CoBL Interstate Shootout: Garden State Gems

With most of September now in the rearview mirror, fall basketball is officially in full swing. With the high school season quickly approaching, weekends across the area have become increasingly packed with showcases, giving players valuable opportunities to display their skill sets while beginning to establish the roles they'll be expected to fill once the winter season arrives. Last weekend, several New Jersey programs made the trip to The Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center in Philadelphia, PA, for the City of Basketball Love Interstate Shootout— an annual two day fall showcase consistently attracts some of the top programs from throughout the tristate area, offering an early glimpse at the roles prospects are preparing to take on this season while also featuring several intriguing matchups between some of New Jersey's top teams. With plenty of talent taking the floor throughout the weekend, let's take another look at some of the prospects who stood out and made strong impressions during last weekend's action.    [player_tooltip player_id='2683638' first='RJ' last='Wicks'] has for some time now been trending upward, ultimately demonstrating the continued growth in his game and a noticeable increase in his confidence and aggressiveness. Wicks' skillset figures to unlock an added layer to Union Catholic's offense, where his defining strengths figure to be highlighted and that was evident in this early preseason action— showing a level of comfort bringing the ball up the floor and creating offense in transition, using his handle to push the break and generate easy finishes while also showing the ability to space the floor as a more than capable three point shooter and being effective finishing inside. On the defensive end, Wicks' discipline was particularly encouraging— where he showed the ability to stay vertical, wall up and challenge shots at the rim without fouling while at the same time leveraging his frame to defend with strength in the low post, ultimately giving him value on both ends of the floor.     Freshman left handed point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2887074' first='Ryan' last='Grundy'] appears poised to step into a significant role as Montgomery's primary ball handler, as he showed little to no hesitation playing with the ball in his hands and operating at a high usage rate. Grundy's effectiveness came from his ability to blend half court rim pressure with perimeter shot making— using a mixture of some of his wiggle and change of pace off the bounce to manipulate defenders and create separation to get deep in the lane for swift finishes at the rim and smooth, soft touch mid range pull ups coupled with outside movement shooting, navigating different pin downs and sliding to vacant slot spots to replace driving guards.     [player_tooltip player_id='2972049' first='Julian' last='Ceberio']'s perimeter shooting, particularly at his size, continues to stand out as the defining element of his offensive value and impact, highlighted by a smooth shooting stroke paired with a noticeable outside touch and a quick shooting release. In this one, Ceberio found a little bit of a rhythm from beyond the three point arc and provided optimal floor spacing, confidently stepping into in rhythm looks generated from penetrating ball handlers for drive and kick corner threes and knocking down open opportunities off the catch at a rather more efficient percentage.     After flying largely under the radar throughout his freshman and sophomore seasons, [player_tooltip player_id='2930023' first='Zorian' last='Morris'] has a legitimate opportunity to step into a substantial role and take a significant leap for this new look Union Catholic group as he approaches his junior year. Morris displayed a lot of the tools that are extremely coveted amongst prototypical lengthy and wiry wings— a smooth handle and wiggle off the bounce to create scoring opportunities attacking the basket in PnR actions and isolation matchups while also showing an ability to punish defenses from deep when left open off the catch. An area that remains a strong suit for him, Morris also displayed a natural feel for creating offense in transition— putting pressure on the rim pushing the ball up the floor and attacking the lane for finishes through traffic coupled an ability to making live dribble skip passes to locate shooters and advancing the ball up the floor when he recognizes an advantage.     A lengthy and rangy forward who possesses unique mobility for both his size and position coupled with a solid interior work rate, [player_tooltip player_id='3040515' first='Shriyans' last='Mallavarapu'] flashed some of his ability to have an impact on the game through his activity down low— extending possessions on the offensive glass and generating quality second chance possessions while simultaneously putting together a handful of moments of his ability to put pressure on the rim inside, through different actions that got him touches, particularly out of different DHO's and PnR actions.

With most of September now in the rearview mirror, fall basketball is officially in full swing. With the high school season quickly approaching, weekends across the area have become increasingly packed with showcases, giving players valuable opportunities to display their skill sets while beginning to establish the roles they'll be expected to fill once the winter season arrives. Last weekend, several New Jersey programs made the trip to The Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man” Center in Philadelphia, PA, for the City of Basketball Love Interstate Shootout— an annual two day fall showcase consistently attracts some of the top programs from throughout the tristate area, offering an early glimpse at the roles prospects are preparing to take on this season while also featuring several intriguing matchups between some of New Jersey's top teams. With plenty of talent taking the floor throughout the weekend, let's take another look at some of the prospects who stood out and made strong impressions during last weekend's action.