Jerome Smart "Told U" Showcase More Eye Catchers

The Jerome Smart “Told U” Showcase returned for its third year of action last weekend at Old Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ. The one day event honors 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 brought together a strong mix of under the radar prospects along side some more established talent from across New Jersey. With that in mind, let's take another look at a few players who turned in standout performances over the weekend.    Four star guard [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'] is a crafty and savvy jumbo guard who possesses the legitimate positional size and impressive overall playmaking feel to be a true lead guard. Since returning to action after having to sit out the first 30 days of the season to NJSIAA transfer rules, Carter has routinely stuffed the stat sheet and hovered around a triple double on most nights and that very much the case again in this dominant matchup over Coatesville (PA)— highlighting his ability to not only score with efficiency from all three levels with creativity and poise off the bounce but also leverage his unique positional size and length to rebound at an exceptionally impactful rate and utilize his popping court vision and impressive passing feel to find guys open and create advantageous scoring chances for his teammates.     With the makeup of this St. Joe's Metuchen roster, [player_tooltip player_id='1948973' first='Ryan' last='Hilongos'] has been thrusted into more of a unique depth piece for this frontcourt group with the skillset he possesses. In this matchup against visiting Coatesville (PA), Hilongos was impressively impactful with the minutes he was provided— suppling a level of interior toughness particularly manning the paint as a tough rebounder and contesting shot attempts with length around the basket while also flashing his ability to operate as a perimeter floor spacer, knocking down a clean and in rhythm outside look from three point range off the catch.     Although still raw and in the early stages of his development, [player_tooltip player_id='2700396' first='Ahmad' last='Cook'] has done noticeable work to his physical frame while simultaneously having taken impressive strides in his on court skillset. Displaying the noticeable growth in his game, Cook exhibited some of the necessary intangibles and attributes that are reflective of a physically imposing two way impact post player— improvement in playing with balanced and stronger footwork in the low post, softer hands catching dump offs and entry passes, fighting for position for deep seals in the paint to turn and finish with control, and being impactful on the offensive glass for meaningful second chance opportunities. With the stout and intimidating physical tools he possesses, Cook also shined as defensive anchor— carving out space and leveraging his physical tools to not only be a rim protector, swatting shot attempts at the rim but also as a ferocious rebounder. With still ways to go in terms of putting it all together, Cook's strong double double against Newark Tech was definitely a reflective of his onward trajectory at the moment.     A pugnacious scoring guard who is always in a relentless and constant pursuit of the basket, [player_tooltip player_id='2788641' first='Gavin' last='Roach'] was extremely aggressive in attacking any and every driving angle he could find in West Side's matchup against Newark Tech. Aggressive in getting downhill and generating an immense amount of pressure on the rim both in half court action and in the open floor, Roach not only got in the paint at will but also demonstrated his ability to finish both with craftiness at the basket for soft touch finishes but also with strength, absorbing contact and different bumps for tough layups around the rim. Just flat out hungry for the basketball, Roach was also impactful in the rebounding department, generating a number of second chance points on the offensive glass. Roach's aggressiveness also unlocked additional offense for him at the free throw line, generating ample trips to the charity stripe for easy offense at the line.     [player_tooltip player_id='2201949' first='Ayyub' last='Wilson'] is an extremely quick point guard with blazing end to end speed paired with an aggressive downhill attacking mindset that he uses to routinely get in the paint. Wilson attacked tight driving angles for tough and crafty finishes around the basket against Northern Highlands, using his explosive first step to get by opposing defenders. Pivotal to what his long term upside looks like at the next level and what seems to be an emphasis on showing a larger sample size of his three point shooting this season, Wilson looked more comfortable from the perimeter as an outside shooter with a more quicker and confident shooting release, knocking down a pair of open looks as the game went on.     An extremely quick table setting and tempo controlling point guard who often plays really fast, [player_tooltip player_id='3300833' first='Ilijah' last='Adams'] showcased a more expanded offensive attack in this matchup against Newark West Side, particularly impressing with his perimeter shooting ability. A constant threat to use his speed to get in the paint, Adams converted on a variety of crafty finishes with excellent touch from multiple angles, including soft floaters in the in between areas. Much like his usual self in being aggressive in attempting to set his teammates up, his frequent paint touches highlighted his strong court vision and passing instincts, as he routinely drew multiple defenders before finding open teammates across the floor. The most impressive part of Adams' performance last Saturday though was easily his outside scoring— knocking a number of open looks from three point range, a part of his game that seemed to be growing with more confidence.     A do it all guard for Northern Highlands that wears many hats and contributes wherever need be, [player_tooltip player_id='2883913' first='Pharoahe' last='Dixon'], as he typically does, exhibited an ability to be a legitimate difference maker on both ends of the floor due in large part to his insanely high motor, sound feel for the game, and the versatility he possesses in his overall skillset. Dixon plays with fearless and selfless mindset that often is evident in the different ways he finds to impact the game— initiating offense and being a willing passer to get his teammates more involved, getting downhill and attacking driving angles to finish strong at the basket with solid body control, convert on spot up opportunities from three point range, and even pressure the ball to be disruptive at the point of attack and turnover opposing ball handlers over.     A swift and dynamic lead guard with a natural scoring instinct, [player_tooltip player_id='1788774' first='Mickell' last='Taylor Jr']. turned in a standout performance that showcased the full scope of his offensive skill set from a guard who's wired to score perspective. Taylor poured in an explosive scoring performance against Paterson Kennedy, highlighting his ability to score in bunches and demonstrating a confident and advanced feel as a scorer from multiple levels. Settling into more of a rhythm in the second half, Taylor Jr got hot from three point range, shining as a perimeter threat—creating separation off the bounce, knocking down pull up jumpers and converting on in rhythm spot up looks. Taylor Jr did show an overall balanced scoring attack that also saw him punish closeouts with soft touch floaters and tough finishes in the lane.     A long and dynamic guard with clear positional size and an eye catching instinctual feel for the game, [player_tooltip player_id='2980759' first='AJ' last='Farrell'] proved once again to be a reliable and impactful presence as a versatile playmaker, operating as a facilitator and creating for others while also still remaining a threat to score himself. Comfortable with the ball in his hands, Farrell consistently displayed high level passing feel and strong court vision, delivering sharp reads and creative passes that generated clean and advantageous scoring opportunities for his teammates. Farrell also flashed his outside shooting ability, knocking down a number of spot up looks from three point range while also mixing in his ability to efficiently get to his spots attacking driving angles off the dribble to finish in the lane.

The Jerome Smart “Told U” Showcase returned for its third year of action last weekend at Old Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ. The one day event honors 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 brought together a strong mix of under the radar prospects along side some more established talent from across New Jersey. With that in mind, let's take another look at a few players who turned in standout performances over the weekend.