Group 4 Teams and Prospects to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>December is only a couple of day away, meaning the high school basketball season in New Jersey is about to start. Group 4 contains some of the biggest public schools in the state and will be one to watch throughout the course of the season. Here are the Group 4 teams and prospects to watch this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Montgomery: Central</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars took home the sectional title last season and are looking to repeat as champions. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1790209' first='Ethan' last='Lin']</strong> is a talented guard prospect who knows how to score inside and out and makes good decisions with the ball in his hands. Franklin &amp; Marshall commit <strong>Bohdan Biekitov</strong> finishes with authority above the rim and can also put the ball on the floor. The addition of <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2621462' first='Kyryl' last='Streltsov']</strong> gives Montgomery additional size in the interior along with the potential to stretch the floor. Montgomery is looking to repeat as sectional champions as the Cougars are looking to take home the Group 4 title this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Elizabeth: North 2</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Minutemen took home their second Group 4 title in three years and will be looking to repeat as champions. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1557545' first='Cameron' last='McRae']</strong> will shoulder a bigger playmaking load this season after a strong performance in the Group 4 final. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1557544' first='Jordan' last='Torres']</strong> has a smooth release on his jumper, while <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2340915' first='Siraj' last='Abdellah'] </strong>provides Elizabeth with a tough on-ball defender and reliable passer in the backcourt. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2201953' first='Jayden' last='Johnson']</strong> is poised for a breakout season as he can get hot from distance in a hurry and will get more touches on the offensive end. Elizabeth have been one of the top teams in Group 4 over the past couple of seasons and will continue to do that throughout the course of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Paterson Eastside: North 1</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Ghosts took home the Group 4 championship in 2023 and will be looking to reclaim their title in 2025. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2237119' first='Caleb' last='Williams'] </strong>has a clean release on his jumper and can knock down triples in bunches. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2344529' first='Jariel' last='Garcia']</strong> had a strong debut season as he averaged nearly a double-double in his first varsity season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1788757' first='Justin' last='Bethea']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1919190' first='Xavier' last='Cuevas']</strong> have been key parts of the Ghosts' offense over the past two seasons and will continue to make plays for them over the course of the season. Paterson Eastside returns four of its top five scorers from last season and will be looking to make a deep run in the state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Eastern: South</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Vikings dropped a heartbreaker to Lenape in the South Jersey Group 4 final last season and will be looking to get back there this season. <strong>Kaedon Harper Myricks</strong> had big games for the Vikings down the stretch and is the team's top returning scorer. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2347936' first='Devin' last='Williams']</strong> wastes little motion in his jumper and rarely forces jumpers in the halfcourt. <strong>Chase Huggard</strong> will have the ball in his hands more this season and can thread passes to his teammates in the halfcourt. Eastern only allowed over 60 points seven times last season and will carry over that tough defense into 2024-25.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Plainfield: North 2</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cardinals fell at the buzzer in the sectional final and are looking to get back in 2024-25. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2344521' first='Micah' last='Gordon']</strong> is dynamic with the ball in his hands as he can score at all three levels and does not get rattled by on-ball pressure. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2342645' first='Kamai' last='Lowery'] </strong>and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2342647' first='Rashawn' last='Williams']</strong> both had big moments late in the season for the Cardinals as Williams put up a double-double against Elizabeth in the North 2 Group 4 final. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1889492' first='Najai' last='Hines']</strong> provides Plainfield with an interior presence who should control the paint this season. Plainfield hasn't won a sectional title since 2012 and will be looking to end that drought this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Other Teams to Watch:</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Orange: North 1; Prospects to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='2344534' first='James' last='Roberts'], [player_tooltip player_id='2339332' first='Carlyle' last='Adams'], [player_tooltip player_id='2621467' first='Elijah' last='Caldwell']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central Regional: South; Prospects to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1412107' first='Jaycen' last='Santucci'], [player_tooltip player_id='2632357' first='Jayson' last='King'], Royalty Riley</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Old Bridge: Central; Prospects to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='2339302' first='Krish' last='Patel'], [player_tooltip player_id='2628188' first='Mike' last='Kvas'], Noah Balbuena</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Linden: North 2; Prospects to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1595685' first='Jehki' last='Burnam'], [player_tooltip player_id='1595682' first='Jayden' last='Holman'], [player_tooltip player_id='2201948' first='Asante' last='Jones']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Paterson Kennedy: North 1; Prospects to Watch: [player_tooltip player_id='1411644' first='Z'yaire' last='Simmons'], [player_tooltip player_id='1874042' first='Micah' last='Pierce'], [player_tooltip player_id='1788755' first='Jaden' last='Mason']</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->