Team Illinois Fall Showcase: Five 2029 All-Stars Who Balled

This past weekend, I got a firsthand look at Midwest lacrosse at the Team Illinois Fall Showcase and Team Invitational. In the first installment of our event coverage, I'm highlighting five 2029 All-Star Game standouts from the showcase, providing additional notes on their performances with their clubs in the invitational.   The showcase featured eight teams, each playing three games before players gathered for a recruiting talk from Michigan coach Jake DeCola. Saturday's action wrapped up with an All-Star Game, with rosters selected by the college coaches in attendance.   More standouts from the showcase and invitational are coming soon. First, here's a closer look at five 2029s who caught my attention.    A 6-foot-2 pure goal scorer, Raleigh looked like a future Division I midfielder both at the showcase and in team play with the Loons. The younger brother of Wyatt, a St. Joe's commit, Westin already has a strong foundation after recording 18 goals and 13 assists as a freshman.   Raleigh showed plenty of ways to score over the weekend. Defenses can't afford to leave him on an island against a shortstick, or even a pole. He can run past most matchups, and when a defender stays with him, he can jump or roll to free his hands. He uses hitches, fakes, and physicality to work into quality shooting spots rather than settling for low-angle shots. He looked just as comfortable with his feet set on the EMO unit, using a quick release to bring velocity on stepdowns. He also zipped skip passes through the defense, showing he can punish teams with more than his shot.     All the chatter at the Team Illinois Showcase was about Donofrio, and for good reason. A pure ball stopper, he finds a way to get something in front of the shot. Whether it's his stick, leg, or foot, he makes big-time stops—up high, on bouncers, in tight, and going pipe to pipe. More of a "flopper" in style, Donofrio was especially good down low, consistently stuffing the Orange team in the All-Star game. It's hard to complain when he's stealing saves and routinely coming up with second stops, but I'd like to see him limit the rebounds that create those extra chances. His stick was as clean as it gets. He handled pressure comfortably and consistently threw 20- to 30-yard dimes to get the ball moving the other way.     I don't think I saw a more athletic dodger than Schymanski all weekend in Illinois. With some skip and some shake, he created separation in an instant. He's a great option to start the party on offense, forcing defenders to watch his hips rather than bite on the skip-splits and jabs he uses to keep them guessing. He can finish underneath his defender or shoot on the run down the alley, adding another layer of unpredictability.   He was even nastier when catching the ball against a defender approaching at a disadvantage. He used hitches and stop-and-pop shots to punish those approaches, and in team play at the showcase, he pulled off a clip-worthy toe drag before burying an underhand shot upstairs. Schymanski also knew how to create opportunities without the ball, timing his fades and cuts to get into catch-and-shoot positions. Once the ball arrived, he showed he could score from a variety of release points.     Miller is one of those Midwest players you get to campus and find a role for later. He plays attack for Lyons, midfield for East Ave, and was listed as an SSDM on the All-Star game roster. Simply put, he does it all. Whether he's facing a shortstick or a pole, Miller uses a similar approach to create an advantage. He loves to start his dodges in a passing posture, baiting defenders into swinging at his stick before attacking for an immediate step. The problem for defenders is that the feeding threat is real. He can find cutters from that same posture, something he showed in team play with East Ave.   Much like an attackman setting up a question mark on the island, Miller isn't afraid to lean into his defender before freeing his hands to shoot off a roll with either hand. That comfort playing through contact shows up all over the field, whether he's attacking his matchup at full speed out of the box or turning the corner on an S-dodge. In the All-Star game, he added strong defense and a highlight-worthy one-man clear, showing skills that should translate wherever he ultimately lines up at the next level.     Yeah, you read that height correctly. Don't let it fool you—Sawyer "Sauce" Como is a dawg. Playing with the '28s at the showcase, the lefty made an impact off the ball by finding the back pipe for easy dunks. Against Team 4, he recognized when his defender's head turned, cut right behind him, and finished high with a compact three-quarter release.   In team play with the Northstar '29s, Como took on a more ball-dominant role. He delivered quality feeds and wasn't afraid to power cradle, lean into contact, and work through the middle when his team needed a goal. He was active in the ride and quick to turn transition opportunities into offense, too. Against East Ave, he turned on the burners and stole a goal with an easy dunk.

This past weekend, I got a firsthand look at Midwest lacrosse at the Team Illinois Fall Showcase and Team Invitational. In the first installment of our event coverage, I'm highlighting five 2029 All-Star Game standouts from the showcase, providing additional notes on their performances with their clubs in the invitational.

The showcase featured eight teams, each playing three games before players gathered for a recruiting talk from Michigan coach Jake DeCola. Saturday's action wrapped up with an All-Star Game, with rosters selected by the college coaches in attendance.

More standouts from the showcase and invitational are coming soon. First, here's a closer look at five 2029s who caught my attention.

Westin Raleigh

HEIGHT 6'2"

POS M

CLASS 2029

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Westin Raleigh

State: Minnesota

School: White Bear Lake

Club: Minnesota Loons, Team Illinois

A 6-foot-2 pure goal scorer, Raleigh looked like a future Division I midfielder both at the showcase and in team play with the Loons. The younger brother of Wyatt, a St. Joe's commit, Westin already has a strong foundation after recording 18 goals and 13 assists as a freshman.

Raleigh showed plenty of ways to score over the weekend. Defenses can't afford to leave him on an island against a shortstick, or even a pole. He can run past most matchups, and when a defender stays with him, he can jump or roll to free his hands. He uses hitches, fakes, and physicality to work into quality shooting spots rather than settling for low-angle shots. He looked just as comfortable with his feet set on the EMO unit, using a quick release to bring velocity on stepdowns. He also zipped skip passes through the defense, showing he can punish teams with more than his shot.

Roman Donofrio

HEIGHT 6'1"

POS G

CLASS 2029

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Roman Donofrio

State: Illinois

School: York

Club: Team Illinois

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Jack Schymanski

HEIGHT 5'11"

POS A

CLASS 2029

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Jack Schymanski

State: Illinois

School: Wheaton Academy

Club: Team Illinois

I don't think I saw a more athletic dodger than Schymanski all weekend in Illinois. With some skip and some shake, he created separation in an instant. He's a great option to start the party on offense, forcing defenders to watch his hips rather than bite on the skip-splits and jabs he uses to keep them guessing. He can finish underneath his defender or shoot on the run down the alley, adding another layer of unpredictability.

He was even nastier when catching the ball against a defender approaching at a disadvantage. He used hitches and stop-and-pop shots to punish those approaches, and in team play at the showcase, he pulled off a clip-worthy toe drag before burying an underhand shot upstairs. Schymanski also knew how to create opportunities without the ball, timing his fades and cuts to get into catch-and-shoot positions. Once the ball arrived, he showed he could score from a variety of release points.