The
prestigious Peach Jam tournament kicks off the first July live evaluation
period on Thursday morning with Nike’s top 24 AAU teams set to participate.
Entering its fourth year serving as the championship tournament in Nike’s EYBL
tournament, the Peach Jam will be the top draw for all high major coaching
staffs. After four regular season EYBL weekends that took place throughout the
US in April and May one final weekend remains to crown a champion. Here is a
look at the four pools including favorites to emerge as well as sleepers.
Note: All
records in parenthesis relate to games against Peach Jam qualifiers only.
Pool A
·
Team
Takeover 16-2 (10-2
with one loss coming as a forfeit)
·
E1T1 13-5 (6-4)
·
BABC 11-7 (7-5)
·
Team Texas
Elite 10-8 (1-8)
·
All Ohio Red 10-8 (4-4)
·
California
Supreme 7-11 (1-9)
The Favorites:
Each 1 Teach 1
 |
| Berry and E1T1 are on a hot streak |
The Florida
based team struggled in the month of April in LA and Hampton, but quickly
turned the corner in May. Led by future North Carolina point guard Joel Berry the team added combo guard DeAngelo Russell to the mix at the
beginning of the season. Despite the high octane combo, it took a while for the
pair to gel as the team lost one game in LA and then went 2-3 in Hampton. In
May, E1T1 added an athletic shooting guard in Grayson Allen and a 7’1” shot blocking center in Trayvon Reed. Allen lit it up in Dallas
coming off the bench and Reed provided a new interior post presence on the
defensive end. E1T1 did not lose in its next two sessions and enters the Peach
Jam on a nine game win streak and is one of the most talented teams from top to
bottom. In addition to the standouts discussed above, the team also features Boubacar Moungoro, a strong and
athletic small forward and Mike Gilmore,
an up and coming power forward. E1T1 should have no problem advancing to the
Elite 8.
Team Takeover
A talented
team that is heavily reliant on its guard play, Team Takeover went 16-2 during
the regular season with one of the losses coming on a forfeit. Sharp shooters Dion Wiley and Phil Booth Jr. led their team to wins in their first thirteen games
of the EYBL before falling to Meanstreets in the last session over Memorial Day
weekend (when Wiley did not play). Wiley and Booth both shot over 48% from the
three point line while averaging 14.1 and 12.2 points per game, respectively.
Future Georgetown Hoya Tre Campbell
handles the point guard responsibilities while Martin Geben and Marcus
Derrickson provide strength down low. While Team Takeover lacks the star
power in its frontcourt, the team is extremely well coached and knows how to
execute in close games as they went 7-1 in games decided by five points or
less. After winning the first EYBL championship, this guard heavy team looks to
get back on top.
The Sleeper:
BABC
While Team
Texas Elite possesses a lot of young talent in Elijah Thomas, Austin
Grandstaff, and Matt McQuaid they
look to be one year away from doing damage in the Peach Jam as evidenced by
their 1-8 record against qualifying teams. Instead it is the Boston based BABC
squad that features one of the least talked about scorers in Bonzie Colson. The under-sized forward
averaged 18.1 points per game while also adding on 6.6 rebounds. Another double
digit scorer for BABC is Tyler Nelson
who averaged 12.1 points per game while shooting 47% from the three point line.
They might not be the most noteworthy bunch, but they did get wins over their
highly regarded neighbor in Expressions Elite as well as Meanstreets from
Chicago. They won’t beat themselves and could be there at the end if either of
the favorites slip up.
Pool B
·
Spiece Indy 15-3 (8-2)
·
NY Lightning 11-7 (4-5)
·
Mokan Elite 11-7 (5-6)
·
Team Penny 11-7 (6-4)
·
Team Final 11-7 (6-6)
·
STL Eagles 10-8 (4-7)
The Favorite:
Spiece Indy Heat
Based on the
EYBL regular season, Indy Spiece is the class of the Pool B and the remaining
five teams will be left to fight for the final spot in the quarterfinals.
Similar to E1T1, Spiece Indy lost three games in LA and Hampton and then rattled
off nine wins in a row. While E1T1 took advantage of AAU free agency, Spiece
Indy regained their big man, Trey Lyles
from injury. This team has been playing together on the 17U circuit for awhile
and is now one of the most experienced teams out there. Along with Lyles, this team also features
recent Louisville commit JaQuan Lyle,
sharp shooter James Blackmon, Jr.,
and Trevon Bluiett. All four players
average in double figures and should have an easy run to the Peach Jam
quarterfinals.
The Sleepers:
With four
teams at 11-7 and one team at 10-8, the competition for the other quarterfinal
spot should be fierce.
Team Final
With four
players averaging 10 or more points per game, Team Final is a very well-balanced
team. Malachi Richardson and Mikal Bridges man the wing, but it is
point guard Jaquan Newton that could
tip the balance in Team Final’s favor. In EYBL play Newton averaged 13.7 points
and 4.5 assists per game; however it was his play in June at the NBPA Top 100
camp that turned heads. While he did not win MVP, Newton scored 31 points in
the championship game to get his team the victory as he hit from all areas of
the court. With a similar performance, Team Final could be sitting in the
quarterfinals come Saturday.
Team Penny:
One of the
top scoring teams in the league at 69.6 points per game, Team Penny features a
plethora of young talent in Skal
Labissiere and the Lawson brothers (Keelon and Dedric). Keelon Lawson led the team in both
scoring and rebounding with 16.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while
Labissiere added 12.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. While they are young
and talented, Team Penny is led by a steady point guard in Anton Beard. As a point, Beard knows how to run the pick and roll
and attack the defense for open shots. A wise and steady point guard leading a
bunch of young athletes sounds like a recipe for success in claiming a
quarterfinal berth. In the wide open Pool B.
Pool C
·
Houston
Hoops 16-2 (10-1)
·
Texas Titans 10-8 (2-7)
·
Mac Irvin
Fire 11-7 (5-5)
·
Boo Williams 11-7 (6-4)
·
Team Scan 10-8 (4-8)
·
Jackson
Tigers 8-10 (4-7)
The Favorites:
Houston Hoops
After going
16-2 during the EYBL regular season, Houston is looking for a championship.
Knowing that a dynamic wing trio in Justin
Jackson, Justise Winslow, and Kelly Oubre take the court each time most
definitely tilts the odds in their favor. During the regular season Jackson was
Mr. Efficient averaging a team high 17.3 points per game on 60% shooting. Oubre
was the athletic wing that hit 35% of his team high 94 three point attempts,
while Winslow did it all averaging 13.8 points per game and leading the team in
rebounding and assists with 7.3 and 4.3 per game, respectively. Houston also relies
on Khadeem Latin and his 1.9 blocks
per game to control the paint while 2016 standout De’Aaron Fox has increased his point guard responsibilities. Last
year, Houston went 4-1 in pool play and was denied a chance to play in the
quarterfinals due to a tie breaker, but this year they look to leave no doubt
in pool play.
Mac Irvin Fire
The Fire
finally got big man Cliff Alexander to
suit up for them during the EYBL season. Unfortunately for Alexander and the
Fire, big man Jahlil Okafor struggled
with injuries and only played in five games. With a healthy Okafor, the Fire
look to take advantage of having the top two players in the country (per ESPN)
on the court at the same. While Alexander and Okafor plan on dominating down
low, it is steady point guard Jalen
Brunson that runs the show. The upcoming junior made a smooth transition to
the EYBL and averaged 12 points and 5.7 assists per game. While everyone knows
the point guard and big men, it will be up to the wings to help the team
advance out of a tough Pool C. Chicago
public league rivals Josh Cunningham
and Miles Reynolds don’t get as much
publicity as their teammates but it will be up to them to hit open shots and
slow down the opposing teams best players. Finally at full strength, the Fire
look to live up to their potential in South Carolina.
The Sleeper:
Team Scan
Last year
Team Scan was one of the top 16U teams on the circuit and they lost in the 16U
semi-finals at Peach Jam. This year despite struggling at times, Team Scan
still possesses scary talent and elite big men. The NBPA Top 100 MVP, Chieck Diallo leads the way with 12.9
points and 9.6 rebounds per game followed up by the 6’10 Chris McCullough who averages 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds. On the
wing, Terry Larrier gives Team Scan
an athletic option that thrives on attacking the basket while Conrad Chambers and Shavar Newkirk fill the guard spots.
While this team is extremely athletic, they struggle shooting from the outside
and will need to get out on the break and protect the rim in order to advance.
Pool D
·
CP3
All-Stars 15-3 (9-2)
·
Expressions
Elite 13-5 (6-4)
·
Oakland
Soldiers 10-8 (5-7)
·
Meanstreets 12-6 (7-5)
·
Howard Pulley 12-6 (5-4)
·
Travelers
Basketball 9-9 (4-5)
The Favorite:
CP3
Led by small
forward Theo Pinson and his 13.8
points per game, CP3 went a quite 15-3 during the EYBL regular season. Similar
to other top teams, they dominated play in May going undefeated in Dallas and
lost only once in Minneapolis. To go along with Pinson, the team is run by
future Wake Forest point guard Shelton
Mitchell and has future Hoya L.J.
Peak running the opposite wing spot. Also, power forward Gary Clark quietly averaged 13.3 points
and 7.8 rebounds per game. This team likes to create pressure on the defensive
end and get out on the break on the offensive end. Last year CP3 advanced to
the quarterfinals and now a year later they look to take it a step farther this
time around.
The Sleepers:
In such a
strong pool, there are four other teams that will make a hard run at the quarterfinals:
Expressions Elite – They won their first nine games before
going 4-5 down the stretch. Led by Abdul-Malik
Abu, the New England based team will need to regain their early mojo to
make it out of this grouping.
Oakland Soldiers – The defending champions struggled at times
during the regular season but Stanley
Johnson is looking to win a second consecutive championship. Johnson is one
of the toughest players to guard on the circuit and could easily put the
Soldiers on his back. Big man Ivan Rabb controls
the low post.
Meanstreets – The Chicago based team gave CIA Bounce its
first loss last year and it did the same with Team Takeover this year. Led by
one of the top floor generals in the country in Tyler Ulis, this team could easily make a run. To go along with
Ulis, Meanstreets features combo forward Paul
White and high school teammates Vic
Law and Charles Matthews.
Howard Pulley – This team relies heavily on its top two
players, but luckily they are Tyus Jones
and Reid Travis. Jones is the top
point guard in the country and averaged 22.8 points and 6.9 assists per game
while Travis averaged 18.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. These two can’t
have an off game or else it will be the last EYBL action for Jones in his third
year of action.
Predictions:
Pool A: No upsets here as E1T1 and Team Takeover
advance
Pool B: Spiece Indy takes care of business while Team
Final rides the hot play of Jaquan Newton
Pool C: Houston Hoops and Mac Irvin Fire advance
Pool D: CP3 and Meanstreets advance
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