When North Arlington’s afterschool practices concludes at around 5 p.m., Elijah Zaldivar’s basketball work is just beginning.
Soon, the Vikings standout guard will be found in a nearby gym or park, continuing to put up shots and refining a game that is already among the best in the NJIC.
“I would go to the park down the street from my house, put some music on and just work on my game,” said Zaldivar. “If not, I usually go to the gym and just up some shots.
“I’ve always done this, but as soon as the high school season started, I’ve increased the intensity because I knew I was going to have much more pressure and much more responsibility.”
Zaldivar’s late night work has paid off in a big way so far.
Last week at North Arlington’s annual William Ferguson Holiday Tournament, Zaldivar scored 21 points with seven rebounds and four steals in a win over Belleville on Dec. 29. The next day, Zaldivar’s buzzer-beating put-back gave the Vikings a 59-57 win over Manchester Regional and capped off a 24-point effort.
This past Saturday, Zaldivar rang in the new year, but matching his career-high in scoring with 27 points and with rebounds in a blowout victory over Saddle Brook.
Zaldivar’s efforts have helped North Arlington get off to a 5-1 start and make him The Observer Athlete of the Week. The first of the winter sports season.
For the season, Zaldivar is averaging 19.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
“It’s great having somebody like that who wants the ball in his hands,” head coach Christian Boyce said. “We’ll run a play for him in a set and he has no problem. He doesn’t shy away from it, is willing to take the big shot, willing to make the big pass.
“I think he understands we’re going as far as he takes this now and he’s totally on board with it.”
It’s why even after that strong sophomore season, Zaldivar knew he needed to take his game to a higher level heading into this winter.
“Last year, I kind of was just a spot up shooter and a little bit of a slasher,” said Zaldivar. “This season, I’ve pretty much become more of an all-around threat. I’m going to look to get to the basket, get my teammates involved and just play all around.”
As a sophomore, Zaldivar burst onto the scene, scoring 23 points in his varsity debut. Overall, he averaged 15.2 points per game last year.
While it’s only been six games, Zaldivar has not only seen his scoring increase by four points per game, his rebounding numbers and free throws have also gone up.
“When you have a kid that could pump fake, take one dribble and spot up shoot, or fake, go to the basket and finish,” Boyce said. “He finishes with his land hand and right hand. He has a nice left-handed floater, he’ll switch (hands) mid-air and go. That’s what makes him tough to go up against.”
The skills developed by Zaldivar under the lights of the local park in front of no one else,are now on display in front of the crowds at high school gyms.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)