Essex County Under The Radar 2023s To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The always tough Brick City basketball scene is stacked with talent in 2023 and Essex County on the whole is going to have some fantastic players. Today we look at a handful set to make noise as seniors. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Deon Mingo Jr</strong> | 6'1” | G | Newark Academy </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shifty guard with a solid first step. A shooter with a quick release. He's dangerous from beyond the three point line and proved his capabilities against a higher level when he scored 20 against Hudson Catholic in the state tournament, with several three pointers coming on highly contested shots. Nice mid range pull up game and a high defensive motor. He'd be a good fit at a guard-oriented D3 program that likes to get looks for shooters.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1466418' first='Joe' last='Ganton'] </strong>| 6'4” | G | West Essex </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Strong guard who attacks the basket aggressively by breaking down defenders off the dribble and can finish with either hand through contact at the rim. Ganton also has good ball handling skills but can also step back and hit shots from beyond the arc. Great court vision and a high basketball IQ. Double digit scorer in all but two contests as a junior and went for 20+ in 6 of his last 10 games. Season high of 26 vs Belleville. D3s throughout the Northeast should be interested. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1466413' first='Samir' last='Jordan']</strong>&nbsp;| 6'1” | G | North Star Academy</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jordan is an explosive scorer for North Star, capable of finishing at the rim with either hand and can break down defenders on the bounce. He also his the boards hard for a guard, is a tough defender who creates turnovers with his active hands and is a good facilitator in the half court set. Averaged 18PPG as a junior, scoring 25 vs Paramus Catholic and 22 vs Saint Peter's. A strong senior year will have plenty of schools checking in. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alex Rodriguez</strong>&nbsp;| 6'0” | G | Verona</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rodriguez filled a role for the Hillbillies as a junior and is a tough defensive player who also plays football. As such, he's a bigger bodied guard who's unafraid of drawing contact while driving to the rim. He's got a good first step and has some explosiveness. He had 21 vs Cedar Grove and 16 vs North Star. He's going to be the key returner for Verona this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Shayne Hinton</strong>&nbsp;| 5'10” | G | Bloomfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hinton received recognition from the newspapers for his play as a junior. A rugged defender who causes turnovers and sets his team out in transition with active hands, he also is the motor of the Bengals in the half court. He's a good shooter from beyond the arc as well. He went for 20 against East Orange and 19 against Passaic Tech. Most of the key contributors graduate, including Uma Kalu(Moravian). Hinton will be the leader as a senior. D3s throughout the region should stop by to check him out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->