North 2 Double Digit Seed Prospects to Track

Joe Esquivel-Murphy February 19, 2026 @ 06:54 PM

<p>The state tournament brackets were released on Tuesday, meaning the state tournament is about to begin. Every year, double digit seeds pull off upsets in the opening round with multiple prospects having the ability to help teams pull off upsets. Here are the prospects on double digit seeds in North Jersey 2 to watch in the opening round.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1919208' first='Gerald' last='Edwell'], 6'5 PF Payne Tech 2026</strong></h2>   <p>Edwell has been a force all season for the Lions and should continue to do so in the state tournament. The Millersville commit uses his strong frame to get position down low and can finish through contact. Edwell can also put the ball on the floor and sets strong screens in the half court. He is a force on the glass and holds his ground on the defensive end. Edwell is a double-double machine who will look to dominate the interior in the opening night of the state tournament.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2421373' first='Tommy' last='Calabrese'], 5'11 PG/SG Cliffside Park 2027</strong></h2>   <p>Calabrese is one of the top shooters in Group 3 and should put it on display during the state tournament. The 5'11 guard has a smooth release on his jumper and can get hot from distance in a hurry. Calabrese is more than just a shooter as he can also get into the paint off the bounce and finishes nicely around the basket. He finds his open teammates and is an underrated defender. Calabrese is a sharpshooting guard prospect who should torch the nets from distance in the opening round.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Emmanuel Yirenkui, 6'2 SG North Star Academy 2027</strong></h2>   <p>Yirenkui has had big performances during the course of the season, which should continue during the state tournament. The 6'2 guard has a good first step, which he uses to get to the rim and knows how to finish around the basket. Yirenkui can also score in the mid-range and sets his feet before he shoots. He moves well without the ball in his hands and works hard on the defensive end. Yirenkui has a pair of 20-point games this season and will need another game like that for North Star Academy to advance to the quarterfinals.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2786680' first='Muwahid' last='Williams'], 5'8 PG Hillside 2028</strong></h2>   <p>Williams has been a consistent force for the Comets in the backcourt, averaging a little more than 16 points per game. The 5'8 guard has a nice handle, which he uses to get to the rim and finishes well around the basket. Williams has a good touch on his floater and also has the ability to play off the ball as well. He is an underrated passer and gets deflections on the defensive end. Williams has the ability to put up points in bunches, which he should do over the course of the opening game of the state tournament.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2700396' first='Ahmad' last='Cook'], 7'0 C/PF West Side 2028</strong></h2>   <p>Cook is one of the top post prospects in the 2028 class and will look to put it on display during the state tournament. The 7'0 post swats almost everything around the rim and skies for rebounds on both ends of the floor. Cook has a nice touch around the basket and has an underrated face-up game. He runs the floor hard, setting himself up for easy dunks and layups in transition. Cook's ability to control the paint is something that will help the Roughriders in the opening round of the state tournament.</p>

The state tournament brackets were released on Tuesday, meaning the state tournament is about to begin. Every year, double digit seeds pull off upsets in the opening round with multiple prospects having the ability to help teams pull off upsets. Here are the prospects on double digit seeds in North Jersey 2 to watch in the opening round.