by Alex Schwartz

On Wednesday I caught up with one of the top sophomore big men in the state of New Jersey, Justin Harris '11 of Paramus Catholic (NJ). The 6'7, 240 pounder is a power forward/center who said he averaged about 11 points and 8 rebounds this season, but he certainly busted out for some big-time nights every now and then. When his seventh-seeded Paramus Catholic squad was upset by #10 Delbarton (NJ) in overtime in the opening round of the Non-Public North A state playoffs, Harris went off for "22 points, 8 rebounds, [and] 3 assists" in an effort to keep his team's season alive. A big body in the low post, Harris compares his game to "maybe Tim Duncan," of the San Antonio Spurs. Although the Big Fundamental's alma mater of Wake Forest has not shown interest in Harris, Justin said that he has received "some interest" from Penn State, Miami, Indiana, St. Joseph's, and South Florida. Harris, who is most looking forward to "just being able to go to all the places, the good competition, and getting better" over the summer, told me that the strongest point of his game "might be posting up," while his weakest point is "footwork and positioning." Justin, who was an Underclass All-Star at Session IV of The Hoop Elite Camp, is a name to watch out for down the road.

Yesterday I was in contact with another talented player in the Garden State, Cameron Badger '09, a point guard from Living Faith (NJ), which is part of APEX Academies (NJ). After beginning his high school career at Mercer Christian Academy (NJ), Badger transferred to Notre Dame (NJ) for his sophomore and junior years, before heading to Living Faith this year, where he is "playing well" and has "been averaging 14 points and 9 assists." Right now, Badger is garnering interest from Manhattan, VMI, USC- Upstate, Jacksonville, Stetson, Caldwell (DII), and Chestnut Hill (DII). Although none of the DI programs have extended offers yet, both Caldwell and Chestnut Hill have done so. Despite the fact that Cameron—he is a tough, fast player with a good work ethic—would like to play DI ball, he is coming around to the idea of going DII, and right now is leaning towards Caldwell, though he is trying to generate some attention from other DII schools and is also considering doing a post-graduate year. Though the PG option seems unlikely as of now, Badger is "looking at Hargrave Military [Academy in Virginia], Carnius Basketball Academy in Spain, and APEX." Cameron, who I ranked as the #8 performer at the Northstar Basketball Showcase back in October, feels that "running [his] team and [his] jump shot" are the strongest aspects of his game, while "finishing in traffic" is the weakest point of his game. With his good work ethic though, Badger can certainly improve upon that, and likely will do so in college, whether its at the DI or DII level.