Philly HS Live II: Saturday New Jersey Eye Catchers

One of the most anticipated stretches on the grassroots basketball calendar wrapped up late last month as the June Scholastic Live Period gave college coaches another valuable opportunity to evaluate prospects in person—this time with their respective high school teams. The second session of Philly HS Live at The Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center showcased many of New Jersey's top high school talents, producing a weekend packed with high level competition and impressive individual performances. From under the radar prospects boosting their recruitment to established standouts further cementing their place among the state's best, talent was on full display throughout the event. Let's take a look at some of Saturday's top performers from Philadelphia, PA.    [player_tooltip player_id='2201953' first='Jayden' last='Johnson'] is a dangerous and rather efficient shot maker when he gets into a rhythm and proved to be routinely being capable of doing just that during last weekend's second scholastic live period. Johnson's scoring performance featured a heavy dose of perimeter spot up shooting off the ball, flashes of deep range accuracy from three point range off the catch, off the dribble outside shot making, while also mixing in mid range pull ups getting to space when defenders forced him to put the ball on the floor. Johnson also showed flashes of some of his creativity off the bounce— breaking down slower footed defenders off the dribble and finishing in traffic around the rim.     At this stage in his development, [player_tooltip player_id='2305481' first='Jaylen' last='Lewis'] is at his most effective as an off ball perimeter shooter, and he once again showcased that strength on the second day of Philly Live. The left hander continued to display his confidence and efficiency as a shot maker, consistently knocking down threes with deep range. Featuring a smooth and repeatable release, Lewis actively hunted his shot, capitalizing on late closeouts and soft contests. Whether spotting up or working off a variety of screens as a movement shooter, he consistently converted on quality looks and seized multiple open opportunities from beyond the arc.     Such a potent shot maker with extremely dangerous versatility paired with noticeable confidence and deft outside shooting touch, [player_tooltip player_id='2504902' first='Jamieson' last='Young'] demonstrated so much of the intriguing and diverse shot making profile that makes him an elite threat that defenses must always locate on the court at all times. Young showed tremendous instincts that not only make him a high percentage shooter but also far more dangerous past his efficiency— extremely smooth and effortlessly repeatable shooting mechanics while impressing with deep range off the dribble shot making and deep range movement shooting off the catch.     Having blossomed into a legitimately intimidating defensive anchor on the heels of a very impressive and productive stock rising spring that saw him recently debut in the national rankings, four star big man [player_tooltip player_id='2909264' first='Joel' last='Patrick'] continued to showcase the high motor and intensity that translates to valuable and high impact rim protection and defensive playmaking. Patrick's performance over the second day of Philly Live saw him pinning shots against the glass to recover against quick guards who penetrated the paint, leveraging his length and timing as a shot blocker to wall up against shot attempts at the rim, and even win a number of battles on the boards off sheer athleticism, snatching rebounds out the air for impactful defensive stops and second chance opportunities on the offensive glass.      A highly regarded four star jumbo playmaking point guard who recently climbed up the national rankings, [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'] possesses a rare blend of positional size, feel for the game, and playmaking ability that allows him to control the game and thrive orchestrating an offense and excelling as a true lead guard at the next level. Carter responded well to the physicality opposing defenses threw at him— absorbing contact and playing through bumps when attacking the basket on dribble drives and PnR rim attacks and finishing with soft touch and craftiness from different angles around the rim.  The most impressive part of Carter's performance over last Saturday's action was without a doubt his touch in the in between area— hitting an array of turn around fadeaways, soft touch runners, and smooth off the dribble pull ups. Equally thriving as a facilitator, Carter also showed extremely good passing feel, particularly with his touch and timing hitting divers in different PnR actions to create quality looks for his teammates.     Having emerged into a reliable and strong interior paint presence for St. Benedict's since his arrival to the program, [player_tooltip player_id='3434708' first='Malik' last='Sonko'] has consistently established himself as a force in the paint, finishing around the rim with noticeable efficiency and overall nice touch. Converting on a number of open opportunities around the rim Sonko stood out the most as a strong and efficient finisher around the basket on the interior— particularly as a rim runner in transition and catching deep seals in the low post and finishing in traffic down low while also being impactful on the offensive glass and just as effective in the short corner area receiving dump off passes from penetrating guards. All while showing some really strong flashes of his ability to protect the rim, particularly coming from the weak side to pin shots against the glass.     Stepping into a slightly more regular role offensively due to some starters with higher usage rates returning from injury(s), [player_tooltip player_id='2895818' first='Imaad' last='Johnson'] looked extremely comfortable and provided so much value suppling solid and efficient secondary scoring. Scoring efficiently and not necessarily breaking the flow of the offense but still maintaining his offensive aggression, Johnson got going from different areas on the floor—  attacking driving angles on dribble drives to the rim, spot up shooting knocking down perimeter shots off the ball, in between area shot making off smooth turn around fade aways. Johnson's effort and energy transferred into production in other areas of the game as well— particularly impact on the offensive glass and disruption defensively at the point of attack.

One of the most anticipated stretches on the grassroots basketball calendar wrapped up late last month as the June Scholastic Live Period gave college coaches another valuable opportunity to evaluate prospects in person—this time with their respective high school teams. The second session of Philly HS Live at The Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center showcased many of New Jersey's top high school talents, producing a weekend packed with high level competition and impressive individual performances. From under the radar prospects boosting their recruitment to established standouts further cementing their place among the state's best, talent was on full display throughout the event. Let's take a look at some of Saturday's top performers from Philadelphia, PA.