UA Association: NJ Notable Prospects From Session I

AAU season is in full swing and the Under Armour Association kicked off the 2026 AAU season with its first stop being in Kansas City, KS this weekend with a slate of competitive matchups and intriguing prospects nationwide. Under Armour's first session highlighted a lot of New Jersey's compelling prospects primarily playing 17U and 16U for the number of Under Armour programs in the tai-state area. With that being said, let's dive into some prospects who stood out throughout UAA's first session this past weekend.    [player_tooltip player_id='2621316' first='Matthew' last='Kennedy'] continues to offer an immensely valuable dynamic to Riverside's offense as a potent and confident perimeter shot maker, stretching defenses in ways that open up the entire floor. Kennedy's willingness to take and ability to convert on shots from beyond the arc forces opponents to extend their coverage while also opening up so much more additional offense for himself, in particular mid range pull ups and creating driving lanes to get to the basket. Kennedy also impressed providing relief as an additional reliable ball handler for this Riverside offense, bringing the ball up against pressure and orchestrating different sets when need be.     With every showing [player_tooltip player_id='2504904' first='Izayah' last='Cooper'] continues to demonstrate the necessary qualities you like to see in a PG that you can trust in your running your offense. Steering the ship for this Shoreshots UAA 16U group, Cooper impressed the most by playing with strong command of the offense and clear poise— maintaining his court vision in the open floor and looking for others paired with the flashy passing feel to make the right read, generates paint touches off the bounce, clear emphasis on setting his teammates up. Cooper was also equally as impactful on the defensive end, seen containing drives against opposing drivers, beating ball handlers to the spot, and forcing deflections with active hands.      Stepping slightly increased responsibility of being more of a primarily ball handler, [player_tooltip player_id='2194627' first='Tyree' last='Thorp'] did an overall solid job of shouldering the PG responsibilities and initiating offense against pressure. Remaining a threat to score, Thorp was also effective generating a boatload of rim pressure as a slasher, pushing the tempo in transition for tough coast to coast finishes in traffic while also attacking driving angles off the bounce in different half court offensive sets.      With the lengthy and wiry frame he possesses and in the early stages of his on court development, Mallavarapu still found ways to impact the game without necessarily needing the ball in short stints, particularly on the defensive end— leveraging his glaring length to wall up against shot attempts around the basket, force deflections in the passing lanes with his active hands, and securing rebounds on the glass.     A big who possesses a noticeably strong and bruising frame, [player_tooltip player_id='2201962' first='Andrew' last='Iduh'] showed flashes of being able to finish around the basket at a decent rate. With this Shoreshots 17U group going through stretches of their half court offense putting an emphasis on getting the ball inside for post ups, Iduh strung together some strong moments where he capitalized on these interior opportunities with pretty solid efficiency and pretty solid touch around the basket.

AAU season is in full swing and the Under Armour Association kicked off the 2026 AAU season with its first stop being in Kansas City, KS this weekend with a slate of competitive matchups and intriguing prospects nationwide. Under Armour's first session highlighted a lot of New Jersey's compelling prospects primarily playing 17U and 16U for the number of Under Armour programs in the tai-state area. With that being said, let's dive into some prospects who stood out throughout UAA's first session this past weekend.