2024-25 UCC Watchung Division: Guards Who Turned Heads 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 much of that throughout the course of the regular season. With the high school season fully wrapped up and post season champions crowned, let's dive into some guards that turned heads with strong individual seasons in the Union County Conference's Watchung Division.    A dynamic guard off the bounce who plays with good poise, [player_tooltip player_id='2344521' first='Micah' last='Gordon']'s second year as a lead guard for Planfield's offense saw him not only continue to show his creativity as a scorer but also substantial improvement as a facilitator and decision maker. On his way to averaging 17.0 PPG and 5.3 APG, Gordon displayed an advanced ability to break his defender down and score it at multiple levels— including crafty finishes at the rim, smooth mid range pull ups, and perimeter shot making ability.     Operating as the primary ball handler for Roselle Catholic's offense once again this season, [player_tooltip player_id='1595673' first='Jalen' last='Grant'] continued to show much of what makes him a steady and reliable floor general. Behind 12.0 PPG and 3.5 APG averages, Grant used his speed and quickness in combination with his high IQ to not only create plays for himself but also make the guys around him better. Grant also continued to prove to be a reliable spot up shooter from three point range, showcasing a quick and smooth release.     Providing a dynamic scoring punch to Roselle Catholic's backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='1963393' first='Tyrease' last='Hunter'] showcased his ability to score the basketball at multiple levels— an ability to break his defender down and get to the rim at times, knock down mid range pull ups as well as be effective off the ball as a perimeter shooter, with range too. As the season went on, Hunter also showed an improvement in his efficiency scoring the basketball. Behind multiple 20 point performances and a few 30 point performances, Hunter averaged 15.3 PPG throughout the course of his junior season.     A confident shot making combo guard, Trevon Lewis proved to be another reliable scorer for Roselle Catholic's offense. Lewis' downhill attacking aggression helped him generate paint touches for RC's offense, ultimately putting pressure on the rim and consistently getting to the free throw line. Lewis also displayed his ability to be a reliable shot maker knocking down mid range pull ups and open shots from three point range. Lewis averaged 18.1 PPG throughout the course of his junior season.     On his way to averaging 15.6 PPG for this year's Elizabeth squad, [player_tooltip player_id='2201953' first='Jayden' last='Johnson'] showcased his ability to be a perimeter shot maker, both off the catch and off the bounce. Johnson also showed an ability to take advantage of crazy closeouts and knock down mid range pull ups and at times get to the rim and show off crafty finishes around the basket.     An effective, two way floor general for this year's Elizabeth squad, [player_tooltip player_id='1557545' first='Cameron' last='McRae'] proved to be not only a reliable decision maker and perimeter shot maker for Elizabeth's offense but also a disruptive on ball defender. Behind 14.5 PPG and 5.2 APG averages, McRae displayed his ability to shoot it at reliable clip from three point range as well as thriving an initiator of offense and often times making the right reads. McRae's ability to pressure the ball at super effective rate also allowed him to be a guy that can turn defense into offense, and excel as a play finisher in transition.     Operating as Union Catholic's floor general, [player_tooltip player_id='1411630' first='AJ' last='Altobelli'] thrived as a PG that could dissect the defense and be an effective PnR operator. Behind 11.4 PPG and 5.4 APG averages, Altobelli showcased his ability to get in the paint and be a solid finisher around the basket while also getting his teammates involved— kicking out to open shooters on the perimeter and hitting his bigs for dump offs in the dunker spot.

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 much of that throughout the course of the regular season. With the high school season fully wrapped up and post season champions crowned, let's dive into some guards that turned heads with strong individual seasons in the Union County Conference's Watchung Division.