Hoop Group Jersey Shore Jam Fest Day 1 Notepad

<p>184 teams across three different age brackets will descend on Atlantic City weekend in the last weekend for Live AAU basketball in Summer 2021. I covered some familiar faces from the HGSL circuit in addition to some of the younger teams from local AAU programs.</p> <p>’22 6’6 F <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="896468" first="Tyje" last="Kelton"]</strong> (Jersey Force/Covenant College Prep) was the best individual performance of the day. I was impressed by how quickly he got out in transition on the wing and he showcased fluid athleticism with a transition dunk off an alley-oop followed by a few posters in the half court. Tyje also hit set shots from the perimeter and showed me a pretty polished floor game, maneuvering around would-be charge attempts in the paint and routinely taking his matchup off the dribble. Tyje will be prepping this year at Covenant College Prep and tells me that Bloomfield is his only current offer. </p> <p>'22 6' PG <strong>Justice Shoats</strong> (Holy Redeemer) and '22 6'4 SG <strong>Jason Shields</strong> (Scranton High) boast skillsets that compliment one another very nicely. Shoates was a matchup nightmare early and often, using a variety of spins and crossovers to get to the basket and finish with either hand. Euro-step between two defenders and a reverse layup, in-n-out cross into a spin for a leaner off glass, euro step on the fastbreak with an inside hand finish through contact- he made it look effortless. Shields is the perfect off-guard in a modern offense: shoots the three at an elite level, makes instinctive cuts to the basket, keeps his head up to find teammates in the short corner and on the wing, is efficient with his dribbling moves, and gets to his spots with great pace. Shields also gets it done in the classroom (3.9), he told me several high-academic schools from each level have reached out to express interest.  </p> <p>17u Team Takeover Orange gutted out a close win over Metro Boston behind the play of two intriguing ’23 bigs in <strong>Pranav Prince</strong> (First Love) and <strong>Paul Mason</strong> (National Christian) and an absolute sniper in ’22 5’11 G <strong>Kyle Honore</strong> (Potomac School). Prince’s motor is impressive; he sees plays through to the very end. He’s not just blocking the shot, he’s getting the rebound. And if the player rebounds his own miss, Prince is positioning himself to block it a second time. He started a defensive sprint back from the opposite free throw line as his opponent was crossing halfcourt and still managed to block the shot off the backboard. Most of his scoring output is a result of his rebounding for now, but a turnaround leaner in the post and the fluidity of his put-backs show signs of improvement. Mason’s length was fully on display, allowing him to make up ground defensively in a hurry or corral rebounds over multiple defenders. Once he is able to master a one-dribble pull-up from the elbow, I think other aspects of his offensive arsenal that show promise will be unlocked. Honore is a coach’s son and you could tell right away- his movement off the ball instinctively stays parallel to a driving teammates’ lane to the basket as if the two were on a string, leading to easy kick-outs for open 3s. His relocations while the defense had their head turned and communication led to several wide open looks. Honore is adept at reading closeouts quickly and deciding whether he needs to shoot, pass, or drive to get an easy layup. The shot preparation, form and touch on his jumpshot are excellent, I’m told he converted 7/8 from behind the arc. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Additional names that impressed:</p> <p>'22 6' PG <strong>Miles Hicks</strong> (District Basketball Club/St. Albans)- zip on all of his passes, anticipates movements on the court for steals on the defensive end and assists on the offensive end, active hands, can shoot it, great lateral movement</p> <p>'22 6'5 F <strong>Jordan Green</strong> (Maryland Movement, St. Maria Goretti)- great frame, plus athlete, moves well without the ball, rolls hard, rebounds, blocks shots, finishes with a nice touch around the basket</p> <p>'23 6'2 <strong>Justin Boggs</strong> (Boo Williams 16u, Paul VI)- always plays at his own pace, never gets rushed, shoots it well from 3, finishes in transition with a crafty layup package, moves the ball</p>