Metro Hoops Preseason Invitational 2028/29 wing/forward standouts

The Metro Hoops Preseason Invitational took place on Saturday at Gill St. Bernard's, bringing in more than a dozen premier programs from across North Jersey to compete in one of the final tuneups before the season gets underway. After taking in several games of action over the course of the afternoon, we'll start coverage with a handful of underclassmen wings and forwards who caught the eye.    A returning all-league performer, Simborski had as impressive a performance as any underclassman we saw, putting together a productive and well-rounded outing while nearly completing a thrilling comeback against St. Mary's. He came out aggressive as a straight-line driver while showing impressive pace, footwork, and touch in the lane. Simborski showed soft touch on a handful of catch-and-shoot attempts from the perimeter, staying active off the ball before taking over later on as a primary ballhandler in the halfcourt with clear IQ as a facilitator. While a bit unsuspecting physically and athletically, Simborski's well-rounded skill level and IQ bode well for his long-term projection as a scholarship-level wing guard.     Among the more productive underclassmen on the day, Aiken thrived as a plug-and-play two-way forward off the bench in the Pirates' resounding win over Christian Brothers. He was impactful on the defensive end with a nice blend of size, mobility, and strength to toggle between responsibilities on the interior and perimeter. Aiken showed strong positional awareness and comfortable use of physicality on both ends, flourishing offensively as a rim-runner and an efficient finisher around the rim from a variety of actions. He didn't show much by way of finesse but flashed workable touch while converting consistently at the foul line. We're eager to see more from Aiken moving forward as he adds varsity experience and potentially develops toward the scholarship level.     One of the day's more intriguing finds, Mallavarapu didn't necessarily stuff the stat sheet but showed a number of promising long-term tools throughout Montgomery's narrow loss to St. Mary's. With standout size and length, the budding two-way big has strong positional awareness on both ends, showing decent hands and technique inside offensively with comfortable touch at the foul line and some comfort making simple decisions on the perimeter. He brought good energy defensively as a rim protector and is intriguingly light on his feet getting out to shooters on the perimeter. Mallavarapu is still a long-term bet as he requires plenty of work to add strength and deal with varsity speed and physicality, but he brings clear intrigue for the scholarship-level as he continues to develop his body and add game reps.     As physically superior as he is at the varsity level already, it can be easy to forget that Kuminga is just a freshman. He impressed with two-way contributions throughout a tight TPS win over St. Peter's Prep, standing out particularly with his blend of skill, explosiveness, and physicality while attacking the rim off the bounce. Kuminga also flashed his touch while knocking down a smooth 3 from above the break. With the game in the balance, he also showed his ability to impact the defensive end with a handful of key deflections and blocks in the closing minutes to help seal the win. It's still early, but the Congolese wing figures to be among the state's more highly-touted prospects in his class over the years to come.     Another intriguing piece to a strong young core at Montgomery, Kamara saw rotation minutes as a freshman but looks primed to make a jump as a full-time starter moving forward. A fluid southpaw wing, he impressed on Saturday with a smooth complementary skillset. Kamara established himself early as a threat to space the floor with a consistent catch-and-shoot stroke from the perimeter, before growing increasingly confident throughout the game attacking closeouts and making plays from the teeth of the defense. We'll look to see more nuances of his game moving forward but the foundation is there for Kamara to develop toward the scholarship level in the coming years.

The Metro Hoops Preseason Invitational took place on Saturday at Gill St. Bernard's, bringing in more than a dozen premier programs from across North Jersey to compete in one of the final tuneups before the season gets underway. After taking in several games of action over the course of the afternoon, we'll start coverage with a handful of underclassmen wings and forwards who caught the eye.