NJ Legacy EO Fall Ball: More Tuesday, September 8th Notables

Fall leagues have officially tipped off across New Jersey, with preseason action underway in gyms all throughout the state. Since the beginning of the week, prospects have returned to the court with their respective high school programs— offering an early glimpse at players preparing for the upcoming season and several prospects have already begun to show signs of taking on new or expanded roles. The New Jersey Legacy Fall Ball League remains one of the most distinguished fall leagues in the state, with this past Tuesday's action having taken place at Cicely L. Tyson High School in East Orange, NJ. With Tuesday night's games behind us, let's take another look at some of the prospects who caught our attention.    A confident and often times ultra efficient two guard who possesses natural scoring instincts, [player_tooltip player_id='3648311' first='Jaylen' last='Sims'] turned in another impressive performance that highlighted his ability to not necessarily force the action and produce within the flow of the offense— getting to open space for tough mid range pull ups, stepping into open looks from three point range, and even maintaining his court vision on dribble penetration for a number of finds to open teammates in the dunker spot(s).     [player_tooltip player_id='2504780' first='Infinite' last='Sincere-AmenRa'] possesses a lot of the intangibles of an elite shot maker that make him far more dangerous than just his efficiency and he showcased some of that in this one— particularly with the versatility in his shot making profile that him just as efficient as a spot up shooter as he is an off the dribble shooter. While simultaneously flashing some of the creativity off the bounce that he leans into as settles into a rhythm during the flow of a game, using sharp change of direction and hesitation dribbles to create space and bump defenders on his way to the rim.      The lead guard for this East Orange Campus group, [player_tooltip player_id='2344534' first='James' last='Roberts']' development over the last couple of years has consistently been highlighted in the growth he's sustained in adding creation off the bounce on top of his value as a perimeter shooter and that remained affluent in this one— a shot diet that consisted of off the dribble shot making featuring deep, in transition pull ups from beyond the three point line mixed with sharp change of direction moves to create a little bit of separation for tough pull ups.     [player_tooltip player_id='2970382' first='Desmond' last='Rudanovic'] remains a developing player with plenty of growth ahead, but he already offers valuable contributions, with his greatest impact coming as an interior presence in the paint at the moment. In this early fall ball matchup against Bayonne, Rudanovic displayed plenty of encouraging flashes of his evolving skillset— showing a level of comfortability putting the ball on the ground and attacking closeouts to absorb contact and finishing at the rim, particularly impressive for a player of his size.     With the makeup of this deep group of guards, [player_tooltip player_id='2884521' first='Bryce' last='McCray'] offers a unique dynamic to this backcourt, often times contributing in areas that flow of the game calls for and he thrived in a lot of those aspects in this early fall matchup— being a pest defensively and disrupting opposing ball handlers, leveraging his tight handle in tight spaces when pushing the pace of the game in transition, and exploiting driving angles with his quickness off the bounce for tough angled finishes.      Slated to play right away, and meaningful minutes at that, as just a freshman [player_tooltip player_id='3665419' first='Jace' last='Almonte']'s early fall ball action has already provided extremely encouraging glimpses of not only the impact he can make during his freshman campaign but also what his development could look like later down the line— Almonte's shooting ability was particularly evident, as he converted on a mixture of fluid off the dribble pull ups and stepping into catch and shoot looks. While at the same time, displaying an even broader impact past his shot making ability— leveraging his length and energy into defensive stops into rim pressure on the other end for athletic on the rim finishes.     [player_tooltip player_id='3717525' first='Mohammed' last='Salim'] immediately stood out with the high motor and energy he brought to the floor, and although still a ways to go in his overall development, still making plays on the interior and offering impact as a finisher— catching dump offs from penetrating guards, extending possessions on the offensive glass and even showcasing he can put the ball on the floor a little bit, attacking closeouts off the bounce and initiating the break in transition.     Coming off a sophomore season that saw him emerge as a valuable component of Newark Collegiate Academy's rotation a year ago, [player_tooltip player_id='2928235' first='Chizitere' last='Meremikwu'] looks to be in line to shoulder expanded volume as the team's primary ball handler this year and offered several encouraging glimpses— increased growth handling ball pressure and improved decision making with the ball in his hands coupled with a heightened level of comfort imitating offensive sets. Meremikwu also impressed in the ways he was able to leverage his quickness off the bounce to attack driving angles in different actions offensively for crafty finishes in traffic.

Fall leagues have officially tipped off across New Jersey, with preseason action underway in gyms all throughout the state. Since the beginning of the week, prospects have returned to the court with their respective high school programs— offering an early glimpse at players preparing for the upcoming season and several prospects have already begun to show signs of taking on new or expanded roles. The New Jersey Legacy Fall Ball League remains one of the most distinguished fall leagues in the state, with this past Tuesday's action having taken place at Cicely L. Tyson High School in East Orange, NJ. With Tuesday night's games behind us, let's take another look at some of the prospects who caught our attention.