Who are the top players in Group 4?
The boys basketball season gets under way on Friday, Dec. 15.
In preparation for the 2017-18 season, NJ.com took a look 44 of the top players to watch in Group 4 heading into the 2017-18 season.
Who do you think will have the biggest impact in Group 4? Let us know in the comments section below.
Jamal Anderson, Hightstown, Sr., Guard: Anderson is coming off a season that saw him average 17.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 4.2 steals per game. He is heading into the season 112 points away from the 1,000-point mark.
Mattias Arrindell, Piscataway, Sr., Guard: Piscataway is a good shooting team and Arrindell is no exception to that. He hit 15 3-pointers last season and finished second on the team with 11.5 points per game. He could tear things up alongside fellow senior Jordan Davidson this season.
Derek Astarita, Sayreville, Guard, Sr.: The captain and team-leader will be huge for Sayreville this season. On a team that lost a lot of key scorers to graduation, Astarita will need to build on his 4.1 point per game total if Sayreville is to return to the sectional semifinals.
Tyrek Battle-Holley, Dickinson, Sr., Guard: Dickinson fell to Columbia in the first round of the North 2, Group 4 tournament last season and is hoping Battle-Holley can led them out of the first round this season. He averaged 21.1 points, hitting 49 3-pointers in the process, and grabbed 8.2 rebounds per game last year.
Greg Billups, Freehold Township, Jr., Forward: Billups is the only player back from last year's Freehold Township squad, which battled to the Central Jersey, Group 4 final. He averaged 6.2 points per game last season.
Naseim Brantley, Howell, Sr., Guard: Howell may be moving from Central, Group 4 to South, Group 4, but will be in good shape with Brantley back. He led Howell with 16.8 points per game last season and will head a strong group of returners.
Ji'Ayir Brown, Trenton, Sr., Guard: Trenton fell to Freehold Township in the Central Jersey, Group 4 quarterfinals and will hope to advance even further this season. Brown led Trenton with 12.6 points and 4 steals per game. He also had 6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season.
Hassan Ceesay, Newark East Side, Sr., Guard: Ceesay helped key East Side's run to the North 2, Group 4 final. He averaged 11.5 points per game and will be a crucial force alongside Shamir Johnson.
Jaylen Colon, Paterson Kennedy, Sr., Guard: Colon led Paterson Kennedy with 16.3 points per game and knocked down 29 3-pointers last season. He has great ball control and even better footwork. Defensively, he is armed with active hands and will likely be matched against every squad's top guard. He can pull up, drive the lane or pass to open shooters on the perimeter.
Kadian Dawkins, Rancocas Valley, Sr., Guard: Dawkins will be the head of a very strong Rancocas Valley team looking to make some noise. He was the key offensively last season with 12.2 points per game last season.
Nazim Derry, Atlantic City, Sr., Guard: Derry will lead a pretty strong Atlantic City squad into this season. Derry is the team's top scoring threat back after putting in 10.4 points per game last season.
Dylan Deveney, Shawnee, Sr., Forward: Deveney was an intricate piece in Shawnee's run to the South Jersey, Group 4 championship and Group 4 semis. Deveney averaged 16.6 points and surpassed the 1,000-point plateau last season.
Anthony Dicaro, Cherokee, Jr., Guard: Standing at 6-1, Dicaro provides Cherokee with some size at the guard position. He can hit deep threes and uses his great vision to help run the point. DiCaro was Cherokee's leading scorer with 11.1 points per game last season. He helped key Cherokee's run to the South Jersey, Group 4 semis.
Tommy Drubulis, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Sr., Guard: Drubulis heads a Scotch Plains team that returns four of its top six scorers. He led the Raiders with 8.9 points and was second on the team with 34 3-pointers last season.
Jake Dubois, Southern, Sr., Guard: DuBois is a primary ball handler and Southern’s returning leading scorer. He averaged 15 points per game last year and has 635 career points.
Stephan Gabriel, Columbia, Sr., Forward: Gabriel keyed Columbia's run to the North 2, Group 4 quarterfinals and will hope to take the team even further this season. He led Columbia with 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season.
Aaron Gao, Bridgewater-Raritan, Sr., Guard: Gao's biggest asset is his deadly pull-up jump shot. He led Bridgewater with 14.8 points per game and sunk 49 3-pointers. Bridgewater returns another strong shooter in fellow senior Sterling White. The duo should give defenses fits this season.
Danny Gaines, Colts Neck, Sr., Guard: Gaines will be tasked with leading Colts Neck's offense a season after averaging 17 points per game last season.
Ross Gang, Millburn, Sr., Guard: Millburn was stunned by Union in the North 2, Group 4 first round last season. Gang will try to erase that early exit this season. He led Millburn with 16.9 points per game last season.
Carl Gibson, Cherry Hill East, Jr., Guard: After graduating its top three scorers, Cherry Hill East will look to Gibson to lead the offense this year. He will likely serve as the team's point guard and has the ability to shoot as well. He averaged 7.7 points per game last season.
Mario Haklaj, Randolph, Sr., Forward: Randolph graduated a lot of key pieces from last year's sectional semifinal team and will look to Haklaj to build on a 5.6 point per game season. He was a solid player inside with good range and a jump shot to match. He is a good defender that clogs the lane with his active hands.
Sam Johnson, Hunterdon Central, Sr., Guard: Johnson averaged nine points per game last season, but will need to improve on that total if he hopes to lead Central back to the a sectional title with Tucker Richardson graduated.
Tavon Jones, Linden, Sr., Guard: Jones has been one of the top guards in New Jersey for quite some time and his senior season could be his best yet. He averaged 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as he led Linden to the Group 4 championship.
Dylan Kaufman, Marlboro, Sr., Forward: Kaufman averaged 12.1 points and six rebounds per game. He helped key Marlboro's run to the Shore Conference Tournament final last season.
Rynell Lawrence, Millville, Jr., Guard: Few sophomores make the impact that Lawrence was able to last season. Millville's offense ran through him and he will be looking to step up even more this year. He averaged 18.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2 steals per game to lead Millville in all four categories last season.
Steve Leung, Morristown, Sr., Guard: Morristown graduated its top four scorers and will be relying heavily on Leung to pick up the slack of those graduations. He averaged 4.9 points per game last season and is a pretty dangerous threat from 3-point land.
Chris Mann, Phillipsburg, Sr., Guard: Standing at 6-6, Mann might seem like he should be a forward, but he has the speed and shot to excel as a shooting guard as well. He averaged 18.3 points per game and hit 17 3-pointers last season.
DeAndrae McFarlane, Union, Sr., Guard: Union has some big-time replacing to do after losing its top three scorers. That will start with McFarlane. He averaged 6.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game last season.
Jared Meyer, Old Bridge, Sr., Guard: With Kyle Parris and Rich Calandrino graduated, Old Bridge will rely on Meyer to lead the offense. He is the team's top returning scorer after averaging 6.4 points per game. He is a solid player inside and will need to continue improving on his play this season.
Charles Murphy, Montclair, Jr., Forward: Standing at 6-3 and weighing 175 pounds, Murphy provides Montclair with size and strength. He averaged 13.5 points per game and hit 49 3-pointers for the Mounties last season.
Mike Patterson, Williamstown, Sr., Guard: Patterson has been a three-year starter for Williamstown. He is an explosive scorer and playmaker that averaged 12.4 points per game last season. He needs 291 points to reach the 1,000-point mark.
Jovany Perdomo, Egg Harbor, Sr: Perdomo is Egg Harbor's top returning scorer after averaging eight points per game last season. He is part of a deep returning group for Egg Harbor.
Kemari Persol, Woodbridge, Sr., Guard: Persol ran the point for Woodbridge last season and shined behind his great ball handling. He is a ball-moving player that can hit shots on the perimeter. He is a good defender and averaged 8.7 points per game last season. This season, he should be a force alongside Hura Blaine and Curtis Nesbit.
Holden Petrick, Toms River North, Sr., Guard: The 5-10, wing guard averaged 10 points per game last season. He was a crucial part in Toms River North’s run to the South Jersey, Group 4 final.
Dan Pilsbury, Watchung Hills, Sr., Guard: Pilsbury is a great scorer and is coming off a season where he averaged 16 points per game and hit 29 3-pointers. He also pulled down 3.1 rebounds per game last year.
Ryan Purcell, Middletown South, Sr., Guard: The two-guard has over 600 career points and averaged 17 points per game last season.
Abdallah Saleh, North Bergen, Jr., Center: North Bergen won 22 games last season and battled to the North 1, Group 4 semifinals. It will look to improve on that success behind Saleh, who averaged 11.1 points per game.
Joe Sampson, East Brunswick, Sr., Guard: Sampson is hoping to lead East Brunswick back to success in the GMC after averaging 11.2 points per game last season.
Michael Schretter, Ridgewood, Sr., Center: Schretter was a huge part in Ridgewood's run to the North 1, Group 4 final last year. He will need to continue to use his 6-7 frame to be a force inside. He averaged 14.2 points per game last season.
Andrew Sims, Lenape, Sr., Center: Sims broke out last season as he led Lenape to the South Jersey, Group 4 semifinals. Although Lenape lost some key players to graduation, it returns Simms, who led the team with 13.8 points per game.
Romey Talley, Plainfield, Sr., Guard: Talley averaged 16.1 points per game and was Plainfield's leading scorer. He heads into this year closing in on the 1,000-point mark.
Atiba Taylor Jr., Hackensack, Sr., Guard: After initially transferring to Patrick School, Taylor Jr. is back at Hackensack. He is as dynamic of a player as they come. Last season he led Hackensack with 19 points, 4.9 assists and 4.6 steals per game. He finished third on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Paul Woolhouse, North Hunterdon, Sr., Center: Woolhouse is a Carnegie Mellon recruit and is coming off a season that saw him average 9.7 points per game. If North Hunterdon hopes to have success, his play on the glass will be huge.
Andrew Yoon, Bergen Tech, Sr., Forward: Yoon led Bergen Tech with 14.3 points per game last season. The senior is hoping to build on a solid 2016-17 campaign and propel Bergen Tech out of the first round of states.
Richard Greco may be reached at rgreco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Richard_V_Greco. Like NJ.com HS sports on Facebook.