NJ Legacy Paterson Fall Ball: Monday, September 14th Eye Catchers

The preseason is underway in New Jersey, with fall league action bringing high school prospects back onto the court across the state. Since returning to their respective programs at the start of the month, players have begun preparing for the upcoming season while also adjusting to new expectations, increased responsibilities, and expanded roles. The New Jersey Legacy Fall Ball League at the historic Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ continues to be a fixture of the state's fall ball scene, providing another opportunity for prospects to compete and make an early statement. With several players having turned in impressive performances, here's a closer look at the prospects who turned heads during this past Monday night's action.    Set to contribute right away in a meaningful capacity, [player_tooltip player_id='3530419' first='Kaleb' last='Patterson'] is expected to be counted on to help carry much of the scoring load for this Paterson Kennedy group as just a freshman. An aggressive slasher who looks to put pressure on the rim, Patterson was aggressive in hunting driving angles and demonstrated a good understanding of reading timing on help defense— using change of direction dribbles to attack the basket and finish at the rim in isolation or maintaining his court vision to make the extra pass on baseline drives or hitting the dunker spot on paint touches, all while showing a level of comfort attacking with his off hand. Patterson's motor also translated into impact on the offensive glass where he crashed the boards the effort and energy and generated a number of second chance possessions.     Part of a young, freshman pairing that is positioned to make an immediate contribution, [player_tooltip player_id='3767874' first='AB' last='Harris'] is another prospect from this Paterson Kennedy group that will be relied upon as one of the team's leading scoring options. Harris, in his own right, was just as aggressive in attacking driving angles in this one— leveraging his bigger and more physical frame and welcoming contact on dribble drives and embracing physicality around the basket. Harris' physical style of play opened up a plethora of additional scoring opportunities at the free throw line, where he was able to routinely generate trips to the free throw line and convert on scoring chances at the charity stripe.     Finding his footing and acclimating to both new teammates and a new system at DePaul Catholic, [player_tooltip player_id='2527263' first='Archie' last='Mueller'] showed several encouraging flashes of what his role and production could look like as this group continues to gel and find their chemistry and continuity. Mueller's value as an outside shooter was pertinent as he showed repeatable shooting mechanics and efficiency as a spot up shooter knocking down a number of perimeter looks. All while adding further offensive production seeking out driving angles off the dribble and finishing at the basket coupled with contributing on the offensive glass.     [player_tooltip player_id='3243511' first='Finn' last='Marah'] has fully developed into a veteran presence for this Ramapo program now and in this early preseason fall ball action, showed his impact as an overall playmaker. Early on in this one, Marah was comfortable operating as a primary initiator— highlighted by the offense that stemmed from his paint touches, creating drive and kick threes for perimeter shooters, not sacrificing his own ability to score and convert on several soft touch in between area finishes, and welcoming contact in the lane to convert on scoring opportunities at the free throw line.     The guard that makes this Westwood group go and is the spark plug behind a lot of their offensive success, [player_tooltip player_id='2485127' first='RJ' last='Annecchini'] demonstrated a healthy balance between creating opportunities for his teammates and maintaining his scoring aggression— highlighted by his court vision and willingness as a passer to find his teammates open while still looking to score himself, getting into the lane with quickness and creativity off the bounce for crafty in traffic finishes at the rim.     Providing supplementary scoring production, particularly within the flow of the game, [player_tooltip player_id='2967671' first='Ethan' last='Chung'] stood out with how he was able to make the most of his scoring opportunities. Taking advantage of the defense being forced into rotations a lot of the times down in the half court, Chung was efficient in converting on open outside looks off the catch from three point range, flashing deep range too. While also showcasing his ability to attack closeouts off the bounce and finish at the rim when those driving angles opened up.     In this early preseason fall ball matchup Hackensack against DePaul made it an emphasis to get the ball inside and [player_tooltip player_id='3771754' first='Abdul' last='Konate'] made the most of his touches, ultimately providing a strong and productive interior paint presence for this group. Konate impressed with how efficient he was around the basket— sprinting the floor as a rim runner in transition, scoring in the low post with his back to the basket, and even generating second chance opportunities on the offensive glass.

The preseason is underway in New Jersey, with fall league action bringing high school prospects back onto the court across the state. Since returning to their respective programs at the start of the month, players have begun preparing for the upcoming season while also adjusting to new expectations, increased responsibilities, and expanded roles. The New Jersey Legacy Fall Ball League at the historic Paterson Catholic in Paterson, NJ continues to be a fixture of the state's fall ball scene, providing another opportunity for prospects to compete and make an early statement. With several players having turned in impressive performances, here's a closer look at the prospects who turned heads during this past Monday night's action.