NYC PSAL: Top Unsigned Seniors Colleges NEED to Take a Look At

<p>New York City contains over 8 million people and has 572 public high schools, more than some states altogether. With a population this large, it’s almost guaranteed that every year will feature a class filled with top players. This season, many colleges have postponed or stopped recruiting for the class of 2020, leaving many prospects stranded. This has left prospects out for longer on the open market than usual, and these kids have definitely shown that they can play at a college level. Let’s take a look at 8 players who, on an ordinary year, would have inboxes buzzing with college excitement.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: orange;">[player_tooltip player_id="945055" first="Kai" last="Parris"]</span> | Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy</strong></p> <p>The senior out of Riverdale, [player_tooltip player_id="945055" first="Kai" last="Parris"] is of the unusual breed of athletic forwards. Parris(31.8ppg, 10.5rpg, 1.8apg) has strayed from the motion of unathletic, slow big men, and uses both his size and speed as an advantage. His size can bully defenders in the paint while snagging any rebound, while his speed and quickness allows him to make any defender uncomfortable on the perimeter and easily force turnovers. On offense, Parris can take the ball himself and penetrate for a layup, receive the ball and showcase post moves, or become a spot-up shooter and a shot created on the perimeter.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: orange;">[player_tooltip player_id="945013" first="Da" last="Marco Watson"]</span> | Eagle Academy</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="945013" first="Da" last="Marco Watson"] was part of a top-seeded Eagle Academy team, and it’s safe to say that without Watson, Eagle Academy would not have had its success. Watson(33.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 5.9apg) used his speed and handles to constantly pound the paint, continuously scoring from layups or trips to the line. Watson would also execute confident passes to exploit the open man due to his contraction of the defense. On defense, Watson can use his speed and hands to force turnovers from passes or dribbles, while using his lower body strength to still be able to play in the paint.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: orange;">Azriel Almodovar</span> | Bronx School of Law, Government, and Justice</strong></p> <p>Throughout the season, Azriel Almodovar has had his midset on team-first play. His constant passing around the perimeter would lead to numerous open shots for his team. Once the other team caught on, Almodovar(26.6ppg, 10.4rpg, 10.5apg), a cross country runner, is able to bolt to the basket and exploit the open space. On the other end of the floor, Almodovar looks like a big man, but is able to guard positions 1-5 due to the combination of size and speed.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: orange;">Marino Deluna </span>| Columbia Secondary School</strong></p> <p>Marino Deluna has had his sights on the hoop all season. Deluna(33.0ppg, 7.4rpg, 2.9apg) showcased the fact that he was able to score from just about every way possible over the course of the season. Deluna can take charge of the offense himself, dictating play and then constraining the defense on his drive, while Deluna also showed he can score in isolation and seemingly create space from nowhere. Deluna also showed his off-ball play, cutting to open space and getting a shot off before a defender can regain his bearings.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: orange;">Keon Fields</span> | Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance</strong></p> <p>The Brooklyn Academy of Global Finance asked for a solid big man, and they got much more than they asked. Keon Fields(23.7ppg, 16.7rpg, 1.8apg) has been one of the best big man in the city, being able to seemingly do it all on offense and defense. On defense, Fields truly made the paint his home, and heavily restricted who can come in, often denying seemingly everyone. On offense, Fields has been an elite rim runner, opening up the floor for himself and his shooters with his screen assists, while he has also showcased his post moves, which basically fool every defender.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: orange;">Jason Bostic Jr</span> | William E. Grady</strong></p> <p>This year at William E. Grady, the team belonged to Jason Bostic, and he showed that he deserves it. Bostic(20.3ppg, 5.4rpg, 7.3apg) led the team both on and off the court, and he definitely proved it on the court. Bostic would constantly execute difficult passes to find teammates in the right place with the ball, while he would do the dirty work inside and often either score a layup or take some foul shots. In fact, the line was Bostic’s greatest weapon this year, scoring about 20% of his points from it with a ridiculous 88.4% free throw percentage.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: orange;">Maximillian Enger</span> | Maspeth High School</strong></p> <p>If there was a word to describe Max Enger, it would be scorer. Enger(30.9ppg, 11.9rpg, 3.4apg) has demonstrated that he can score from everywhere on the offensive side of the court, including from deep three-point range. Enger’s biggest weapon this season was the fastbreak, where his quick hands which forced turnovers or his high vertical to grab rebounds would lead a charge by his team, usually resulting in points for Maspeth, all due to Enger.</p> <p><strong><span style="color: orange;">Kadeem Placide</span> | Tilden Educational Campus</strong></p> <p>Kadeem Placide has been a two strength shooting guard this season. Placide(25.1ppg, 3.9rpg, 7.6apg) can both facilitate the offense and divert the defense to set up teammates for open shots, while he can shoot himself, scoring over half his points from beyond the arc. Off the court, Placide has truly been a "scholar-athlete", keeping it up in the classroom as well, while his coaches describe him as a "joy" to coach.</p>