2024-25 UCC Mountain Division: Standout Guards To Know Part I

The 2024-25 season was full of tight and competitive matchups and explosive individual performances and one of if not the best conference in New Jersey, the Union County Conference, provided so much of that throughout the course of the regular season. With the high school season fully wrapped up, let's dive into some guards that stood out with strong seasons in the Union County Conference's Mountain Division.    On his way to averaging 10.5 PPG, Jacob Handy provided a solid and steady scoring punch for this year's Scotch Plains team. Super effective off the ball, Handy thrived playing off pin downs and curl screens to either get to the basket or showcase his perimeter shooting ability both off the catch and off the bounce. Handy also excelled as a spot up shooter, capitalizing off good looks both off halfcourt ball reversals and in transition.     Jack Sponheimer proved to be a steady and reliable two way player for Scotch Plains-Fanwood this season. Offensively, Sponheimer provided consistent perimeter shot making. Sponheimer had multiple games throughout the course of the season with multiple made threes. Sponheimer also did a good job of letting his three point shooting open up other offense for him. Defensively, Sponheimer shined in the ways he was able to defend the basketball out on the perimeter and pressure opposing ball handlers. Sponheimer averaged 11.4 PPG on the season.     On his way to averaging 14.9 PPG throughout his junior season, [player_tooltip player_id='2766960' first='Ryan' last='Fay'] showcased his perimeter shooting ability, shooting an impressive 41% from three. Fay displayed his versatility as a shooter— shooting it off the catch, off the dribble, and off movement. Fay also showed flashes of letting his shooting opening up other scoring opportunities, particularly attacking closeouts to finish at the rim. Fay also excelled in the ways he was able to finish plays at the rim in transition.     Another lethal threat from three for Oratory Prep, Max Cook not only displayed his versatile perimeter shooting ability but also his ability to contribute in other categories. Cook shot the three ball at a 40% clip and did so in a multitude of ways— off the catch, off the dribble, coming off screens, as well as on the move. Cook also showcased his ability to be a good decision maker and facilitate the basketball at an effective rate that kept defenses honest, particularly in PnR situations. Cook averaged 10.7 PPG, 5.05 RPG, and 5.0 APG.     Excelling as an off ball threat, [player_tooltip player_id='2081040' first='Connor' last='Lee'] displayed his ability to shoot it at a high clip from three point range, particularly off the catch. Lee also shined in his ability to get to and finish at the basket, specifically in attacking closeouts and in "rip and go" situations. Despite battling injury for most of the season, Lee averaged 11.2 PPG throughout the course of his junior season.     Despite being undersized, Aljanai Best excelled at being a steady source of offensive playmaking for this year's Rahway squad. Best thrived as a guy that could hit perimeter shots, particularly off the bounce coming off high ball screens. As the season went along, Best also did a good job of using his quickness to get in the paint and make plays not only for himself but find his open teammates on the perimeter and in the dunker spot. On the defensive end, Best was super disruptive pressuring the ball, forcing steals and ultimately turning defense into offense. Best averaged 10.4 PPG on the season.

The 2024-25 season was full of tight and competitive matchups and explosive individual performances and one of if not the best conference in New Jersey, the Union County Conference, provided so much of that throughout the course of the regular season. With the high school season fully wrapped up, let's dive into some guards that stood out with strong seasons in the Union County Conference's Mountain Division.