PGH NJ Takes a Closer Look at NJ Freedom’s 17U Squad

Hoop Group is holding its Pennsylvania Jamfest this weekend and there is for sure some New Jersey representation there. Among the teams participating is NJ Freedom, a fantastic AAU program with numerous teams. We’ll be discussing more of the 17U team in this article, one with some fantastic talent from some of the most successful high school programs in the state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="321599" first="Ava" last="Naszimento"] - 6-1 C, Immaculate Heart (2023)</strong> We’ve talked about Naszimento before and the center is one of the best talents in the 2023 class, one still full of raw talent. She’s easily coming off her best high school season to date, and the fact that the 2021-22 season really is the first season that we’ve seen her this dominant shows how much room she still has to grow. She was blessed with size and height, which she uses well. Her game is exclusively played in the interior, so the more she can put the pressure on opponents there, the better she’ll become. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="321596" first="Julia" last="Schutz"] - 5-9 SG, Immaculate Heart (2023)</strong> A teammate of Naszimento, Schutz is a talented guard who can shoot and is one of the best pure scorers in the 2023 class. She’s shown to be someone who isn’t just a three and D player, but someone who can pass and rebound while also getting to the foul line. She cuts well off-ball and is very fluid and smooth when she shoots. There’s not much to her shot, which is to her advantage as that quick release is nearly impossible to guard. This summer, she’s been focusing much more on the three, which is the key to her success next season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="159079" first="Grace" last="Kowalski"] - 5-6 PG, Montville (2023)</strong> If you’re looking for multi-dimensional guards and players who could put up a triple-double any day of the week, Kowalski is your player. What a dynamic force she is on the court and what great balance she has in her play, able to carve up most any team in a number of different ways. Balance is what sets her apart from the rest, able to excel in multiple different ways to keep opponents on their toes. There really isn’t much more to say about a gifted guard, a fantastic shooter and scorer, and one of the most underrated passers in the state. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="321602" first="Alexa" last="Lora"] - 5-5 SG, Ramapo (2023)</strong> Lora took her three-point shooting to another level as a junior for Ramapo and just looks like a completely different player compared to her first two high school years. Constant work in the gym to work on her perimeter shooting has paid dividends as she’s turned into a consistent scorer, one able to operate both on-ball and off-ball. Having that ability to execute both at a high level opens the interior for her teammates. We’re intrigued to see how she continues to work on her passing and inside game as the summer continues. <strong>Bailey Chapman - 5-9 SG, Sparta (2023)</strong> Chapman is another sharp-shooter on a fantastic program, and she’s developed quite a lot since her freshman season with Sparta. Once just a perimeter shooter, she’s added several different dimensions to her game, starting with a more aggressive brand of defense that’s contributed well to her rebounding, shot-blocking and ability to cause turnovers. Things like that get swept under the rug when people see just how good of a scorer Chapman has become, especially at drawing contact and making foul shots. That’s just the tip of the iceberg with her as we’ve seen in full this summer.