Honorable Mention:
Cameron Shipman, Brunswick School (CT), Predators
Murphy Hoey, Fairfield Ludlowe (CT), Eclipse
Arjun Gill, Burnaby Central (CAN), Fusion West

2024

ATTACK
Luis Gonzalez, Ashley (NC), Nationals
What a dynamic player Gonzalez is. The lefty attackman has great shake, a bounce to get away from his defenders to get his hands free, and is fearless attacking the net. Gonzalez’s team lost their face-off guy early in the day so his opportunities were far less than his peers but he made the most of every opportunity. Another lefty who was in command all day, Gonzalez keeps goalies guessing as he has the ability to bring a shot with heat up high, throw a hard bouncer, or change the plane with ease. There are so many things the young lefty does well that makes it extremely difficult for all defenders. The more he continues to involve others when the attention is on him will only make him more dangerous. He is certainly a 2024 with a huge upside.

Honorable Mention:
Koen Rose, Alpharetta (GA), Thunder
Ben Dale, Millbrook School (NY), Team Illinois
Stone Evans, Cushing Academy (NY), Prime Time
Owen Michaud, Liverpool (NY), Orange Crush

MIDFIELD
Nick Moore, Acton Boxborough (MA), Fighting Clams
In a midfield class at the showcase with many downhill aggressive dodgers (Bellotti, Anderson, Pape, Kissock) Moore had the best day. At 6’2 he already has D1 size and great maturity of knowing when to dodge and when to pass. Moore is at his best running from defense to offense to take advantage of his ability to score down the alley. I love how he engages contact and also finishes at the net and is not afraid to take a hit. The only thing missing from the young midfielder’s game is the same production from his left hand but with more practice, there is no reason why he can’t dominate from both sides of the field.

Honorable Mention:
Nolan Bellotti, West Genesee (NY), Orange Crush
Gunnar Anderson, St. Anthony’s (NY), LI Express
Andrew Pape, Red Bank Regional (NJ), Tri State
Greyson Kissock, Jesuit College Prep (TX), UNRL Texas
Daine Kostes, Bridgewater Raritan (NJ), 2knights

DEFENSE
Jake Furtado, Avon Old Farms (CT), Laxachusetts
Jake certainly has a flair for the game and he was able to show that at the Showcase. He was vocal, had a great stance in getting low, and didn’t shy away from being physical with his opponent. I loved his compete level and his eagerness to approach every player who had the ball like it was his personal mission to stop them. His only downfall is sometimes he is too aggressive which turns into over pursuing but you would rather have that than being passive. As he understands his matchups more and continues to work on his stick, I like the young defender’s future.

Honorable Mention:
Steven Pitts, Hempfield (PA), NXT
Ronan Schipani, Noble and Greenough (MA), Boston Kings
Francis Keneally, Warwick Valley (NY), BBL
Andrew Matarese, Middlesex School (MA), Fighting Clams

GOALIE
Axel Esco, Benilde St. Margaret’s, True MN
Minnesota is not exactly a hotbed for goalies and there were many 2024 stud goalies on display at the showcase but Esco was in a league of his own during the event. Esco went pipe to pipe with ease, made outlet passes look easy, and constantly was in the right place at the right time. He often bailed out his team with some unbelievable saves that he made look easy. Yet the toughest thing during the day is to be productive all day and Esco every time he took the field was the best goalie on the field every time leading to a well-deserved All-Star nod.

Honorable Mention:
Kevin Bryan, Lakeland Panas (NY), Predators
Troy Capstraw, Daphne (VA), VLC
John Webb, Radnor (PA), NXT

2025

ATTACK
Jacob Thibodeau, Middlesex School (MA), Fighting Clams
Incredible lefty attackmen was the theme at the showcase and it was no different at the youngest age group with Jacob. Despite being undersized, Thibodeau attacked every defender from all over the field. He dodged at the lefty wing and from behind the cage to either get to his left hand or his one arm wrap around with his right hand he has in his arsenal. He uses his size to get to great spots on the field and does not need much of an angle to score. If you take your eye off of him he easily will sneak off ball to a sweet spot to score. A talented, heady lacrosse who seems to enjoy the game and makes his team better.

Honorable Mention:
Matt Drimmie, Everest Academy (CAN), Evolve Elite
Oliver Nappi, Hopkins School (CT), Eclipse
Brock Geraci, Governors Academy (MA), Iron Horse
Michael Ortlieb, Malvern Prep (PA), BIG4HHH

MIDFIELD
Owen Lee, Everest Academy (CAN), Evolve Elite
When you come down from Canada it is almost a prerequisite that you have a great stick and are tough. Lee’s performance on Saturday was both of those. He was not afraid to dodge on anyone, had great hands in traffic, and always found a way to get to the middle of the field. There have not been many opportunities for Canadians in the last 18 months to play lacrosse and Lee seized the opportunity to dominate his opposition through his hard dodging and creativity all day.

Honorable Mention:
Brett Feldmaier, McDonogh (MD), Annapolis Hawks
Owen Laatsch, Gunnery School (CT), Salt Lake
Chase Darke, Lake Braddock (VA), VLC

DEFENSE
Hudson Jenner, Western Reserve Academy (OH), Pacific Rim (CAN)
The British Columbia native who attends school in Ohio is a smart lacrosse player always in the right place at the right time. The lefty hunts down groundballs with ease, pursues effectively off face off wings and plays all over the field. Jenner has great versatility to play LSM or close defense in my opinion. There were a ton of stud 2025 defenders at the event as fellow Canadian Carter Drynan received a lot of attention, but Jenner was always getting ground balls, smooth with the ball in his stick and won his match ups consistently. There have not been a lot of impact field defensemen from British Columbia but with Jenner on the rise he could easily change that.

Honorable Mention:
Matt Giannetti, Rye (NY), Predators
Connor Cross, Malvern Prep (PA), Freedom
Carter Jaehn, Catholic (VA), Richmond Hawks
Rand Shepard, Philips Exeter (MA), Iron Horse
Max Luker, Hudson (OH), Burning River
Carter Drynan, Hill Academy (CAN), Evolve Elite

GOALIE
John King, Governor’s Academy (MA), NE Twisters
I love John King’s game and what is not to like. The young netminder has incredible flow and a knack for the flair with his game. For such a young player he knows when to throw outlet passes on a dime or when to get some air under it. He seems mature beyond his years, and it shows with his ability to make saves. If there was a shot up high, King was there. Shot down low and away he was there with his feet or his stick. He was also not afraid to command the defense to help set everyone up in the right spots. What a luxury the NE Twisters have with both him and fellow 2025 goalie Max Becker frustrating shooters.

Honorable Mention:
Max Becker, Pingree School (MA), NE Twisters
Kyle Holtby, Immaculata (NJ), Team Turnpike