Metro Hoops Preseason Invitational More Notables

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 this past Saturday's action.    A consistent threat to impact the game from beyond the three point arc and shoot the three ball with extreme confidence, [player_tooltip player_id='1595685' first='Jekhi' last='Burnam']'s performance highlighted a lot of his outside shooting ability throughout the course of Saturday's action for Linden. Burnam aggressively hunted his shot, always ready to shoot and stepping into clean looks with excellent footwork. Burnam also let the gravity that his three point shooting attracts to open up further offense for him, attacking closeouts and mixing in some rim attacks off the bounce.     Emerging as a legitimate contributor in St. Mary's rotation due in large part to his ability to do a lot of the dirty work, [player_tooltip player_id='2786683' first='CJ' last='Brown'] strung together some bright moments that highlighted these intangibles. Possessing an intriguing wingspan, [player_tooltip player_id='2786683' first='CJ' last='Brown'] leveraged his length to be a difference maker on the defensive end of the floor, being extremely active on the glass and coming down with rebounds, contesting shot attempts at the rim, alongside his ability to be a switchable defender showcasing he can guard multiple positions. On the offensive side of the ball, Brown founds ways to score within the flow of the offense, attacking closeouts, flashing his outside shooting ability, and finishing out in transition.     A two way impact guard who's proving to be a difference maker on both ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='2610671' first='Jalen' last='Mehu'] shined not only in the ways he was able to finish around the basket but also be disruptive on the defensive end of the floor. Mehu seemed to pretty much live at the rim being extremely active on the offensive glass and generating second chance opportunities, getting to the basket on dribble drives and finishing strong, and even showing flashes of being an effective cutter off the ball. An engaged defender, Mehu also impressed on the defensive end, defending with effort and energy.     A true floor general who thrives at setting the table and facilitating the basketball to get his teammates involved, [player_tooltip player_id='2344528' first='Jahmal' last='Dixon'] proved much of that ability in Gill St. Bernard's two matchups this past Saturday. A keen offensive initiator with adequate feel for the game, Dixon was effective at getting two feet in the paint and spraying the ball out to open shooters. Dixon's playmaking ability was on full display in the open floor as well, as he consistently looked to advance the ball up the floor to his teammates that were ahead of the defense in transition. A true two way impact point guard, Dixon was also much of himself on the defensive end of the floor, consistently defending with his length and high level effort.     Providing a steady scoring punch out of Linden's backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='1595682' first='Jayden' last='Holman'] demonstrated the different ways he can score and put the ball in the basket. Holman was able to convert on a handful of both crafty and physical dribble drives at the basket while also showcasing his shot making ability, knocking down spot up threes and smooth mid range pull ups. Holman also thrived in the open floor, pushing the pace in transition and finishing strong on the other end.     Thriving in a unique role of facilitation and lethal spot up shooting, [player_tooltip player_id='2397968' first='Connor' last='Junker'] delivered a standout shooting performance, particularly in Gill St. Bernard's second matchup later in the day against TPS. A sharpshooting threat with deep range accuracy and a quick trigger release, Junker buried open look after open look, consistently making the defense pay for weak closeouts and late contests. A versatile and confident shooter that has proven to be more than capable of being effective as both a movement shooter and a spot up shooter, Junker settled into a nice rhythm early on and didn't really look back.     One of the most physically and athletically gifted prospects in his entire class, [player_tooltip player_id='2879104' first='Flory' last='Kuminga'] used much of those physical tools to impact the game on both ends of the floor while also flashing some of his ascending ball skills. A physically imposing wing who has no issue with contact, Kuminga got to the basket on a number of physical dribble drives showcasing his ability to finish strong with either hand at the rim. To counter his aggressive slashing ability, Kuminga was also effective from the perimeter as he knocked down a number of threes off the catch, flashing his intrigue as a spot up shooter. Kuminga also made a handful of highlight plays on the defensive end, using his athleticism to pin shots against the glass and forcing deflections with his length.     Often times tasked with setting the table and orchestrating the offense, [player_tooltip player_id='1595681' first='Jaren' last='Barnett'] delivered an overall solid performance that saw him provide steady scoring and be effective as a floor general for Linden's offense. Barnett's scoring attack saw him convert on a number of different floaters and runners from different angles while also mixing in some tough mid range pull ups off the bounce. Consistently getting in the paint and looking to make plays, Barnett got his teammates the ball in the right spots, whether it was getting the ball to shooters above the break, creating drive and kick threes, or even hitting pocket passes to rollers.

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 this past Saturday's action.