Hoop Group Jersey Jam Fest: New Jersey 17U Notables

AAU season is fully in the thick of things, with every weekend now filled with programs competing in tournaments all across the country. Many programs have now played in a handful of warm up events and are beginning to find their footing as a team. This past weekend, Hoop Group hosted another tournament— the Jersey Jam Fest in Manalapan, NJ, bringing together a strong collection of some of the state's better prospects. With that being said, let's dive into some prospects who stood out playing 17U during this past weekend's action.    A four star jumbo playmaking point guard who possesses the necessary foundational tools and consistently makes the right reads as a ball handler to be a legitimate lead guard in any offense, [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'] delivered an impressive pair of explosive scoring performances that highlighted a lot of the components of his complete scoring package across all three levels— creating separation off the bounce and knocking down smooth perimeter jump shots with deep range accuracy, bumping defenders on physical drives to convert on soft touch runners and floaters in the lane, getting to his spots off the bounce in the mid range area for smooth pull ups jumpers, using hesitation dribbles to freeze defenders before turning the corner finishing around the basket. All while playing with extremely active hands and quick anticipation skills to force turnovers on the defensive end of the floor and maintaining his court vision to find teammates open in the right spots.     Providing a legitimate scoring punch for this loaded 17U Panthers group, the strong bodied [player_tooltip player_id='2107992' first='Julian' last='Van Hoeck'] demonstrated a balanced scoring attack— leveraging his filled out physical frame to finish with strength inside while attacking closeouts off the bounce and running the lanes with purpose in transition while also rolling hard to the basket out of PnR action. Countering the rim pressure he was able to generate, Van Hoeck also impacted the game as a scorer from the perimeter, showcasing some of his outside shooting touch both out on the perimeter as a spot up shooter and hitting soft touch mid range jumpers when defenses ran him off the three point line.     A scoring guard with innate three level ability and a smooth tempo off the dribble, [player_tooltip player_id='1406765' first='Milak' last='Myatt'] continued to show his ability to generate and capitalize off quality looks for himself. Even without heavy usage, Myatt still made his presence felt— bumping defenders to create separation and get to his spots in the mid range area, versatile perimeter shot making both creating off the bounce as well as off the catch as a standstill shooter and absorbing contact on his way to penetrating the lane off the bounce. Myatt also impressed with a lot of the decisions he made when being tasked with handling the basketball in certain instances— making the right reads in different PnR scenarios while also doing a really good job of recognizing help defense when attacking off dribble drives.     A high energy and explosive forward with uncommon versatility for his size and role, [player_tooltip player_id='2628248' first='Terrance' last='Jamison'] once again established himself as a major two way contributor. On the offensive end, Jamison provided legitimate value as a powerful finisher above the rim and a strong finisher through contact in the paint— effective as a roller in PnR action, finishing out of short corner dump offs, being efficient in “turn and face” scenarios to catch and attack the basket, diving to the rim off guards penetrating the basket, and showcasing his vertical leaping ability on explosive above the rim putbacks. Jamison's impact extended beyond his finishing ability around the basket, particularly being a versatile defender— snatching rebounds out of the air, switching across multiple positions containing drives out on the perimeter against quicker guards and banging down low with bigger post players, and using his athleticism to make highlight reel plays.     An extremely productive and reliable combo guard that routinely proves to be a seamless offensive fit and plays with such impressive poise shouldering duties at either guard spot, Lis Binishi impressed the most over the course of this past weekend's action thriving in a role that highlights strong ball handling and facilitation coupled with efficient spot up shooting off the ball. Binishi provided tremendous value handling the basketball and orchestrating offense when need be while also being equally impactful off the ball, stepping into in rhythm looks off the catch and knocking down opportunistic looks with confidence from beyond the three point arc.

AAU season is fully in the thick of things, with every weekend now filled with programs competing in tournaments all across the country. Many programs have now played in a handful of warm up events and are beginning to find their footing as a team. This past weekend, Hoop Group hosted another tournament— the Jersey Jam Fest in Manalapan, NJ, bringing together a strong collection of some of the state's better prospects. With that being said, let's dive into some prospects who stood out playing 17U during this past weekend's action.