by Alex Schwartz

My next group of scouting reports from the 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge will be in the New Jersey Juniors:

NEW JERSEY JUNIORS
MVP- Derrick Williams

Ron Roberts '10, St. Peter's Prep (NJ)
Maybe the biggest unknown in the whole event, the 2008 Eddie Griffin Challenge may well have been the coming-out party for Ron Roberts. The 6'6 power forward teammed with Derrick Williams down low to form a powerful duo in the paint. Roberts is dominant on the blocks, yet needs to bulk up his long frame. He has good ups and is a great rebounder. Ron can play both offense and defense well. All said, it was a great showing for the junior.

Derrick Williams '10, St. Anthony's (NJ)
Williams, a 6'6 power forward, was certainly deserving of MVP honors in this contest. A physical specimen, Derrick is ferocious in the post. As a matter of fact, he is an absolute beast in the paint. Williams is really a pure low post player, as he does not do too much away from the low blocks, though he did do a nice job of hitting his free throws on Sunday. Assuming Williams continues to grow, he could be special.

Mike Poole '10, St. Benedict's (NJ)
Poole had a nice showing at the EGC. The 6'5 small wing displayed some nice athleticism to those in attendance. As well, Mike, a very good scorer, demonstrated that can dribble the rock well and that he has a quality spin move. Poole was one of the best players on the NJ squad in the junior game.

Shaq Thomas '10, Montclair (NJ)
Thomas, a 6'6 small forward who recently transferred from Paterson Catholic, did not quite live up to the hype that surrounds him. That is likely because at this point in time, Thomas is just a great athlete who is developing his game as he goes along. At the EGC, Thomas showed that he can knock down a pull-up trey, yet he was unable to do so consistently.

Dondre Whitmore '10, Trenton Catholic (NJ)
Sunday was not the best of days for this talented 5'8 point guard. Whitmore struggled to get his game going, though he did have some bright spots here and there. The main one was that he demonstrated that he can knock down his free throws, which many players had a hard time doing at the EGC.

Jayon James '10, Paterson Catholic (NJ)
James continued to show that he is a point guard in a small forward's body. Although he is 6'5, Jayon plays like a point guard, as he is comfortable dribbling and bringing the ball up the floor. In addition to dribbling, James can also get to the hoop and knock down shots, though he is not great when it comes to shooting from behind the arc. James, who can be best described by the term "point forward", is a flashy passer. In all, it was a solid outing for Jayon on Sunday.

Aaron Brown '10, St. Benedict's (NJ)
Despite being a fill-in for a no-show, Brown had a stellar game. When watching Brown play it's hard to believe that he was a point guard when he was younger, as he seems to be most comfortable in the post, where he is a good scorer. Now, the 6'4 Brown probably fits best at the small forward spot. On Sunday, Aaron was one player who really did play solid defense.

Aishon White '10, Union (NJ)
White may well have out-performed the other two public schoolers on the NJ juniors' squad, Isaiah Epps and Shaq Thomas. Although he did not have any mind-boggling plays, White was solid, and was at his best when shooting the pill. Aishon was a fluid, confident shooter in his performance at the event.

Note- photos are from http://scouthoops.scout.com/.