Metro Hoops Preseason Invitational Additional Eye Catchers

A new addition to New Jersey's fall basketball calendar, Metro Hoops Academy kicked off its inaugural preseason showcase this past Saturday at Gill St. Bernard's School in Gladstone, NJ. The event brought together several of the state's powerhouse programs for an intense day of competition, setting the stage for the soon approaching high school season. The invitational featured a mix of nationally ranked prospects who continued to solidify their reputations, along with under the radar risers eager to elevate their stock(s). With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the standout performers from Saturday's action.    Often times tasked with being the floor general for St. Mary's offense, [player_tooltip player_id='2763609' first='Jake' last='Ellis'] continued to prove be a productive point guard who consistently exhibits good change of pace and adequate feel for the game. Providing timely offense, particularly in the matchup against Montgomery, Ellis exhibited his ability to be a dangerous shot maker, converting on a number of catch and shoot threes as a spot up shooter while also mixing in some smooth mid range pull ups off the bounce. A guard who's quick off the bounce, Ellis also utilized his good change of pace ability to get in the paint and be a crafty finisher in traffic. A tough and scrappy defender, Ellis also strung together moments that highlighted his ability to compete on the defensive end of the floor and force a number of deflections and turnovers.     A highly skilled guard who possesses legit ball skills and a ton of confidence, [player_tooltip player_id='2504780' first='Infinite' last='Sincere-AmenRa'] continued to demonstrate his ability to be an extremely versatile and consistently productive piece for Seton Hall Prep's backcourt. Easily the most impressive and consistent part of his skillset, Sincere-AmenRa demonstrated his ability to be a potent outside shot maker, knocking down perimeter shots in a multitude of ways as a spot up shooter and a shooter off the bounce. Proving to be more and more comfortable with each showing as a ball handler, Sincere-AmenRa looked comfortable running the offense at times and making the right reads in the open floor and in PnR actions. Sincere-AmenRa also capitalized off SHP's full court press in their matchup against Elizabeth, often times turning defense into offense and finishing on the other end.     Continuously proving to be a reliable depth piece from the guard spot for Seton Hall Prep's backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='2884521' first='Bryce' last='McCray'] emphasized much of what makes him such an intricate part of the Pirates' success on the offensive side of the ball. McCray strung together bright moments that highlighted his strong capabilities of being a reliable additional ball handler, showcasing high IQ and sound decision making along side being a dangerous and versatile threat from three point range, knocking down outside shots particularly off the catch and with deep range.     A seamless offensive fit in the backcourt that has proven to be more than capable of being productive as a complementary guard, [player_tooltip player_id='1865348' first='Jaen' last='Chatman'] shined as an opportunistic outside shot maker. Extremely efficient in his percentage from three point range as a spot up shooter, Chatman consistently buried countless looks off the catch from the perimeter over the course of both of Saturday's matchups for Blair. Chatman also impressed in the ways he allowed his gravity as a shooter to open up additional offense for himself particularly off the bounce, knocking down fluid mid range pull ups and attacking closeouts to get to the rim.     An intricate part of Gill St. Bernard's offensive success due in large part to the different ways he can score the basketball and the different type of mismatches he provides, [player_tooltip player_id='2917025' first='Prosper' last='Highlander'] delivered a standout performance that highlighted much of that offensive skillset. Highlander was an aggressive attacker who generated an immense amount of rim pressure, particularly with an arrary of dribble drives with speed out of his perimeter face up game along side his ability to score in the low post area against smaller defenders. Highlander also flashed his outside shooting ability, specifically off the catch, knocking down a number of open looks from three point range over the course of both of Gill's matchups Saturday.     Easily the most established prospect in the entire gym, rising to as high as a consensus top 20 national ranking earlier this year, five star Derron Rippey Jr. got into a nice rhythm, shining as an outside shot maker with deep range accuracy, particularly as a movement shooter coming off pin downs, hitting smooth and confident pull ups off the dribble, and even knocking down open looks as a spot up shooter. Rippey Jr. also impressed with his defensive intangibles as well, picking up the length of the floor and pressuring the ball, walling up without fouling, and forcing deflections at the POA. Rippey Jr. also strung together some bright moments that highlighted his decision making ability, finding guys ahead and spraying out to open shooters in transition while also collapsing the defense for drive and kick three point opportunities.     An extremely versatile piece that contributes at a high level to a lot of the things Gill St. Bernard's does on both ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='1919211' first='Dorsett' last='Mulcahy'] demonstrated much of that versatility during Saturday's action. One of the more impressive parts of his game along side his versatility and an ultimate testament to his development the last few years, Mulcahy exhibited his ability to be a confident and diverse outside shot maker in Gill's matchup against TPS, both as a spot up shooter and creating slight seperation and knocking down shots off the bounce. Possessing an interesting combination of size and feel for the game, Mulcahy also found ways to contribute as a facilitator and a versatile defender.     A high usage guard who St. Peter's very often uses to initiate a lot of their offense, [player_tooltip player_id='1609109' first='Richie' last='Rosa'] found a nice rhythm between scoring and getting his teammates the ball in the right spots. Scoring the basketball in a multitude of ways, Rosa did a good job of knocking down outside shots as a spot up shooter, converting on soft touch floaters in the paint, and even exhibiting tough and crafty finishes at the rim in transition. Often times taking what the defense gave him and making a lot of the right reads, Rosa also impressed not only with how he was able to manipulate ball screens with pace in the half court but also attacking driving lanes to get in the paint and hit guys in the dunker spot.

A new addition to New Jersey's fall basketball calendar, Metro Hoops Academy kicked off its inaugural preseason showcase this past Saturday at Gill St. Bernard's School in Gladstone, NJ. The event brought together several of the state's powerhouse programs for an intense day of competition, setting the stage for the soon approaching high school season. The invitational featured a mix of nationally ranked prospects who continued to solidify their reputations, along with under the radar risers eager to elevate their stock(s). With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the standout performers from Saturday's action.