2021 NY Rankings: Newcomers Pt. 1

<p>This year, what should be a textbook senior season for the class of 2021, a chance for them to gauge their college interest and become the most impactful player they have ever been, the real 2020-2021 year has been nothing like that. The COVID pandemic has thrown off basically everyone’s basketball plans, especially since the season only just started. Nevertheless, we still were able to take information from grassroots games and social media to add to our 2021 rankings.</p> <p><strong>194. [player_tooltip player_id="1125664" first="Brandon" last="Thome"]</strong></p> <p>Out of St. Mary’s, [player_tooltip player_id="1125664" first="Brandon" last="Thome"] has gotten off to a respectable start this season, showing great indications that he has made strides from sophomore and junior year. Thome has shown that he can control an offense both on the ball, moving the ball up the court and making the right play, and off the ball, finding the right place to be for the better of his team. For whatever it’s worth, his rebounding numbers are above the normal for guards, meaning he isn’t afraid to get dirty in the paint.</p> <p><strong>131. [player_tooltip player_id="1125662" first="Eric" last="Hysaw"]</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1125662" first="Eric" last="Hysaw"]’s season has been canceled from PSAL’s Walton School, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been putting himself out there. Hysaw has been taking place in events, and the takeaway that anyone will walk away with after watching his games is that he can thrive with the ball in his hands. Hysaw can create his own shot, take a fast dribble to the rim, or make the tough pass to a teammate to walk away with his offense out on top.</p> <p><strong>203. [player_tooltip player_id="1125665" first="Josh" last="Minton"]</strong></p> <p>One look at [player_tooltip player_id="1125665" first="Josh" last="Minton"]’s recruiting profile and it will tell you that he is serious. The pandemic took off much of his ability to take the court on a five v five game situation, but that hasn’t stopped him from being a gym warhawk and grinding on his personal game. Minton was a great scoring and defending guard pre-pandemic, and expect much more from him in Baldwin as the season progresses.</p> <p><strong>192. [player_tooltip player_id="1125663" first="Jeshua" last="Shaw"]</strong></p> <p>We haven’t seen much of the World of Inquiry basketball team and the rest of Section V yet, but from what I’m seeing, [player_tooltip player_id="1125663" first="Jeshua" last="Shaw"] has absolutely impressed post-pandemic and could very well be due for a rankings bump next update. Shaw is able to take on multiple defenders and bolt to the rm with crafty finishing and knowing how to use his body, while his shot makes him always a threat from the line.</p> <p><strong>72. [player_tooltip player_id="1125666" first="Albert" last="Vargas"]</strong></p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1125666" first="Albert" last="Vargas"] is also from New York City’s PSAL, and while the season has been cancelled, Vargas has still proven his skill. On a stacked grassroots team featuring other ranked stars ([player_tooltip player_id="992514" first="Edwin" last="Daniel Linares"] and [player_tooltip player_id="945530" first="Randy" last="Crosby"]), he was still able to show out. Crosby has proven that his court vision is elite, and even with being a second or third option, Vargas can still find the right player and execute the tough pass.</p> <p><strong>125. [player_tooltip player_id="1125667" first="Ziggy" last="Hoe"]</strong></p> <p>In four games for Newfield this season, [player_tooltip player_id="1125667" first="Ziggy" last="Hoe"] has shown that he isn’t facing a post-pandemic slump, but rather playing better than ever. Hoe consistently scores double digits and knows how to take contact and drive to the rim. His biggest weapon, however, is his shooting confidence, where he continues to fire from downtown every game. With confidence like that, it’s only a matter of time before his shot clicks and he really goes off.</p>