2024 Riverside Church Hawks 16u-Irizarry Player Profiles
The Riverside Hawks, one of NYC’s most storied programs, was founded by the historic Riverside Church in the early 1960’s. The program’s mission is still to help students and families use basketball to pursue academic opportunities and to promote their character development.
Their Class of 2026 (16u) team is coached by Jose Irizarry, Associate Head Coach at Mt St Michaels Academy, and former assistant coach at Wagner College.
The Riverside Church Hawks 16u-Irizarry are profiled below:
(click on the players’ names and their profiles will pop up)
#0 Jahzir Crawford (2026) 5’10 point guard, Holy Cross High - An explosively fast player, who magnifies that edge by changing speeds with great effectiveness. He sees the floor well and makes good decisions. MVP of last December’s Jordan Brand Classic game. Offered by Manhattan as a 8th grader.
#1 Mason Santiago (2026) 6’6 shooting guard, St Peter’s Prep (NJ) - Santiago has the handle to get himself open and get off his lethal, quick release jump shot. He is an active and impactful defender, tough on the ball, in the passing lanes and shot blocking.
#2 Malik Fields (2026) 6’6 guard, Cardinal Hayes High - Fields is a very assertive scorer, fearless on his drives and fluid in the midrange. Fields likes to play off of screens and is a dangerous shooter when he is in the corner. He is also a multi-positional defender. Holds multiple D1 offers, including Texas A&M and Florida International. 3.4 gpa
#3 Brad Brown (2026) 6’0 point guard, Don Bosco Prep (NJ) -Brown is a dynamic lead guard with elite scoring ability. He Is lights out from the 3 and mid range. He is a pit bull and on defense and is a good leader.
#10 Jayden Holman (2026) 6’0 point guard, Arts High School (NJ) - On offense, Holman is both a jump shooter and a rim attack man. His biggest rep though comes from the defensive end of the court. He suffocates ball handlers and steals their dribble. He is also a disrupter in his hawking in the passing lanes.
#11 Saad Mitchell (2026) 6’4 guard, Hudson Catholic High (NJ) - Mitchell is an explosive leaper in his ability to attack the rim, which buys him extra time to finish past defenders. His jump shot is good enough to open up his basket drive opportunities. He is good on screen switches due to his ability to guard multiple positions.
#12 Najay Bess (2026) 6’5 shooting guard, St Raymonds High - Bess is athletic, enabling him to both can score over defenders and drives past them. He also can defend multiple positions. Bess is piling up D1 offers, including Robert Morris, Valparaiso and Texas A&M.
#15 Preston Merrick (2026) 6’6 guard, Hotchkiss School (CT) - Merrick put up a strong sophomore season vs. elite NEPSAC Class A competition with Hotchkiss. He averaged 15 ppg, 7.5 rpg and 3.5 assists. He plays with great pace and is a 3 level scorer with special athleticism. He plays the game like he thinks that defending and rebounding matter.
#23 Kenny Thompson (2026) 6’10 forward, Blair Academy (NJ) - Thompson has court vision and a feel for the game that Nikola Jokic is proving to be invaluable in a big. He can also implode team defenses by hitting threes/pulling rim defenders away from the rim. Offered by Texas A&M.
#30 Will Higgs (2026) 6’11 forward, St. Peter’s Prep (NJ) - Higgs brings a “not-in-my-house” level of defensive presence in the paint. He moves his feet well and has NBA length that makes him an elite shot-blocker and contester.
Lucas Laungayan (2026) 5’9 point guard, Greenwich Country Day School (CT) - Laungayan is a high energy leader who consistently makes the right decision and knocks down the open shot. Teammates feed off of his defensive intensity. His quickness allows him to disrupt the rhythm of most point guards that he matches up with. 3.7 gpa