MADE Hoops Northeast Preview: NJ Sunday Eye Catchers

Returning for another year, the MADE Hoops Northeast Preview once again proved why it's one of the most anticipated preseason events on the fall calendar. Teams from all over the Northeast gathered in King of Prussia, PA and brought the energy, with New Jersey prospects making a particularly strong impact on the second day of competition. With that in mind, let's highlight some of the standout performers from last Sunday's action.    A confident scoring guard who finds ways to stuff the state sheet, [player_tooltip player_id='2875236' first='Jayden' last='Lau'] got going by playing with physicality and aggressively attacking the basket off the bounce— playing off bumps and finishing through contact with different floaters and layups in the paint. Lau also flashed his perimeter shot making off the bounce. Lau maintained a healthy balance between scoring and dishing, exhibiting his good court vision and feel for the game by making a number of passes to open teammates.     A powerfully and athletically built wing, [player_tooltip player_id='2436976' first='Marque' last='Johnson'] is at his best in the open floor and that was very much the case during last Sunday's action. Johnson's athleticism popped immediately with a number of explosive above the rim finishes in transition. Johnson was also extremely disruptive on the defensive end of the floor, defending with length and high energy, causing a handful of deflections and forcing turnovers. Johnson seems to have refined his guard skills a little bit as well— looking more comfortable with putting the ball on the floor and attacking closeouts as well as being more of a threat from three point range and shooting it with confidence.     A powerfully bodied guard who plays with physicality and strength, [player_tooltip player_id='2342644' first='Justin' last='Hunt'] lived in the paint during the course of last Sunday's action. Hunt excelled at playing off bumps and utilizing good footwork to finish with a number of different fadeaway jumpers and different types of floaters. Hunt also did a good job of playing off two feet and utilizing different pump fakes to bait his defender, ultimately drawing contact and almost routinely getting to the free throw line.     Possessing an intriguing combination of quickness off the bounce and precision as a passer, [player_tooltip player_id='1604422' first='Alex' last='Pace'] showed elite court vision as a true point guard— ultimately creating a number of clean scoring chances for his teammates, both spraying the ball out to open shooters and finding bigs in the dunker spot. Capable of creating for himself, Pace showed he can create for himself off the bounce and be a crafty finisher in traffic as well as a versatile shot maker knocking down in rhythm threes off the catch and smooth pull ups off the bounce.     Sanatana Hodge impressed with his ability to be a seamless fit offensively, providing steady offense both as a scorer and a connective facilitator. Hodge was effective knocking down outside shots as a spot up shooter and and finishing with craftiness in transition. Hodge also made a number of good decisions with the ball in his hands, passing up good looks for better looks for his teammates as well as advancing the ball up the floor in transition.     [player_tooltip player_id='1412111' first='Brian' last='Tassey'] delivered a standout performance that saw him stuff the stat sheet and do a lot of the dirty work. Tassey excelled on the defensive end of the floor with length and effort to be disruptive, deflecting passes, getting his fingertips on shot attempts around the basket, and pressuring the ball and turning opposing ball handlers over. Tassey also thrived on the offensive glass, being active on the boards and getting putbacks. Tassey also made a number of good decisions both in the open floor and the halfcourt, highlighting his ability to be unselfish and spread the ball out to his teammates.     An exceptional perimeter threat who can get going easily from three point range, [player_tooltip player_id='1788762' first='Will' last='Spross'] demonstrated his ability to be a dangerous and versatile shot maker. With a smooth and compact shooting release, Spross' performance Sunday highlighted his ability to be effective as a spot up shooter as well as an excellent shooter off the dribble. Spross also shined on the defensive end of the floor, being an effective help defender and playing the passing lanes with great anticipation— often times turning defense into offense on the other end.

Returning for another year, the MADE Hoops Northeast Preview once again proved why it's one of the most anticipated preseason events on the fall calendar. Teams from all over the Northeast gathered in King of Prussia, PA and brought the energy, with New Jersey prospects making a particularly strong impact on the second day of competition. With that in mind, let's highlight some of the standout performers from last Sunday's action.