The 2025-2026 high school basketball season has officially come to a close a close after an exciting three months on the hardwood. Now, we shift our focus over to our extensive postseason awards.

Voting for the 2026 Mr. and Miss Hoop Zone is underway as we collect ballots from numerous coaches from conferences spanning the entire state – along with JSZ’s staff of MMJ’s and other reputable, credentialed media – for the top boys’ and girls’ player in the Garden State. Every ballot has a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place vote with three points awarded for 1st, two for 2nd, and one point for 3rd.

The winners will be announced on the Beyond The Score Podcast and then on social media. They’ll join a talented collection of players to bring home JSZ’s top annual basketball honor. In addition, we will present our JSZ All-Zone boys and girls basketball teams featuring 40 players from public and non-public basketball for each team. Here are the JSZ Mr. and Miss Hoop Zone finalists, listed in alphabetical order.

Meet the 2026 Mr. Hoop Zone Finalists

Julius Avent, Bergen Catholic

Avent leaves Bergen Catholic with a legendary resume. Before heading to Michigan State, the 6’8″ forward led the Crusaders to back-to-back Non-Public “A” North and overall Non-Public “A” championships while going undefeated against New Jersey teams in the 2025–26 season. Avent paced Bergen Catholic in points (490), rebounds (203), and blocks (39) during a phenomenal senior campaign.

Micah Gordon, Plainfield

After losing the reigning Mr. Hoop Zone, Plainfield basketball was left in the hands of Micah Gordon. The four-star junior had a spectacular campaign, delivering incredible moments all season long – from a half-court buzzer-beater to an all-time dunk in the state final while leading the Cardinals to their second straight Group 4 state championship. Gordon was one of the state’s top scorers with 765 points and sits just 159 points away from 2,000 for his career.

Trevon Lewis, Roselle Catholic

Lewis made a name playing with Cardinal Hayes (NY) in his first two seasons but has fit in perfectly with the NJ basketball world after joining perennial power Roselle Catholic last season. Lewis, ranked as a four-star Class of 2026 prospect, was the main catalyst on the Lions’ run to a second straight Non-Public “B” North final appearance. Lewis played in all 29 games while averaging 15.9 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Ethan Lin, Montgomery

The 6’5″ Penn commit helped transform Montgomery into a Group 4 power. Lin finishes his career as the Cougars’ all-time leading scorer with 1,745 points and led Montgomery to a Central Jersey Group 4 sectional three-peat along with back-to-back runner-up finishes in Group 4.

Dorsett Mulcahy, Gill St. Bernard’s

The younger brother of Rutgers standout Paul Mulcahy hasn’t missed a beat carrying on the Mulcahy name at GSB. The Canisius commit led the Knights with 502 points, powering GSB to the Non-Public “B” North title and the program’s first state championship.

Richie Rosa, St. Peter’s Prep

Rosa played a major role in leading the Marauders to the Non-Public “A” South title before falling just short in overtime to Bergen Catholic in the state final. The Rider commit had a tremendous senior season, scoring his 1,000th career point early in the year and finishing as SPP’s leading scorer with 404 points.

Meet the 2026 Miss Hoop Zone Finalists

Jahzara Green, Gloucester Catholic

Green authored a sensational final chapter in her senior campaign as she led the fifth-ranked Rams to a 26-4 record and the Non-Public B state championship, the program’s first since 1983. The St. Joseph’s University was a force on both ends of the floor, finishing with team-highs in points (471) and rebounds (137). The 6’1″ senior averaged 15.7 points, the fourth-straight season averaging double-figures, and closes an outstanding high school career with 1,812 points.

Jordyn Hollawell, Manasquan

Hollawell anchored the Manasquan dynasty to three consecutive Group 2 State Championships. The senior closes her career after leading the Warriors in scoring in each of the last two seasons while also leading the team in nearly every statistical category. Hollawell finished her senior season averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.

El-Anita Joe-Samuel, Lenape

Joe-Samuel took her game to another level as she guided the 29-4 Indians to their second Group 4 state championship in the last three seasons and the Burlington County championship. The junior guard firmly established herself as one of the top scorers in the Garden State as she finished with 807 points, while averaging 24.5 points per game. She also led Lenape in rebounds (290) and blocks (37), while finishing second on the team in assists (73) and steals (82). Joe-Samuel will have 2,000 career points in her sights next season for what will be a highly-anticipated senior campaign.

Madison Kocis, St. John Vianney

Kocis stepped up in a big way for the Lancers during her senior season. The Penn commit helped lead the team to the Shore Conference Tournament and the Non-Public “A” South finals. She averaged 13.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while leading the team in steals with 41. The senior also scored a season-high 27 points to lead SJV to a win over RBC, making them the only team in New Jersey to defeat RBC this season.

Addy Nyemchek, Red Bank Catholic

Now a three-time Miss Hoop Zone finalist, Nyemchek helped Red Bank Catholic establish themselves as New Jersey’s #1 team in the 2025-26 season. The McDonald’s All American was excellent at stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis – she averaged 19.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3 steals over 32 games. Nyemchek guided the Caseys to a second consecutive Shore Conference Title, the Non-Public “A” South title, and the overall Non-Public “A” State Championship. The future Indiana Hoosier became RBC’s all-time leading scorer (1,781 points) in the state final.

Brooke Stagliano, Paul VI

Stagliano shined bright once again for the Eagles in another standout season in Haddon Township. The junior guard played a key role as PVI finished 29-2, winning a second-straight SJIBT championship and making an appearance in the Non-Public A South semifinals. She led the third-ranked Eagles in scoring for a second-straight season (471), averaging a career-best 16.8 points with 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.4 steals over 28 games.