Stay Public Showcase Additional Eye Catchers

High school basketball throughout New Jersey is in full swing, with teams beginning to gel and find their stride on the court. A new event of the 2025–2026 season is the Stay Public Showcase — held at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, NJ, designed to spotlight some of North Jersey's top public school programs and some of the more intriguing public school prospects in the state. With that in mind, let's take another look at some of the standout players who grabbed attention during last weekend's action.    An extremely savvy and really strong left handed point guard who hangs his hat on finding a healthy balance between being a scoring threat and a sound facilitator while also taking pride in pressuring the ball on the defensive end of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='2782185' first='Anthony' last='Blackmon'] showcased what his two way impact looks like in Shabazz's commanding victory over Dickinson last Sunday. Often times tasked with orchestrating a lot of the offense for this Shabazz group, Blackmon showed good poise paired with a tight and confident handle to get his teammates the ball in the right spots while also attacking driving angles off the bounce for strong and tough finishes through contact in the paint. Blackmon was impressive on the defensive end as well— relentlessly pressuring the ball with high energy and intense effort to be disruptive at the point of attack and benefit from Shabazz's collective emphasis to force turnovers and turn intense defensive pressure into easy offense.     One of Woodbury's more productive guards due in large part to his confident shot making ability, [player_tooltip player_id='2980793' first='Devin' last='Williams'] stood out as a poised and efficient perimeter shooter. Especially converting on catch and shoot opportunities, Williams provided optimal floor spacing and impressed with some intangibles that make him a dangerous threat far beyond what his shooting numbers are—stepping into shots with fluidity and balanced footwork, shooting the basketball with a quick and high release, and aggressively hunting his shot and finding open windows in the offense off different ball reversals and guards penetrating.     The engine behind a lot of the success this Plainfield group endures on both ends of the court, [player_tooltip player_id='2344521' first='Micah' last='Gordon'] continued to showcase his impressive versatility as a legitimate playmaking point guard on the offensive end of the floor who also embraces the challenge of constantly pressuring the ball and being disruptive at the point of attack on the defensive end of the floor. In the midst of a remarkable stretch of impressive performances to jumpstart his junior campaign, [player_tooltip player_id='2344521' first='Micah' last='Gordon'] has shown confident do it all ability from the point guard position and continued to do so this past Sunday— unselfish facilitation, firing passes to open teammates and delivering it on time and on target to keep teammates in rhythm paired with a natural and advanced ability to be a dynamic and efficient scoring threat, particularly as an outside shot maker with deep range accuracy. Gordon was equally impactful on the defensive end— where his relentless ball pressure, quick hands, and anticipation allowed him to beat opponents to their spots, disrupt opposing ball handlers, and jump passing lanes with regularity to turn defensive pressure into easy offense.     What's been a welcoming and reliably productive addition to Shabazz's backcourt particularly with his confident scoring prowess, [player_tooltip player_id='2201950' first='Elijah' last='Colon'] continued his impressive start to the season since transferring to Shabazz. Colon delivered an impressive performance that highlighted his ability thrive off the ball and be a dynamic and versatile outside shot maker— stepping into open shots with fluid mechanics as a spot up shooter off the catch while also showing smooth footwork and good balance on movement threes, capitalizing off late contests and lazy closeouts. Colon also flashed his ability to attack certain driving angles when they opened up off the bounce and finish in the lane with a little bit of craftiness, keeping the defense honest and countering his dangerous outside shooting touch.     An extremely vital and ultra dependable part of Plainfield's offensive success with his ability to be a legitimate threat off the ball, especially as a confident outside shot maker, [player_tooltip player_id='3273627' first='Devin' last='Thomas'] was once again reliable and productive in Plainfield's dominant win over Woodbury during last Sunday's action. With compact and fluid shooting mechanics paired with an aggressive shot hunting approach, Thomas showcased his confidence and rhythm as an off ball shot making, ultimately excelling as a spot up shooter. Finishing a number of easy looks at the basket in transition, Thomas also benefited from Plainfield's emphasis on speeding Woodbury up and turning intense defensive pressure into easy offense on the other end.     Another bright spot in Shabazz's rotation of versatile guards, [player_tooltip player_id='1775139' first='Zaim' last='Barnes'] excelled as a confident and versatile scoring threat, particularly both on and off the ball over the course of last Sunday's action. Proving to be a legitimate plug and play offensive fit with his effectiveness with and without the basketball, Barnes demonstrated his ability to not only thrive off the ball as a confident three point shooter with his compact shooting release and strong intangibles as a shooter but also attack driving angles off the bounce in the flow of Shabazz's offense when the opposing defenses got in rotation(s) to get in the lane and finish strong in traffic at the basket.

High school basketball throughout New Jersey is in full swing, with teams beginning to gel and find their stride on the court. A new event of the 2025–2026 season is the Stay Public Showcase — held at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, NJ, designed to spotlight some of North Jersey's top public school programs and some of the more intriguing public school prospects in the state. With that in mind, let's take another look at some of the standout players who grabbed attention during last weekend's action.