How Ziare Wells’ Transfer Affects the Garden State

<p>The Garden State was hit with big news yesterday as <strong>Ziare Wells</strong> transferred from St. Benedict’s to Hillcrest Prep in Arizona. His move will be a loss for the Grey Bees, but they have a lot of talent on the perimeter. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="902735" first="Ty-Laur" last="Johnson"] </strong>returns to run the show and is one of the top floor generals in New Jersey.</p> <p>The 6’0 point guard excels at pushing the tempo and knows how to get his teammates involved. Johnson is a skilled passer and can finish in a variety of ways around the rim. He is complimented nicely by <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="933737" first="Everton" last="Browne"]</strong>, who provides St. Benedict’s with a knockdown shooter in the backcourt, along with a secondary ball-handler.</p> <p>Newcomers <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1016677" first="Omarion" last="Jett-Dobbs"]</strong> and <strong>Jalijah Grant</strong> will be key contributors for the Grey Bees on the perimeter as they provide the team with different skillsets. The former is a tough on-ball defender, who can also attack the basket with a purpose. Grant is a good shooter as he has a nice release on his jumper and can knock down jumpers in bunches.</p> <p>Sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1226082" first="Khalid" last="Bakare"]</strong> is a name to watch as he should get more minutes on the perimeter. The 6’6 wing can get to the rim from the perimeter and draw contact. Bakare is capable of knocking down jumpers from the perimeter and has the length to defend multiple positions on the floor.</p> <p>Wells’ move creates an opening in the top 10 as he was ranked 9th before his move to Hillcrest Prep. Nebraska signee <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1025905" first="Jamarques" last="Lawrence"] </strong>goes into the top 10 and has the potential to move further up the list. The 6’2 guard is a sniper from distance with a smooth shooting stroke and doesn’t need a lot of space to get his shot off. Lawrence is more than just a shooter as he can also beat his defender off the bounce and finish in a variety of ways around the basket.</p> <p>Camden guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="901941" first="Elijah" last="Perkins"]</strong> is the top available guard and should fit in nicely into Camden’s backcourt. The 6’4 guard is a big-time athlete who finishes with authority above the rim. Perkins has the length to defend both guard spots and has a good handle.</p> <p>Pennington’s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="901962" first="Ethan" last="Pires"] </strong>is the top available shooting guard in the 2022 class and is set for a big season. The 6’5 lefty has a clean shooting stroke and shoots the ball with confidence from the perimeter. Pires is more than just a shooter as he can also get to the basket from the perimeter and finish around the rim.</p> <p>New Jersey basketball is always exciting and Wells’ move to Hillcrest Prep makes the upcoming season more intriguing.</p>