Under-the-Radar Sophomores to Watch

Freshman year is over and now the jitters are out of the way. The first year of high school play always brings a lot of unknowns. Sophomore year allows players to settle in and really perfect their craft. While certain players gain state and national attention after one year, there are plenty of other quality players who are not as known. Let’s take a look at some under-the-radar sophomores to watch in New Jersey as we inch closer to the 2020-21 season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134752" first="Aaryn" last="Battle"], Clearview</strong> – Battle was productive for Clearview in her freshman season. In 25 games of action, she totaled 297 points and 174 rebounds. Battle posted four double-doubles a season ago. She was also active on the defensive end. Battle finished with seven steals against Deptford this past January. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134753" first="Kyla" last="Glasser-Hyman"], Hightstown</strong> – Glasser-Hyman totaled 18 double-figure games last season for Hightstown. She finished with 15.2 points per game. Top offensive performances came against Bernards (26 points), Robbinsville (27 points), Hamilton West (24 points) and Hun (22 points). Glasser-Hyman had a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds against Trenton. She finished with 103 rebounds, 98 assists and 94 steals. The Hightstown sophomore had 11 steals in the season opener against Princeton. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="134656" first="Gabby" last="Loftin"], Florence</strong> – Loftin had an all-around solid year for Florence. She finished with 21 double-figure games, including 30 points in a victory over Asbury Park. She had a lot of other positives on the court, too. While Loftin proved she could rebound, facilitate and get to the foul line, her defensive ways stood out. She finished with 107 steals, including 15 in the season opener against STEM Civics. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155447" first="Ally" last="Sweeney"], Sparta</strong> – Sweeney was an all-around threat for Sparta in her freshman season. She averaged 12.2 points, 4.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game. Sweeney made 52 steals and hit 32 3-pointers last season. She is a player who can do a little bit of everything on the court, and she’ll look to take the next step as a sophomore. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155450" first="Mattison" last="Chiera"], Colonia</strong> – Chiera had a solid year for Colonia in Middlesex County with 14.2 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. She had four double-doubles on the year, including 24 points and 10 rebounds in a one-point win over Woodbridge in early January. Chiera totaled 18 double-figure games on the year. <strong>Other Names:</strong> Symiaha Brown-Cobb, Paterson Eastside Gabriella Ross, Manchester Township [player_tooltip player_id="134646" first="Angelica" last="Velez"], Manchester Township [player_tooltip player_id="155451" first="Gissell" last="Gamble"], Franklin [player_tooltip player_id="155448" first="Kassidy" last="Thompson"], Clearview Neysa Aguilar, Middlesex Quanirah Cherry-Montague, Atlantic City Madison Clark, Haddon Heights