Showcase lacrosse camps, also known as showcases, are essential to any player hoping to play college. It’s important to know the right recruiting camps to attend and how to make the most out of them.
1. Nike Blue Chip (UMBC, Catonsville, MD)
This is the premiere recruiting lacrosse camp in the nation. An invite only camp, director Jake Reed brings the highest caliber players in front of the top Division 1 (D1) coaches for a three-day overnight showcase. It is expensive if you’re invited, but it’s definitely worth the money.
2. Showtime Lacrosse National Recruiting Spotlight (Danbury, CT)
Another invite only camp, Showtime attracts top-tier players and boasts an impressive list of Division 1 coaches (schools like Duke, John Hopkins, and Syracuse). If you are invited, you will be playing with the best in the country and get plenty of D1 exposure.
3. Top 205 (College Park, MD)
It’s less exclusive than Blue Chip or Showtime, but you’ll still need a coach’s recommendation to get invited to 205. Although the camp is large and lacks a personal touch, there may be no better place to showcase your talents in front of a long list of top coaches from all three divisions. Make sure you bring some water though, Maryland can get hot in the summer!
4. New England Top 150 (Portsmouth Abbey School, Portsmouth, RI)
If you’re looking to be recruited by a prestigious academic school with a great lacrosse program, NE Top 150 is a good place to start. With a large contingency of top D3 coaches and a few D1 schools sprinkled in, this three-day overnight camp combines teaching and playing, allowing each player to thoroughly showcase his lacrosse skill. With a focus on fundamentals and team play, NE 150 is a good camp for any player.
5. Peak 200 (Springfield College, Springfield, MA)
Similar to NE Top 150, Peak brings together a well-respected host of D1 and D3 coaches. While the stress is more on games and less on teaching, it is a competitive camp with great talent, and it works hard to connect players with coaches.
6. Prep School Lacrosse Showcase (Brunswick School, Greenwich, CT)
The Prep School Showcase’s talent pool and list of coaches (overwhelmingly Division 1 schools) should put it higher on this list, but the camp’s early June start-date limits the clientele to prep school kids, dropping it to #6. With a ton of D1 coaches in attendance, this camp offers the top prep school players in the Northeast a chance to be recruited by the best programs in the country.
7. Elite 180 Lacrosse Camp (Keene State, Keene, NH)
Like NE Top 150, Elite 180 attracts top student athletes and puts them in front of some of the most competitive academic schools in the country. If you are looking for a smaller, top academic school with a premiere lacrosse program (NESCAC and Liberty League schools for example), Elite 180 is the right camp to attend.
Make the most of the Camp
Most of these camps have sessions for both rising juniors and seniors, and some (like Blue Chip) stretch as far down as rising freshmen. It is important to remember, however, that while showcases are an important part of the recruiting process, camps can be a grind and too many of them in one summer can wear you out. You can’t impress lacrosse coaches when you’re sick of playing, so stick to only a few camps and you’ll have a successful summer. You’ll also want to make sure your skill set is ready to make a real impact and get noticed at these camps, as they can be the key to playing lacrosse in college.
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