MADE Hoops Summer Live Finale: More New Jersey 17U Standouts

A highly anticipated weekend on the grassroots basketball calendar officially came to a close last week as the second and final July live period concluded. Following the first evaluation period the week prior, college coaches once again packed gyms nationwide, taking advantage of another important opportunity to scout and evaluate prospects in person. MADE Hoops hosted its Summer Live Finale in Baltimore, MD, showcasing a strong lineup of marquee matchups and featuring many of the region's top emerging talents. Several New Jersey standouts seized the opportunity to shine, putting together impressive performances that elevated their recruitment profiles and further boosted their stock. With that in mind, here is another look at some of New Jersey's top performers from MADE Hoops' final event of the summer.    One of the more rarer cases of a young freshman playing the entirety of the spring and summer up two age groups on 17U, [player_tooltip player_id='3243498' first='Nick' last='Tait'] combines legitimate positional size as a primary ball handler coupled with a lengthy frame and very much a well rounded offensive skill set. Tait thrives on creating advantages and has demonstrated the scoring ability and offensive versatility to take over possessions and serve as a overall complete playmaker— using his physicality and bigger frame paired with some of his creativity off the bounce to bump defenders off his body on dribble drives in isolation situations while also creating space for mid range area pull ups off with some of those same type of bumps. All while also impacting the game from the perimeter and countering that rim pressure with his outside shooting touch, particularly as a spot up shooter off the catch, with deep range accuracy too.     [player_tooltip player_id='2202022' first='Anthony' last='Mauro'] is an ultra competitive guard whose toughness shows up on every possession. A reliable decision maker, he consistently pressures the paint, displays a polished and soft touch in the lane and beyond, and remains an unselfish creator by reading help defenders and finding teammates on his drives. Mauro settled into a nice rhythm offensively and showed just how impactful his scoring can be— navigating ball screens with pace to get in the lane for different footed, soft touch runners and floaters while also showcasing a little bit of his craftiness off the bounce to attack slower footed defenders in isolation to finish with dexterity from different angles around the basket. All while controlling the pace and tempo in transition as a primary ball handler and taking advantage of easy scoring chances at the rim before the defense was able to get set.     [player_tooltip player_id='2397968' first='Connor' last='Junker'] has limitless confidence from three point range and is always ready to capitalize on any opportunity from the perimeter. And throughout this second live period of July, not only have his performances been backed by his fearless perimeter shooting but also further unlocking an ability to allow his shooting gravity to generate additional offense in the painted area, attacking over control closeouts to get in the paint for soft touch finishes around the basket. Settling into a nice rhythm offensively as the action wained, Junker also displayed some of his creativity off the bounce to get by his man when isolation scoring opportunities presented itself while further continuing to prove himself as a dangerous and versatile shooter from the outside, burying a number of deep range catch and shoot and movement shooting opportunities. With an expanded playmaking role, Junker proved capable, handling ball pressure with poise and composure, displaying strong court vision as a facilitator, and delivering timely interior passes to create scoring opportunities for his bigs.     [player_tooltip player_id='2202019' first='Alex' last='Mazzella'] continued to establish himself as a tough, competitive primary ball handler capable of handling increased playmaking duties. Aggressive in forcing the defense to respect him beyond his ability to facilitate and make strong decisions, Mazzella was a threat to score out the gate— showing good touch and footwork in the between area and at the rim highlighted by turn around jumpers, strong two foot finishes at the basket, swift drives and mid range pull ups in PnR while also mixing in a versatile perimeter shot making profile that featured movement shooting off pin downs and spot up shooting off the ball. Displaying reliable poise, solid pace, and strong decision-making, he consistently made a lot of the right reads and winning plays, controlling the game from the point guard spot.     [player_tooltip player_id='2966035' first='Kaden' last='Aiken'] continued to reinforce his value as an interior offensive presence, showcasing the traits that have fueled so much of his efficient production in the paint. Most notably his ability to make a significant impact without needing a high volume of touches, consistently generating offense through his activity, timing, and feel off the ball. Aiken's interior finishing remained one of the biggest takeaways, as he consistently converted around the rim with both efficiency and touch— capitalizing off designed downhill cuts in different half court sets, leveraging his strength on the offensive glass to win rebounding battles and capitalize on second chance opportunities, running the rim line with purpose in transition offense, and even as a strong, smart and instinctive diver in PnR action(s).

A highly anticipated weekend on the grassroots basketball calendar officially came to a close last week as the second and final July live period concluded. Following the first evaluation period the week prior, college coaches once again packed gyms nationwide, taking advantage of another important opportunity to scout and evaluate prospects in person. MADE Hoops hosted its Summer Live Finale in Baltimore, MD, showcasing a strong lineup of marquee matchups and featuring many of the region's top emerging talents. Several New Jersey standouts seized the opportunity to shine, putting together impressive performances that elevated their recruitment profiles and further boosted their stock. With that in mind, here is another look at some of New Jersey's top performers from MADE Hoops' final event of the summer.