Hoops Journal is proud to announce it’s 3rd Annual All North Jersey Team! The team includes players from Bergen, Passaic and Hudson County! Criteria is simple: Had to have seen player at least twice or more! Unfortunately, not able to see everyone, so if your favorite player missed the cut( MY BAD!)! The First Team will be Bergen County!

                                        ALL NORTH JERSEY: BERGEN COUNTY

1.)    WESLEY DICKINSON  Jr. – Dwight- Englewood : Led Dwight-Englewood to a 28-3 record and was a consistent double-double player! Has a nice quick step going to the basket and is also a strong defender! Only a Junior, will be a Division 1 player in the future!

2.) JUSTIN HARRIS  Sr. – Paramus Catholic: The 6’8 Harris was a beast in the post for Paramus Catholic, finishing the season averaging 17.6 points and 11.4 rebounds! His wide body was tough to handle and he has a soft touch around the basket! Finished as a 1,000 point scorer and is looking to play at Illinois State or Hofstra next season!

3.)  JOEL HERNANDEZ  Soph.- Teaneck: Joel came on the scene this year to team with Chris Jones and give the Highwaymen a 28-3 record enroute to a North 1 Group 3 title! He is explsive to the rim and can knock down the open shot! Averaged 14.4 points and grabbed 11.4 boards a game!A Division 1 prospect!

4.) CHRIS JONES  Jr.- Teaneck:  Jones took his role as a go to guy to heart for Teaneck this year in leading them to a 28-3! A deadly medium range shooter who can knock down”triples” and can finish at the basket, Chris is on his way to being a Division 1 player as he already has a lot of interest!

5.) SHANE McLAUGHLIN  Sr. – Old Tappan:  Shane is the leading scorer in Old Tappan history with 1,203 career points! He has left a strong legacy and done big things over the last 3 years! Averaged 19.3 points a game and 6 assists a game! One of the best point guards in the area!

6.)  JEMAL MOSLEY  Jr.- Don Bosco Prep:  Jemal got better and better as the season went on and peaked around Bergen County Jamboree time! Jemal is a tough player to guard and has a knack for getting in the paint for short jumpers! Averaged 15.2 a points a game and 4 assists this season!

7.) VIN O’BIERNE  Jr. – Wood Ridge:  O’Bierne averaged 21.3 points and 12.5 rebounds for a team that averaged 80 points a game and helped them win the North 1 Group 1 state title! Can run the floor and knock down the medium range shot! Already has 1,300 career points!

8.) CHRIS OROZCO  Jr.- Tenafly:  Barring injuries, Chris will leave Tenafly next year as a 2,000 point scorer! He can shoot the jumper, but more importantly has a knack for getting to the foul line! He averaged 21.7 points , 10 rebounds and 5 assists  during the season and has 1,501 career points! Is getting Division 1 looks!

9.) DAVE ROSADO  Jr – Saddle River Day: You have to give a guy who leads the state in scoring some props! Dave came from Paterson Catholic and averaged 26.3 points a game! His play helped Saddle River Day to the State playoffs! Is an energy player who tries to bring it every night!

10.) RYAN VELEZ  Sr. – Elmwood Park: One of the purest shooters in Northern New Jersey,Velez also can go off the dribble! Was a fun watch as he averaged 18.8 points and 8.5 rebounds1 Could have scored more, but very unselfish and probably should have taken over the game! Finished his highschool career with 1,430 points!

 NOTE: Missing Vin O’Bierne’s Picture!

    In an acknowledgement of a special Highschool career, Hoop Journal would like to recognize  6’5 swingman Vaughn Gray! Gray is another one that’s more than a basketball player! He is also family! Vaughn has been family since he was 8 years old and watching him develop into the man and player he has become has been a special treat! He is a product of the Paterson Rec League, the Playaz Basketball Club and in particular is part of the Positive Impact Basketball family! Also a member of the “L”(remember Vaughn)! He played his first three highschool years at Don Bosco Prep and truth be told, Dominated Bergen County!!! He then went to St. Benedict’s to finish his career and got a full ride to George Mason University! Vaughn is a smooth baller with one of the quickest first steps in the business and it will be more than utilized on the college scene! But on a personal note, Vaughn has a certain stature and presence that makes you know that whether on or off the court, he will be a success! Thanks Vaughn, for being more than just a baller! It has been a pleasure to be a part of your circle! Will always be there for you!

Wayne, N.J………The A.A.U. season has began and once again The Playaz Basketball Club organization kicked off the year with it’s annual Spring Fling Tournament! This marked the 13th year that director Jimmy Salmon and the Playaz have ran this event! And, just like the last 12 years their was great talent in the building all weekend! In the end the Playaz White 14u pulled off a “Chip”while Playaz Red 16u had to win two games in overtime to walk away with their own “Chip”while Playaz Black 15u showed well during the weekend playing up!

                                        Playaz Red  76           Baltimore Elite 72  O.T.

   The Playaz Red had to overcome some outstanding shooting from the Baltimore Elite squad and got contributions from their entire team in gaining a tough 76-72 win to earn the Spring Fling “Chip”! The Playaz had 4 players in double figures and in the end got clutch baskets and defense to offset the tremendous scoring of Baltimore Elite’s Daquan McNeil( 29pts,6rebs) and Cameron Williams(21pts,5treys)! 6’2 Geno Thorpe(Shaylor H.S.,Pa.)and 6’2 Joel Hernandez (Teaneck H.S.) led the Playaz balanced scoring with 13 points, while 6’7 Reggie Cameron(Hudson Catholic) and 6’8 Mike Young(St. Benedicts) each added 12! But that was half the story as every player at some point put their mark on the game which seems to be how they will be the rest of the season! 5’10 Kavon Stewart(Hudson Catholic) hit a big bucket late in overtime and added 6 dimes, 6’2 Josh Marquez(DePaul) scored 8 points and dished out 5 assists, 5’11 Jared Hall(Newark Tech) knocked down two big”triples”, 6’1 DeAndre Noble(Eastside) got an and one play in a crucial moment and played well on the defensive end and 6’8 A.J. Sumblin( Nia Prep) provided defensive presence in the paint! It was a game that had to be won in this fashion! Stewart was M.V.P. for the tournament, while Young, Cameron and Hernandez were all tournament! McNeil, Williams and Dexter Miles were Elite all tournament players! The Playaz 16u team got to the championship game by beating Washington D.C.’s Team Takeover 90-86 in overtime as Cameron had a big game with 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks and 3 steals, Hernandez had 19 points,8 rebounds and 2 steals, Young added 14 points and 7 rebounds, Stewart had 12 points and 8 dimes and Marquez added 7 assists and 4 steals! Takeover was led by Josh Harten with 21 points, Jarius Lyles with 20 and Will Ferguson with 14!

                                                Playaz White  82         Philly Aztec 73

             Isaiah Briscoe was lights out for the Playaz 14u team as his 32 point, 10 rebound assault led them to the Spring Fling “Chip”Gold in a 82-73 win over Team Philly Aztecs! Briscoe did it from the perimeter and with penetration as he was not to be denied! His partner in crime was Nassir Barrino who scored 22 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and dished out 3 assists! The Philly team led by as much as 16, but the Playaz White came out like a different team in the 2nd half! Alphonso Gee came off the bench to hit two big”triples”to help the run to get them back in the game! Briscoe, the game and tournament M.V.P. and Barrrino, who was all tournament took care of the rest! The Playaz got to the championship by defeating King Street Kings 83-79 as Briscoe(left) scored 29 points and Barrino(right) added 20! Javon Rawls added 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the contest!  

NOTES: The Playaz Black 15u team showed signs of having a good A.A.U. season as they lost in the quarterfinals to eventual runnerup, Baltimore Elite and beat a tough Metro Hawks team in pool play! Jordan Forehand(St. Anthony), Rashard Figures( Hackensack), Nadi Beciri(Bergen Catholic) and Ky Hester(DePaul) are a few of the players that will try to make it a magical                                           

                                                 City Rocks(Albany) 60          Faces  56

         City Rocks John Sica was the M.V.P. as City Rocks beat Faces of Newark in the 14u Silver! Sica(pictured with director Jimmy Salmon) led the scoring with 15 points for the winners!