Bronx Rankings: #28-#22

The talent is starting to reach up. The player pool is still outside of the top 20, but the talent is higher than the top ten in other cities. These players have shown that they deserve more attention, so in an effort to get it to them here is players #28-#22.

Croder Payer Leon | Junior | DeWitt Clinton

In his dominant season for DeWitt Clinton’s storied basketball team, Croder Payer Leon has shaped his game out of one aspect: shooting. Yes, Payer Leon can drive to the basket and play quality defense on the perimeter, but Payer Leon’s best skill is shooting, where he can wrap around the court and find the colder defense zones, using his quick release to cash in.

Matthew Federico | Junior | Comprehensive Model

Matthew Federico came into his junior year unheralded. After all, he is coming from the relatively unknown Comprehensive Model School in Bronx’s B division. However, Federico played the lights out and became the ideal guard. Federico was consistently setting up his teammates for scoring, providing more points than he is credited for, while he was a frequent customer from both beyond the arc and the gut of the paint.

Nathan Denham | Junior | Bronx Science

Another scholar student off the court, Nathan Denham has not let that affect him on the court, as he somehow still finds a way to go head to head against the city’s best. A solid defender, Denham can take the key matchups in games, while being active in transition to get his team easy points that way. He has a deadly triple threat stance, with defenders unsure if he will pass, shoot, or drive, as he can do all at a high level.

Cheickne Toure | Junior | Fannie Lou Hamer

Playing for the seldom mentioned Fannie Lou Hamer basketball squad, Toure has not let that impact his play as he has demonstrated to be one of the highest value players to his team. Toure has stepped into the bona fide scorer role for his team, filling a points void through pounding the paint frequently, while he is able to cash in from the three and mid-range multiple times per game.

Alan Garcia | Sophomore | Mott Haven

Alan Garcia wasn’t a show stopping performer for varsity in his sophomore season, but it likely won’t stay that way for long. Garcia has been frequenting the pickup courts during quarantine, and the improvement has been stark. Garcia has shown that he can shoot with a hand in his face as well as way beyond the arc, while he also makes sure to cash in on fastbreaks and lead the offense with his speed.

Aboubakreh Kebeh | Junior | Alfred E. Smith

Alfred E. Smith needed a major offensive player to step in and fill a void, and Kebeh did much more than that. Going into the season, Kebeh was regarded as a typical catch-and-shoot player, but this season, Kebeh piggybacked an impressive shooting performance by showing a great affinity to get to the rim and take contact from defenders.

Sadiku Ayo | Sophomore | Our Saviour Lutheran

Coming out of Ghana, Ayo didn’t let his lack of American basketball affect him as he already has gotten off to a quick start in the States, showing prowess as a 6’6 forward who can take the ball and use an athletic build to faceup against defenders and will it in the rim. Ayo has already gotten D1 offers, and expect more to be on the way.