NJBCA Tip-Off Showcase Standouts

What's become a marquee event on the New Jersey high school basketball calendar, the NJBCA Tip-Off Showcase returned for another year to Montgomery High School in Skillman, NJ to kick off the opening weekend of action here in the state of New Jersey. Saturday's slate of competitive matchups featured not only some of the state's best programs but also some extremely intriguing prospects, both already established as college level prospects as well as some with some intriguing long term upside. With that being said, let's dive into some standouts from this past weekend's action.    [player_tooltip player_id='2917025' first='Prosper' last='Highlander'], whose ability to score in multiple ways and create mismatches is a key component to Gill St. Bernard's offensive success, delivered a standout performance that put his diverse offensive skillset on full display in their matchup against Madison. Highlander is an aggressive yet smooth and graceful downhill attacker— who generated a large amount of rim pressure out of his perimeter face up game, using his foot speed and craftiness to finish from different angles around the basket in traffic. A high energy player who plays with a relentless motor, Highlander consistently crashed the boards with physicality and high effort to come down with rebounds on both ends of the floor.     A proven sharpshooting threat with compact mechanics and unflappable confidence from three point range, [player_tooltip player_id='1985469' first='Gavin' last='Randall'] showed tremendous touch on his jumper while also demonstrating his versatility as a perimeter shot maker. A potent three point shooter with deep range accuracy, Randall got into a solid rhythm highlighting his ability to be a versatile three point shooter— showing his effectiveness as a spot up shooter as well as a movement shooter coming off different types of screens and pin downs, all while also creating a little bit of space and knocking down outside shots off the bounce. Randall also flashed his decision making ability— touching the paint a number of times throughout the course of the game and creating open drive and kick threes for his teammates.     A multi-faceted wing who excels at being both a creative isolation scorer and a decisive playmaker who punishes defenses with vision and timing, [player_tooltip player_id='2504896' first='William' last='Brunson'] strung together moments that highlighted much of that offensive skillset. Brunson saw an intense defensive coverage that featured heavy help in the gaps and multiple bodies when he attacked driving angles however, responded well to not only the physicality but also in the different ways he found to produce offense— scoring off the ball, getting to the free throw line, and creating drive and kick opportunities for his teammates. Brunson also leveraged his length to crash the glass and come up with a handful of second chance opportunities and secure possessions on the defensive end.     A tough and scrappy competitor who is fearless on both ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='2202018' first='Rocco' last='Loomis'] was a bright spot for Rutgers Prep's backcourt Saturday afternoon. Loomis flashed his perimeter shooting ability from three point range as a spot up shooter while also countering his shooting ability with strong closeout attacks and converting on different soft touch runners and floaters in the paint. Capable of being a sound offensive initiator and decision maker, Loomis also showed flashes of his facilitation and playmaking skills with some of the on time and sharp passes he made to his open teammates.     Easily one of his most impressive performances to date, [player_tooltip player_id='2201948' first='Asante' last='Jones'] was effective on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor Saturday afternoon. Jones did an excellent job of leveraging his length to be a strong rebounder on both the offensive and defensive glass and contesting shot attempts out on the perimeter and around the basket as a shot blocker. Generating a handful of second chance possessions for Linden's offense, Jones showed good second jump on the offensive glass. Jones' finishing ability was really effective on efficient on the day as well— particularly attacking out of mid post face ups, catching dump offs out the dunker spot, rim running in transition, as well as a pair of athletic and emphatic above the rim finishes in transition.     A true difference maker for Linden in their victory over Rutgers Prep, [player_tooltip player_id='1595685' first='Jekhi' last='Burnam'] shined in the different ways he found to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Burnam impressed not only with his versatile shot making, consistency burying open looks from three point range both as a confident spot up shooter and a fluid movement shooter but also in the differencing making plays he made as a both a long and strong rebounder but also a sound and precise decision maker. A strong interior finisher, Burnam also converted on a number of timely inside runners and floaters in the paint.     A cerebral guard who plays with an impressive smoothness and pace off the bounce, [player_tooltip player_id='2344521' first='Micah' last='Gordon'] did an excellent job of setting the table and getting his teammates the ball in the right spots while also thriving at scoring the ball in different way both on and off the ball. Gordon strung together impressive moments that saw him create off the bounce and finish with craftiness around the basket while also excelling off the ball— different cuts in Plainfield's sets and dangerous spot up shooting, with deep range accuracy.     A versatile offensive weapon who is responsible for a lot of the success that comes from Ramapo's offense, [player_tooltip player_id='2194744' first='AJ' last='Greig'] showed the diverse ways he can score out of Ramapo's different actions. Whether it was his perimeter face up game attacking slower footed defenders, his back to the basket game backing down smaller defenders in the low post, or even flashing his perimeter shooting ability, Greig showcased a lot of his offensive skillset in Saturday's contest against Hudson Catholic.

What's become a marquee event on the New Jersey high school basketball calendar, the NJBCA Tip-Off Showcase returned for another year to Montgomery High School in Skillman, NJ to kick off the opening weekend of action here in the state of New Jersey. Saturday's slate of competitive matchups featured not only some of the state's best programs but also some extremely intriguing prospects, both already established as college level prospects as well as some with some intriguing long term upside. With that being said, let's dive into some standouts from this past weekend's action.