by Alex Schwartz

The 2010-11 high school basketball season is fully underway in the state of New Jersey. As always, the Garden State hoops scene is filled with numerous talented players in each and every class.

With the high school season getting started, I decided that now would be an appropriate time to post Northstar Basketball's introductory class of 2011 rankings. The top 50 seniors in the state are ranked, and 15 other players are noted as Honorable Mentions.

Note that fifth year seniors are eligible for the list, but that post grads are not. Now, without further ado, have a look at the December Edition of the New Jersey Class of 2011 Fab 50.

NEW JERSEY CLASS OF 2011 FAB 50
Rank. Name, Position, Height, High School, College
1. Michael Gilchrist, SF, 6'7, St. Patrick's, Kentucky- An elite talent and one of the best players to come through New Jersey, Gilchrist is not only the best player in the state, he is the best player in America and has been for over a year
2. LaQuinton Ross, SF, 6'7, Life Center Academy, Ohio State- A long and athletic wing originally from Mississippi, Ross handles well for his size and knows how to attack the basket
3. Sterling Gibbs, PG, 6'2, Seton Hall Prep, Maryland- The younger brother of Pitt star Ashton Gibbs, the future Maryland Terrapin is a winner who gets to the cup off the bounce, knocks down threes, distributes, and defends
4. Myles Mack, PG, 5'9, St. Anthony's, Rutgers- An undersized guard who has greatly developed his distributing ability, Mack is tough and can score from all over the court
5. John Johnson, PG, 6'1, Life Center Academy, Pitt- The Philadelphia native is lethal with the ball in his hands, as he is a big-time scorer who shoots it well from deep and also gets to the cup
6. Desmond Hubert, PF, 6'9, New Egypt, uncommitted- A long interior presence with a developing offensive game, Hubert is a tremendous shot blocker and a quality rebounder
7. Shaq Thomas, SF, 6'7, NIA Prep, Cincinnati- The long and lanky wing has an improving jumpshot, but his calling card is his phenomenal athletic ability
8. Derrick Gordon, SG, 6'3, St. Patrick's, Western Kentucky- Superb athlete defends well and is a tenacious competitor who is best when attacking the basket
9. Chris Martin, PG, 6'1, St. Patrick's, uncommitted- Hailing from the DC area, Martin is a tough and strong combo guard who knows how to put the ball in the basket
10. Vaughn Gray, SF, 6'5, St. Benedict's, George Mason- In Gray, George Mason is getting a do-it-all wing with the ability to attack the basket on offense and lock up on defense
11. Tyler Harris, SF, 6'8, St. Benedict's, North Carolina State- A long combo forward who can score either inside or out and also rebound, he is the younger brother of Tennessee standout Tobias Harris
12. Kelvin Amayo, SG, 6'4, NIA Prep, uncommitted- A rapidly developing wing with a sturdy frame and outstanding athletic ability, Amayo does a good job of getting to the hoop
13. Lionel Gomis, C, 6'9, Blair Academy, Siena- A long post presence who is still rounding out his overall game, Gomis is a talented shot blocker and rebounder
14. Jarrod Davis, SF, 6'6, Lakewood, uncommitted- An athletic wing who can handle the basketball, Davis rebounds quite well for his size
15. Khalid Lewis, SG, 6'3, Trenton Catholic, Delaware- A tenacious defender at one end, offensively Lewis is at his best when attacking the hoop the from the perimeter to either score of distribute
16. Keith Lumpkin, C, 6'9, St. Peter's Prep, Rutgers (football)- A massive interior presence who moves well for his size and gets his work done on the low blocks
17. Jarelle Reischel, SF, 6'6, Pt. Pleasant Beach, Rice- Originally from Germany, Reischel handles well for his size and uses that to get to the basket and score the ball
18. Deshon "Biggie" Minnis, PG, 6'2, Atlantic Christian, uncommitted- A Philadelphia native, Minnis is a tough lead guard who can handle, distribute, and score
19. Luke Piotrowski, PF, 6'11, Atlantic Christian, Richmond- A big man who has the ability to both score around the cup and knock down a perimeter jumpshot
20. Sean Grennan, SG, 6'2, Monsignor Donovan, uncommitted- Although undersized at the two, Grennan is a sharpshooter from deep who possesses enough athleticism and handling ability to keep the defense honest
21. Mario Moody, SF, 6'6, East Orange, Wagner- A tremendous athlete with big-time hops who can play either forward spot, Moody rebounds, scores, and blocks shots
22. Rob Poole, SG, 6'5, Paul VI, Siena- A phenomenal shooter from beyond the arc, the Siena-bound wing will attack the basket at times as well
23. Charles Oliver, SG, 6'2, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, uncommitted- A tough, undersized two guard who can score either by attacking the cup off the bounce or by utilizing his terrific long range jumper
24. Lucky Jones, SG, 6'5, St. Anthony's, uncommitted- A hard nosed wing with a well-rounded game at both ends of the floor, Jones continues to improve
25. Ramon Johnson, PF, 6'7, Newark Central, uncommitted- A large body who scores and rebounds in the low post, Johnson has the ability to step out and the hit the midrange jumper
26. Justin Harris, PF, 6'7, Paramus Catholic, uncommitted- A big body on the blocks who gets the job done both on the glass and in scoring the basketball
27. Grant Fiorentinos, PF, 6'10, Hun School, Tulane- A native of England, Fiorentinos is a hard playing face-up big man with a sound basketball IQ
28. Chris Santo, SF, 6'4, Cherry Hill East, Vermont- One of the most prolific scores in the state, Santo will not wow you, but the future Vermont Catamount just knows how to score the ball
29. Pat Cole-Brinson, PG, 6'2, Newark Central, uncommitted- Tough, quick point guard who sees the court well, distributes the ball, and can score off the bounce or beyond the arc
30. Ryan McCoy, SF, 6'7, Montgomery, Manhattan- A versatile player who can play multiple positions, McCoy handles well for his size, shoots well from deep, and creates mismatches on the perimeter
31. Andris Misters, SG, 6'4, St. Benedict's, uncommitted- A sturdy wing who can handle the ball when needed, Misters is a knockdown shooter from the perimeter
32. David Burgos, PG, 6'1, Paterson Eastside, uncommitted- A combo guard originally from New York City who is a superb shooter from beyond the the 3-point line
33. Will Wise, PF, 6'8, Hun School, UMBC- The big man from Philadelphia has a strong, sturdy frame and can put the ball in the basket when in the low post
34. Chandler Fraser-Pauls, PG, 5'11, The Pennington School, Lafayette (soccer)- Heady floor general with a great handle who can hit shots from beyond the arc, attack the basket, and also get teammates involved
35. Isaiah Morton, PG, 5'8, St. Augustine's, Marist- Despite being undersized, Morton is a crafty lead guard who handles well and can score off the bounce or from deep
36. Rashawn Cunningham, PG, 5'10, Life Center Academy, uncommitted- A quick point guard who understands his role and has the ability to get to the rim off the bounce
37. Derek Johnson, SF, 6'5, Atlantic Christian, uncommitted- A strong and athletic small forward who plays bigger than his size, Johnson rebounds well and has an improving jumpshot
38. Tyuan Williams, SF, 6'5, St. Anthony's, uncommitted- Although he will not wow you, Williams is a tough three man with a solid overall game who does a good job on the defensive end
39. JP Koury, SG, 6'3, Christian Brothers Academy, Bentley- A two guard with a good basketball IQ, Koury possesses a quality jumpshot from beyond the 3-point line
40. Charlie Monaghan, PF, 6'6, St. Augustine's, St. Michael's- Not many guys play harder than Monaghan, who does all the little things, but can also score and rebound
41. Jarrel Lane, PG, 6'0, St. Patrick's, UMBC- The tough lead guard is a sound overall player who handles the ball well and gets his teammates involved in the game
42. Jordan Quick, PG, 5'9, St. Anthony's, uncommitted- A defensive-minded point guard who plays hard at both ends and has the ability to hit shots from behind the 3-point line
43. Devin Figueroa, PG, 6'1, Lawrenceville School, uncommitted- Heady and tough, Figueroa can both score the basketball and hit the open man with a pass
44. Shilique Calhoun, PF, 6'5, Middletown North, uncommitted- A standout football player as well, Calhoun has a big, strong frame to go along with outstanding athletic ability
45. Jate Cheshul, SF, 6'5, Holy Spirit, Bentley- In Cheshul, Bentley is picking up a forward with quality athletic ability who puts the ball in the basket and also rebounds it
46. Tony Walker, SF, 6'4, Lakewood, uncommitted- A wing with phenomenal athletic ability, Walker is a player who does his damage by attacking the basket off the bounce
47. Matt McMullen, PF, 6'6, Christian Brothers Academy, Colgate- A well-rounded frontcourt player with a solid overall skill set who plays hard and gets things done around the basket
48. Tracy Edward, SG, 6'3, Emily Fisher Charter School, uncommitted- The main thing that stands out about Edward is his tremendous athletic ability, but he is a true scorer who can also knock down threes
49. Chris Lewis, PG, 5'10, Trenton Catholic, uncommitted- A knockdown 3-point shooter with a good handle, Lewis also knows how to distribute the ball
50. Xavier Corporan, SG, 6'2, High Tech, uncommitted- Despite being undersized at the two spot, Corporan is still able to get the job done scoring the basketball

HONORABLE MENTIONS (alphabetical order)
Robbie Ashamole, PF, 6'5, St. Joseph's Metuchen, uncommitted
Taques Franklin, PF, 6'5, Manchester Regional, uncommitted
Anthony Gaffney, SG, 6'2, The Pennington School, uncommitted
Elijah Hodge, PG, 5'10, Linden, uncommitted
Jayson Johnson, SG, 6'1, Life Center Academy, uncommitted
Will Kelly, PF, 6'8, Lenape, Navy
Ish Mack, PG, 5'9, Immaculata, uncommitted
Mike Marciano, C, 7'0, Union Catholic, uncommitted
Kameen McPleasant, PF, 6'5, Newark Central, uncommitted
Mike Rotando, PG, 6'0, Pt. Pleasant Beach, uncommitted
Frank Smalls, SF, 6'4, Pennsauken, uncommitted
Matt Tobin, SG, 6'1, Hopatcong, uncommitted
Hakeem Valles, PF, 6'5, Peddie School, uncommitted
Kevin Walker, PG, 5'10, St. Peter's Prep, uncommitted
Jhamir White, PG, 5'9, Paterson Kennedy, uncommitted

Note- photo is of Michael Gilchrist and is from http://www.slamonline.com/