NJAC American Players To Watch This Summer

<p>The NJAC American Division is home of some of the top teams in Morris and Sussex counties.</p> <p>Mendham are perennial contenders every year and that goes back to the foundation laid under the 33 years that Jim Baglin was prowling the sidelines. "Bags" had an incredible run of success for a suburban public school, going 685-193, winning 16 conference, 9 county, 6 sectional and 2 state titles(2000&amp;2010) </p> <p>Others, like Pope John and Chatham are solid programs trying to reach a consistent top 25 level and flirt with it on and off but are always tough. </p> <p>Today we look at some of the top returnees in the NJAC American.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1402085" first="Mike" last="Ewing"]</strong> | 6’5” | F | Mendham</p> <p>Ewing is a long and athletic forward. He runs the floor well, can hit it from deep and finishes strong around the rim. He’s a tough defender who uses his length to alter and block shots. He had a double-double vs Hunterdon Central and also had 15 vs Randolph. He’ll be one of the keys to the success of the Mendham program this winter. Plays AAU with NJ Beasts</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1470888" first="Ryan" last="Kress"]</strong> | 5’11” | G | Randolph 2024</p> <p>Smooth shooter with good ballhandling skills. He has a well rounded game on both ends of the floor and will be the leader of the Randolph program the next two years.  He had 22 vs Pope John, 21 vs Sparta and 19 vs Mendham as his top games as a sophomore. Plays for the Shore Shots.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1269777" first="Ryan" last="Leskauskas"]</strong> | 6’4” | G | Chatham</p> <p>A good ballhandler who can light it up from beyond the arc and get hot in a hurry on offense. He’s at his best attacking the rim through contact but his all around offensive game is solid. He hits the boards hard. His top games as a junior were vs Union Catholic(27), Hillsborough(25) and Mendham(24). Plays AAU for the Jersey Shore Predators and should be a sought after player by regional colleges as a senior.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1013086" first="Nate" last="Pluviose"]</strong> | 5’11” | G | Pope John</p> <p>A good ball handler who can get to the rim and draw contact. He’s a tough player who has a high work rate on both ends of the court. He had 25 vs Immaculate Conception and 22 vs Sparta as top games as a junior. He’ll flirt with 1,000 points in his senior year. Plays AAU for NJ Panthers.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Others to Watch:</p> <p><strong>Luca Cresti</strong> (2023) and <strong>Brian Walsh</strong> (2023); Mendham</p> <p><strong>Rocco Albano</strong> (2024) ; Randolph</p> <p><strong>Jack Leonard</strong> (2025); West Morris</p> <p><strong>Bryce Kania</strong> (2024); Chatham</p>