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The temperature is not the only thing heating up, folks.

So too are things on the recruiting scene.

We’ve been providing reports from various showcase events the last few weeks. Next up: the 17th annual New England Top 150 in Portsmouth, R.I.

Blog poster “Mike” is on hand in the Ocean State and passed along some info.

Here it is:

You will not find a finer, more incredible setting for lacrosse than this camp, my fourth and last of the season.  It’s located on the campus of the Portsmouth Abbey School literally on the banks of Naragansett Bay in Rhode Island. Worth it for the views alone.

The lax, though?  What an interesting camp. It’s been in operation for a long time targeting really smart kids with good lax skills looking for top academic schools that have good lacrosse.  The Web site doesn’t really say that but that is what this camp is – and the director said as much and had to turn away some 300 applicants this year.

There are two sessions (July 3-5 and July 6-8) and there is a mix of rising juniors and seniors.  There were 200 kids at this camp session and they should not try to get any bigger at each session. That is 10 teams of 20, two goalies a team on five fields.

The positives are that the coaches that are there are involved in all aspects, from coaching the team, to reffing games, to sitting on the sidelines watching and evaluating.  I would guess the coach to player ratio was 1:10, and at the goalie evaluations, 1:3.

This camp was more about the players than the other I have blogged about.  A good thing for that solid player looking for top tier academics and a sport.

The dorms and common areas were nice (hot but nice) and the food apparently was top-notch, according to several kids.  There was a small college symposium with the coaches available to talk to kids and hand out information one afternoon. The D-I coaches in attendance could not participate in that because of the rising juniors present and NCAA rules (regarding contact).

The lax? Not top tier. Kids from 25 states, including 36, or 17 percent from California.  Many from Florida, and several from the Midwest.  All the top boarding and private schools represented from the region.

There are a handful of really good players at every position, but most of these kids seem to be elite students and not elite lax players, they know that, and they know the schools they are looking for.  And the camp directors surely know their place in the mix of the myriad lacrosse camps on the circuit.  The coaches were the most accessible and relaxed at this camp than the others.  Many have been at all the venues I have blogged about.

So I’ve been to four camps. Here’s a quick synopsis of each:

* New England Premier: a great tune-up camp to prep for the bigger ones.

* Top 205 at College Park: huge, perhaps too huge, but could return some nice results for the right kid in the right place at the right time.

* Top 225, a nice follow-up to 205 because many of the 205 coaches will go to 225, a great opportunity for a second look and that can also produce great results.

* And then New England Top 150, for that top academic lacrosse player looking for exposure to solid lacrosse programs with very accessible coaches.

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