Girls Jersey Live-Chatham, Teaneck & Hillsborough Observations

The first ever Girls Jersey Live event was a smash hit. I hope this is the first in what will be come a long history of young ladies showcasing their talents and their teams in front of the watchful eyes of some of the best college programs in the country. These were my observations from some of the public schools I watched.   Chatham When you lose a scorer like [player_tooltip player_id='482807' first='Riley' last='Allen'], the dynamic certainly changes but I find it hard to believe there are many public schools with a better duo in the backcourt than [player_tooltip player_id='333348' first='Ella' last='Kreuzer'] and [player_tooltip player_id='414422' first='Mia' last='Semioli']. These are two stars that have no egos and no issues playing in a system and playing with a team first mentality. Missing their bigs all weekend and with some big schools watching Friday night, Ella stepped up on D and shut down [player_tooltip player_id='414237' first='Mackenzie' last='Teevan'] of Holmdel while giving up about 7 inches to her. Offensively, she is so patient and lets the game come to her. She has a quick crossover to get downhill. She is exceptional at using her eyes and head fakes to shift the D and don't bother leaving her open at the 3-point line. One of the reasons Mia's game is probably not more appreciated is that she makes it all look so easy. She looks effortless out there. She is an exceptional athlete, fantastic with the ball in her hands and her IQ is off the charts. She plays with poise and facilitates when she needs to while knowing when her team needs her to score. As a team, the ball is always moving and though undersized this weekend they played tough team D going 2-1 with their only loss to a loaded Paul VI team. They were in control vs the defending sectional champs from Teaneck. They showed no fear when Teaneck put their press on and held on for the victory. With 2 stars who are only going to be juniors and a very strong supporting cast, this team should be fun to watch the next 2 years.   Teaneck Teaneck went 0-2 on the weekend but they had to deal with a very talented Morris Catholic squad and a Chatham squad who executes very well and has two players not fazed by the vaunted Teaneck pressure. When you lose a floor general like [player_tooltip player_id='482333' first='Ciara' last='Forbes'], who led the team in assists, 3-pointers and FT% as well as being 2nd in steals and 3rd in points, there is bound to be an adjustment period. That's what summer is for. [player_tooltip player_id='559047' first='Lexi' last='Carnegie'] spent a lot of time handling the ball and she is fully capable of running an offense as a facilitator, but she is so dynamic as a wing and a slasher that they lose some of that magic with her at the top of the key running the point. I have no doubt that they will figure it all out as the Highwaywomen are returning the rest of their starting lineup. [player_tooltip player_id='325206' first='Demi' last='Simpson'] is a long, athletic stretch 4 who averaged almost 11rpg as a junior to go with 8+ppg and 3+bpg. She affects so many shots and had 9 double doubles as a junior. 1,000 career rebounds are within her grasp. As mentioned, Lexi does it all. She has a shot to surpass 1,000 career points in her sophomore season and she led the team in steals along with being 2nd in rebounds, assists and 3-pointers. Don't be surprised if she finishes her career with 2,000 points 1,000 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='488845' first='Erin' last='Frazier'] provides the muscle inside. She is a strong physical player who attacks the rim on offense finishing 2nd on the team in FT attempts and protects the middle on defense finishing 2nd in blocks and 3rd in rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='600896' first='Jillian' last='Carter'] is a rising sophomore that can make a big leap. If she can settle in at the PG after being 3rd in assists as a freshman, it would allow Lexi to get back to attacking from the wings and in transition. This team's strength is attacking the glass and pressuring on defense, and they still have the players to do that.   Hillsborough Hillsborough had a tough time against a very good Ocean HS team when I watched, but they have a good group of players returning that should set them up for success this season. Ocean is returning pretty much everyone from a team that came up 8 points short of a sectional championship to a very impressive Ewing HS and [player_tooltip player_id='333322' first='Kayden' last='Clark'] and her teammates were too much for Hillsborough. Hillsborough graduated 1,000-point scorer [player_tooltip player_id='482217' first='Amy' last='Rachilla'] but they return a strong group of rising juniors in [player_tooltip player_id='583701' first='Francesca' last='Schiro'], [player_tooltip player_id='333349' first='Mya' last='Loniewski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='333346' first='Reghan' last='Bice']. Mya led the team in assists and was 2nd in steals and 3rd in scoring as a sophomore. Reghan is a grinder. She gives you everything on every possession and can stick the 3 when she gets the opportunity. In a game they lost, I couldn't help but notice Schiro. This kid works so hard at both ends. She is absolutely fearless about taking her 5'6" frame inside to attack the rim or to work on the boards. She averaged 16+ppg, 8+rpg, 4+apg and 3+spg as a sophomore. Watching her play for United 16u S40 her 3-point stroke has only gotten better, and she will blow by 1,000 career points early in her junior year while leading this squad.

The first ever Girls Jersey Live event was a smash hit. I hope this is the first in what will be come a long history of young ladies showcasing their talents and their teams in front of the watchful eyes of some of the best college programs in the country. These were my observations from some of the public schools I watched.