North Jersey Top 26 in the Class of 2026 – #21-26

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Open gyms and fall leagues are in full swing. Before you know it, another exciting season of NJ Girls High School hoops will be upon us. I have been on the road all spring/summer watching high level AAU. Between last season in high school and AAU there is not a girl in my top 26 that I have not seen in person at least twice. I view "North Jersey" as north of the Raritan River. If you play for a high school in that area, you were considered for my Top 26 in the Class of 2026</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["600884"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e#21u003c/strongu003e - Nadia is a physical presence in the paint for Ridgefield Park where she led the Scarlets in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks as a freshman. She is primarily a back to the basket weapon for her squad, where she gets deep post position and shows good footwork while finishing with both hands around the rim. She is a strong rebounder at both ends and easily turns offensive rebounds into points and defensive rebounds into transition opportunities. She has shooting range out to 15 feet but is most comfortable working in the paint. Averaging a double double as a freshman she also showed a good stroke from the foul line. She is very athletic for her size, and it also shows on the soccer field where she currently leads the team in goals.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-651c76f7841d3"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["601402"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e#22 u003c/strongu003e- Lena's handle is super tight and she can usually get in the paint whenever she wants against high level defenders while playing for Exodus EYBL. She is a good distributor in transition and on dribble penetration and has excellent court vision. A bit undersized she takes advantage of her speed to create advantages for herself and her team. As she becomes a more consistent finisher and more reliable from 3, Lena's game could reach another level. Her speed allows her to pester opponents from end line to end line and be a true game flow disrupter. Transferring from Dwight Englewood along with [player_tooltip player_id='666727' first='Nilah' last='Rivera'] from Saddle River Day, Montclair Immaculate will be getting a couple of new toys for their backcourt.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-651c76f78424c"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations":"","_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-651c76f784270"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["559136"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e#23u003c/strongu003e - Camden has a confident stroke from 3-point range and she doesn't need a lot of space to get her shot off on the perimeter. She was the 3rd leading scorer in her freshman year at Ramapo at 7+ppg. She took that shooting to her Jersey Gemz EYBL team where her team of slashers and post players complement her shooting on kick outs. Camden gets out fast and likes to fill lanes in transition, and she has a very good handle when given a step. She likes to cross to her left and get downhill or take that into a step back jumper. Though her Ramapo team played very differently at NJ Live with a lot more sharing of the ball than last season, with 8 seniors gone from last year's team, there should be even more opportunities with the Green Raiders this winter.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["601339"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e#24u003c/strongu003e - Natlie is a long athletic player who did a lot of things for her United 15u Select 40 team this summer. She made her biggest contributions on the offensive end using a strong crossover to get in the lane and finish with her favorite scoop layups. She pushes the ball in transition and is at her best attacking the rim. Sometimes a bit of a too much of a volume shooter but when she is in attack mode, she gets layups and gets to the foul line a lot. As her 3-point shooting becomes more reliable, she will be harder to contain on the offensive end. When she is locked in on D and taking advantage of her long arms, she can be disruptive in passing lanes getting steals and in the lane blocking shots. She had 405 points as a freshman at Group 1 Belvidere HS and with a consistent 3-point shot she could make a run at 1,000 as a sophomore.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["600922"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e#25u003c/strongu003e - She is part of a 3-headed monster of size for [program_tooltip program_id='714664' first='Team' last='Sharp'] along with [player_tooltip player_id='559075' first='Zahniya' last='Castillo'] and [player_tooltip player_id='559030' first='Ava' last='Frith'], but Trista is the most noticeable of this bunch because her game is the most versatile with the most athleticism. She can step out and shoot the 3, put the ball on the deck and go to the rim and she can play in the paint too. She plays with energy and toughness as evidenced watching her work the boards inside. She scored 349 points and made 36 3s in 28 games for Edison HS as a freshman and now she moves over to St. Thomas Aquinas HS for her sophomore where the graduation or transfer of 3 of last year's top 4 scorers should open up some opportunities for immediate contributions.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["601329"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u003cstrongu003e#26u003c/strongu003e - I got another chance to see Briana play at the Rose Classic recently and she was showing a lot of the skills she displayed this summer. Good hands inside and comfortable finishing with either hand. She's physical getting post position and wants the ball inside. She keeps the ball high where double teams cannot get to it. Briana does what she does best consistently and doesn't try to over-complicate things. She plays with an edge that sometimes needs to be contained but she is a tough matchup in the middle for NJ Raptors. Moving from Group 2 Roselle to a Group 1 state championship University HS team that graduated 2 centers, she should fit run in with the Phoenix as they make a run at another title.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":4,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-651c76f7843a0"} /-->