Jerome Smart "Told U" Showcase Eye Catchers

Returning for its third year of action last weekend was the Jerome Smart "Told U" Showcase held at Old Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ— a one day event named in honor of the late Jerome Smart, a former Paterson Catholic and New Jersey Playaz head coach who also spent time at Teaneck High School. This year's showcase featured a number of under the radar prospects along side some more well established prospects here in the state of New Jersey. With that being said, let's take a look at some prospects who delivered some impressive performances this past weekend.    In the midst of a breakout junior season that's seeing him legitimately blossom as a reliable and productive combo guard for this Ramapo group, [player_tooltip player_id='3243511' first='Finn' last='Marah'] delivered another standout performance that highlighted his ability to effective as an overall playmaker— blending facilitating and initiating offense mixed with remaining a confident scoring threat, more particularly as a lethal shot maker in this commanding victory over SJR this past Saturday afternoon. Marah impressed the most with the rhythm he found from three point range, torching the nets from the perimeter and burying a number of open spot up looks while being just as effective as a movement shooter. Marah countered his shooting touch mixing in some crafty finishes at the rim when certain driving angles opened up. Marah also strung together bright moments that highlighted his ability to play with a confident and poised handle and potent feel for the game when the offense called for him to set the table and orchestrate the offense.     A versatile wing/ forward who with his size and unique skillset can offer a lot of mismatches from different areas on the court and with the different actions that Ramapo runs on the offensive end of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='2194744' first='AJ' last='Greig'] demonstrated his ability to be a strong interior finisher in their commanding victory over SJR this past Saturday afternoon. Attacking driving angles when the opposing defense was forced into rotation(s) and capitalizing off touches in the low post area, Greig displayed an ability to play through contact and absorb different bumps from defenders for strong and tough finishes around the basket.     Typically known for his dangerous perimeter shooting touch and ability to effectively space the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='3453266' first='Julian' last='Paradise'] showcased somewhat of a different attack in SJR's matchup against Ramapo— leveraging that shooting gravity to highlight his continued growth and development in being more comfortable putting the ball on the floor as a driver, attacking closeouts in the half court and getting to the rim with increasing confidence as well as putting pressure on the rim in transition with that same growing confidence.     A fundamentally sound basketball player and under control scorer who gets to his spots with smooth pace, [player_tooltip player_id='2421360' first='Tom' last='Diomedi'] demonstrated an ability to score the basketball from different areas on the court. An efficient and versatile scoring attack saw Diomedi utilize good body control and sound footwork to be effective in the low post area with his back to the basket game, utilizing jump stops and step throughs to bait defenders and get to the free throw line while also attacking driving angles from the perimeter out of the triple threat and get to the basket. Equally impactful off the ball, Diomedi also flashed reliable perimeter catch and shoot ability.     [player_tooltip player_id='2628254' first='Sebastian' last='Rogers'] possesses an impactful combination of length and high motor to supply tremendous two way value on the interior with his activity around the basket. As Ridgewood's defensive anchor, Rogers carved out a ton of space in the paint, making a number of difference making plays with his physical tools— leveraging his length on the defensive end of the floor for timely wall ups and intimidating blocks against shot attempts around the basket while also being an extremely impactful rebounder, winning a number of battles on the boards. Offensively, Rogers demonstrated his ability to be a strong interior finisher— attacking driving angles out of elbow and high post entry passes and receiving dump offs from driving guards out of the dunker spot while also being effective on the offensive glass for potent and meaningful putbacks.     A bright spot for this Wayne Hills group of guards that faced intense ball pressure pretty much the entirety of the game against Ridgewood, [player_tooltip player_id='3453272' first='Chernoh' last='St. Paul'] stood out with his ability to be a scheme versatile fit, particularly with his ability to play fundamentally sound and impressively under control basketball. Stringing together bright moments of his ability to just play the right way, St. Paul exhibited an ability to be effective at both guard spots— shining as a connective passer, ultimately passing up good looks for great looks and keeping the ball moving while also handling the basketball with composure against opposing ball pressure. St. Paul also excelled at being a reliable spot up shooter, knocking down a number of open catch and shoot looks while also countering his perimeter shooting by attacking closeouts off the bounce and getting to the rim with purpose and control.     Since transferring to St. Joe's Metuchen this past fall, [player_tooltip player_id='2201945' first='Andrew' last='Kretkowski'] continues to exhibit what makes him an ultimate plug and play fit with every showing at the forward position, due in large part to his unique versatility and insanely high motor. Probably his best shooting performance to date thus far this season, Kretkowski impressed as an outside shot maker particularly in St. Joe's different half court actions, knocking down a number of perimeter looks in rhythm and with confidence off the catch. Routinely setting the tone with his ferocious motor, Kretkowski also lived up to his reputation as one of the hardest playing prospects in the state regardless of class— particularly with impactful and meaningful offensive rebounds and emphatic and athletic transition finishes as a result of St. Joe's defensive pressure as a collective unit.     [player_tooltip player_id='2895818' first='Imaad' last='Johnson'] has continued his emergence as a consistent high impact connective piece for this St. Joe's Metuchen starting lineup— providing tremendous value on both ends of the floor as a seamless offensive fit and a potent on ball defender. In this matchup against Coatesville (PA), Johnson displayed terrific defensive intangibles— applying intense ball pressure, defending the length of the floor, fighting through ball screens, and standing out as a strong point of attack defender. Offensively, although not the loudest statistical performance, Johnson still demonstrated his ability to score efficiently without necessarily breaking the offense, particularly with his outside shot making and attacking closeouts off the bounce to finish strong at the basket.

Returning for its third year of action last weekend was the Jerome Smart "Told U" Showcase held at Old Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ— a one day event named in honor of the late Jerome Smart, a former Paterson Catholic and New Jersey Playaz head coach who also spent time at Teaneck High School. This year's showcase featured a number of under the radar prospects along side some more well established prospects here in the state of New Jersey. With that being said, let's take a look at some prospects who delivered some impressive performances this past weekend.