Team Rio has up-and-coming talent on its 15U roster
We’re incredibly impressed with the amount of depth that these AAU programs have within New Jersey, and it’s become evident that we’re just scratching the surface around the state. One program we’ve gone back to is Team Rio because there…
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Continue ReadingWe’re incredibly impressed with the amount of depth that these AAU programs have within New Jersey, and it’s become evident that we’re just scratching the surface around the state.
One program we’ve gone back to is Team Rio because there are some established superstars and newcomers who will be bursting onto the scene soon.
The one team we haven’t covered yet is the 15U team, which is the most intriguing of the bunch with some under-the-radar names that people will get to know over the next few seasons.
Let’s go to the tape to give you a taste of the new generation of high school talent in New Jersey.
Our look begins with rising sophomore point guard Raquel Guidetti of Ranney. She has an incredible amount of potential to shine in the point guard position on Ranney for a few years and she’s quickly figuring out her strengths on the court.
Check out my tournament highlights from the Philly Showcase. Had a great time playing and competing with my team! @JAGSHOOPS @katelyn_linney @ShannonCoyle32 @RioUniversity pic.twitter.com/tQmEfTlsJl
— raquel.guidetti (@RaquelGuidetti) May 31, 2021
A big strength for Guidetti is her shooting, especially her three-point shooting. She excels as both an on-ball and off-ball shooter, and she’s not only a fantastic perimeter shooter, but she varies her shot selection well which throws off defenses.
Her aggression and tenacity on the court is understated and it’s been a crucial part to her development as a player. She compliments this well with strong defense and confidence running the point.
A great complement to Guidetti at the guard position is Erin Mayerhofer, a rising sophomore from Red Bank Catholic. The 5-5 guard shoots the ball well from the perimeter, but has really become someone who can drive into the lane and score or kick it out to a teammate.
Check out Erin Mayerhofer #12 showing her skills for NJ Belles Napolitano @CoachAliNap @njbelles @CoachTinyGreen @NJLadiesHoops @NJGirlsHoops @GthingBBall @erinmayerhofer1 pic.twitter.com/XCTDSuGZor
— NJ Rise 17U Napolitano (@NJRiseAliNap) June 16, 2021
Her three-point drives and dribble drives are where she’s going to be making her living during her high school career, but having the ability to shoot the deep ball adds an extra dimension to her game.
She’s got fantastic breakaway speed and is very much at the front of fast breaks when they happen, a lot of the time due to a forced turnover from her. If she can keep up the aggression on defense, it’s going to go a long way into her development as a well-rounded guard.
The last player we’ll be talking about in this article hails from Westampton, NJ, but goes to the George School in Pennsylvania, rising sophomore guard Sophia Martinez.
https://twitter.com/sophiamia06/status/1386908091967475713?s=20
Martinez, while attending school in PA, is an exciting prospect hailing from the Garden State and on the tape, she’s shown an incredible amount of maturity as an underclass player. The first thing that stands out is her handles and dribbling ability, shown off through her dribble drives into the lane.
She’s incredibly quick with the basketball and plays a fast style of offense when she’s handling the ball at the point. Martinez is a strong finisher, just one of many things she excels at on the floor.
Speed kills, and for her opponents, good luck trying to catch up to Martinez’s game speed on the floor. She disrupts offenses and meticulously breaks apart defenses. Very impressive stuff from the rising sophomore.
We’ll be talking plenty about Team Rio as the AAU season progresses, so stay tuned for more.