Philly Belles’ Peterson 16U Team Features Three NJ Prospects

With the AAU season in full swing, there’s added excitement for those involved. You’ll see quite a number of New Jersey prospects scattered across local rosters, including the Peterson 16U team for the Philly Belles. As one of the best AAU programs in the region, this team features three prospects from the Garden State. Let’s take a closer look at them. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="325195" first="Rhian" last="Stokes"] - PG, Ewing (2024)</strong> The No. 3 prospect in PGH NJ’s 2024 prospect rankings, Stokes was a Player of the Year candidate this season and is one of the most complete guards we’ve seen in quite some time. The ability to score, pass and rebound at an elite level is rarely seen within one player and Stokes has proven herself to do just that. She’s got a great feel for the game, knows how to pick her spots to score and scans the court extremely well to pick out teammates. Her defense is as good if not better than the latter three, though her scoring is tough to beat. Excellent court vision and a high basketball IQ is not just gained overnight. Stokes has put in the work to reach this level already as a sophomore and is going to be quite the piece for Ewing come next season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="325184" first="Joi" last="Johnson"] - 5-11 PF, Ewing (2024)</strong> From one budding superstar on Ewing to another, we now transition over to Johnson, the No. 7 player in PGH NJ’s 2024 prospect rankings. Without a doubt, Johnson is one of the best forwards in the state and is a top-5 shot-blocker within the 2024 and 2025 classes. All the tools of an elite shot-blocker: great vertical, long wingspan and a fearless play-style, she possesses and then some. If there’s anything other than her shot-blocking that stands out to us, it’s her rebounding, which has hovered around 12-13.0 rebounds a game for her first two seasons in high school. She attacks the boards well and will do whatever she can to get a rebound for Ewing. You don’t want to be overly aggressive, but Johnson has already found that sweet spot which has made her so successful. <strong>Ella Inacio - 5-9 SG/SF, Red Bank Catholic (2024)</strong> We got to see glimpses of Inacio after she sat out the first part of the 2021-22 season due to transfer rules. She was an effective player at Ranney as a freshman and improved upon that as a sophomore. Inacio is a perfect three and D player, an effective three-point shooter with quite the knack for defense. In a five-game stretch for RBC from late January to early February, she knocked down 1.6 threes a game, really impressive numbers coming off the bench. Inacio will have plenty more opportunities next season to shine for the Caseys and will star as one of their go-to perimeter shooters. Let’s not forget about her defense as with quick hands and reflexes, she’s able to cause turnovers and disrupt offensive schemes for opponents. Next season will be her first full season at RBC and it will undoubtedly be a good one.