NJ Sparks Summer Blast-Off

With both NY & NJ officially wrapping up their high school seasons two weeks ago, the spring evaluation period has officially tipped off. To kick off the spring eval period, the NJ Sparks Hosted the inaugural Summer Blast off event, which occupied 10 local gyms in North New Jersey. The event's participants were from all over the northeast region, aging from fifth grade to eleventh grade. NYGHR spent most of the weekend focusing on pre-high school prospects. These are just three of the many prospects that stood out at the event:

Faith Masoness 6-foot-1 Wing (2019)

Although Massoness is only in the 7th grade (yes the 7th grade!) she laced up and played 15U. She is a very strong and athletic wing that is always in attack mode. Had Massoness played with her age group she would have been a woman amongst girls. She already has a good frame, which will easily be able to add muscle. Faith showed the ability to take the defender off the dribble, play with her back to the basket and knock down the 3-point shot.

Honesty Grayson 5-10 Guard (2018)

Grayson is a special and unique player. Usually at this point you are talking about potential, but with her already having a year of high school ball under her belt at the national level you can already see productivity. Honesty is most effective playing in an up-tempo system that allows her to showcase her multitude of skills. During the event, Grayson showcased her shooting touch off the dribble and from behind the 3-point line. She projects to be a high major player down the road as long as she continues to develop.

Kaiya Barnett 5-6 Combo (2018)

Prior to walking into the gym I knew nothing about this young guard, but it did not take long for me to notice her. Barnett, a scoring combo guard, looks much more comfortable playing off the ball right now but handles the ball well enough to be a projected as a point guard. The long and slim Barrett operated mostly off the dribble and created problems for defenders by both scoring and creating easy shots for her teammates. The one game I saw versus another top guard in her class she just about held her own on both ends of the court. She did knock down a few perimeter shots but she's more of a scorer than a true shooter.