NJ Legacy Jingle Bells Jubilee Quad Championship Standouts

As the Christmas break fades into the rearview mirror, the spotlight now turns to a flurry of holiday tournaments that've happened across the state of New Jersey. Of the many holiday tournaments that took place, none other remain as anticipated of an event as the annual New Jersey Legacy Jingle Bells Jubilee held at the historic Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ. Maintaining its traditional format, each quad featured a four team bracket competing for a spot in their respective quad's championship game. With that being said, let's dive into some standouts from last week's championship Monday.    A quick and dynamic lead guard with a natural knack for scoring the basketball in a bevy of ways, [player_tooltip player_id='1788774' first='Mickell' last='Taylor Jr'] delivered a standout performance that highlighted so much of his offensive skillset from a playmaking guard perspective. An explosive 32 point performance against Montclair highlighted Taylor's feel as a scorer and ability to score it in bunches— particularly attacking closeouts for soft touch floaters and tough layups in traffic and shining as a perimeter shot maker creating separation off the bounce and hitting shots off the dribble as well as a in rhythm spot up shooter. Leveraging the closeouts he receives as a dangerous three point shooter, Taylor Jr didn't let him being undersized stop him from continuing to attack closeouts off the bounce to absorb contact and generate ample trips to the free throw line. Taylor Jr was also extremely effective in transition— often times being in the right position at the right time on the defensive end to capitalize off turnovers in the open floor.     Ultra aggressive and extremely confident from the perimeter from the opening tip, [player_tooltip player_id='2504507' first='Jayden' last='Robinson'] established a nice rhythm that saw him impact the game as a dangerous shot maker, providing timely makes from three point range. The left handed combo guard showcased the versatility he possesses as a shot maker— burying open look after open look from the perimeter, converting both on spot up opportunities and creating a little bit of separation off the bounce and flashing his ability to knock down outside shots off the dribble. Robinson also mixed some strong finishes at the rim attacking closeouts, ultimately leveraging the closeouts he received as the game went as a result of the night he was having from three point range.     A lengthier and dynamic guard with glaring positional size and eye popping instinctual feel with the ball in his hands, [player_tooltip player_id='2980759' first='AJ' last='Farrell'] is a reliable guard who brought tremendous value as an overall dynamic playmaker. Possessing a natural tendency to be effective on the ball, Farrell's performance highlighted his passing feel paired with his excellent court vision for a number of sharp reads and flashy passes, creating clean and advantageous scoring chances for his teammates. Farrell also showcased some of his ability to create for himself— getting to his spots in the mid range area and attacking driving angles off the bounce for strong finishes in the paint.     The veteran guard for this new Newark Tech group, [player_tooltip player_id='2201961' first='Va'Shaun' last='Harper'] had a hot stretch in the first quarter that highlighted his versatile shot making prowess. Getting hot to open things up and giving life to this Terriers group, Harper demonstrated his ability to get to his spots out the triple threat and knock down smooth mid range pull ups, hit in rhythm catch and shoot threes from outside, and even being able to knock down in pull ups in transition from three point range with deep range accuracy.     [player_tooltip player_id='3300833' first='Ilijah' last='Adams'] possesses quick end to end speed with the ball in his hands and leverages that ability to routinely get in the paint and create plays. Adams seemed to basically live in the paint over the course of Newark Tech's matchup against Hackensack— converting on a number of crafty finishes with great touch from different angles around the basket and soft touch in between area floaters. Reflective of his habitual paint touches, Adams utilized his excellent court vision coupled with his feel as a passer to constantly draw multiple defenders and find open teammates in different spots on the floor. A guard who hangs his hat on the defensive end of the floor, Adams also exhibited his ability to be a scrappy defender with quick hands and solid anticipation skills to play the passing lanes with great timing to routinely get steals and finish strong on the other end.     A legitimate offensive spark plug who provides microwave scoring for this Montclair group, [player_tooltip player_id='3300837' first='La'Mear' last='Singletary'] excelled in the different ways he was able to provide offense— knocking down in rhythm catch and shoot threes from the perimeter, being effective as a finisher in transition both as a lane runner, getting ahead of the defense and being a scrappy defender, turning opposing ball handlers over and turning defense into offense, and even crashing the boards and generating second chance opportunities on the offensive glass.     An ultra dynamic and super talented lead guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2763494' first='Jayden' last='Solomon'] delivered a standout performance that displayed his natural confidence and consistent ability to flat out make things happen, shining in the many ways he controlled the game and created plays. Aggressive from jump street, Solomon made it an emphasis to get downhill almost every time he touched the ball— attacking driving angles with swiftness and purpose for tough and crafty finishes around the basket while also mixing in some physical drives playing off bumps. Solomon also demonstrated a an extreme willingness to be a facilitator— highlighted by his instinctual feel paired with his court vision to make sharp and on time passes to find guys open.     A do it all multi faceted guard who wears many hats for this Northern Highlands team, [player_tooltip player_id='2883913' first='Pharoahe' last='Dixon'] demonstrated he's more than capable of influencing the game both as a decisive playmaker and a versatile scorer. Dixon was seen initiating offense and setting the table for Northern Highlands, knocking down open catch and shoot threes, attacking driving angles both physicality and finesse, and even contributing in the rebounding department.

As the Christmas break fades into the rearview mirror, the spotlight now turns to a flurry of holiday tournaments that've happened across the state of New Jersey. Of the many holiday tournaments that took place, none other remain as anticipated of an event as the annual New Jersey Legacy Jingle Bells Jubilee held at the historic Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ. Maintaining its traditional format, each quad featured a four team bracket competing for a spot in their respective quad's championship game. With that being said, let's dive into some standouts from last week's championship Monday.