Stay Public Showcase Eye Catchers

High school basketball across the state of New Jersey is in full gear, with teams beginning to settle into their chemistry and find their rhythm on the court. A new showcase on the 2025-2026 New Jersey high school basketball is the Stay Public Showcase— a showcase hosted at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, NJ meant to put the spotlight on some of North Jersey's best public school programs and the more intriguing public school prospects in the state. With that in mind, let's dive into some prospects who turned heads during last weekend's action.    An absolute lights out three point shooter who possesses difference making shooting ability with the shooting touch and noticeable confidence to get hot from the perimeter, [player_tooltip player_id='2875973' first='Max' last='MacEacheron'] erupted for an explosive scoring performance that saw him get into an impressive rhythm, absolutely torching the nets from three point distance. MacEacheron shined as an ultra efficient and extremely confident spot up shooter— showing good balance and a compact shooting form while also thriving as a movement shooter showing smooth footwork coupled with a quick and repeatable shooting release.     A lengthier and versatile guard with sound ball skills, particularly with his scoring impact and strong passing feel, [player_tooltip player_id='2763474' first='Aivaye' last='Ingram'] stuffed the stat sheet for Trenton in a multitude of ways in their victory over Scotch Plains-Fanwood. Ingram boasted a versatile scoring attack that saw him not only flash his perimeter shooting ability but also displaying his ability to knock down smooth mid range pull ups. Ingram also leveraged his positional size to crash the boards and both secure possessions on the defensive glass and generate second chance opportunities on the offensive glass. While impacting the game as both a scorer and a rebounder, Ingram also impressed with his unselfishness as a passer— advancing the ball up the floor to hit his teammates in stride in the open floor, cross court skip passes to find shooters in the half court, hitting dump offs in the dunker spot, and attacking gaps to draw help and find open teammates in the half court.     The driving force behind Trenton's offensive execution largely due to his dynamic ability with the ball in his hands, [player_tooltip player_id='2763472' first='Juan' last='Sanchez'] delivered a strong performance that highlighted his scoring and facilitation prowess coupled with his defensive intangibles. A versatile scoring performance saw him primarily knock down a number of open looks as a spot up shooter from three point range and attack driving angles for soft touch floaters. Sanchez strung together bright moments on the defensive end of the floor as well— pressing the ball at the point of attack as an on ball defender while also poking the ball out against opposing ball handlers to turn effective help defense into easy offense.     Having taken increasingly noticeable strides in expanding and refining his overall floor game as a more versatile guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2344534' first='James' last='Roberts']' 30 point scoring performance versus Piscataway saw him eclipse his 1,000th career point. Countering his typical smooth and lethal shooting touch while possessing a tighter and more confident handle, Roberts impressed with the different ways he created off the bounce— utilizing change of direction moves to get in the paint and finish, getting to his spots and hitting smooth mid range pull ups, attacking driving angles out of the triple threat position, and even attacking in transition and putting pressure on the rim for athletic above the rim finishes.     Thriving in a unique role of reliable spot up shooting and decisive decision making, [player_tooltip player_id='2748965' first='Landon' last='Pernell'] shined in his impact off the ball while also shouldering some of the point guard responsibilities for Piscataway's offense. Pernell found a nice rhythm offensively, showcasing his ability to knock down outside shots as a spot up shooter while also flashing his ability to create a little bit of separation off the dribble and knock down outside shots from three point range off the bounce. When the offense called for it, Pernell was also effective setting the table and orchestrating and initiating a lot of Piscataway's different half court actions.     A strong and physically built forward with a stout frame, [player_tooltip player_id='1948970' first='Donald' last='Nwaigwe'] made his presence felt around the basket— generating an immense amount of rim pressure in some shape or form what felt like almost every time he touched the basketball. Playing with a high motor paired with the physical tools he possesses, Nwaigwe demonstrated his ability to not only be active on the offensive glass but also excel running the lanes with purpose in transition. In different half court actions, Nwaigwe was aggressive in getting downhill out of face up opportunities for graceful finishes at the basket.     A versatile, high impact two way wing for this Linden group, [player_tooltip player_id='1595685' first='Jekhi' last='Burnam'] shined in his ability to be a difference maker on both ends of the floor. An offensively seamless fit with his ability to thrive off the ball within the flow of the offense, Burnam was much of himself— knocking down outside shots both off the bounce and as a spot up shooter while also being a strong finisher in the paint as a cutter in Linden's different half court actions. Defensively, Burnam leveraged his size and length to not only be a versatile defender but also a reliable contributor in the rebounding department.     [player_tooltip player_id='2201948' first='Asante' last='Jones'] stands out with a compelling combination of elite length, sound athleticism, and natural fluidity for a prospect of his size and at his position and strung together strong moments that highlighted that intriguing blend of physical tools. Offensively Jones impressed with the fluidity he moved with attacking closeouts off the bounce and the coordination he moved with in the open floor while also showcasing his ability to finish around the basket through contact in the low post and in traffic as a roller in PnR action. Defensively, Jones was effective leverage his length as an on ball defender and in the rebounding department to crash the glass and come down with rebounds.

High school basketball across the state of New Jersey is in full gear, with teams beginning to settle into their chemistry and find their rhythm on the court. A new showcase on the 2025-2026 New Jersey high school basketball is the Stay Public Showcase— a showcase hosted at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, NJ meant to put the spotlight on some of North Jersey's best public school programs and the more intriguing public school prospects in the state. With that in mind, let's dive into some prospects who turned heads during last weekend's action.