Big North Public 2023s To Watch
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The Big North Conference is one of the hottest in the state with a variety of powers from Bergen and Passaic County as members. Teams like Hackensack, Teaneck, Ridgewood, Paterson Eastside and Paterson Kennedy have long histories but other schools…
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Continue ReadingThe Big North Conference is one of the hottest in the state with a variety of powers from Bergen and Passaic County as members. Teams like Hackensack, Teaneck, Ridgewood, Paterson Eastside and Paterson Kennedy have long histories but other schools have their runs as well. It’s tough big school basketball and today we feature some of the top returning seniors from across the Big North public schools. The Catholic division will have its own posts.
Z’Yaire Simmons | 6’4” | F | Paterson Kennedy
One of the top players in the city as a freshman, Simmons is an energetic forward who works exceptionally hard on defense and hits the glass well, especially so for a young player. He’s good out in transition and attacks the rim strong. High intensity player who announced his arrival in his first varsity game by going for 17&10 against Teaneck. He also had 23&10 vs Woodrow Wilson. His name will be one to watch the next three years. If he continues to grow taller and his skillset continues to expand at the impressive rate it did his freshman year, Simmons could expect serious recruiting interest.
Bryce Stokes Bryce Stokes 6'3" | SG Paterson Eastside | 2023 State NJ | 6’3” | G | Paterson Eastside
Stokes is an all around leader who gets the job done on both sides of the floor for the Ghosts. He uses his strong frame to his advantage on the glass, which college coaches should love to see. An ice-in-the-veins guy in the clutch, evidenced by his game winning FT in the 49-48 win over DePaul in the Passaic County Tournament. His play continued to improve as the season went on and he showed he was a big game player—His best game was their last one, going for 24&10 in a playoff loss to Ridgewood. Stokes should have interest from a plethora of colleges across multiple levels.
Preston Brown Preston Brown 6'3" | SG Paterson Eastside | 2023 State NJ | 6’0” | G | Paterson Eastside
Brown runs the floor well and is quick with the ball in his hands. He finishes strong at the rim and is at his best in transition on the fast break. He, like stokes, hits the glass and does work on defense. He exploded for 31 against Bergen Tech. Another Ghost who should have interest from a variety of colleges.
Isiah Stang | 5’8” | G | Fort Lee
Stang was the bus drive for Fort Lee as a junior and will shoulder even more of the load as a senior. He’s a good ball handler that’s comfortable driving at the basket in spite of his smaller stature. What he lacks in height he makes up for in quickness and craft. He’s capable of pulling up in the mid range and also can hit it from deep. Despite being only 5’8” he also grabbed 100 rebounds on the season as Fort Lee went 18-9. He’s the type of player that smaller D3 schools should look at.