CARE Top 50 CT showcase to be held Saturday in Norwich

The Coaches Advancement For Racial Equity (CARE) is hosting the Connecticut Top 50 High School Showcase on Saturday at Summer Fitness and Sports in Norwich.

The showcase will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. Approximately 80 kids are expected to be in attendance, representing almost every conference in the state, according to Fitch coach Charlie Silvan, who helped organize the event.

“We are closed (to any new applicants). It went much faster than I anticipated. We had to turn kids away,” Silvan said. “There are only three gyms and a three-hour window. It probably took seven to 10 days (to fill the spots). It’s an opportunity to play on a platform to get their names (published) in recruiting services.”

It’s a dead period in terms of recruiting for Division I and II college coaches. Silvan said he “emailed every single Division 3 program in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut.” Some will be in attendance on Saturday.

There will be various stations for players to work on drills, fundamentals and other skill sets. There will also be pickup games.

Coaches scheduled to work the showcase, according to Silvan, include: John Mirabello (Northwest Catholic, Luke Reilly (East Catholic), Ken Smith (Windsor), Levi Gillespie (Capital Prep), Kevin Walton (Wilbur Cross), Kurt Reis (New Britain), Tim Strong (Montville), Silvan, Hasan Muhammad (Norwich Tech) and Casey Bock (Danbury).

“We are trying to to provide educational opportunities for children during COVID when we know they are suffering from mental health issues because they have been secluded for over a year. The basketball part gives kids instruction to provide better opportunities to grow and prepare them to play at college level,” Silvan said.

Walton has been a part of CARE since the start and believes this showcase, and the all-star games the organization held after this past season, will help student-athletes get the looks they need to play college basketball.

“I think it’s great that high school caches from across the state have worked diligently to provide this opportunity,” Walton said. “We have a few things we want to accomplish that we believe will improve our game and prepare our kids for the next level.”

The New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) ran a showcase for prep school kids in late June, which was during the live period (coaches allowed to come watch). The CIAC did not run one, citing the need to make a decision by March and not knowing what the situation would be months later in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CIAC did allow basketball players to attend the Philly Live showcase in Pennsylvania. Glenn Lungarini, the CIAC’s executive director, said in June the CIAC “will do this in 2022,” which would likely be held in late June next year.

“We got no feedback from the CIAC to be honest. We reached out to the CHSCA (Connecticut High School Coaches Association), but it didn’t serve our agenda,” Silvan said. “Our ultimate goal is to get the CIAC to open the window and allow these kids fair and equal opportunities and put us on a level playing field with the prep schools and Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey. … The principals tell teachers to reconnect with the kids in schools. The way coaches connect with kids is in the athletic forum.”

Players are paying $50 apiece to cover the cost of running the event and the officials working the games. Spectators can attend for free. Contact Silvan at coachsilvan@gmail.com or Smith at ksmith@windsorct.org for further information.