Essexfest More Eye Catchers

With holiday tournaments now firmly in the rearview mirror and the high school season hitting its full stride, the spotlight has now shifted to the regular season battles unfolding all across New Jersey. Along with that shift comes a slate of highly anticipated, ultra competitive weekend showcases. New to the 2025–2026 calendar is Essexfest— a showcase that brought together a compelling mix of intriguing prospects and some of Essex County's top programs. With that in mind, let's take another look at additional players who stood out during last weekend's action.    A strong and powerfully built guard who invites contact on downhill attacking drives, [player_tooltip player_id='2621316' first='Matthew' last='Kennedy'] was aggressive in getting in the paint, particularly in transition and in St. Mary's different half court actions. Highlighting his ability to counter his outside sharpshooting ability, Kennedy seemed to basically live in the paint— converting on a handful of soft touch floaters in transition, attacking driving angles with physicality playing through contact and getting to the free throw line, and even flashing his smooth mid range pull up game. An ultimately overall versatile scoring attack on the day, Kennedy also flashed his dynamic perimeter shot making ability, knocking down a pair of outside looks from three point range.     Part of a fiery Newark Tech backcourt where he's held primarily responsible for supplying steady shot making and a legitimate scoring punch from the two guard spot, [player_tooltip player_id='2201961' first='Va'Shaun' last='Harper'] demonstrated much of that ability in Newark Tech's matchup against Roselle last Saturday afternoon. A versatile scorer, Harper showcased his ability to not only knock down outside shots off the catch but also get to his spots in the mid range area off the bounce for clean in rhythm pull ups while also showing a knack for attack driving lanes when they opened up.     A strong and physically built forward who effectively and seamlessly combines strength and skill, [player_tooltip player_id='1919208' first='Gerald' last='Edwell'] leverages his physical tools and unique offensive skillset to be an ultimate mismatch and impact the game in a multitude of ways, particularly on the offensive end of the floor. His broad frame allows him to assert himself in the paint— being a bruiser on the boards and controlling the glass for second chance points and inviting contact and playing off bumps on physical dribble drives. A performance that highlighted his overall skillset, Edwell also flashed his ability to step out to three point line and knock down outside shots as a spot up shooter.     A point guard who consistently separates himself as both a dynamic offensive catalyst and a dependable scoring threat, [player_tooltip player_id='1411649' first='Tobe' last='Nwobu'] once again showcased those strengths in College Achieve's matchup against Payne Tech last Saturday afternoon. Nwobu excels as a floor general— routinely directing the offense while also using his quickness off the bounce to get in the paint to make quick and instinctive reads with his sound court vision and solid feel for the game. Nwobu also impressed as a reliable outside threat— showcasing his spot up shooting ability from three point range, highlighting his ability to also be effective off the ball.     A commanding presence around the rim on both ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='1581755' first='Al'Tariq' last='Reevey'] made his impact felt by imposing size and length along with his notable athleticism and glaring and fluid movement, ultimately establishing himself as a true force in the paint. Reevery thrived off activity— crashing the glass with energy and coming down with rebounds, effectively finishing around the rim on low post touches, capitalizing off second chance opportunities through contact, rim running in transition, and even utilizing his soft hands to catch dump offs in the dunker spot from penetrating guards and finish emphatically above the rim.     A seamless offensive fit with the confidence and composure to be effective as an outside scoring threat and added value as a reliable ball handler, [player_tooltip player_id='2884567' first='Dominic' last='Mauro'] stood out with his impact with a lot of the different plays he made as a scorer and decision maker. As a perimeter shooter, Mauro proved to be highly versatile—knocking down in rhythm catch and shoot threes while also converting on open looks as a smooth movement shooter. Mauro also shined as play finisher in transition— often times finding himself ahead of the defense in the open floor and finishing easy looks at the basket. Beyond his perimeter shooting, Mauro was comfortable serving as a secondary ball handler, stepping in to initiate the offense and consistently making smart, decisive reads with the ball in both transition and half-court settings.     The engine for Paterson Kennedy's offense and often held responsible for a lot of their offensive production, [player_tooltip player_id='2342644' first='Justin' last='Hunt'] turned in a strong individual effort. The strong framed guard with wide shoulders consistently found his way into the paint, using his strength and footwork to create space for different soft touch finishes in the in between area. Hunt also earned trips to the line by being physical on drives and drawing contact, baiting opposing defenders to leave their feet.

With holiday tournaments now firmly in the rearview mirror and the high school season hitting its full stride, the spotlight has now shifted to the regular season battles unfolding all across New Jersey. Along with that shift comes a slate of highly anticipated, ultra competitive weekend showcases. New to the 2025–2026 calendar is Essexfest— a showcase that brought together a compelling mix of intriguing prospects and some of Essex County's top programs. With that in mind, let's take another look at additional players who stood out during last weekend's action.