By TRT Staff with notes from nll.com
UTICA, NEW YORK — On July 20, the National Lacrosse League (NLL) announced that it will partner with the US Box Lacrosse Association (USBOXLA) to present the 2023 National Collegiate Box Series (NCBC) National Championship.
An NLL release explained that the four-day event will take place from August 13-16 at the 1,200-seat Utica Nexus Center in Utica, New York. Now in its fourth year, the NCBS National Championships will have its largest field ever, with teams competing from San Diego, San Jose, Columbus, Denver, Buffalo, Rochester, Connecticut and the DC Area.
All games will be streamed online via the NLL YouTube Channel, live scored and appear on NCBS.tv. The NCBS National Championships will be played at the The Utica University Nexus Center which is also hosting the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships as well as the youth USBOXLA Border Wars presented by the Toronto Rock.
The Royals (San Diego) will enter the event as the two-time defending NCBS National Champions. The Ohio Rivermen captured the inaugural event in 2019. The event will be supported by the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League.
The tournament format will be guaranteed three pool play games, followed by a semifinal and championship game. The NCBS is working directly with the NLL, who will be assisting with officials and promotion of the event. The NLL will also be working with their own teams to have NLL coaches and general managers on-site for the event in preparation for the 2023 NLL Entry Draft.
The NCBS has been a launching pad for players wanting to improve their box skills and play in the National Lacrosse League. In last year’s NLL Entry Draft, eight players with NCBS ties were selected. During the 2022-23 season, five former NCBS players competed in the NLL: Jack Hannah (Las Vegas), Mac O’Keefe (San Diego), Trevor Baptiste (Philadelphia), Jake Govett (San Diego) and Hunter Lemieux (Philadelphia).
