MADE Hoops East HSA: NJ Eye Catchers

Returning to Philadelphia, PA for its annual East High School Academy, MADE Hoops hosted another rendition of its yearly camp that highlighted an exceptional group of talent. Through intense competition amongst some of the best prospects in the Northeast region, a number of New Jersey prospects stood out with intriguing skillsets and eye popping performances. With that in mind, let's highlight some standout performers from New Jersey who made a strong impression during last weekend's action.    An overall smooth and confident shot maker from beyond the three point arc and the mid range area, [player_tooltip player_id='2683648' first='Jayce' last='Rodriguez'] delivered a standout performance that highlighted his lethal shot making ability. Paired with his smooth shooting stroke, Rodriguez displayed his ability to play with a nice pace off the bounce, getting to his spots and creating space with ease. Rodriguez showed flashes of his shiftiness and creativity off the bounce creating offense for himself in isolation situations.     A highly skilled wing who's been amongst the biggest stockers in the entire country, [player_tooltip player_id='2504896' first='William' last='Brunson'] exhibited a lot of what has a lot of people enamored with his potential at 6'5". Brunson impressed with his polished and confident perimeter shot making ability off the bounce, showcasing not only his smooth shooting form but his deep range as well. Throughout the course of first set of games Saturday afternoon, I was also particularly impressed with how engaged Brunson was on the defensive end of the floor— not taking plays off, constantly communicating, and defending with length and energy.     A quick and confident ball handler who consistently has the ball on a string, [player_tooltip player_id='2884517' first='Dallas' last='Baldwin'] impressed with his abilities to be a reliable decision maker. Crafty with the ball in his hands coupled with his quickness, Baldwin highlighted his ability to often times turn the corner against opposing defenders while also showing flashes of his ability to split defenders and get in the paint. Baldwin also had a number of crafty finishes in traffic when he got looks at the basket.     A savvy and confident ball handler with a strong feel for the game, [player_tooltip player_id='2342600' first='Terrance' last='Traylor'] impressed with his ability to play at his own pace, almost rarely ever getting sped up against opposing ball pressure. Traylor exhibited his ability to consistently touch the paint highlighting his ability to be both a crafty finisher at the basket and a decisive playmaker for his teammates. Traylor also flashed his perimeter shooting ability with his compact shooting form from three point range.     A combination of intimidating size and length paired with an authoritative paint presence on both ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='1581755' first='Al'Tariq' last='Reevey'] shined in his ability to be effective on the interior. Throughout the course of Saturday's game sets Reevey thrived at getting his points off activity— more specifically rim running and second chance opportunities on the offensive glass. Reevey also showed flashes of his back to the basket game in the low post with his ability to catch and make a move against opposing defenders.     An intriguing combination of length coupled with fluidity and athleticism at his size, [player_tooltip player_id='2202015' first='Azyris' last='Richmond'] excelled at being extremely active around the rim. Possessing a quick second jump, Richmond was heavily active on the glass— generating second chance points on the offensive boards and crashing the glass and coming down with rebounds on the defensive end. Richmond also thrived as an above the rim finisher in transition, highlighting his glaring movement skills and athleticism. Richmond was also effective using his length on the defensive end of the floor to be an intimidating factor as a rim protector.     A compelling combination of size and fluidity at the wing position, [player_tooltip player_id='2573746' first='Brandon' last='Johnson'] impressed with the different ways he found to score the basketball, with efficiency. A versatile scorer throughout the course of live game action Johnson was effective at keeping opposing defenders on their toes with his in rhythm perimeter shooting ability off the catch, smooth mid range pull ups off the bounce, and crafty finishing at the rim in transition.     A cerebral floor general with good feel for the game, [player_tooltip player_id='1604422' first='Alex' last='Pace'] used his quickness to consistently beat his defender off the bounce paired with his excellent court vision to demonstrate his ability to be a decisive decision maker at the PG position. Pace's instinctive feel was highlighted by a number of high level reads he made both in the open floor and in half court sets. Pace also displayed his shot making prowess from three point range throughout the course of live game action.     A confident shot maker from the perimeter who also possesses the ability to create plays for others around him, [player_tooltip player_id='2924292' first='Jamal' last='Smith'] impressed with his ability to light it up from the three point range off the bounce. A quick and shifty ball handler, Smith also impressed with his decision making, particularly out the PnR— splitting defenders and finding open shooters, hitting diving rollers on time and with precision, and even rejecting ball screens and finishing at the basket with craftiness. An undersized but absolutely pesky defender, Smith also stood out on the defensive end— being disruptive with his anticipation skills and ball pressure while also refusing to allow himself to get screened

Returning to Philadelphia, PA for its annual East High School Academy, MADE Hoops hosted another rendition of its yearly camp that highlighted an exceptional group of talent. Through intense competition amongst some of the best prospects in the Northeast region, a number of New Jersey prospects stood out with intriguing skillsets and eye popping performances. With that in mind, let's highlight some standout performers from New Jersey who made a strong impression during last weekend's action.