Underrated NJAC Players to Watch This Summer

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Why not combine high school basketball with AAU basketball in this story, the perfect blend for the Garden State. The summer is time for development and improvement, building excitement for the upcoming high school year. With that in mind, there are a few players from the New Jersey Athletic Conference we are watching this summer in anticipation for next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='879784' first='Molly' last='Chapman'] - Sparta (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much of what we're looking at with prospects is roster makeup for next season, and of Sparta's starting five, four graduated this season, leaving Chapman as the leading returning scorer. Her sister, Bailey, just capped off a fantastic career, and now, Molly is up next. She averaged around 5.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 30 games as a sophomore, hitting 0.5 threes a game, but those totals will soon soar as she is relied upon heavily as a junior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='976657' first='Kayla' last='Martinez'] - Montville (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Martinez got her first real taste of high school action as a sophomore, with her production coming almost exclusively from the three-point line. Of her 118 points scored, 90 were from three as she averaged just over one made three a game. Whether she continues on that route of being a specialized shooter for Montville remains to be seen, but when she's hot from the perimeter, she's tough to stop.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='525411' first='Kayla' last='Brand'] - Randolph (2025)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Brand will be an interesting player to follow, especially when looking at her sophomore teammate [player_tooltip player_id='615960' first='Aliyah' last='Lambo'] down on the post. The two create a tandem worthy of a watch as this 27-win team will look to re-stock having lost three impact seniors from this season. Brand can get to the line, she can shoot from deep and she can scorer on the interior. We've also seen her play some lock-down defense at the top of the key no problem.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='407043' first='Beau' last='Braverman'] - Madison (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='414424' first='Charlotte' last='Tuhy'] is the main draw with Madison, but there's more to the machine than just the rising junior forward. Up top leading the charge next season will be Braverman, a three &amp; D player that can pass the ball around and finds ways to get heavily involved in plays, trying to create something for her team. Her three-point shooting is her strength, with more than half of her scoring coming from beyond the arc, and it's worked to perfection for Madison so far.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='859797' first='Amaya' last='Campbell'] - Boonton (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Campbell is an interesting name to add to this list, not because of her talent on the floor, but the situation Boonton is going to be in next season. Of last season's roster, only Campbell remains as an impact piece for next season. Don't be surprised to see her helping out in a number of departments where she's shown potential previously, like post play on both sides of the ball, and having shown great defensive skills already, it feels like a perfect transition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='588673' first='Cortni' last='Vnencak'] - Morris Tech (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Morris Tech is returning arguably its two best players in [player_tooltip player_id='489441' first='Harper' last='Felch'] and Vnencak next season, and of the two, Vnencak we think has more than enough proven success to put up double-double numbers as a senior. She nearly reached that mark last season while showing versatility as a stretch forward. The double-doubles are going to come in droves, but if she can tighten up her game closer to the rim more, her success will skyrocket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Angelene Mattingly - Hackettstown (2024)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mattingly has showcased the prototypical growth of a player through her high school career as she accrues more playing time season-by-season. Her junior year was easily her best, averaging just over 7.1 points a game while knocking down shots with consistency from range. As a smaller guard/forward, getting separation will be crucial for continued success offensively, but her confidence is growing, translating well toward better overall numbers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->