PGH NJ’s Top Three 2024 Prospects
In this article:
There is a lot of excitement to be found across the state of New Jersey especially with the upcoming high school girls basketball season weeks away. As the calendar turns to October, intensity is turned up and people are ready…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThere is a lot of excitement to be found across the state of New Jersey especially with the upcoming high school girls basketball season weeks away.
As the calendar turns to October, intensity is turned up and people are ready to go. We have plenty of content coming out about some of the best players in the state.
That continues in this article as we profile the top three prospects in PGH NJ’s 2024 class.
No. 1: Mikayla Blakes Mikayla Blakes 5'8" | SG Rutgers Prep | 2024 State NJ – 5-8 SG, Rutgers Prep
Blakes burst onto the scene as a freshman last year for Rutgers Prep, finishing second on the team in scoring and nearly putting up a double-digit scoring average in the spring.
She’s already shown great glimpses of future stardom, and we’ve seen that further with Team Rio, where she was an absolute force on the floor over the summer, a level that not many could compete with.
Blakes is someone who looks like the complete package as a player, a strong, aggressive scorer who is as tuned in on the defensive side of the ball. This fall, with three big name seniors having graduated for Rutgers Prep last year, will be her time to shine.
No. 2: Tayla Thomas Tayla Thomas 6'4" | SF IMG Academy | 2024 State FL – 6-2 SF, Montclair Immaculate
Thomas has already dominated the interior of high schools in North Jersey this spring, finishing second in scoring for Montclair Immaculate while averaging just over 10.0 PPG.
It was a fantastic freshman season for the 6-2 forward who has been hard at work over the summer to evolve into one of top forwards in the state. She posted four double-doubles in the spring, and she’s well on her way to posting many more.
It might seem like a big jump, but Thomas has the potential to post a double-double average over the course of the fall. Having that one year of varsity under her belt is a massive advantage moving forward, so keep a close eye on how Thomas develops on both sides of the ball.
No. 3: Grace Kinum Grace Kinum PG New Providence | 2024 State NJ – 5-6 PG, New Providence
On a New Providence team that finished the 2021 season with a 13-2 record, Kinum was the real star of the show, averaging 12.1 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 3.7 APG, 2.2 SPG and just over one made three-pointer a game.
She was arguably the most balanced player on New Providence’s roster and her future potential shined in a big way as she was an absolute force on the court and already had the poise of an upperclassman as a freshman.
What we’ll be watching out for her is how well she’ll continue to drive into the lane on offense and her shot selection. That, as well as her perimeter defense, which was extremely solid in the spring, will be the keys to her success in the fall.
We have plenty more content coming from Prep Girls Hoops New Jersey for you, so stay tuned.