Upperclassmen to Watch this Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the weekend, we got an opportunity to check out some talented teams who will be vying for a Division Title this season. Although it's still <a href="https://prephoops.com/2023/10/nyc-prospects-building-buzz-part-2/">preseason</a>, we could see the attention to detail coaches are implementing, to avoid a slow start. Here we take a look at some of the Upperclassmen, who caught our eye, and will be must watch this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":2252061,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/nycprospects_divisiona_179-crop-1008x662-1698112738.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/nycprospects_divisiona_179-crop-1008x662-1698112738.jpg?w=800" alt="Brian Castillo rising upperclassmen." class="wp-image-2252061" /></a><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Brian Castillo at the free throw line for Graphic Communications</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":2251782,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Joe Evangelista","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Xavier","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Riverside Hawks","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Joe Evangelista was on fire from 3-point land at NYC Prospects Division A tournament. In fact, Evangelista should be considered one of the best shooters in the city, Catholic and Public school leagues included. Once defenders had an idea that Evangelista, would hit open threes and shots with a hand in his face, they tried to double him. However, Evangelista was able to read the defense and get the ball to an open man quickly every single time. Aside from being a terrific shooter from outside and in the midrange. Evangelista has a nice handle. If needed, he can run the offense and break down the defense off the dribble. Evangelista is in his senior season at Xavier, and is a player to keep an eye-on if you need a guard that's also a deep threat.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65370e83ec0bc"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716082181666230747","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716082181666230747 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":2251833,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ryan Swetz","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'6u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"John Jay High School","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Ryan Swetz was one of the pleasant surprises at NYC Prospects Division A preseason event. At his size, Swetz is also long and he uses his length to his advantage. Many times Swetz made graceful moves to the basket, whilst using his long strides to get around defenders. But having finesse does not mean, Swetz won't get dirty on the defensive end or on the glass. If there was a play that could be made around the basket, Swetz did not hesitate to attack and deal with the contact later. And when all of the attention was on him, Swetz became a facilitator for John Jay High School, and found open teammates. At his size and with his ability, Swetz is an upperclassmen to watch this season if you're in the market for dynamic wing players.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65372613af8e0"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716083444432711739","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716083444432711739 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":2251913,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Brian Castillo","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Graphic Communications","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Brian Castillo was easily the most dynamic guard we had a chance to get an up-close look at during the Division A tournament. Castillo was everywhere on the defensive end, and is a firecracker on the offensive side of the ball. With the ball in his hands, it seemed like Castillo always made the correct play. Whether that was hitting an open shot, breaking down the defense for an easy layup. Or setting up teammates by making the defense collapse on him, while he dished it to open shooters. Overall, Castillo is a very exciting player to watch. And entering his Junior season at Graphic Communications, Castillo is an upperclassmen that will garner a lot of attention as he continues his play into the season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65372613af983"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716084673225351377","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716084673225351377 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1395995"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='1395995' first='Jaiden' last='Gaston'] is an upperclassmen you have to pay attention to this season. Gaston is an aggressive scorer, always looking for his shot, and shoots a solid percentage from behind the arc. Gaston exudes confidence in his game, and you can tell this trickles down to his teammates. Despite being such a good scorer, Gaston is still an unselfish player. It's nice to see a shooter with confidence, not just throw up wild shots. But instead, have the patience to run the offense and find the open man. For McClancy this season, Gaston will have a lot of opportunities to put the ball in the bucket. And his games will be must watch for College coaches looking for a small guard who can score at a high clip.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65372613af9e9"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716085842073063911","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716085842073063911 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":2251971,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Matthew Brock","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'0u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77248","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"St. Edmund's Prep","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Matthew Brock is a smart guard on the perimeter who we believe will make his mark for St. Edmund's Prep as an upperclassmen this season. Brock has the ability to shoot from outside, whether catch and shoot, or dribbling into his own shot. In transition, Brock fills the lanes well when he doesn't have the ball. But when leading the break he is fast with the basketball, catching defenders off guard while on his way to a couple of easy layups. Brock is one of 3 Juniors, we feel will be garnering attention as the season moves along.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65372613afa95"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716084063482560898","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716084063482560898 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":2252008,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2567929' first='Jarrett' last='Rivera']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'1u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Brandeis","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"[player_tooltip player_id='2567929' first='Jarrett' last='Rivera'] is a solid Point Guard for Brandeis, and showed his tenacity on the defensive end at NYC Prospects Division A tournament. Rivera, was a complete terror for his opponents, getting into passing lanes and creating easy fast break buckets. Most importantly, Rivera showed that he's an unselfish pass-first guard, committed to running his coaches system the right way. In addition, Rivera showed the ability to stretch the defense by hitting outside shots. At 6'1u0022, Rivera is strong and will be a tough cover for guards of any size. As an upperclassmen he will be looking to lead his Brandeis team to a Division Title.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65372613afb2f"} /--> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716087905020416329","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/InsideTheSoleNY/status/1716087905020416329 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2252048,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/nycprospects_divisiona_164-crop-1078x708-1698112638.jpg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/10/nycprospects_divisiona_164-crop-1078x708-1698112638.jpg?w=800" alt="Ryan Swetz, upperclassmen to watch, at the free throw line." class="wp-image-2252048" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image -->