Shooting Stars Basketball Showcase: New Jersey Notables

The Shooting Stars Basketball Showcase returned for its tenth year of action Sunday this year at St. Francis Prep in Queens, NY hosted by the Riverside Hawks AAU program. This year's action featured an impressive field of teams from New York, New Jersey, and the New England areas in one of the more anticipated events in the NYC area this season. Playing in front of a packed gym and a solid turnout of college coaches and scouts, an interesting crop of New Jersey prospects stood out over the course of Sunday's action. With that being said, let's dive into the prospects from the state of New Jersey who garnered attention.    A confident outside shot maker who is comfortable at getting to his spots, [player_tooltip player_id='2504745' first='Chase' last='Bray'] showcased much of the shot making dynamic that he brings to Roselle Catholic's offense. Whether it was sprinting to the corner in transition and providing optimal floor spacing or hunting his shot in the half court, Bray demonstrated his ability to provide value as a dangerous spot up shooter, with deep range accuracy, that defenses must close out on and be conscience of where he's at on the court at all times. Possessing a solid understanding of the type of closeouts he receives as a lethal shooter, Bray also showcased some of his decision making ability— particularly getting in the paint and utilizing his vision and court awareness to draw help and find open teammates.     The engine that makes Roselle Catholic's offense go due in large part to his capabilities on the ball as a flashy scorer with a little bit of flare, [player_tooltip player_id='1729825' first='Trey' last='Lewis'] demonstrated a versatile scoring attack— one that helped spear a miraculous comeback for this Roselle Catholic group. Lewis' steady scoring performance consisted of knocking down outside shots wit versatility, both as a smooth movement shooter and a confident spot up shooter, attacking driving angles out of the mid post area, smooth mid range area shot making, and even playing the passing lanes and turning intense defense into easy offense on the other end.     An extremely strong and physically imposing interior force who occupies so much space in the paint, [player_tooltip player_id='2470853' first='Kamsi' last='Awaka'] leveraged his stout physique and glaring and intriguing physical tools to string together bright moments that highlighted his ability to be a major difference maker on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. A solid interior finisher with soft hands and solid touch around the basket, Awaka showcased his effectiveness as a reliable finisher in PnR action and catching the ball down low on low post seals. Much of what makes him a powerful force on the defensive end of the floor— Awaka also strung together moments that highlighted his ability to utilize his overwhelming force and strength to win box outs on the boards.     With every showing [player_tooltip player_id='1630659' first='Isaiah' last='Carroll'] routinely shows why he projects to be an instant impact two way wing at the next level. Carroll is your prototypical 3&D wing who boasts efficient outside shooting percentages due in large part to a repeatable and confident shooting stroke and impactful contributions in the rebounding department coupled with the versatility to be a disruptive and active defender at the point of attack versus multiple positions.     An explosive two way lead guard with glaring athleticism who reliantly controls the game and takes full command of the offense for Blair, consensus five star point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1595679' first='Deron' last='Rippey Jr.'] delivered another standout performance that highlighted the dynamic ability he possesses with the ball in his hands. Rippey Jr. continued to demonstrate the immense amount of pressure on the rim he constantly generates— utilizing his creativity off the bounce and good burst to get in the paint and convert on a number of tough and acrobatic finishes at the basket from different angles in the paint. With the usage rate that Rippey Jr. sees on the ball, he continues to show the vast strides he's taken as an orchestrator of offense— making a number of high level reads and passes to cutters in different offensive actions, PnR opportunities, as well as spraying the ball out to open shooters.     What's been a high impact addition thus far for Blair Academy and having legitimately emerged as a productive and versatile front court piece, [player_tooltip player_id='2431506' first='Coleman' last='Elkins'] continued to demonstrate the interesting layer he provides to Blair's offense with the unique skillset he possesses at his size and position. A legitimate inside outside threat, Elkins' performance Sunday afternoon highlighted his ability to provide reliability in different PnR actions— spacing the floor and knocking down outside shots with confidence as a pick and pop threat countered by his interior ability to also be a strong roller and finish with power at the rim.     [player_tooltip player_id='1865348' first='Jaen' last='Chatman'] is a reliable and productive combo guard who routinely shines as a seamless offensive fit with the different things he's able to make happen on the offensive side of the court, effective both on and off the ball. Chatman's impressive offensive performance Sunday afternoon consisted of an efficient and diverse scoring attack mixed with his decisive and sound facilitation to get his teammates more involved— dynamic and in rhythm shot making off the bounce while also being just as effective as a spot up shooter, patience in letting plays develop as a ball handler in PnR action to make the right read(s), and even attacking closeouts and certain angles off the bounce that his shooting gravity opened up for him.

The Shooting Stars Basketball Showcase returned for its tenth year of action Sunday this year at St. Francis Prep in Queens, NY hosted by the Riverside Hawks AAU program. This year's action featured an impressive field of teams from New York, New Jersey, and the New England areas in one of the more anticipated events in the NYC area this season. Playing in front of a packed gym and a solid turnout of college coaches and scouts, an interesting crop of New Jersey prospects stood out over the course of Sunday's action. With that being said, let's dive into the prospects from the state of New Jersey who garnered attention.