Big Jersey Basketball Showcase III Eye Catchers

Back for its second season of action, Big Jersey Basketball returned for its third showcase of the 2025-2026 season last weekend, this time at Gill St. Bernard's School in Gladstone, NJ. The third rendition of this year's slate of showcases consisted of matchups amongst some of the state's best programs— intense battles between Bergen Catholic and Roselle Catholic, Don Bosco Prep and St. Peter's Prep, and Gill St. Bernard's and Rutgers Prep. With a number of high profile prospects across all three matchups, let's dive into this interesting crop of prospects that turned in strong performances last weekend.    A talented scoring guard who finds different ways to score the basketball from different spots on the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='1729825' first='Trey' last='Lewis'] demonstrated much of that scoring prowess, particularly in transition in Roselle Catholic's matchup against Bergen Catholic coupled with showing strong flashes of his ability to be a little bit of playmaker. Lewis is a confident scorer who plays with a level of flare to his game and used those intangibles to get going in transition— pushing the tempo in the open floor to convert on strong finishes at the basket in traffic and also show an ability to absorb contact and get to the free throw line. Lewis took it upon himself to also shoulder some of the playmaking duties— keeping the defense honest in the open floor to hit teammates in the dunker spot(s), guys running the lanes in transition, baseline cutters in the secondary break, and spraying out to open shooters out on the perimeter.     A powerfully built forward with massively broad shoulders paired with elite length, [player_tooltip player_id='1595675' first='Julius' last='Avent'] turned in a standout performance that highlighted his ability to score aggressively in the paint. Avent's strong scoring performance saw him for the most part leverage his physical tools to score the basketball from different spots— creating off the bounce in the mid post area for physical drives, back down smaller defenders in the low post area, and even benefit as a cutter to the basket for easy layups in different Bergen Catholic half court actions. A capable spot up threat from the outside, Avent even flashed his perimeter shooting ability knocking down an open look from three in rhythm early on in Bergen's matchup against Roselle Catholic.     A savvy combo guard who often plays with strong command of Bergen Catholic's offense and controls the pace at an extremely effective rate, [player_tooltip player_id='2342638' first='Jaden' last='Brown'] turned in a strong performance that showcased much of his compelling skillset. Brown got going putting pressure on the rim and attacking the basket in transition for strong finishes in traffic while also mixing in tough low post finishes against smaller defenders and contributing on the offensive glass. Brown's aggressiveness on getting in the paint coupled with his ability to absorb contact also rewarded him ample trips to the free throw line over the course of their matchup against Roselle Catholic.     Fully entrenched in an impressive breakout junior season, [player_tooltip player_id='2858267' first='Oscar' last='Martinez'] continues to prove his value and impact as a legitimate two way wing with every showing. Excelling as a nice connective piece who possesses a natural ability to an efficient scorer as a seamless offensive fit, Martinez showcased much of that ability in St. Peter's' matchup against Don Bosco Prep last weekend— finding openings against Bosco's zone as a cutter for easy layups, crashing the boards for tough second chance points on the offensive glass while also continuing to showcase his value as a spot up shooter as the game went on, finding open windows against and being patient off quick ball reversals to knock down open looks from three point range.     A tough and hard nosed table setting point guard who plays with an edge to himself, [player_tooltip player_id='2342637' first='Brad' last='Brown'] stood out in the ways he was able to effectively control the tempo of the game for Bosco while also being a steady scoring threat, particularly in the in painted area in this matchup against St. Peter's Prep. Brown converted on a number of in between area looks— mixing it up between soft touch runners and smooth mid range pull ups while also attacking driving angles for crafty finishes at the cup.     An integral component of Gill St. Bernard's offensive success due to his ability to score in a multitude of ways and constantly create matchup problems, [player_tooltip player_id='2917025' first='Prosper' last='Highlander'] delivered an explosive scoring performance in their victory over Rutgers Prep. Highlander possesses a uniquely rare combination of swift foot speed paired with his craftiness off the bounce to effectively score the basketball, particularly in the ways he found success putting pressure on the rim last Saturday— gracefully getting downhill in transition, capitalizing on second chance opportunities on the offensive glass, attacking closeouts off the bounce with swiftness, and even excelling as a cutter in a number of different half court actions.     A valuable contributor with his ability to wear a lot of hats on both ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='1919211' first='Dorsett' last='Mulcahy'] once again proved his importance to this Gill St. Bernard's group. Reflective of both Gill's emphasis on player movement in different half court actions and his keen overall feel for the game, Mulcahy benefited from those components as an inside finisher in their matchup against Rutgers Prep— slipping different screens, cutting backdoor off the ball, cutting hard out of flex cuts, all to convert on easy layups at the basket. Mulcahy also flashed his outside scoring ability, knocking down a pair of smooth and in rhythm threes off the catch.     Shooting the three ball at a rather fairly higher clip than he did just a year ago, [player_tooltip player_id='2397968' first='Connor' last='Junker'] continued to demonstrate reasons why he demands so much defensive attention at all times, forcing opponents to constantly locate him on the floor and always close out aggressively. Proving his value as an extremely dangerous and insanely confident shooter, Junker converted on a number of spot up looks off the catch, with deep range accuracy, while also flashing his ability to be just as effective creating a little bit of separation off the dribble and knocking down outside shots off the bounce.     Although undersized [player_tooltip player_id='2202018' first='Rocco' last='Loomis'] plays with a fearless mentality and infectious level of toughness to him, consistently proving to be a reliable bright spot for Rutgers Prep's backcourt. Contrary to his typical threat as lethal outside scorer, Loomis impressed with his ability to produce constant paint touches in Rutgers Prep's thrilling matchup against Gill St. Bernard's— attacking driving angles off the bounce with quickness for crafty finishes at the basket while also showing an ability to absorb contact on drives and get to the free throw line. As the game went on Loomis still lived up to his reputation as dangerous and confident outside shot maker, knocking down a pair of open looks from three point range.     Continuing his impressive emergence as reliable and valuable piece at the guard position for this Rutgers Prep's backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='3271441' first='Bryce' last='Williams'] demonstrated a more versatile scoring attack beyond his outside shooting against Gill St. Bernard's last Saturday afternoon. Williams' steady scoring attack saw him attack certain driving angles off the bounce to get in the lane and finish from different angles around the basket coupled with his typical lethal outside spot up shooting ability to impact the game from the perimeter as an off ball shot maker.     In the midst of a legitimate national breakout coming off the heels of a tremendously impressive summer as one of the more intriguing long term prospects in his entire class, [player_tooltip player_id='2504896' first='William' last='Brunson'] continues to turn in strong performances that exemplify his unique ability to make things happen with the ball in his hands, particularly at his size. Possessing legitimate ball skills paired with advanced feel for the game, Brunson displayed an extremely versatile scoring attack— low post scoring backing down smaller defenders, diverse shot making from different areas on the floor both off the catch and off the bounce, attacking the rim for strong finishes in transition, and even converting on a number of second chance opportunities on the offensive glass.

Back for its second season of action, Big Jersey Basketball returned for its third showcase of the 2025-2026 season last weekend, this time at Gill St. Bernard's School in Gladstone, NJ. The third rendition of this year's slate of showcases consisted of matchups amongst some of the state's best programs— intense battles between Bergen Catholic and Roselle Catholic, Don Bosco Prep and St. Peter's Prep, and Gill St. Bernard's and Rutgers Prep. With a number of high profile prospects across all three matchups, let's dive into this interesting crop of prospects that turned in strong performances last weekend.