EYBL Hampton Preview

The third EYBL session tips off Saturday morning at the Boo Williams Complex in Hampton, VA. With the Nike AAU season half way over it’s time for teams to position themselves for the Peach Jam in July.

Games to Watch:

1) CP3 vs. Cal Supreme (Saturday, 9:30am)

What’s so special about a 1-6 CP3 team going against a 3-5 Cal Supreme team? The return of sophomore forward Harry Giles. One of the top prospects in the class of 2015 will play his first game since tearing his ACL last June. While there is sure to be some rust, you won’t find Cal Supreme taking it easy. Two games out of fourth place, the young but talented team featuring guards Devearl Ramsey and Aaron Holiday will look to start their east coast journey on a strong note. Along with Cal’s explosive guards, forward Benny Boatwright will look to get back on track.

2) Oakland Soldiers vs. Playground Elite (Sunday, 12:30pm)

Ivan Rabb, the top player in the country will look to improve on his double-double average against Henry Ellenson, one of the top performers of the Dallas EYBL. The 6’11” Rabb is not only averaging 16.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, but he is also shooting 66% from the field. On the other side is Ellenson, a versatile big man from Rice Lake, WI who went for 18 points and 12 rebounds against Mac Irvin and 25 points against Cal Supreme. Oh yeah, five-star center Stephen Zimmerman will also be on the court. While Zimmerman is still trying to find his niche in the Soldiers offense, he did put together an 11 point, nine rebound performance in his last game against Spiece Indy. Is this the weekend that Zimmerman plays up to his lofty status?

3) NY Lightning vs. Team Final (Saturday, 9:30am)

The top two teams in Division A kick off at Boo Williams bright and early Saturday morning. Team Final is tied with Team Penny for the best EYBL record while the NY Lightning are 5-3. In a Philly vs. NYC battle, we have a guard dominated Team Final team versus 6’10” monster Jessie Govan. Fresh off a commitment to Georgetown, Govan is averaging 15.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. As for Team Final, 6’4” guard Levan Alston is leading the team in scoring at 16.9 per game; however he is also the leading rebounder at just 3.9 boards per game. Syracuse commit Malachi Richardson and Villanova commit Donte Divincenzo also lead the way for Team Final.

Storylines:

·         Junior forward Ben Simmons is making a strong claim for the No. 1 spot in 2015. In two EYBL sessions he is averaging 19.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. 

·         The previous No. 1 player in the class of 2015, Malik Newman returned to the EYBL after playing in the Under Armour circuit during the spring live period. The leading scorer in 2013 averaged 19.8 points per game in Dallas, but only shot 38% from the field and just 24% from three.

·         Current No. 1, Ivan Rabb will take unofficial visits to UNC and Georgetown with his mom and high school coach after he finishes play in Hampton.

·         Some of the top talent in the 2016 class will face off Saturday at 11am. 6’7” Jayson Tatum of the St. Louis Eagles goes against explosive guard Malik Monk who is second in the EYBL with 24.5 points per game.

·         Junior Allonzo Trier is the leading scorer with 26.6 points per game. The 6’4” guard saw his scoring average decrease slightly after Sacramento, but Athlete’s First is still 6-2. 

·         Two of the top freshmen in the EYBL will be on the same court Saturday morning when 6’8” PJ Washington takes the court against Jatrious Smith. Washington plays for Team Penny and scored in double figures his last three games while Smith is averaging around six points per game. 

·         Boo Williams is the home team and currently sits with a 6-2 record after going 3-1 in both sessions. Shooting guard Kenny Williams has made 28 three’s at a 48% clip while Edrice Adebayo is averaging 7.5 rebounds.

·         Will Veer Singh make his debut for the NY Lightning?

·         Levan Alston is making a ridiculous 60% of his three’s. In Dallas he went 7-11 against Texas Elite. Meanwhile combo forward D.J. Hogg went 17-32 from three in his hometown.

·         The leading rebounder in the EYBL, Caleb Swanigan will play his first tournament as a class of 2015 prospect after recently re-classifying.