💭 FCL Weekly Thought: 07/18/25

Hey everyone,

One question we hear a lot: What’s the difference between showcases, prospect days, club events, and how should players approach each? We break that down in today’s Weekly Thought.

We’ve also got new deep dives live in the FCL community, standout 2029s from BIC, and a breakdown on the evolution of the question mark dodge.

Oh… and Best in Class Applications are OPEN for next summer (scroll to bottom).

Let’s get into it. Happy Friday ☕️,
Matt & Deemer

Forwarded this email? You can subscribe here to stay in the loop 👍.

THIS WEEKS CONTENT AT A GLANCE

• ⭐️ BIC Standouts: Best in Class Women’s 2027

• ✍️ Coaches Corner: Throwing it Through X

• 🔒 Deep Dive: The Evolution of the Question Mark Move into the Exclamation Point by Zach Carey

🔒 FCL Deep Dive Teaser

The question mark was the defining move for attackmen in the 2010s. From Mark Millon’s introduction of the dodge to the masses in his instructional videos from the early 2000s to Rob Pannell’s rampant popularization via his dominance in college and the pros, the question mark became a staple for all of the best X attackmen in lacrosse.

As defenses and defenders have become accustomed to the threat of the question and have adjusted accordingly, the next generation of attackmen have taken the question mark to its next stage of evolution: The exclamation point. 

In this deep dive, we’ll break down what made (and still makes) the question mark such an effective counter when attacking topside from X, how that dodge took on new life as Pannell and others pioneered new forms of it, analyze how the exclamation point has marked the next stage of the question mark’s evolution, and briefly project forward to ponder what’s next in the progression of moves for attackmen at five-and-five.

🔒 Premium Members Read Full Post Here → The Evolution of the Question Mark Move into the Exclamation Point by Zach Carey

💭 WEEKLY THOUGHT
🥍 SUMMER SHOWCASE STRUCTURES

One topic that has continued to come up in conversation this summer is the difference in player performances at club events, individual showcases, and prospect days. Everyone wants to play well at every event — but the reality is that each type of event is different, and players can shine under different structures. 

Club vs Showcase vs Prospect Day

For club related events, players are usually bucketed into where they fit the teams need best based on previous tournaments, practices, and playing with the club for numerous years.

At individual showcases, players are put into a position where their teammates are not familiar with their games, their coaches don’t know them, and everyone is mostly at the same skill level. This can mean fewer touches or having to play a role you're not used to.

At prospect days, these are often smaller events where players can showcase their abilities in small drills and receive one on one coaching from the respective staff. Some can be big too, and feel like a showcase.

How Structure Affects Performance

Overall, we think it’s important to highlight two key points here:

One, the different structures are great. As a player, you want to differentiate your summer schedule and be at different types of events. Mixing the three helps paint a picture of the overall player someone is and gets players out of their comfort zone. For example, an individual showcase provides a chance for a college coach to see what kind of off ball player a ball dominant attacker is outside of club ball where they are the main initiator. 

Two, both players and coaches should take the different performances into account when reflecting on their performance or when evaluating talent. The reality is that some structures are more aligned with certain skill sets than others. Some players may feel much more comfortable in a small prospect day environment than they do at an individual showcase with 500+ players. Others might love their club experience and feel like they can play their best there. As a player going through the process, it can be helpful to think through where you shine and where you don’t, and then analyze why. 

The summer circuit continues to be both extremely busy and competitive. Moving into the back half of July, continue to put your best foot forward regardless of the type of event and finish strong!

Best,
Coach Class and Coach Dunn

🔥 RECRUITING COVERAGE

In this week’s recruiting section, we are highlighting some rising freshman who made an impact at BIC Men’s 2029!

Stay tuned for the full standout list.

Zach Dennis | 2029 | Attack | Archbishop Spalding | Annapolis Hawks

Great up the hash finisher, plays X very well. Had a good righty dip and dunk as well. Made a monster impact on his team and showed his athleticism. He’s super quick, shifty and sees the field well. Heavier ball carrier type of attackman and was fun to watch. Dennis will attend Spalding starting in September.

Cormac Belden | 2029 | Defense | Loyola Blakefield | Predators

Belden was the defensive leader on his team. He did a good job covering ball and using stick to get in hands and was physical at GLE when needed to be. He had a good stick and good off the ground, and played his role off ball well. His communication was strong and as he keeps fine tuning looks to be a strong up and comer in Maryland.

Jack Devlin | 2029 | Goalie | Chaminade | LI Express

The Long Island product plays a style of goaltending that makes him appear bigger than he is. Jack does a great job of playing his angles correctly allowing himself to take up more cage and force shooters to hit tough shots. He does a great job of using his legs to make low saves especially in tight. Devlin will be attending Chaminade this fall.

🎥 VIDEO OF THE WEEK
THROWING IT THROUGH X

Check out our Twitter thread of the importance of throwing it through X from the latest edition of our “Coaches Corner” newsletter!

🏃‍♂️‍➡️ FCL EVENTS 2026
APPLY NOW!

Applications are open for our Best in Class 2026 events!