Get In Get Out Showcase: More Names, Big Impressions

With September mostly behind us, fall preseason basketball is officially in full swing. As preseason action continues to ramp up, weekends are becoming increasingly filled with showcases all throughout the area. Returning for another year, New Jersey Legacy Basketball hosted its annual Get In Get Out Showcase on Saturday at the Hackensack Recreation Center in Hackensack, NJ— a one day event that provides an early opportunity to evaluate prospects, get a sense of the roles they're preparing to take on heading into the high school season, and take in several intriguing matchups featuring some of the state's top programs. With plenty of talent on display throughout the day, let's take yet another look at the players who made strong impressions during Saturday's action.    [player_tooltip player_id='3665419' first='Jace' last='Almonte'] brings an extremely intriguing combination of legitimate positional size and versatile, efficient shot making to the backcourt and he continues to make it glaringly evident why he appears poised to immediately see meaningful minutes, even as just a freshman. Almonte's effectiveness, producing offense particularly off the catch stood out as perhaps the most notable part of his performance— finding pockets of space out of different DHO's and off different ball reversals for tough mid range pull ups and straight line finishes at the rim while being equally effective confidently stepping into catch and shoot looks with smooth rhythm and strong balance. Beyond his scoring ability, Almonte showed a good feel as a connective passer, reading the floor well and willingly making the extra pass to put teammates in position for open looks at the basket.     With his lengthy frame and the confidence to let it fly from the outside whenever he finds even a sliver of daylight, [player_tooltip player_id='3759311' first='Jayden' last='Chapman'] brings plenty of the two way value and 3&D impact that is so highly coveted at his size and position. What, in the early time thus far, looks to be a natural transition to Roselle Catholic's rotation, Chapman offered plenty of encouraging flashes— reading the angles created by guards who penetrated deep into the paint and actively seeking out three point looks while not letting his production dip on the defensive end and leveraging his length to guard multiple different positions.     Despite not shooting it from three point distance at the percentage he's typically accustomed to but still keeping closeouts honest, [player_tooltip player_id='2344534' first='James' last='Roberts'] still found ways to put pressure on the defense, showing a willingness to attack gaps, seek out driving angles, and create advantages off the bounce. Roberts was aggressive in identifying driving angles— attacking sagging bigs in drop coverage with quick change of pace off the bounce in different ball screen actions for tough finishes at the basket, attacking straight line driving angles in the secondary break, and even turning anticipation in the passing lanes into athletic finishes on the other end.     A rapidly improving forward who's made significant strides in just a short time, [player_tooltip player_id='2628174' first='Kanye' last='Perkins'] stands out for a unique blend of length, physical tools, and perimeter fluidity. Throughout both contests Saturday afternoon, Perkins demonstrated an ability to create off the bounce out of different actions and finish inside— impressing the most exploiting driving angles out of different DHO's and attacking driving angles as a roller in different PnR actions while also showcasing he can put the ball on the deck to create for himself from the perimeter out of different face ups.     Continuing to assimilate amongst a new group and finding his footing amidst having to adapt to a new system, [player_tooltip player_id='3700793' first='Aleksandar' last='Kovacevic'] looked a lot more settled in this one where his value on the interior was felt tremendously. Kovacevic's strength and finishing ability allowed him to be effective around the basket— offering efficiency in the dunker spot and low post area, particularly catching dump offs created by penetrating paint touchers and low post duck ins when he established good position against smaller defenders in the low post.     Providing an immediate boost to The Patrick School's backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='2327613' first='Averi' last='Knight'] consistently looked to create offensive production, impressing especially with the offense he generated off dribble penetration— finishing from tough angles around the basket while simultaneously maintaining his court vision find the short corner when collapsing the defense. Knight also showed encouraging flashes away from the ball throughout Saturday's action, doing a good job of staying involved rather than disappearing off the ball, consistently looking for opportunities to get his shot off off the catch and knocking down open looks from three point distance.     [player_tooltip player_id='3571134' first='Joshua' last='Stone'] is a prospect whose athleticism immediately popped, and remained evident throughout multiple highlight plays on both ends of the floor during both of St. Rose's contests Saturday— highlighted by multiple above the rim put back dunks when the defense failed to box him out coupled with pinning shot attempts against the glass in transition. A lot of that effort and energy translated to impact in the half court defensively as well, where his ability to contain drives and defend multiple positions was also apparent.

With September mostly behind us, fall preseason basketball is officially in full swing. As preseason action continues to ramp up, weekends are becoming increasingly filled with showcases all throughout the area. Returning for another year, New Jersey Legacy Basketball hosted its annual Get In Get Out Showcase on Saturday at the Hackensack Recreation Center in Hackensack, NJ— a one day event that provides an early opportunity to evaluate prospects, get a sense of the roles they're preparing to take on heading into the high school season, and take in several intriguing matchups featuring some of the state's top programs. With plenty of talent on display throughout the day, let's take yet another look at the players who made strong impressions during Saturday's action.