Summer Stock Risers: Further Notable Recruiting Updates

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the summer high school basketball calendar winds down, countless prospects have taken advantage of opportunities to showcase their talents in front of college coaches at all levels. The summer is often one of the most important periods in the recruiting process, and standout performances over the past few months have led to new scholarship offers, heightened interest, campus visits, and movement up recruiting boards. With the summer now coming to a close, here's another look at some more notable recruiting developments from the past several months.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RJ Annecchini | 5'7" '27 G Westwood Regional/ STACK Basketball</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RJ Annecchini has continued to elevate his game over the past calendar year, and that progression has been evident across multiple different showings throughout this entire spring and summer. The guard shows a strong feel and a good understanding for when to attack and when to facilitate, scoring efficiently highlighted by effective floor spacing who capitalized on open looks from deep while setting up teammates for good opportunities highlighted by good court vision and passing instincts. Complimenting his outside shooting touch, his quick first step helps him get downhill and generate paint touches. Impactful with his ability to balance perimeter scoring with playmaking, Annecchini has begun to receive from coaches at the next level, having earned an offer from Division III Centenary University at the beginning of August. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2347952' first='Jahlil' last='Owusu'] | 6'3" '27 G Bergen Catholic/ NJ Shoreshots</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Over the last calendar year or so, [player_tooltip player_id='2347952' first='Jahlil' last='Owusu'] has more often than not shown the ability to be an instant offensive catalyst, capable of finding a rhythm quickly and stringing points together in short stretches. His scoring package is diverse, as he finds success operating out of different actions and from different spots on the floor— creating for himself in isolation for tough mid range pull ups and finding his way to crafty finishes around the basket while showing a reliability to navigate ball screens in different PnR actions as well as an ability to contribute as a spot up shooter off the ball. The ability to score from multiple different areas and create offense in both structured and isolation settings makes Owusu an intriguing offensive weapon— reflective of the interest and offers he's received recently from the likes of Canisus, Rider, Boston College, FDU, Dartmouth, Columbia, Maine, James Madison, and Longwood. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2864075' first='Gregory' last='Shoultz III'] | 5'11" '27 [player_tooltip player_id='3665515' first='PG' last=''] Leap Academy/ Team DAPA</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A crafty combo guard who plays with good pace off the bounce and has a natural tendency to make things happen with the ball in his hands, [player_tooltip player_id='2864075' first='Gregory' last='Shoultz III'] is a point guard who can create opportunities for himself while at the same time set up his teammates. Capitalizing off the looks he creates for himself, Shoultz III blends craftiness around the basket for in traffic finishes from different angles around the rim with perimeter shot making mixed with flashes of mid range shot making and the playmaking to find open teammates when he collapses the defense. A prospect who's generated some buzz over the last several months now dating back to as far as the beginning of the spring with a handful of Division III programs having already offered, Shoutlz III received yet another offer from Division III Saint Elizabeth at the end of July. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2966035' first='Kaden' last='Aiken'] | 6'7" '28 F Seton Hall Prep/ GB Blue Devils</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the steadiest stock risers in the state of New Jersey who's gone from somewhere around the back end of Seton Hall Prep's rotation last high school season to now receiving Division I offers this summer, [player_tooltip player_id='2966035' first='Kaden' last='Aiken'] has established himself as a productive interior presence, showcasing the efficiency and physicality that have make him effective in the paint. He consistently finds ways to impact the game without needing a high volume of touches, excelling as a finisher around the basket while creating opportunities through his activity, timing, and instincts away from the ball coupled with the strength and toughness on the glass that also allow him to consistently compete for rebounds and win battles on the boards. Aiken's continued emergence throughout the entirety of the spring and summer have helped elevate his stock and earned yet another Division I offer, most recently from FDU roughly a week ago to end the summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2347935' first='Keyshawn' last='Franklin'] | 6'3" '27 G Camden/ Team Battle Tested</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing some of his best basketball as of late dating back to as far this past high school season, [player_tooltip player_id='2347935' first='Keyshawn' last='Franklin'] spent the summer firmly establishing himself as a confident and dynamic scoring guard, capable of finding rhythm easily and getting going from different areas on the floor. A potent shot maker, Franklin thrives at knocking down spot up looks and further allowing that shooting gravity to open driving angles to attack off the bounce, countering his outside shooting touch with tough mid range pull ups and strong finishes at the rim. Franklin has turned that production into legitimate interest at the next level in recent months, having picked up an offer from Division I Alcorn State during the June Scholastic Live Period, and with further interest figured to percolate soon. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2683648' first='Jayce' last='Rodriguez'] | 6'3" '28 G Colonia/ PSA Cardinalsm</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2683648' first='Jayce' last='Rodriguez'] has for a long time now, maintained a legitimate reputation as an elite level shooter, and this summer he continued to demonstrate why his shooting can be such a valuable offensive weapon. His versatility as a shot maker routinely stands out— as he is just as effective operating off the catch as a spot up shooter as he is capitalizing off opportunities on the move. More encouragingly however, Rodriguez looked increasingly poised handling the ball under pressure, flashing the ability to create separation, attack off the dribble, and manufacture his own shot from certain areas of the floor— a part of his game he evidently seems to be allocating more intended reps to in his development, particularly with those flashes suggest there may be more to his offensive profile than his reputation as a pure shooter would indicate. With Division I interest having begun to matriculate earlier this calendar year with a pair of offers already in hand, Rodriguez recently took a visit to Lehigh and could see some more visits come to fruition in the near future. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->