Philly Live II: New Jersey's Saturday Standouts Part II

Philly Live is a top-tier high school basketball showcase held during the NCAA live period in Philadelphia, PA, hosted at the Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center and Jefferson University. This past weekend marked the event's second session, drawing elite high school talent from across the country. New Jersey standouts made a strong impression, showing they could go toe-to-toe with some of the nation's top players. As a key stop on the summer recruiting trail, Philly Live provided college coaches and scouts with a prime opportunity to assess emerging talent and established prospects alike. This session featured breakout performances from rising stars gaining traction, alongside well-known recruits reinforcing their reputations among the region's best. Here's a look at several players who left a lasting mark during Saturday's action in Philadelphia.    With a tremendously high motor, [player_tooltip player_id='1595674' first='Aiden' last='Derkack'] was extremely effective in the different ways, on both sides of the floor, he was able to impact winning at a high level. Whether it was scoring from different levels on the floor, initiating offense and creating open looks for his teammates, crashing the boards and coming down with rebounds, guarding multiple positions and making highlight plays defensively, Derkack's fingerprints were all over the game.     Whether it was providing timely offense or making precise reads as a ball handler, [player_tooltip player_id='2504780' first='Infinite' last='Sincere'] was effective in the ways he was able to play both guard spots during Saturday's action. In terms of scoring the basketball, Sincere excelled at finishing through contact at the rim and knocking down perimeter shots. In terms of being a strong and confident ball handler, Sincere made a lot of good decisions and played with tremendous poise and control.     A relentless and aggressive attacker of the basket, [player_tooltip player_id='2201947' first='Anthony' last='Gonzalez'] continued to excel in the ways he puts pressure on the rim both in Seton Hall Prep's half court offense and in transition— often times finishing with strength through contact. In the half court, Gonzalez attacked off the bounce and consistently got downhill. In transition, Gonzalez pushed the tempo and put the defense on its heels getting to the rim. Gonzalez also mixed up his scoring attack by knocking down a few outside shots from the perimeter.     A rare combination of positional size and legitimate on ball skills, [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'] continued his strong play heading into the second weekend of the June scholastic live period. A smooth shot creator with a creative handle, Carter demonstrated his ability to create off the bounce from multiple levels. With the defensive attention and pressure that he attracts, Carter also showcased his abilities as a playmaker, distributing the ball and finding his open teammates.     Capable of spending time and being effective at either guard spot, [player_tooltip player_id='1788762' first='Will' last='Spross'] demonstrated his ability to put pressure on the defense both as a creative and efficient shot creator and a reliable facilitator. Spross got going from three point range and mixed it up by attacking the basket off the bounce and finishing with craftiness. Spross also excelled at finding open shooters and guys in the dunker spot when the defense collapsed on him. Defensively, Spross played with great instincts as an on ball defender and played the passing lanes with great anticipation.     [player_tooltip player_id='2504901' first='Donovan' last='Spross'] excelled primarily off the ball as a lethal floor spacing threat— knocking down a handful of open threes off the catch during Saturday's action. Spross also shined in his ability to be a willing and unselfish passer both when he attacked off the bounce and in transition, opening up offense for his teammates. Despite being undersized, Spross also competed on the defensive end of the floor and played with a lot of grit and toughness.     Picking up where he left off last weekend, Will Brunson continued to showcase his skillset as a multi level scorer. The southpaw wing put his scoring prowess on full display— knocking down open shots from three point range while also mixing it up by creating off the bounce and attacking downhill and finishing with craftiness around the basket. Brunson's downhill aggression also opened up offense for his teammates spraying out to open shooters and hitting dumpoffs. Brunson also used his length to not only crash the glass and rebound the basketball but also alter and contest shot attempts at the rim.     Possessing an ultra quick release, [player_tooltip player_id='2202018' first='Rocco' last='Loomis'] continued to showcase how dangerous of a threat from three point range he is— catching fire early and knocking down five threes against Archbishop Carroll (DC) Saturday morning. Being really effective off the ball for Rutgers Prep's offense, Loomis also did a good job of not forcing offense and being a connective passer— keeping the ball moving and setting up his teammates for open looks. Despite being undersized, Loomis competed extremely well on the defensive end of the floor playing with toughness and grit, crashing the boards, and stepping in for charges.     Providing a strong and efficient source of offense out of the backcourt for Bergen Catholic, [player_tooltip player_id='2342638' first='Jaden' last='Brown'] demonstrated the different ways he's able to score the basketball in the flow of an offense. Maintaining a balanced attack between perimeter shooting and downhill attacking, Brown provided steady offense throughout the course of both games Saturday. Brown used an array of hesitation dribbles and change of direction moves to attack off the bounce, consistently attacking the basket. Brown was also effective as an additional ball handler that initiated offense and kept the ball moving.     A pair of strong scoring performances Saturday saw [player_tooltip player_id='1595675' first='Julius' last='Avent'] establish and maintain a healthy balance between punishing inside and scoring from the perimeter. Avent finished around the basket with strength through contact and with a little bit of craftiness. Avent also diversified his scoring by showcasing his perimeter shooting ability from three point range.

Philly Live is a top-tier high school basketball showcase held during the NCAA live period in Philadelphia, PA, hosted at the Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center and Jefferson University. This past weekend marked the event's second session, drawing elite high school talent from across the country. New Jersey standouts made a strong impression, showing they could go toe-to-toe with some of the nation's top players. As a key stop on the summer recruiting trail, Philly Live provided college coaches and scouts with a prime opportunity to assess emerging talent and established prospects alike. This session featured breakout performances from rising stars gaining traction, alongside well-known recruits reinforcing their reputations among the region's best. Here's a look at several players who left a lasting mark during Saturday's action in Philadelphia.