by Alex Schwartz

Continuing on with my scouting notes of participants in the 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge, here is what I have on New Jersey's seniors:

NEW JERSEY SENIORS
MVP- Lance Brown

Dominic Cheek '09, St. Anthony's (NJ), Uncommitted
Cheek may well have been tired in the game, as he came from an official visit to Villanova, as he was only so-so despite his immense talent. The 6'6 shooting guard was one of just two uncommitted seniors in attendance. Although Cheek definitely needs to bulk up, he is a quality athlete and a great scorer. Dominic was inconsistent shooting the ball, both from three-point land and the free throw line. He did display a fluid stroke from long range though and his the shots he hit at the stripe were swishes. Cheek dunks the ball a lot because of his tremendous athletic ability.

Tamir Jackson '09, St. Benedict's (NJ), Rice-commit
Ben Braun and Co. are getting Jackson to commit to Rice was a huge recruiting coup. The former Cal coach is getting a player with a lot of talent who had an outstanding showing Sunday. A combo guard, Jackson is quick, plays hard, and hustles. He is a true triple threat, as he can either dribble, shoot, or pass with the ball in his hands. "Pop" is more of a point guard—though he plays the 2 in high school—as he is just 6'2. Tamir is a flashy passer and a good, fluid three-point shooter. The future C-USA standout drives well, has a great shot from beyond the arc, and connects on his free throws. At times, Jackson will use a nice crossover to help him get to the rack, which is something he excels at. When "Pop" has the rock he seems confident, especially when it comes to shooting. A solid athlete, Tamir Jackson was easily one of the best performers at the 2008 EGC, following up on his MVP-winning showing in 2007.

Carl Baptiste '09, North Hunterdon (NJ), St. Joseph's-commit
The 6'9 big man, who was one of just two public school ballers on the Garden State squad, struggled in the EGC. He definitely has a good frame for hoops, yet on this particular day he had trouble using it effectively and was kept quiet for most of the night.

Paris Bennett '09, St. Patrick's (NJ), George Mason-commit
Bennett showed why he was regarded as a quality mid-major prospect on Sunday. The 6'6 combo forward did nothing spectacular, but held his own and played well against some stiff competition. Although he committed a number of fouls in the game, Paris was a big part of the NJ team and was on the floor in crunch time as the game ended. Bennett used the glass well to score in the post and did a nice job rebounding the ball.

Dexter Strickland '09, St. Patrick's (NJ), North Carolina-commit
His performance in the EGC was not indicative of just how good Dexter Strickland truly is. Like Dominic Cheek, the 6'2 combo guard must have been tired as he too took an official visit this weekend. Strickland was at his future school, North Carolina, before getting to The Barn on the Rutgers campus to play in the game. Nonetheless, Strickland was not his usual self. He was far from dominant, though he showed amazing athleticism and shot free throws well.

Khalil Murphy '09, APEX Academies (NJ), Uncommitted
Murphy was the other uncommitted senior in the game, along with Dominic Cheek. Khalil, a 6'7 combo forward, had a stellar performance, displaying a nice handle for someone his size. As well, he was strong in the post despite being though of as more of a wing player. Murphy, who takes just a slight jump on his treys,  couldn't knock them down on Sunday.

Karon Abraham '09, Paterson Eastside (NJ), Robert Morris-commit
Abraham and Jamee Jackson were the only two seniors in the game who will not be playing at the mid to high-major level in college. The Robert Morris-commit had a nice game nonetheless. Although Karon, 5'10, was the shortest player on either team, he did not seem intimidated at all, a good trait. Abraham's main quality that he showed off was his long range shooting. The combo guard is a good three-point shooter and has a nice stroke.

Lance Brown '09, Paterson Catholic (NJ), Fordham-commit
A casual basketball fan who decided to stop by The Barn to watch the games and did not know any of the players may well have though that Brown was a big-time recruit and one of the most highly regarded players in attendance. The 6'3 wing did a fantastic job scoring, and showed off amazing athleticism in the process. The future Fordham baller was ability to put the ball in the hole in a variety of ways, as he could knock down the trifecta, get to the rim, and nail a mid-range shot. One thing that really stood out was Lance's fluid shooting stroke from beyond the arc, which helped to do a nice job of hitting shots from that distance. Overall, Lance Brown was probably one of the top five performers in the EGC, and was key to the NJ team.

Austin Johnson '09, Blair Academy (NJ), Rutgers-commit
One of four players already committed to Big East schools, Johnson had the opportunity to play in the EGC on his future campus. The 6'8 big man, who committed a number of fouls, did the little things during the course of the game. One of the main examples of this is that he got back on defense quite well.

Justin Crosgile '09, DePaul Catholic (NJ), St. Joseph's-commit
Crosgile, a 5'11 point guard, had a solid showing in the EGC, though he did nothing to really jump out at an observer. The main thing that stood out about Justin was that when he drove to the rack he was strong with the ball. On the whole, Crosgile did not do much, but was not overmatched either.

Jamee Jackson '09, St. Anthony's (NJ), Quinnipiac-commit
Sunday was not a good day for Jamee. The 6'7 power forward did not play as well as he could have, as he is better than his performance showed. The main thing that Jackson did well was knock down his shots at the line, which is a good trait for a big man.

Note- photos of Cheek and Strickland are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.

Note- photo of Abraham is from http://www.myheraldnews.com/.