MADE Hoops Summer Live Finale: New Jersey 17U Standouts

A weekend circled for everyone on the grassroots basketball calendar wrapped up earlier last week as the second and final July live period came to a close. After the opening evaluation period the previous week, college coaches once again filled gyms across the country for another crucial opportunity to evaluate prospects in person. MADE Hoops hosted its Summer Live Finale in Baltimore, MD featuring a loaded slate of marquee matchups and many of the region's hottest prospects. Several New Jersey standouts made the most of the stage, delivering impressive performances that further strengthened their recruitment and continued to raise their stock. With that in mind, let's take an initial look at some of New Jersey's top performers from MADE Hoops' final event of the summer.    [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'] is a four-star jumbo lead guard who possesses an extremely intriguing skillset— a natural playmaker who thrives with the ball in his hands, controlling the pace, elevating those around him, and possesses the complete floor general skill set to lead an offense at the next level. Carter delivered several high scoring performances that put most of his offensive arsenal on display— attacking driving angles in isolation situations and absorbing contact to bump defenders on drives to the basket, highlighting his underrated ability to keep it simple and efficient out of the triple threat. Getting deeper into his creativity as the defense began to give him different looks, Carter showcased some of his creativity off the bounce to get to his spot(s)— for different soft touch floaters and runners, getting to open space for smooth mid range pull ups, and even using swift hesitation dribbles navigating different ball screens.     An extremely aggressive guard who often times offers a compelling blend of confident perimeter shot making and powerful, physical downhill driving, [player_tooltip player_id='2284385' first='Jordan' last='Moton'] impressed in the ways he was able to compliment the immense amount of rim pressure he typically generates with an outside shooting touch, ultimately keeping the defense honest. Moton ultimately demonstrated an overall well rounded scoring attack— assertive slashing off the bounce with sound two foot footwork in the paint countered by hints of versatile perimeter shooting, particularly off the catch out of Spain action(s) and drive and kick opportunities while flashing his ability to create slight space off the bounce and knock down outside shots off the dribble.     Continuing to prove to be a high impact and extremely valuable interior paint presence, particularly highlighted by his ability to excel off of activity and not needing a frequent amount of touches, [player_tooltip player_id='3434708' first='Malik' last='Sonko'] showcased so much of what has him trending upwards over the last couple months. Firmly establishing himself as a strong finisher at the rim, Sonko's efficiency and overall solid touch around the rim stood out— attacking out of his face up game off of high post touches in the flow of the offense, catching dump offs from penetrating guards for explosive above the rim finishes, and even leveraging his strength and physicality in the low post to convert on deep seal duck ins in the middle of the paint.     Seeing a lot of reps on the ball and taking advantage of a lot of scoring chances, [player_tooltip player_id='2201964' first='Elijah' last='Caldwell'] impressed in not only the ways he was able to produce offense but also some of the intangibles he showed as a ball handler. Caldwell stood out in which the pace he played with navigating different types of PnR action(s) and not really getting too sped up in a lot of the reads he made— adept at using hesitation dribbles and being patient coming off ball screens to get all the way to the rim and finish in traffic and knocking down pull ups threes when defenders went under the screen(s). All while not letting different bumps and contact from defenders rattle him in pursuit of the basket. Caldwell also was effective in transition, highlighted by a handful of strong finishes at the rim and even showing flashes of a fast break mid range pull up.     Contrary to his usual role as a facilitator who orchestrates the offense and creates opportunities for his teammates, a lot of the action called for [player_tooltip player_id='2786681' first='Cam' last='White'] to be a timely scorer, and he delivered in a big way. Scoring when called upon, White showcased a diverse scoring attack— an attack that consisted of mid range pull ups and soft touch runners when quickly attacking closeouts, quick change of direction off the bounce when defenders pressuring him were caught flat footed to get to the rim in isolation scoring scenarios, outside spot up shooting off the ball when defenses closed out late, and even scoring in transition, pushing the tempo for quick and easy baskets in the open floor.     [player_tooltip player_id='2895818' first='Imaad' last='Johnson'] showed great comfort and poise, making a significant impact by providing reliable and efficient secondary scoring, a role he's more than accustomed to playing thus far. Johnson displayed an effective balance between offensive aggression and team play, creating efficient scoring opportunities without disrupting the rhythm of the offense— a scoring attack that featured some mid range area shot making attacking closeouts, attacking driving angles on dribble drives to the rim for strong finishes while also mixing in some perimeter shot making, particularly knocking down outside shots on the move and as a spot up shooter.     A versatile interior presence, [player_tooltip player_id='2628254' first='Sebastian' last='Rogers'] combines impressive length, physical tools, and a relentless approach that allows him to affect the game in a variety of ways. Rogers' offensive game is built around efficiency and feel. He finishes well around the basket and understands how to exploit defensive rotations from around the basket— converting on short corner area and dunker spot dump offs as a cutter reading penetrating ball handlers, imposing his strength and physicality on the glass to generate second chance possessions in the offensive rebound category, and even shining as a purposeful rim runner in the open floor.

A weekend circled for everyone on the grassroots basketball calendar wrapped up earlier last week as the second and final July live period came to a close. After the opening evaluation period the previous week, college coaches once again filled gyms across the country for another crucial opportunity to evaluate prospects in person. MADE Hoops hosted its Summer Live Finale in Baltimore, MD featuring a loaded slate of marquee matchups and many of the region's hottest prospects. Several New Jersey standouts made the most of the stage, delivering impressive performances that further strengthened their recruitment and continued to raise their stock. With that in mind, let's take an initial look at some of New Jersey's top performers from MADE Hoops' final event of the summer.