West Chester Big 64: New Jersey’s Top Performers From Saturday

The West Chester Big 64 has established itself as one of the premier fall basketball showcases in the area, annually bringing some of the Northeast's top high school talent to West Chester University. Held each year in West Chester, PA, the event gives prospects an opportunity to compete against high level talent and some of the area's top programs. And this past weekend was no exception, as plenty of talented players made their presence felt throughout Saturday's action. With that in mind, here's another look at some of the top performers from New Jersey who turned heads and made an impact throughout the day.    [player_tooltip player_id='2628174' first='Kanye' last='Perkins'] possesses an intriguing physical profile, combining elite length with glaring fluidity at both his size and position. Perkins' hints of fluidity and guard skills immediately popped— reflective of the moments where he was seen creating for himself off the bounce from out on the perimeter paired with comfortably stepping into open looks as a spot up shooter, with efficiency. All while simultaneously suppling plenty of two way value on the interior— finishing with his off hand in the low post, scoring out of his face up game in the post, providing impact as a vertical lob threat in the open floor, leveraging his length and vertical pop as a rim protector, and even winning battles on the boards with his physical tools.     [player_tooltip player_id='3243498' first='Nick' last='Tait'] brings legitimate positional size as a primary ball handler, along with a lengthy frame and a well rounded, versatile offensive skill set. New to this Paramus Catholic group of guards, [player_tooltip player_id='3243498' first='Nick' last='Tait'] offered several encouraging glimpses as he continues to acclimate to a new system and find his footing. Tait's shot making ability is what popped the most in this one— knocking down a number of in rhythm spot up looks from beyond the three point line, getting to open space for instinctive mid range pull ups, and even flashing his ability to knock down outside shots off the bounce.     Slated to be Camden's lead guard and see a very high usage rate on the ball as just a freshman, point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2884560' first='James' last='Coleman'] looked more than comfortable seeking out the right play and creating opportunities for his teammates without sacrificing his own ability to score. In Camden's second matchup on the day versus Virginia Saints (VA), Coleman showed good feel for dissecting a zone defense— finding outlets against the zone on time and on target while at the same time attacking certain driving angles against weak points to finish with craftiness at the rim. Coleman did look to produce offense early in possessions, before the defense could get set and playing with a smooth pace— generating rim pressure for crafty off hand finishes coupled with deep range perimeter pull ups off the bounce.     A lengthy and wiry guard who has instinctive scoring feel to maintain his scoring aggression and wisely pick his spots without necessarily forcing the action, [player_tooltip player_id='2907130' first='Gabriel' last='Shoultz']'s shot making ability is what impressed the most— a mixture of perimeter shot making off the catch, stepping into open looks with rhythm coupled with off the dribble shot making, taking rhythm dribbles and creating a little bit of space to get his shot off off the bounce. Shoultz also demonstrated a good understanding of what angles to attack in the half court when attacking closeouts, although he still needs to add strength to his frame to finish a lot of those looks through contact at the basket. Shoultz was also able to produce some offense in transition as well, exploiting the defense getting back late in transition.     [player_tooltip player_id='3575041' first='Brandon' last='Johnson']'s size and versatility make him a difficult player to pigeonhole, as he has the ability to impact the game in several different ways. Johnson is entering a senior season that should provide him increased workload and responsibilities, building upon his ability to combine efficient scoring from multiple areas with the versatility to make an impact on the defensive end from a year ago and showcased that in this one— proving to be a respectable threat from three point range, stepping into in rhythm looks with balance and fluid follow through while simultaneously providing value in the rebounding department, crashing the boards with intent and effort.     Bolstering the front court as a versatile forward capable of impacting the game both inside and from the perimeter, [player_tooltip player_id='2628239' first='Yu' last='Lyu'], although it was in spot minutes, still provided plenty of promise of what his impact could look amongst The Patrick School's front court group as he acclimates to a new system— battling on the boards to extend offensive possessions, rim running and setting drag screens in the secondary break for finishes at the rim, while also offering efficiency in the dunker spot as a finisher that converted on dump off opportunities from penetrating guards.     A crafty combo guard who operates with strong sense of pace and a controlled handle, [player_tooltip player_id='2864075' first='Gregory' last='Shoultz III'] has a natural ability to create offense with the ball in his hands and that remained evident in this one. Shoultz III demonstrated his glaring comfort level creating off the bounce— using his creativity off the dribble paired with a tight handle to get in the lane and finish from tough angles, using a mixture of off hand runners and difficult inside finishers while also adding in some tough contested pull ups from beyond the three point line and in the mid range area.

The West Chester Big 64 has established itself as one of the premier fall basketball showcases in the area, annually bringing some of the Northeast's top high school talent to West Chester University. Held each year in West Chester, PA, the event gives prospects an opportunity to compete against high level talent and some of the area's top programs. And this past weekend was no exception, as plenty of talented players made their presence felt throughout Saturday's action. With that in mind, here's another look at some of the top performers from New Jersey who turned heads and made an impact throughout the day.