NJ Hoop Recruit Hooptoberfest: Day 1 Standouts

One of the more highly anticipated and electrifying preseason events on the fall calendar in the state of New Jersey, the NJ Hoop Recruit Hooptoberfest returned for another year of competitive action, this year at East Orange Campus in East Orange, NJ. With a handful of programs from all across North Jersey competing against each other, there several dozen prospects who stood out throughout the first day of action. With that being said, let's dive into some of those prospects that turned heads Saturday.    A dangerous catch and shoot threat from three point distance with deep range accuracy, [player_tooltip player_id='1985469' first='Gavin' last='Randall'] showcased much of what makes him such a lethal perimeter threat in Madison's matchup against Ewing to kick things off Saturday morning. Knocking down a number of spot up threes, Randall shot the three ball with a ton of confidence and exhibited fluid and compact mechanics. Randall demonstrated his ability to impact the game beyond just outside shooting, showing flashes of using his strong bodied frame to be a strong and physical driver with a couple of solid attacks of the basket off the bounce.     A table setting floor general who took good command of the offense, [player_tooltip player_id='2342600' first='Terrance' last='Traylor'] shined in the ways he was able to control the game from the point guard position for Ewing. Poised on the ball, Traylor used his quick change of pace to rountinely get in the paint and finish with craftiness from different angles in traffic. Traylor also did a good job of finding ways to push the tempo and advance the ball up the floor for easy looks for his teammates in transition. On the defensive end of the floor, Traylor was a pesky and disruptive defender who constantly got into the space of opposing ball handlers and forced turnovers.     A consistent threat to impact the game from three point range, [player_tooltip player_id='2344534' first='James' last='Roberts'] demonstrated much of that Saturday morning as East Orange got out to a big lead early against Newark West Side. A confident and fluid shooter with extremely smooth and compact shooting mechanics, Roberts knocked down a number of open looks from the perimeter, highlighting his dangerous shooting ability and effectiveness as a spot up shooter. Getting more and more comfortable with putting the ball on the floor, Roberts mixed in some strong attacks of the basket when driving lanes opened up, ultimately generating a number of trips to the free throw line.     Consistently one of the hardest playing guys on any court he steps on, [player_tooltip player_id='2201945' first='Andrew' last='Kretkowski'] stood out not only with his insanely high motor on both ends of the floor but also with how aggressive he was in putting pressure on the rim in St. Joe's matchup against St. Mary's. Kretkowski generated an immense amount of rim pressure both in transition and in half court offense with a number of crafty finishes and even flashing his athleticism with an explosive above the rim finish, while also attacking close outs in the half court and finishing with purpose at the rim. Kretkowski also flashed his spot up shooting ability from three point range, converting on a couple of open outside looks.     A jumbo scoring guard who found a healthy balance between self creation as a scorer and ball distribution as a facilitator, [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'] delivered a standout performance that highlighted his ability to be an effective and dynamic high usage, lead guard. Consistenly dissecting St. Mary's defense, Carter divvied up his scoring attack between using good change of pace in combination with his creativity off the bounce while also playing through bumps and being a strong and physical driver to get in paint and finish with soft touch floaters, crafty layups, and strong layups through contact. Carter showed deep range on his three ball as well, converting on a pair of open looks from well beyond the three point line. With great positional size, Carter also impressed on the boards, rebounding the ball phenomenally well for a guard.     Quick and methodical off the bounce, [player_tooltip player_id='2763609' first='Jake' last='Ellis'] dominated the in between area in St. Mary's matchup against St. Joe's Metuchen Saturday morning. Ellis seemed to touch the paint often, consistently collapsing the defense. Playing with good pace and showing good touch around the basket, Ellis converted on a number of soft touch floaters and runners from different angles, smooth mid range pull ups, and crafty finishes at the rim. The primary ball handler for St. Mary's offense, Ellis also did a good job of setting the table and making a lot of the right reads to get his teammates the ball in the right spots.     Providing timely offense as a shot maker for St. Mary's offense, [player_tooltip player_id='2634334' first='Merrick' last='Olkowski'] strung together bright moments of his shooting ability. Effective out of a number of different actions both as a pick and pop threat or off the ball, Olkowski demonstrated his ability to be a threat from three as a spot up shooter while also flashing his ablity to knock down mid range pull ups off the bounce.     Despite seeing intense double teams and physical defensive coverage from St. Joe's Metuchen, [player_tooltip player_id='2621316' first='Matthew' last='Kennedy'] still found different ways to be effective on the offensive end. Although he didn't get to see as many clean and open looks from three point range, Kennedy still converted on a pair of timely spot up threes. With the gravity he attracts as a shooter, Kennedy was also able to mix in some strong rim attacks, using his strong bodied frame to finish through contact. Not letting the defensive coverage ultimately take him out the game, Kennedy stepped up big time for St. Mary's, banking in a tough mid range pull up jumper to seal the victory.

One of the more highly anticipated and electrifying preseason events on the fall calendar in the state of New Jersey, the NJ Hoop Recruit Hooptoberfest returned for another year of competitive action, this year at East Orange Campus in East Orange, NJ. With a handful of programs from all across North Jersey competing against each other, there several dozen prospects who stood out throughout the first day of action. With that being said, let's dive into some of those prospects that turned heads Saturday.