January 14th Saturday Standouts

Saturday is always a fun day of basketball as teams face-off to try to improve their resume. January 14th had good games with prospects having big games to help their teams in key situations. Here are the January 14th standouts from the Point Pleasant Beach-Colts Neck and Piscataway-South River games.

Jalen Thomas Jalen Thomas 6'4" | PF Piscataway | 2023 State NJ , 6’4 PF Piscataway 2023

Thomas battled early foul trouble for the Chiefs, but came up clutch for them in the second half to knock the previously undefeated South River. The 6’4 forward played with good footwork down low and was able to finish through contact around the basket. Thomas showed off a good release on his jumper as he knocked down all his free throws and even hit an open triple. He fought for rebounds on both ends of the floor and swatted shots around the rim. Thomas’ ability to stretch the floor and put the ball on the deck is something that will help Piscataway in a big way in 2023.

Vova Trotsko, 6’5 F Colts Neck 2025

Trotsko had a good all-around game for the Cougars as he did a little bit of everything for them. The 6’5 forward showed off a nice touch around the basket and was not afraid of drawing contact on both ends of the floor. Trotsko rifled passes to open teammates in the half court and has a clean release on his jumper. He skied for rebounds on both ends of the floor and used his size to influence shots around the basket. Trotsko poured in 20 points in the game and should have more games like that as the season progresses for Colts Neck.

Alex Grospe Alex Grospe 5'10" | PG South River | 2025 State NJ , 5’9 PG South River 2025

Grospe ran the offense for the Rams, continuing the strong start to his sophomore campaign. The 5’9 guard used his handle to get into the lane and make plays in the paint. Grospe finished nicely around the basket and was not rattled by the on-ball pressure. He was able to rip down rebounds on both ends of the floor and got his teammates involved throughout the game. Grospe is a true point guard prospect whose ability to run the offense effectively has made South River a tough team to beat this season.

Kevin Burns Kevin Burns 6'0" | PG Point Pleasant Beach | 2023 State NJ , 6’0 PG Point Pleasant Beach 2023

Burns was the tone-setter for the Garnet Gulls as he helped them jump out to an early first quarter lead. The 6’0 guard was fearless as he attacked the basket strong and consistently drew contact in the paint. Burns used his handle to create space in the half court and made several nice passes to his open teammates. He was comfortable grabbing rebounds on defense to start the break and managed to get deflections on the defensive end. Burns has been stuffing the stat sheet all season long for Point Pleasant Beach with his combination of shooting, touch and toughness.

Will Surdez Will Surdez 6'3" | CG Colts Neck | 2023 State NJ , 6’3 CG Colts Neck 2023

Surdez poured in a game-high 22 points for the Cougars and did it in a variety of ways. The 6’3 guard shot the ball with no fear from distance as he knocked down a couple of triples and had a nice release on his jumper. Surdez used his dribble to get into the lane and finished nicely around the basket. He moved well without the ball in his hands and fought for rebounds on both ends of the floor. Surdez has been a consistent scorer for Colts Neck this season, which has been to their success so far this season.

Other Prospects to Know:

Jonathan Carman, 6’4 PF Piscataway 2023

Lazaro Rodriguez Lazaro Rodriguez 6'4" | SF South River | 2023 State NJ , 6’4 SF South River 2023

Kyle Kolans, G Point Pleasant Beach 2023

Michael Belcher Michael Belcher 6'3" | SF Colts Neck | 2024 State NJ , 6’3 W Colts Neck 2024

Khalid Brown Khalid Brown 6'2" | SG Piscataway | 2023 State NJ , 6’3 SG Piscataway 2023