Hampton, Virginia…………….The Playaz Basketball Club A.A.U. program ran by Jimmy Salmon  took it’s show on the road to the prestigious Boo Williams A.A.U. Tournament in Hampton, Virginia and proved that it is one of the best programs in the country. The Playaz 15′s went down and won 6 games enroute to the Boo Williams ” CHIP”in their age group. Meanwhile, The Playaz 17′s team is part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League that will determine the top teams that will compete in this years Peach Jam in North Augusta, South Carolina to determine a true A.A.U. champion. They began their quest by going 5-0 in the first of three tournaments. They will also play in Houston and Los Angeles. Going against some of the top teams in the country, the 17′s look like they will be in the hunt the whole way playing some special basketball down here!  (Boo Williams pictured left)

 

                                                                        Playaz 15′s Beat Mean Street  55-53 In Boo Williams Final !

 

                       The Playaz 15′s will be a team to deal with again this a.a.u. season as they are picking up where they left off as 14 year olders. They took on a very tough Mean Street team out of Chicago who features one of the top ranked players in the country in 6’8 Alex Foster. the Playaz more than handled him and his teammates. Trailing early in the 1st half , the Playaz took the initial hit and then battled back behind the play of 6’6 Reggie Cameron (Paterson Catholic) who finished the contest with 17 points. As Cameron kept them in the game, it was only a matter of time for his teammates to come with him. 6’3 Shacore Edwards (Irvington) scored 17 of his 20 points in the 2nd half and showed the athleticism that’s  going to open eyes in this a.a.u. season. 5’11 point guard Kavon Stewart( Paterson Catholic)) got to the basket with the game tied at 53 and drew a foul, where he calmly knocked down two free throws that proved to be the game winner! Meanwhile they also got a solid effort from 6’1 Josh Marquez( DePaul H.S.) whose hustle and willingness to do the dirty work is probably the key to this teams success. The trademark of this team, along with the 17 year old team is the unselfish play and from the early results it seems like the perfect formula.

 

      The Skinny on the 15′s:

Shacore Edwards #10 - Had a great tournament and opened up many eyes during the week! Averaged 15 during the weekend and took over in the 2nd half of championship game!

 

Reggie Cameron #2 - Also shined throughout the weekend as his reputation as  one of best shooters in his class  with unlimited range was justified throughout. Could not be left alone! Averaged a team high 18 points for the weekend!            

 

Kavon Stewart #3 – Showed why he is considered one of the best point guards in his class. Ran the show to perfection, having his best game in the quarterfinals against Long Island Lightning from New York!

Joshua Marquez #23 – This kid maximizes his talent to the fullest. Is always giving his all and has now become a more consistent jump shooter! Can not be slept on!

 

 

Amir Maddred#34 -  The 6’7 St. Patricks freshman is improving every day. Nice post up game and ability to knock down the mid range jumper. When not in foul trouble had a fine weekend!

 

Jordan Arthur #40 – The 6’8 big man got better as the weekend went on and the team would not have won without his contribution. Play of weekend was his follow up dunk over a defender in the semi finals against the Gauchos from New York!

 

DeAndre Noble #1 -The Paterson Catholic player gave quality minutes off the bench. Showed his athleticism, especially defensively and knocked down the open jumper when available!

 

Connor Cuccinelli #42- The 6’4 swingman from St. Mary’s H.S. has done a good job spelling Edwards and Cameron and has had moments, particularly his 10 point game in the quarters against Long Island Lightning.

 

 

                                                            PLAYAZ 17′s DO THEIR THING AT BOO!

From the first night when Paterson Catholic’s 5’9 guard Myles Mack sliced up the host Boo Williams A.A.U. team until St.Peters Prep 6’0 guard Miles Davis lit the gym up from the perimeter against the Mac Irvin Fire from Chicago, the Playaz 17 year old team made noise to start play in the Elite Youth Basketball League. In between the M and M boys was the off the charts play of  6’8 Paterson Catholic sophomore Kyle Anderson and 6’5 Don Bosco Prep junior Vaughn Gray. Not to mention the athleticism of New Egypt 6’10 Desmond Hubert, Derrick Randall(Paterson Catholic) and Jarrod Davis( Lakewood) and the solid floor play of St. Peter’s Prep Kevin Walker.The Playaz looked great in their quest to be one of the 24 best A.A.U. squads so they will be invited to the Peach Jam. This weekend was a great start! Next E.Y.B.L. tournament will be in Houston in three weeks!

 

The Skinny On The 17′s:

 

Myles Mack – Had a great weekend and again showed that it’s the heart in the player that counts the most! The 5’8 guard challenged the bigs and lit up the guards. Has the uncanny ability to rise to the occasion when he’s needed most. Had 32 against Boo Williams!

 

 

Kyle Anderson – Was the key to alot of the Playaz runs this weekend. Can get to the lane easily and his length makes it almost impossible to stop him there. Has improved his range and all you have to do when watching a player is check the score when they play ,then check it when they sit. He is a winner!

 

 

Myles Davis – When this kid got hot this weekend he was almost unguardable from the perimeter. Had a 27 and a 32 point game, but was not one dimensional. Put it on the floor a few times to keep them honest and actually distributed the ball well!

 

 

 

 

Vaughn Gray – People keep sleeping on this 6’5 baller, but they couldn’t miss him this weekend as he was tremendous. He went to the basket strong and knocked down the midrange jump shot. The scary part is there is still so much upside to his game!

 

 

 

 

Desmond Hubert – When you watch the things Hubert can do athletically you honestly can picture this kid in the league! Of course he has a long way to go but the kid has freaky athleticism. Had eye opening moments throughout the weekend. As his midrange gets better, Watch out!

 

 

 

Jarrod Davis – Believe it or not, as good an athlete as Desmond is, Jarrod might be the best one on the squad. Can get to the bucket at will and can knock down the jump shot!

 

Derrick Randall – Still a beast inside. He was relentless on the boards this weekend and he had to be going against some of the best big men in the country!

 

Kevin Walker – Is a true playmaker who seems to have found his niche with this deep squad. Will be depended on more as the a.a.u. season goes on! 

 

Neptune, N.J………….. The 12th annual Spring Fling hosted by the Playaz Basketball Club featured some of the best talent from Washington D.C. to Massachusetts as the 15 year old and 17 year old age groups got a chance to display their ability at the Hoop Group Headquarters in Neptune. When the dust was settled the Playaz 15 year old team and Playaz 17 year olds stood head and shoulders above the rest for this weekend!

 

                                                             Playaz 17′s Take Off On Team Takeover 74-54!

 

 The day started with the Spring Fling 17′s semi-finals featuring  The Playaz vs. The Long Island Lightning and Team Takeover(Wash. D.C.) vs. City Rock. The Playaz looked impressive from the start as they took it to the Lightning beating them 86 – 60! Lakewood H.S. swingman Jerrard Davis led a balanced attack with 17 points. 5’9 guard Myles Mack (Paterson Catholic) had 16 points, while 6’9 Desmond Hubert’s(New Egypt H.S.) 15 points, 6’7 Kyle Anderson’s (Paterson Catholic) 13 points and 6’0 Miles Davis (St. Peter’s Prep) 11 points also reached double figures. The Lightning were paced by Derrick Gordon (St.Patrick’s) with 19 points and St. John’s recruit Davontae Grace with 8. Team Takeover had a little more trouble, but eventually pulled away with a 72 – 58 win. Julian Debose led Takeover with 23 points while Mykael Hopkins added 16 points and A.J. English 10. City Rock got 23 points from 6’0 guard Derek Millinghaus.

The stage was set for the most impressive teams of the weekend to meet. The Playaz team effort proved to be the difference as they got major contributions from their entire squad enroute to a 74-54 win. The Playaz made 8 treys in the contest and got 17 team assists. They were led by Mack with 23 points and 3 assists and Anderson with 15 points, 7 rebounds and 5 dimes. Miles Davis scored 15, including 3 treys and also dished out 6 assists. That did not tell the story as the Playaz forced numerous turnovers and got excellent play from Hubert, Jerrard Davis, Vaughn Gray (Don Dosco Prep), Keith Lumpkin (St. Peters Prep), Derrick Randall (Paterson Catholic) and Kevin Walker (St. Peters Prep). Takeover was led by Duke recruit Michael Gbinijie with 25 points and Hopkins with 8 points and 10 rebounds. Guard James Robinson from DeMatha Highschool was also impressive for the Takeover. Kyle Anderson and Desmond Hubert were voted co- MVPs while Miles Davis and Myles Mack (pictured together) were voted to the All tournament team. 

 

 

                                                                             Playaz 15′s  Defeats N.Y. Gauchos 54 -44!

     The Playaz 15′s took care of business by first putting it to Sports University(Izod) in the semi finals with a 66 -43 blowout! The Playaz took an 8 point lead at the end of the 1st half and turned it up in the 2nd. 6’3 Shacore Edwards (Irvington) led the Playaz with 15 points, while 5’11  Kavon Stewart (Paterson Catholic) had 13 and 6’6 Reggie Cameron (Paterson Catholic) added 12.Connor Cuccinelli (St. Mary’s) knocked down a couple of  big treys and guard Stephon McNair (St. Benedicts) made a few impressive moves for the Playaz during the 2nd half run. Spencer Weiz (Seton Hall Prep) led Sports U. with 15 points. The Gauchos made the finals by defeating New Heights 68 -56. Dacari Johnson’s 15 points and Jaquan Johnson’s 14 led the Gauchos. Isaiah Lewis led New Heights with 23 points. The Playaz and Gauchos had played a tough contest in pool play and this game would be no different. They played to a 15 -14 1st half as the Playaz held the ball a total of 8:00 minutes trying to pull the Gauchos out of their zone defense. The 2nd half was more normal as the Playaz pulled out a 54 -44 hard fought win. Cameron led the Playaz with 18 points and 5 rebounds and Edwards added 13 points and 8 boards. 6’7 Amir Maddred (St. Patrick’s) added 8 points and 5 rebounds. Stewart ran the team brilliantly in the 2nd half and 6’1 Joshua Marquez (DePaul H.S.) provided the defensive chaos and added 5 assists. 6’8 Jordan Arthur (St. Peters Prep) added 6 boards while 6’0 DeAndre Noble (Paterson Catholic) knocked down a clutch jumper late in the contest. The Gauchos were led by Deshaun Smith with 15 points. Cameron and Edwards were named co- MVP’s while Maddred and Marquez,along with the Gauchos Tyler Wilson and Johnson were named to the All tournament team.(Marquez,Maddred,Cameron,Edwards pictured bottom)

Bloomfield College………In an impressive display the Playaz 15 year old A.A.U. team ran by Jimmy Salmon entered the New Jersey state 16 year old tournament and ended up winning the championship in a two week competition that saw this team take on some of the strongest 16 year old teams in the state. They pulled it off with a 47-43 win over a very talented M.S.U. squad. Paterson Catholic’s 6’6 freshman Reggie Cameron led the Playaz in scoring with 12 points,while Joshua Marquez( DePaul) and 6’7 Amir Maddred( St. Patrick’s) each scored 9 points in the contest. This game was more about heart and determination than numbers as M.S.U. made it very tough for the Playaz to score, but the Playaz gave the same in return as M.S.U. found it tough on their end of the floor. M.S.U. came back from an 8 point deficit to tie the score at 43. That’s when 5’10 point guard Kavon Stewart( Paterson Catholic) got into the lane and found Cameron underneath for the go ahead layup. Marquez then made a steal and was fouled and put the game away with 2 free throws with 6.2 seconds on the clock. Dion Rogers was the game high scorer with 15 for M.S.U., while Quenton DeCosey added 11. The Playaz got great performances throughout the tournament from different players as DeAndre Noble( Paterson Catholic),  Stephon McNair( St. Benedicts), Jordan Arthur( St. Peters Prep) and Connor Cuccinelli( St. Mary’s) all gave impressive performances during the tournament. The key to this Salmon’s squad might be the addition of 6’3 Shacore Edwards( Irvington). Edwards(pictured right) distinguished himself as a big time player and can only make a team of studs better. He had highlight moments, but still played within the team concept which has been a quality of this team since they were 13 years old. The most impressive win in the  tournament was probably the dominating performance the Playaz 15′s did against the highly talented Sports University Izod 16 year old squad, who coincidently won the Playaz sponsored 2010 Spring Fling 

 

 

                                                                        

                                                                  Playaz Sponsored   2010  Spring Fling : Results

  16 year old final :   Sports University( Izod) 57               New Heights   45

                         All Tournament : New Heights – Taleik Kingsboro    Jerrell         Marshall

                                                               Sports University – Ty Williams

                                                        M.V.P. – Sports University – Jerome Fricke( pictured)

 

 

 14 year old Final :        Team Scan  76                          New Heights 63

                                              All Tournament : New Heights – Lavar Haiewood  and Darius Jones

                                                                                        Team Scan – Shavonne Newkirk

                                                                                        M.V.P. – Khaled Long

 

 

After a long adventurous season, here’s Hoop Journal final Top 20 Passaic and Bergen County Teams!

 

 

1.) Paterson Catholic -      Ranked as high as #6 in the country, this team was the best squad in the area. Won prestigious City Of Palm Tournament in Florida, captured their 3rd straight Passaic County Tournament and finished 28-1 for the year!

 

 

2.) Paramus Catholic – Bergen County Jamboree champs! Co NBIL Division 1 Champions! 

 

 

3.) Kennedy H.S. – Runner up in Passaic County tournament!

 

 

4.) Old Tappan – Won Group 3 North Sectionals! Shared NBIL Division 1 Title with Paramus Catholic!

 

 

5.) Passaic – Seeded #1 in Group 4 North playoffs!

 

 

6.) DePaul – The most surprising team of the year!

 

 

7.) Passaic Valley - Reached semis of Group 3 North playoffs! Runs some of best offensive sets in area!

 

 

8.) Bergen Catholic – Runner up to Paramus Catholic in Bergen Jamboree!

 

 

9.) Don Bosco Prep – Made it to semifinals of Non-Public A North playoffs!

 

 

10.) Teaneck – Runner up in Group 3 North Finals! Co NJTCC Division A Champs!

 

11.) St. Joseph – Reached Semis of Bergen Jamboree! Shared NJTCC Division A title with Teaneck!

 

 

12.) Pequannack – Have to give it to Group 2 North Sectional Champs!

 

 

13.) Indian Hills – Runner up in Group 2 North Sectionals! One of the best teams in years for this school!

 

 

14.) Wayne Valley -   Reached semifinals of Passaic County Tournament! Tough defensive squad!

 

 

15.) Cresskill – Group 1 North Sectional champs!

 

 

16.) West Milford – Reached semi finals of Group 3 North Sectionals!

 

 

17.) Elmwood Park – The BPSL -King Champs!

 

 

18.) Passaic County Tech – Surprising team that brings back their core players!

 

 

19.) Dwight Englewood – Another squad with their top players returning!

 

 

20.) Garfield – Made noise in the Group 2 North playoffs!

 

 

Team Of Year : Paterson Catholic – The 28-1 squad was one of the best in area in years!

 

Surprising Team Of Year : DePaul Catholic – No one expected this team to go 20-6!

 

Defensive Team Of Year : Kennedy – Pressure defense always led to big scoring runs!

 

Offensive Team Of Year : Paterson Catholic – Holding the ball in the 4th quarter kept team from scoring 100 points numerous times!

 

Disappointing Team Of Year : Hackensack and Englewood – Both teams had surprisingly poor seasons  for quality of players!

 

Funnest Team To Watch -  Besides P.C. because of talent, had to be Indian Hills and their crazy crowd!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Brunswick…….Paterson Catholic came to the party undefeated and looking to make history for their school. They beat St. Anthony’s last year in the semifinals of theNorth 1 Parochial B playoffs and truth be told, they expected to pull it off again. But this is St. Anthony’s and if you’re not ready to grind every time against them they will get you. Paterson Catholic fell into a halfcourt game and it proved to be their undoing as the Friars brought the Cougars undefeated season to a crashing halt in a workmanlike 63-49 win for the Parochial B Sectional final. For this night St. Anthony’s 6’1 guard Elijah Carter was the best player on the floor. He played a tremendous game scoring 28 points and grabbing a surprising 14 rebounds. The St. Bonaventure recruit was 4 of 5 from the three line and hit big shots when P.C. even had a thought of making a run. Either Paterson Catholic wouldn’t run or couldn’t run but not getting their fastbreak game in gear kept the game at St. Anthony’s tempo. The game started with a Jayon James (7 asts) to Fuquan Edwin (22 pts) alley oop for a 2-0 lead. It would be the last lead of the contest for Paterson Catholic. The Friars defense held P.C. to 16 1st half points, taking a 27-16 lead at intermission.The closest they would get was 8 points the rest of the way and the pace of the game made that amount seem insurmountable. St. Anthony’s made a point of finding Paterson Catholic’s Myles Mack wherever he was on the floor, giving D’Marcus Owens the job of covering him. It resulted in a subpar game from the star Junior who was held to 9 points,all coming in the 2nd half and only converting 1 of 8 from the three point arc. Sophomore Kyle Anderson was the only other Cougar besides Edwin to reach double figures with 10 points and dishing out 5 assists. James had 4 steals to go with his assists total and Junior Derrick Randall had 5 blocks. 6’8 Arizona St. recruit Devon Collier added 14 points for St. Anthony’s who now will face Trenton Catholic for the Parochial B title.

 

Notes: Hoops Journal would like to acknowledge the Seniors of  Paterson Catholic who not only have had great success but have helped get this site recognizable. Javon Handsford, Andre Rose, Davon Daniels, Trevor Clemmings and Jermaine Peart all should be proud of their basketball careers. Clemmings(far right) is a two way sportsman with a full ride at  Pittsburgh Univ. for football. Junior Derrick Randall(bottom) will also be leaving for Ft. Kent Prep school next year and he also has to be acknowledged for the season he has had. Most importantly, Hoops Journal has to give special love to Jayon James(top left) and Fuquan Edwin(bottom left). These two players have been the catalyst for Paterson Catholic’s basketball squad this year. James will be taking his game to Fordham University, while Edwin will be getting it on at Seton Hall University. Watching these two mature into the players they’ve become has been a thrill for this site and the evolution of Edwin in particular from an offensive rebounder as a freshman to a lights out jump shooter as a senior has showed what hard work can do for you. These guys have been here from the start and will truly be missed. GOOD LUCK TO ALL IN THE FUTURE! THANK YOU FOR A GREAT YEAR!

New Brunswick, N.J……. ENOUGH SAID!

Paterson………..East Orange came into hostile territory and pulled off a tremendous win against Kennedy H.S. 73-65 to win the North 1 Group 4 Sectional Championship. East Orange, a #8 seed beat the #2 Knights behind the play of 6’7 Junior Mario Moody who scored 21 points, grabbed 18 rebounds and blocked 6 shots. Moody was a beast and when Kennedy did finally neutralize him, Junior point guard Tyrone Kornegay took over scoring 22 points including 6 free throws at the end of the game. Senior Shondel Stewart finished his career going out in style scoring 28 points with 8 rebounds and Senior Zahir Young  also played a solid game with 14 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. After a 17-17 tie in the 1st quarter, the Jaquars held a slight lead the rest of the way as  Kennedy played catch up. They finally cut the lead to two 65-63 on a 3 point shot by George Nunez, but a steal by Muhamabou Kaba( 11 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts) helped East Orange hold on to the lead for good. East Orange will now face Plainfield at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth for the Group 4 North title.

 

 

Notes: It goes without saying that Hoops Journal would like to acknowledge the Seniors on Kennedy H.S. on a tremendous season. Jaquan Williams, Jamille Barnes and Zahir Young(#2) all had outstanding seasons and each has a chance to play at another level. Hoop Journal would like to send a special one to Shondel Stewart. Stewart( with trophy) is a special talent and it has been an absolute pleasure to see where he has taken his game. He was last years All Journal Passaic County Player Of The Year and of course is in the running once again. Journal nicknamed him the calculator for how quick he can put numbers up and we witnessed moments of scoring brilliance throughout his career. Hopefully things work out where he can be the Division 1 player that he is! HOOPS JOURNAL WOULD LIKE TO WISH THE BEST FOR THESE SENIORS IN THE FUTURE!

Old Tappan………. The game was hard fought, high intensity, a little sloppy and as competitive as a highschool game can get, but in the end Old Tappan just made a few more plays than Teaneck H.S. and it was enough to give them the North 1 Group 3 State Sectional Title by a 49-47 score. Senior Tom Messina led O.T. in scoring with 19 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. But the unsung heroes were Juniors Sammy Elias(#33) and Nick Bianco(pictured). Elias scored 11 points with 8 big ones coming in the second half when Old Tappan needed someone else to score. He consistently got into the lane for short jumpers. Elias was the offensive surprise, but the defensive surprise came from Bianco. He was a force in the middle, blocking 9 shots in the contest and making the biggest play of the game when teammate Chris Besserer missed the front end of a one and one with the score 47-45. Teaneck controlled the rebound, but Bianco came from behind to steal the ball and give Besserer another chance after he was fouled again and this time he converted them both to give Old Tappan a 49- 45 lead with 11.3 seconds left. Teaneck pulled out to an 11-3 lead in the 1st quarter as Sophomore Chris Jones came out fast scoring 6 quick points and playing solid defense on Junior point guard Shane McLaughlin. Teaneck took a 13-5 lead at the end of the quarter. Old Tappan came back in the 2nd behind Messina, outscoring Teaneck 15-7 in the quarter to cut the lead to 22-20 at the half. The Highwaymen held a slight lead most of the 2nd half, but with 4:20 left in the 4th Messina’s 3 point play gave Old Tappan it’s first lead of the second half 41-40. That’s when the fun began down the stretch in this game with each team making hustle plays and hustle mistakes. Teaneck only got a combined 18 points from it’s senior trio of Owen Barnes, Jonathan Blue and Kyle Steinbergin. Blue did collect 7 rebounds in the game. Junior Branden Davis accounted for 9 rebounds and Junior William Thompson had 7 boards as they out rebounded Old Tappan 29-20. Jones led the scoring with 12 points. Old Tappan got 7 points and 6 rebounds from Mclaughlin. Besserer added 6 big points and 4 rebounds.

 

 Note: Hoops Journal would like to congratulate Teaneck’s seniors on another great year. Vance Steinbergin, Justin Hodge, Owen Barnes, Jonathan Blue and Kyle Steinbergin( pictured left to right) were a special group that was a part of the sectional title team last year. These guys  have been a part of Hoops Journal from the start and they will truly be missed. They all have a future on the college level. Hoop Journal Wants To Thank You For a Tremendous Ride!