New Jersey's McDonald's All-American Game Nominees Pt. 1

Wednesday saw the announcement of the 2023 McDonald's All-American Game nominees across the country and New Jersey was well-represented on the list with 26 players. Each of these 26 players has more than deserved this distinction, so let's run through them in a two-part article series, beginning with Part 1 here.   Quanirah 'Nir Nir' Cherry-Montague - Atlantic City   Nir Nir has been nothing short of a dominant force for Atlantic City and a freak of nature at times, with her 6-6 frame and big wingspan allowing her to becoming one of the best shot-blockers in the state. Cherry-Montague officially committed to Mississippi State in November.   [player_tooltip player_id='482278' first='Maggie' last='Cavanaugh'] - St. Rose   Cavanaugh is one of two St. Rose players represented on the nominees list and the New Hampshire commit has steadily improved her game over her career. She currently averages 9.5 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 4.5 APG and 3.1 SPG for the Purple Roses.   [player_tooltip player_id='321570' first='Rosie' last='Scognamiglio'] - St. Rose   A steady scorer, Scognamiglio has remained consistent, but productive over her career at St. Rose. The Bucknell commit can shoot the ball well from beyond the arc while being equally effective inside the perimeter and on the defensive side of things too.   [player_tooltip player_id='134756' first='Jaylin' last='Hartman'] - Blair   Hartman took a big step forward last season, improving her three-point shooting while getting more aggressive near the basket, pushing the tempo and controlling the glass. Headed to George Washington next season, Hartman's 6-2 frame is going to be tough to contain in the Atlantic 10.   [player_tooltip player_id='482807' first='Riley' last='Allen'] - Chatham   Allen was simply put, one of the best three-point shooters in the state last season, knocking down 80 threes during the season. Quickly approaching 150 career threes, the Emory commit is knocking down an average of three a game, making quick work from beyond the arc.   [player_tooltip player_id='134752' first='Aaryn' last='Battle'] - Camden Catholic   We saw things come in spurts last season with Battle, but this year, she's really taken maters into her own hands, averaging nearly 20 points a game so far for the Irish and having recently crossed 1,000 points in her high school career. The best way to describe her this season is dominant.   [player_tooltip player_id='155448' first='Kassidy' last='Thompson'] - Camden Catholic   It's incredibly hard to stop one great player, let alone two on the same team. Camden Catholic has been lucky in having Thompson and Battle playing alongside each other and the Quinnipiac commit hasn't disappointed this season, averaging 16.5 PPG for the Irish.   [player_tooltip player_id='326949' first='Riley' last='Ahrens'] - Delran   The newest member of Delran's 1,000 point club, Ahrens has built on what she was able to accomplish last season for the Bears, averaging nearly four blocks and over three steals a game. Additionally, averaging 18.1 PPG and 8.1 RPG, she's been able to do everything and anything she wants to on the floor.   [player_tooltip player_id='482797' first='Tamea' last='El'] - East Brunswick   A double-double machine over the past two seasons, El has relished in increased playing time and being the to-go frontcourt player for East Brunswick. Averaging between 8-9 points and rebounds a game, she's teetering on double-double averages for the season and has a good shot of reaching that plateau.   [player_tooltip player_id='134645' first='Hannah' last='Hidalgo'] - Paul VI   Our No. 1 player in the state, Hidalgo has seemingly got even better this season, a question that we really had no clue how to answer. Can the best continue to get better? For Hidalgo, 100 percent yes. Her signature performance of the season was a 41-point effort against a top-25 team in the country in Morris Catholic last weekend.   [player_tooltip player_id='482272' first='Janie' last='Bachmann'] - St. John Vianney   Size is the name of the game with Bachmann and the six-foot guard/forward has done a great job at making her presence felt regardless of where she is on the floor. This season has been her much-awaited breakout season and in doing so, she's nearly averaging three steals and over a block a game.   [player_tooltip player_id='134644' first='Zoe' last='Brooks'] - St. John Vianney   Our No. 2 player in the state, Brooks has some of the best handles of any player in the country, rivaling only Hidalgo in terms of competition in the state. She's quick and versatile, able to beat an opponent in a number of ways on the floor, and her scoring ability is near-effortless. Brooks is currently averaging 24 PPG for the Lancers this season.

Wednesday saw the announcement of the 2023 McDonald's All-American Game nominees across the country and New Jersey was well-represented on the list with 26 players. Each of these 26 players has more than deserved this distinction, so let's run through them in a two-part article series, beginning with Part 1 here.