Just June East Orange League: Monday, June 1st Standouts

Summer basketball leagues across the state of New Jersey are officially underway and are in full effect. Over the next couple of weeks, prospects will be competing with their high school programs as they prepare for the upcoming scholastic live periods later this month. While some players have made their debuts with new teams following offseason transfers, others have begun to emerge in the expanded roles they're expected to hold once the winter season arrives. With Just June being a staple for New Jersey summer leagues at Cicely Tyson High School in East Orange, NJ, let's dive into some prospects that stood out over Monday's action earlier this week.    On the heels of an impressive spring that's seen him take strides in becoming a more well rounded and versatile guard, [player_tooltip player_id='2344534' first='James' last='Roberts'] continued to show increased comfort and pace as a ball handler initiating offense against ball pressure and making good decisions navigating PnR actions, particularly hitting rolling divers and locating moving shooters out on the perimeter. Providing his usual offensive production, Roberts also showcased his perimeter shooting prowess— knocking down outside shots with efficiency and natural shooting mechanics as a spot up shooter as well as creating a little bit of space off the bounce and hitting outside shots off the dribble. With East Orange able to generate a boatload of offense in the open floor, Roberts also excelled at putting pressure on the basket in transition and finishing above the rim.     [player_tooltip player_id='2201964' first='Elijah' last='Caldwell'] provided valuable and impactful shooting and floor spacing off the ball both as a spot up shooter and a movement shooter. Caldwell shot the three ball with efficiency and deep range accuracy throughout the course of East Orange's first summer league action of the month. Having that impact translate to the defensive end of the floor, Caldwell was also extremely disruptive defensively, using his quick hands and anticipation skills to throw ball handlers off the pace and get in the passing lanes to turn defensive stops into easy offense on the other end in transition.     Part of the catalyst for this Bayonne offense, [player_tooltip player_id='3648311' first='Jaylen' last='Sims'] showcased his overall playmaking skills in Monday afternoon's action, highlighted particularly by a combination of shotmaking and facilitation ability. Sims' perimeter shot making stood out as a standstill shooter and a movement shooter while also getting to his spots in the mid range area. Sims also maintained his court vision on drives and in the open floor when initiating the break— getting deep in the paint, drawing help and hitting dump offs to create clean scoring looks for others around the basket.     So much of [player_tooltip player_id='2504899' first='Chase' last='Pettiford']'s value lies in his perimeter shooting ability and Pettiford wasted no time reaffirming that notion in his first action since transferring to Newark Tech. Pettiford showcased efficiency and versatility as a perimeter shot maker— knocking down outside shots just as efficient as a movement shooter as he does as a C+S shooter. Pettiford was also able to get to the basket off the bounce— attacking with strength in transition and on dribble drives in half court offense absorbing bumps and finishing through contact at the basket.     Providing a veteran scoring presence entering year two with Newark Tech, [player_tooltip player_id='2201961' first='Va'Shaun' last='Harper'] impressed as a primary source of offense, particularly creating for himself from different areas on the floor— getting to his spots in the mid range area, absorbing contact to get to the FT line, and even flashing his perimeter spot up shooting.     Expected to see an increase in pressure from opposing defenses entering his senior season, [player_tooltip player_id='2884256' first='Corey' last='Begleiter'] quickly assimilated into what should be a slightly different role heading into next season— leveraging that opposing defensive pressure into creating scoring chances for others. Begleiter's quickness off the bounce allowed him to generate paint touches— keeping his vision on drives to kick out to open shooters when the defense collapsed. All while pushing the tempo in the open floor and getting easy looks at the rim in transition.     An extremely impactful guard who hangs his hat on doing the little things that go a long way in impacting winning, [player_tooltip player_id='3659775' first='Will' last='Dyer'] was his usual self in East Orange's early June action. Dyer's impact was felt the most in his playmaking ability, particularly in the open floor and in half court offense— pushing the pace in transition to get in the paint and spray the ball out, PnR navigation, and making the extra pass for better shots. All while also providing ball pressure and intensity defensively.

Summer basketball leagues across the state of New Jersey are officially underway and are in full effect. Over the next couple of weeks, prospects will be competing with their high school programs as they prepare for the upcoming scholastic live periods later this month. While some players have made their debuts with new teams following offseason transfers, others have begun to emerge in the expanded roles they're expected to hold once the winter season arrives. With Just June being a staple for New Jersey summer leagues at Cicely Tyson High School in East Orange, NJ, let's dive into some prospects that stood out over Monday's action earlier this week.