The Show 2028s: Seven More Noteworthy Performances

After evaluating six of the seven positional MVPs from The Show last week, it is time to look at seven more players who suited up in the All-Star Game and opened their summers with strong performances.    When I see a lefty windup like Quinn O'Neill's, I immediately circle his name. The fact that Quinn shares the same last name as the player whose windup he reminds me of is fitting. He hides the ball behind his body through most of his motion, then snaps it through with quick wrists. That release gives him a chance to score a lot of goals down the line because he gets it off with velocity, deception, and very little wasted movement. On the first day of The Show, he put up a hat trick, then buried one in transition in the All-Star Game on day two. His instinct for baiting checks was especially impressive. He did it in a Garnsey-esque way, baiting checks early in the dodge and creating a step without needing much space. He also mixed in subtle hitches in the middle of his dodge that helped him get to the middle without having to shoot through contact. He capped off his hat trick with a goal off a slip that showed his IQ in the two-man game, which is not a concept you usually see executed on the summer circuit.     I thought AJ Rodriguez was one of the best goalies at The Show. I watched him in back-to-back games in the championship and then again in the All-Star Game. He had a sequence of back-to-back saves that will probably end up on his next highlight tape, which really made me key in on him. His movements are quick and explosive, almost cat-like. He made saves on shots placed all over the cage, and even on the ones he did not stop cleanly, he usually got a piece of them or was right on them. He has quick hands and feet and is not afraid to throw his body at shots. The one knock I noticed with Rodriguez was the number of rebounds he gave up.     Adam McGrath stood out to me on day one of The Show because he was quarterbacking the defense in a showcase setting. He was barking out responsibilities beyond his own and played really well off the ball. He slow-played the ball well in transition and was willing to lay the lumber when it was time to slide. On the ball, he has the size, physicality, and confidence to match up against high-level players. He navigated well behind the cage and bodied up on the island when he was challenged. McGrath also put up 18 points this spring and showed confidence in his stick at The Show. He carried the ball upfield, pushed in transition, created advantages, and on tape, he shows a hard overhand rip.     The confidence Andrew Hopkins has with the ball is what stood out to me most. When he's able to control the tempo of his dodges, he can do a lot of damage to a defense. For one, he is a wizard at seeing the field and skipping the ball through the defense. He manipulates defenders with his no-look ability to open up lanes and get the ball through them. When that lane is not there, he has the touch to get passes over the defense and find step-down shooters.   As a scorer, he uses his body well coming from behind the cage to get into defenders, create separation, box out, and toe-tap around the crease. He has deception in his dodges and can get a step early, then lean on a body bounce if nothing else is there. He also has a good step-down shot that gets solid velocity on it.     The fact that Gus Taylor was the fourth-leading scorer at Episcopal (Va.) as a sophomore, behind three seniors, tells you a lot about his potential. He is a playmaker who can score in a ton of different ways. He is proficient with both hands as both a dodger and a shooter. Taylor uses his size to his advantage and is not afraid of contact when he dodges. He knows how to get to dangerous areas of the field by working through contact to free his hands and by cutting defenders off with his body. He was excellent behind the cage at The Show, especially when he sought out short-stick matchups and beat them up the hashes on both sides. As a shooter, he has a variety of release points and can get the ball out quickly to beat goalies to spots. Off the ball, he does a really good job of positioning himself on the backside for shots when teams are not sloughing in to provide three-slide help.     Sam Nylund was a lefty attackman who really stood out at The Show. When the ball was in his stick, he showed flashes of greatness. He put up a hat trick in the first game I saw him play, then added an assist in the All-Star Game the next day. What stood out most was his pure goal-scoring ability as a dodger, because he was able to create in multiple areas and was deceptive both individually and in the two-man game. On his own, he has the simplicity to plant his foot and get where he wants, but also the creativity to mix in deception with posture changes and bounce-outs. He used picks well to get his hands free from the wing and off the endline, and he also mixed in rejects effectively while drawing slides underneath. When it was time to finish, he showed a smooth release that could generate plenty of power both on the run and with his feet set.     Enzo Liotta had multiple caused turnovers against one of the eventual offensive MVPs of The Show, which says a lot. His ability to legally hold dodgers and control them with his strong forearms greatly improves his game. For one, it allows him to set up takeaway checks. His upper-body strength also shows up in his cross-check, which he uses to knock opponents off their path. Liotta's spring tape is filled with reps of him locking up his matchup with a short stick. That says a lot about his footwork, his ability to stay on hips, and how well he jams dodgers before they can get going.

After evaluating six of the seven positional MVPs from The Show last week, it is time to look at seven more players who suited up in the All-Star Game and opened their summers with strong performances.