A second look at NJ United’s 17U Diamond squad
We’ve been lucky here at Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey to get a first glimpse at some excellent AAU programs across the state, and NJ United has been one we’ve been going back to consistently. A well-run organization, NJ United…
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Continue ReadingWe’ve been lucky here at Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey to get a first glimpse at some excellent AAU programs across the state, and NJ United has been one we’ve been going back to consistently.
A well-run organization, NJ United has some of the best talent across the state and has a very deep roster of talent through the ranks.
After already having gone through the 17U Diamond team, we wanted to go back in for a second look and go to the tape and numbers to tell you what players to keep an eye on for the rest of this summer and going into the fall.
The first player that caught our eye for this article was rising junior Madison Briganti, a 5-6 guard from Somerville. Don’t let her height fool you as she plays with a level of aggression and tenacity not seen by similar guards.
Looking at her numbers from last season, she was a solid starting front-court option for Somerville, but based on the development we’ve seen so far, she has the chance to step her game up a level, especially on the defensive end.
With over one steal a game in 2021, that number has the potential to skyrocket as she’s become much more aggressive on the defensive end, causing more turnovers and havoc for opponents. Her offseason work is going to pay dividends come this fall.
Another big time guard to watch on this team is the player to watch on High Point Regional’s roster coming into the 2021-22 season, 5-6 rising senior point guard Noelle Gaffney.
She led the Wildcats in scoring and three-point shooting during the 2021 season, and her sharp-shooting behind the arc has continued to get better this summer as she’s improved her range and honed in her best scoring spots.
We’ve seen Gaffney really push the tempo in the lane as she’s finding ways to get the ball into the paint and is often the person drawing contact to get to the free throw line. That’s a massive plus for her as that maturity and playmaking ability takes over in crucial spots like that.
She has a great feel for the game and she just looks comfortable out on the floor with the ball in her hands. She wants the pressure-packed situations and that, combined with a strong defensive presence, really is going to make her senior year stand out for High Point.
The last player we’ll talk about in this article is rising senior Daniela Peralta, a 5-7 guard from Union Catholic who was the third-leading scorer on UC during the 2021 season.
In the spring, we saw her passing ability come a long way, as well as her defense and three-point shooting, three key assets she’s been working on that have really opened up the floor for her on both sides of the ball.
We’re getting more and more of that this summer as her comfort level in these departments is rising steadily and it’s producing fantastic results on the court.
Peralta looks like a different player entering her senior year at Union Catholic and that has the recipe to make some heads turn this coming fall.
Our search on the AAU trail continues, so keep following us for more content as the summer rolls along.