Season In Review: '28 Prospects Who Raised Their Stock

The conclusion of New Jersey's state tournament brings an exceptional high school season to a close, with champions crowned across every group. It was a memorable year—defined by consistent high-level play, impactful individual efforts, significant development, and growing recognition statewide. With that in mind, let's take a look at some class of 2028 prospects who made a strong impact and elevated their stock this season.    A smart and instinctive left handed point guard who consistently makes an impact by blending aggressive scoring with composed playmaking, while also taking pride in setting the defensive tone, [player_tooltip player_id='2782185' first='Anthony' last='Blackmon'] remained a catalyst to a historic Shabazz season that saw themselves get crowned NJSIAA Group 1 state champions. Tasked with running the offense for extended stretches at a time, Blackmon routinely displayed a confident handle and calm poise, effectively initiating sets and keeping teammates organized. Just keeping the defense at all times, Blackmon also showed an understanding of taking advantage of scoring opportunities— showing his ability to knock down spot up looks from the perimeter and countering that shooting touch by leveraging his strong and physical frame to absorb and play thought contact on physical drives while finishing strong around the rim. Defensively, his ball pressure disrupted opposing guards, creating turnovers that quickly turned into easy scoring chances. Blackmon's physicality extended to the glass as well, where his strong build and determination allowed him to battle effectively for rebounds and come away with several key possessions.     Part of an electric and fearless backcourt that was the catalyst to Seton Hall Prep capturing back to back Essex County titles and reaching the NJSIAA North Jersey Non-Public A sectional final, [player_tooltip player_id='2504780' first='Infinite' last='Sincere-AmenRa'] endured a legitimate breakout sophomore season that saw him emerge as a dynamic and versatile shot maker with extreme confidence. Possessing natural skill and an aggressive mindset, Sincere-AmenRa routinely impressed with his deft outside shooting touch— connecting on opportunistic in rhythm looks as a spot up shooter, creating space off the bounce and hitting shots as an off the dribble shooter and even excelling as a movement shooter coming off different screens and pin downs. Beyond his outside shooting impact, Sincere-AmenRa also showed some strong flashes of a more diverse scoring attack— creating his own shots off the bounce and displaying impressive scoring ability, skillfully breaking down defenders with different dribble combo moves, finishing creatively around the rim, and consistently hitting tough shots from all over the court.      There's always been intrigue that has surrounded the skillset of four star jumbo playmaking point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'], however since transferring to St. Joe's Metuchen earlier this fall and helping lead the program to a dominant GMC county title and a spot in the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A sectional final, this past season was the first time the production legitimately matched the potential. Marked by clear growth in his development and a significant increase in his on court production paired with a rare blend of positional size, refined ball handling and an advanced and natural feel for the game, Carter solidified his reputation as a crafty and dynamic lead guard capable of being a true floor general that balances scoring and playmaking— creating separation off the bounce to knock down tough mid range pull ups, attacking gaps to get downhill and finish with craftiness from different angles while also showing increased overall comfort and extended range from the perimeter as an outside shooter. Beyond scoring, Carter maximizes his size on the glass, crashing the boards and rebounding at a high level for his position, while also regularly collapsing defenses to create quality looks for teammates—showcasing sharp court vision and strong unselfish passing instincts. Really coming into his and growing more confident in his overall skillset, look for Carter's accession to steadily continue, especially after cracking the national rankings for the 2028 class.     In the midst of as impressive an individual season as anybody here in the state of New Jersey, [player_tooltip player_id='2504896' first='William' last='Brunson'] has been a major national stock riser in the class of 2028 over the last calendar year or so and at the end of his sophomore season, it is clearly evident as to why that's been the case— as the four star wing offers a unique mix of refined offensive skill and ideal size for his position. His sophomore campaign has only strengthened the buzz that he's generated, having been on a tear, delivering strong statistical performances while flashing the tools that have college coaches excited about his overall long term upside. As the season wained, Brunson continued to impress with his polished ability to create offense at all three levels while pairing unselfish passing instincts with advanced court vision as a facilitator, making high level reads and using his length as a defensive asset capable of guarding multiple positions while also bringing consistent energy on the glass. Deemed as a prospect with some of the best long term potential in his entire class, expect Brunson to sustain his standout play as a left handed bigger guard with the potential to emerge as one of the top two way wings in his class.     Amongst the biggest breakouts here in the state of New Jersey in the 2028 class is [player_tooltip player_id='2683649' first='Mike' last='Simborski']— a young and productive wing that provided value as an excellent complimentary piece for this year's Montgomery group. Scoring the basketball with extreme confidence and impressive efficiency, SImborski attacked closeouts aggressively, driving to the paint for tough and crafty finishes around the basket ultimately showcasing sharp footwork and a soft touch around the rim from multiple angles in traffic. Beyond his consistent paint touches, Simborski also demonstrated a smooth shooting stroke—knocking down open catch and shoot looks from three point range and even creating space off the dribble to demonstrate his ability to be a shooter that is capable of knocking down shots off the bounce. As the season wained, Simborski was also equally impactful on the defensive end of the floor, reading passing lanes with keen anticipation and quick hands, creating turnovers and converting them into above the rim finishes on the other end.     Although still early in his development, [player_tooltip player_id='2700396' first='Ahmad' last='Cook'] has made noticeable gains in both his physical frame and on court skill set throughout the course of his sophomore campaign. Cook's growth was evident in his play, showcasing more and more flashes of the intangibles of a physically imposing two way post player— improved balance and stronger footwork in the low post, softer hands on dump offs and entry passes, leverage his physical tools with the ability to fight for deep position in the paint and finish with control, and impact on the offensive glass creating second chance opportunities. Leveraging his stout and intimidating frame to also stand out defensively Cook impressed carving out space, protecting the rim with intimidating swats, and dominating the rebounding department. While there is still room for him to fully put it all together, his strong increase in his statistical production reflects a promising trajectory in his development and is definitely one to keep tabs on heading into the summer time.     Very often tasked with running the show from the point guard position and impressively operating with poise against opposing ball pressure with a tight and confident handle, [player_tooltip player_id='3270158' first='Jack' last='Martinez'] emerged as a more than reliable guard that boasted an impressive blend of scoring ability and innate playmaking instincts. An overall potent playmaker, Martinez showed a sharp understanding of angles when attacking driving lanes and open gaps, penetrating the paint and showing good touch around the basket converting smooth runners in the paint and crafty layups while also pushing the tempo and executing quick finishes in transition and putting together strong flashes his potential from beyond the arc, connecting on spot up opportunities and creating his own three point shots off the bounce. Simultaneously, his court vision and playmaking instincts routinely stood out, enabling him to draw in additional defenders and create prime scoring opportunities for his teammates, particularly finding bigs down low for dump offs and spraying the ball out to open shooters out on the perimeter.

The conclusion of New Jersey's state tournament brings an exceptional high school season to a close, with champions crowned across every group. It was a memorable year—defined by consistent high-level play, impactful individual efforts, significant development, and growing recognition statewide. With that in mind, let's take a look at some class of 2028 prospects who made a strong impact and elevated their stock this season.