UA Association: Additional New Jersey Notables From UAA Finals

Another highly anticipated stop on the grassroots basketball calendar wrapped up last weekend with the second and final July live period. Following the opening live period the week prior, college coaches once again filled gyms across the country for another invaluable opportunity to evaluate prospects in person, creating a high-energy environment fueled by elite competition from start to finish. The UAA Finals in Louisville, KY featured a loaded slate of marquee matchups and many of the nation's premier prospects. Several New Jersey standouts capitalized on the stage, delivering impressive performances that strengthened their recruitment and continued to elevate their stock. With that in mind, here's another look at some of New Jersey's top performers from the final UAA session of the summer.    [player_tooltip player_id='2504902' first='Jamieson' last='Young']'s combination of a versatile shot making profile and unwavering confidence from three point range make him a constant priority for opposing defenses. Consistently proving to be a threat from multiple different spots on the floor, he was highly efficient across pretty much every shooting category, ultimately showcasing his dangerous versatility as a shooter— thriving as a movement shooter both sprinting to the corner in transition and in designed Spain action(s) in half court offense, demonstrating that his shooting gravity extends well beyond the three point line shooting it with accuracy from deep range, excelling as a spot up threat off the catch off ball reversals and drive and kicks in the half court. Young allowed his shooting gravity to open up further offense from other areas on the floor and complemented his perimeter shot making by attacking closeouts aggressively to get to open space in the mid range for smooth pull ups.     Counterintuitive to his typical playmaking responsibilities where he orchestrates the offense and gets his teammates the ball in the right spots, a lot of the action called for Cooper to score the basketball and he more than delivered. Proving to be a legitimate threat to score the basketball, Cooper's shot making stood out the most— knocking down a number of in rhythm perimeter looks both as a spot up shooter, with deep range accuracy too, off the ball and off the dribble in different PnR and DHO action(s) while also excelling as a movement shooter coming some of similar ball screens. A constant threat to generate ample paint touches and generate offense from there, Cooper also converted on a handful of soft touch floaters in the lane showcasing his touch in the in between area. Still keeping the defense honest and leveraging a lot of the pressure he saw as he found a rhythm offensively, Cooper still found ways to manipulate the defense as a facilitator— using his court vision to locate open shooters in passing windows and find cutters ahead in transition before the defense was able to get set.     [player_tooltip player_id='2884535' first='Ryan' last='Gannon'] continues to display the poise, court awareness, and feel for the game that make him such an effective primary ball handler. More than comfortable controlling the tempo, Gannon impacts the game as both a facilitator and a capable scorer, consistently making the right reads and taking advantage of opportunities when they present themselves— attacking mismatches in PnR using his change of pace off the bounce to freeze switching bigs or catch them flat footed and get to the rim and getting to the mid range area for pull ups, locating shooters and hitting dump offs when playing fast in the open floor, making the right reads in Spain action(s), hitting shooters in ghost action, hitting divers and rollers in PnR. The most impressive part of Gannon's performance(s) this weekend however was by far his off the dribble shot making, the confidence in which he shot it with too— knocking down pull up threes in ghost action(s), isolation pull up threes, and even self creation mid range pull ups. All while being equally as efficient as a spot up shooter from three point range and even attacking closeouts in different half court offenses.     [player_tooltip player_id='3695771' first='Cayden' last='Stephens'] once again looked advanced for his age group and appeared comfortable competing against older and more physical competition. His poise with the ball in his hands was particularly impressive, allowing him to consistently play under control and make plays from different spots on the floor— attacking closeouts to get in the paint and play through contact around the basket, leveraging his strength and physicality on the block for tough low post finishes, pushing the pace in transition and generating rim pressure muscling his way through defenders at the basket when initiating the break, and even impacting the game from the outside and knocking down a number of perimeter looks as a movement shooter coming off DHO's, off the dribble pull ups from the outside, and as an in rhythm spot up shooter off the catch.     A talented young guard with excellent instincts and hints of a well rounded skill set coupled with a wiry frame, [player_tooltip player_id='2633990' first='Clint' last='Martin'] impressed with his ability to consistently apply pressure on the rim while also establishing a reliable rhythm from beyond the three point arc. Throughout the weekend, Martin showed a keen understanding of driving angles and repeatedly found gaps to attack the defense, finishing around the basket from various angles, and capitalizing off scoring opportunities in traffic around the basket. Highlighted by noticeable growth in both strength and efficiency as a finisher paired with a noticeable ability to play off two feet in the paint, becoming increasingly comfortable playing through contact. Another big takeaway from Martin's performance was the reliability in his perimeter shooting and the confidence he shot the three ball with— sprinting to the corner in transition and converting on spot up opportunities and settling into passing windows for further spot up opportunities in the half court. All while snatching rebounds out the air and providing impact on the offensive glass with his rangy arms.     Proving to be a seamless fit alongside his teammates, [player_tooltip player_id='2683649' first='Mike' last='Simborski'] brought impactful two-way energy while carving out a role as a dependable off-ball scoring threat. Simbrokski thrived without the basketball and showed good feel for picking his spots— with his ability to read defensive lapses and attack closeouts, an additional ability to provide spot up three point shooting sprinting to the corner and in the slots in transition and finding passing windows in half court offense, and even making an impact without needing frequent touches especially as a cutter in designed actions and as a natural and instinctive cutter away from the ball.     One of the more intriguing long term forward prospects in the state of New Jersey, [player_tooltip player_id='3040515' first='Shriyans' last='Mallavarapu'] pairs glaring mobility with a long and wiry frame and plenty of untapped two-way potential. Defensively is where Mallavarapu's tools really popped and where his impact was felt the most, in different instances— switching onto quicker guards out on the perimeter and containing drives, leveraging his lengthy wingspan to challenge and contest shot attempts in the painted area, and even using his long reach to pluck rebounds out of the air. Although not the same statistical outpour on the offensive end of the floor as the previous UA session, Mallavarapu still showed a lot of the same encouraging flashes that highlight some of his impact— extending possessions by generating extra opportunities on the offensive glass and creating valuable offensive floor spacing by stretching the defense as a reliable spot up threat from the perimeter.

Another highly anticipated stop on the grassroots basketball calendar wrapped up last weekend with the second and final July live period. Following the opening live period the week prior, college coaches once again filled gyms across the country for another invaluable opportunity to evaluate prospects in person, creating a high-energy environment fueled by elite competition from start to finish. The UAA Finals in Louisville, KY featured a loaded slate of marquee matchups and many of the nation's premier prospects. Several New Jersey standouts capitalized on the stage, delivering impressive performances that strengthened their recruitment and continued to elevate their stock. With that in mind, here's another look at some of New Jersey's top performers from the final UAA session of the summer.