Miami Holiday Invitational: Additional New Jersey Notables

With the Christmas break now in the rearview, attention has turned to the wave of holiday tournaments taking place both in-state and across the country. Several New Jersey programs made the trip to the Sunshine State for this year's Miami Holiday Invitational, including Seton Hall Prep, Roselle Catholic, St. Peter's Prep, and Union Catholic, each facing a challenging lineup of opponents over the weekend. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at the prospects who stood out and how they performed against some of Florida's top programs.    A multifaceted weapon who influences the game on both ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='1595680' first='Mason' last='Santiago'] showcased his value as an overall difference maker— being a versatile defender, a steady and versatile scorer, all while also being reliable decision maker and facilitating the basketball to his teammates. Displaying the toughness and composure of an experienced and unselfish guard, Santiago consistently played under control, making sharp reads to get his teammates the ball in the right spots, attacking driving angles with physicality and strength, and knocking down outside shots in rhythm as a spot up shooter. Bringing steady physicality on both ends of the floor, Santiago was also impactful guarding multiple positions with strength and intense effort while also consistently crashing the glass and coming down with rebounds.     Blossoming into a legitimate and reliable contributor in St. Peter's' starting lineup, [player_tooltip player_id='2858267' first='Oscar' last='Martinez'] continues to show his impact as a versatile two way threat— possessing a natural ability to be an efficient scorer in the offense and a multifaceted defender that can guard multiple positions. A seamless offensive fit for the Marauders, Martinez often times finds himself never necessarily breaking the offense— knocking down in rhythm catch and shoot threes with confidence, moving well without the ball cutting to open space for easy layups, and attacking closeouts with sound feel for the game.     A sturdy hybrid forward who provides a seamless plug and play skill set, [player_tooltip player_id='1989267' first='Derek' last='Gomez'] impressed with his ability to score within the flow of St. Peter's offense and off activity— cutting to open space in half court sets, attacking closeouts and driving angles off the bounce, running the floor in transition, and even crashing the glass to create second chance opportunities. On the defensive end, Gomez combines physicality and quickness with his high motor to impact plays in a variety of ways as a physical and versatile defender.     A smooth guard who plays with impressive pace and poise coupled with dangerous shot making ability, [player_tooltip player_id='2342605' first='Trevor' last='Whitaker'] put his shot making prowess on full display over the course of Union Catholic's two matchups down in Miami— hitting an array of clean and smooth jumpers from the perimeter, with deep range accuracy while also attacking closeouts, getting to his preferred spots in the mid range area and showcasing his fluid pull up game. Whitaker turned in an efficient performance from the perimeter, highlighting his extremely smooth and compacts mechanics and reliable accuracy as a shot maker.     A high octane floor general who St. Peter's often relies on to set the table and orchestrate the offense, [player_tooltip player_id='1609109' first='Richie' last='Rosa'] stood out with his aggressive facilitation. Having made a conscious effort to get his teammates the ball in the right spots coupled with his sound court vision, Rosa made a number of sharp reads and precise passes to create clean scoring chances for his teammates. A habitual paint toucher, Rosa showed strong court awareness and feel for the game in the half court by getting into the paint and locating cutters on the move and finding open shooters out on the perimeter.     A tough and resilient interior presence who night in and night out plays so much bigger than his size, [player_tooltip player_id='1944384' first='Kahlik' last='Thomas'] shined in the different ways he uses his high energy and ferocious physicality to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Though a little undersized, Thomas thrived off activity on the inside— competing fiercely on the glass, sprinting the floor in transition, and being efficient from the dunker spot. Defensively, Thomas leveraged his length to both gather rebounds and alter and block shot attempts around the basket.     One of the more nationally touted guards in his class in the state of New Jersey, [player_tooltip player_id='2504886' first='Malik' last='Moore'] is a quick and aggressive left handed guard with a flashy style who can really handle the ball and attack his spots with comfortability. Moore gets going attacking downhill and is a creative finisher around the basket as he uses soft touch floaters from different angles effectively and much of that ability was on display throughout the course of both of Union Catholic's matchups in Miami. Moore also flashed his perimeter shot making ability showcasing he's a threat from three point range, knock down some open looks, with deep range accuracy.

With the Christmas break now in the rearview, attention has turned to the wave of holiday tournaments taking place both in-state and across the country. Several New Jersey programs made the trip to the Sunshine State for this year's Miami Holiday Invitational, including Seton Hall Prep, Roselle Catholic, St. Peter's Prep, and Union Catholic, each facing a challenging lineup of opponents over the weekend. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at the prospects who stood out and how they performed against some of Florida's top programs.