Philly HS Live II: Additional Saturday New Jersey Eye Catchers

One of the most highly anticipated stretches of the grassroots basketball calendar came to a close late last month as the June Scholastic Live Period gave college coaches another prime opportunity to evaluate prospects in person, this time alongside their high school teams. The second session of Philly HS Live at Thomas Jefferson University featured many of New Jersey's premier high school players, delivering a weekend filled with high level competition and standout individual performances. From under the radar prospects elevating their recruitment to established stars reinforcing their status among the state's elite, talent was on full display throughout the entire weekend. Here's an additional look at some of Saturday's top performers from Philadelphia, PA.    Figured to be a focal point in the offense for this Bergen Catholic group due in large part to his intriguing skillset, [player_tooltip player_id='2218637' first='Kieran' last='Quinn'] demonstrated the unique dynamic he brings schematically. Quinn provided a true inside outside scoring presence— low post finishing in his ability to make a move and finish as well as catching dump offs in the short corner from guards who got deep in the paint countered by his deft outside shooting touch as a legitimate floor spacing threat at his size and position. All while being extremely valuable on the glass and winning a lot of battles on the boards on both the offensive and defensive glass.     A scoring guard who always maintains his aggression in finding ways to put the ball in the basket, [player_tooltip player_id='2201961' first='Va'Shaun' last='Harper'] was eager in generating a heavy amount of rim pressure. Whether it was attacking in both transition and semi-transition opportunities or utilizing some of his creativity off the bounce or even attacking closeouts off ball reversals in the flow of the offense, Harper sniffed out plenty of driving angles in his pursuit of getting to the basket and finishing in traffic.     In constant pursuit of the basket with noticeable burst off the bounce, [player_tooltip player_id='2509329' first='Ashton' last='Graves'] is an explosive guard who thrives at getting downhill. Graves found ways to put pressure on the rim in more ways than one— initiating the break and pushing the tempo in the open floor, using change of pace and navigating ball screens to deep in the lane, running the lanes in transition and getting ahead of the defense, and even using creativity off the bounce to break slower footed defenders down and finish in traffic at the basket. Countering that rim pressure with more consistent perimeter shooting has been a part of his game that's seen growth over the last few months and he showcased that as well, stepping into a few in rhythm looks and knocking down outside shots with confidence from three point range.     Most impactful as a perimeter floor spacer benefiting from created advantages from other ball handlers, [player_tooltip player_id='2504899' first='Chase' last='Pettiford']'s value continues to be seen his ability to be a confident and efficient spot up outside shooter while easily being just as impactful as a movement shooter coming different types of screens and pin downs. Seeing a little more usage as a ball handler and offensive initiator than usual, Pettiford did also show a few strong flashes of being able to make strong reads in different actions and facilitate the ball to others when tasked with doing so.     Although undersized, Ayuub Wilson is a bruising downhill attacking guard whose quickness off the bounce allows him to be an offensive spark plug for this Arts group. Wilson proved to be a habitual paint toucher who gets in the lane at will off the bounce and Saturday's showing was a direct reflection of that— leveraging clogged gaps from loaded defensive pressure into spraying the ball out to open shooters out on the perimeter and hitting dump offs to open guys in the dunker spot(s). Wilson's commitment to getting in the paint also unlocked further offense for himself— awarding him a few trips to the free throw line and converting on multiple trips to the charity stripe as well.     A lengthy and athletic forward who typically has his most impactful performances when he thrives off interior activity around the basket, [player_tooltip player_id='2201948' first='Asante' last='Jones'] put together a notable performance that continued to suggest that notion. Not only was Jones efficient around the basket as a finisher but he also showed ready hands catching dump offs in the short corner, an ability to finish athletically above the rim while also being impactful on the offensive glass and generating second chance opportunities. Jones even flashed some of his guard skills as some of the action wained— hitting a smooth fadeaway jumper in the mid range area and even knocking down a three in a pick and pop option.     A welcoming addition to this year's Arts group who will most certainly provide plenty of value and instant impact with his seamless skillset, De-An Armstrong's performance highlighted so much of what he does well, particularly off the ball. Armstrong is a confident left handed marksmen from three point range— one who efficiently knocked down outside shots as a spot up shooter while also mixing in some mid range area shot making when the defense located him out on the perimeter and ran him off the three point line, ultimately thriving off a lot of the sprays that Arts' ball handlers were able to generate when they got deep in the paint and attracted help defense.

One of the most highly anticipated stretches of the grassroots basketball calendar came to a close late last month as the June Scholastic Live Period gave college coaches another prime opportunity to evaluate prospects in person, this time alongside their high school teams. The second session of Philly HS Live at Thomas Jefferson University featured many of New Jersey's premier high school players, delivering a weekend filled with high level competition and standout individual performances. From under the radar prospects elevating their recruitment to established stars reinforcing their status among the state's elite, talent was on full display throughout the entire weekend. Here's an additional look at some of Saturday's top performers from Philadelphia, PA.