City of Palms - Day 3

Day 3 of the City of Palms brought out a variety of college coaches along with ESPN’s Dick Vitale. The star studded event did not disappoint with the game of the day wrapping up close to 1am between Montverde and Whitney Young. This game was the most competitive game of the day as several of the other hyped match-ups turned into early blowouts. Despite a lack of close games, there were a few strong individual performances, notably the 31 point exhibition that Andrew Wiggins, the number 1 player in America put on. In addition, a 61 game winning streak was snapped.

Game of the Day:

Montverde (FL - #4) vs. Whitney Young (IL - #17)

Okafor vs. Dakari - Rd. 2

The most anticipated game of the day, not to mention the most anticipated individual big man match-up of Jahlil Okafor (#2 – 2014) vs. Dakari Johnson (#12 – 2013) tipped off at 11pm in Fort Meyer, FL. Despite the late start and the travel that Whitney Young had incurred (plane flight to Tampa, drive from Tampa to Fort Meyer), the Dolphins got off to a strong start with a 17-11 1^st quarter lead. Montverde made a strong second quarter run to take a 29-26 halftime lead before a back and forth second half. Okafor started off slow going 1-4 early, but finished the half with 9 points and 5 rebounds on 3-6 shooting. Okafor ran the floor well and attacked Johnson in the post when not facing double teams. Dakari held his own in the first half with 7 points. The 2^nd half was a bit more guard dominated by players such as Whitney Young’s L.J. Peak (#53 – 2014) and Miles Reynolds (2014) along with Montverde’s Kasey Hill (#9 – 2013) and DeAngelo Russell (#13 – 2014). Peak and Reynolds hit several timely three pointers towards the end of the 4^th quarter to keep the game in reach and Reynolds hit three free throws to send the game into overtime after being fouled on his game tying three point attempt. With players beginning to foul out in overtime, Montverde’s other big man; Devin Williams (#85 – 2013) came up large with several clutch free throw attempts and buckets. Junior guard LJ Peak missed a last second 25 foot three in overtime to try and tie the game again. Williams and Russell led Montverde with 17 a piece and Reynolds led Whitney Young with 18. Okafor finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds while Johnson finished with 10 points and 17 rebounds. Okafor may have won the individual battle, but Johnson goes to 2-0 against Whitney Young at the City of Palms (both matched-up in 2010).

Mismatch of the Day:

Lone Peak (UT - #7) vs. Chester (PA - #3)

In the early quarterfinal match, Chester carried a 61 game win streak into their match-up with everyone’s new favorite team, Lone Peak. Chester took a 2-0 lead to start the game before Lone Peak completely dismantled them. Junior TJ Haws (#66 – 2014 Scout) began the game with two threes along with a buzzer beater three to end the first quarter up 17-8. Haws continued to stay hot in the 2^nd quarter while big man Eric Mika (#76 – 2013) joined the action down low and dominated the boards. Chester was still within striking distance at the half only down 33-22; however senior guard Nick Emery (#61 – 2013) put the game out of reach leading a 9-2 run for Lone Peak. Emery continued to knock down shots and went for 16 2^nd half points as Lone Peak led 59-36 after the 3^rd quarter and 73-50 at the end. Both Haws and Emery scored 23 points for Lone Peak while Chester was led by Arizona commit, Rondae Jefferson (#17 – 2013). Jefferson’s strong performance was not enough to keep his teams win streak going. Chester pressed the entire game and apparently did not get the memo from Proviso East (IL) that it is futile to press this Utah squad. Next up for Lone Peak is the number 12^th ranked team in the country, Southwind (TN).

Player of the Day:

Andrew Wiggins (#1 – 2013)

Wiggins started the day off taking pictures with Dickie V during lay-up lines and finished the day with 31 points on 15-22 shooting. Wiggins came out of the gate a bit slow going 2-5 in the first quarter for 4 points, but picked it up in the 2^nd quarter where he went 4-5 for 9 points. He showed off his ridiculous hops with a two handed alley oop and his head at the rim to get the crowd off its feet and added in a three for good measure. Wiggins also guarded 6’7” Justin Jackson (#16 – 2014) and made his life miserable in the first quarter. In the second half, Wiggins showed why he is the future number 1 pick in the 2014 draft by going 9-10. All 10 of his shots came within a few feet of the basket either on powerful two-hand dunks or strong forays to the basket. Wiggins dominated the game on both sides of the ball and helped his team to a 77-50 victory.

Wiggins Domination 

Other Notes: 

·         Paul VI (#16) suffered an upset loss in Day 2 of the tournament and needed a last second free throw to defeat an injury riddled Prestonwood squad. Despite having a double digit deficit primarily the entire game, PG Marquan Botley led the Lions back and scored 5 points in the last minute before Paul VI won on a free throw.

·         Jonathon Williams III (#37 – 2013) and Jujuan Johnson (#64 – 2013) combined for 48 points in a blowout win against Lake Wales, FL.      
  Jujuan Johnson

·         Kiski defeated Brewster Academy and Tilton in the New England Prep School Showcase, but met their match in Arlington County Day (FL). Breakout star Rashad Richardson, who had 30 against Brewster went 2-15 for 5 points.     

·         Malik Newmann (#3 – 2015) was in foul trouble for most of the game but still scored 12 points to lead his Callaway team to a 47-44 win.

·         Day 4 of the City of Palms tournament features a Lone Peak vs. Southwind semi-final followed by a Montverde vs. Long Beach Poly semi-final.

Preview: Peach Jam

The Nike EYBL finals are about to kick off at the Peach Jam in North Augusta, South Carolina. By turning this event into the culmination of a 4 part regular season, Nike has ensured that this event receives top billing from coaches and fans alike. The top 24 EYBL teams make the Peach Jam and are separated into four pools of six teams each. Each team will play 5 games against its pool members beginning Thursday morning with the top two teams from each Pool advancing to the playoffs Saturday night. Both the semi-finals and finals will be held on Sunday morning with the winner joining the likes of Team Takeover and BABC as Peach Jam champions. While all Pool match-ups should be highly competitive and entertaining here are a few games that stick out:

1)      CIA Bounce vs. Texas Titans (Friday, 7:30pm)

The future class of 2013 #1?

Despite going 14 games without a loss, the Nike schedule makers did not do CIA Bounce a ton of favors by putting them in the talent laden Pool C. A few hours after their game with Mac Irvin ends, CIA will have a few hours to rest up before they face the Julius Randle show. Randle has been a beast all spring and summer and will try to turn a dominant Peach Jam into the coveted #1 class ranking. While Wiggins and Randle are the top players in this game, there will also be a shooting guard match-up to watch with the 6’4” Matt Jones facing off against the 6’4” Xavier Rathan-Mayes. As both teams have the talent to win the championship, this game will play a key factor in playoff seeding for the weekend.

2)      Houston Hoops vs. Bluff City Legends (Thursday, 12pm)

Despite the fact that Bluff City snuck into the Peach Jam via an auto-bid, this game could be one of the most entertaining match-ups and will certainly draw a crowd of college coaches to watch the highly regarded un-committed players. The individual battles on the wing will be scintillating as the Houston squad features Keith Frazier (2013 - #13), Justin Jackson (2014 - #15), and Justice Winslow (2014 - #10). Bluff City showcases Nick King (2013 - #19), power forward Johnathan Williams (2013 - #18), and Jujuan Johnson (2013 - #32). Expect a high scoring game as both teams rank among the top of the EYBL in terms of points per game.

3)      CIA Bounce vs. Mac Irvin Fire (Friday, 12pm)

Okafor

While still a top game, this was supposed to be the most anticipated match-up of the summer with Jabari Parker, the top ranked player in the class of 2013 and Andrew Wiggins, the top ranked player in the class of 2014 finally getting to match-up. Last year Parker was widely considered to be the best player in the country despite being a junior, however due to his strong play, Andrew Wiggins has taken the conch away from Parker. During play with the U17 national team, Parker suffered a right foot injury that could keep him sidelined for the remainder of the summer. Despite this loss, Mac Irvin still features enough talent to compete with CIA Bounce. Big man Jahlil Okafor is coming off of a MVP performance for the US team and Mac Irvin recently finished 2^nd to Mean Streets in an Illinois AAU event. Okafor will try to dominate CIA down low, while the rest of the Mac Irvin players such as Sterling Brown and Billy Garrett try to step-up. CIA went undefeated through the first 14 games of the EYBL and now they are looking to claim their first Peach Jam title.

4)      All Ohio vs. Mean Streets (Friday, 7:30pm)

All Ohio finished the EYBL with a 16-4 record, while Mean Streets went 15-5. Despite being two of the top teams on the Nike circuit these teams are often overlooked due to their lack of star power. Mean Streets is led by senior guard Kendrick Nunn, the only player averaging over double figures on the team at 12 ppg. All-Ohio is led by Ohio State commit Mark Loving who is averaging 11 ppg. Both of these teams play tough and are extremely well coached. Mean Streets was also the first team to beat CIA Bounce. This game features two undervalued teams, but the winner could make a surprising run to the Peach Jam championship.

5)      Oakland Soldiers vs. Boo Williams (Friday, 9pm)

A relatively healthy Oakland squad will try to avenge their 59-46 Memorial Day weekend loss to Boo Williams. The Soldiers will continue to be without star forward Aaron Gordon, however they will have the services of shooting guard Jabari Bird. The Soldiers went 4-2 in their last EYBL tournament and will look to string together consecutive solid tournaments to make it back to the Peach Jam playoffs. On the other side is Boo Williams who had an extremely up and down EYBL regular season. After struggling through the first three EYBL sessions, Boo Williams went 6-0 in Oakland which included wins over CIA Bounce and Mean Streets. This team is lead by super quick point guard Anthony “Cat” Barber who is considered a top-10 player in the country and has excelled during the June basketball sessions. While this team struggled throughout the spring, so did their star Troy Williams. Once a top 10 player with UNC and Kentucky at the top of his list, numerous poor shooting games dropped Williams down the ranks. Despite this drop, Williams stepped up his game at recent events and was a top performer averaging almost 20 points at the Nike Global Challenge. Both teams will look to capitalize on their solid late season play and advance out of Pool B.  

6)      E1T1 vs. Team Takeover (Thursday, 9am)

Joel Berry

A classic big man battle between US national teammates, BeeJay Anya and Dakari Johnson highlights this game. Johnson, from E1T1 dominated the stat lines during the EYBL sessions to the tune of approximately 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. Anya will provide Johnson with a tough match-up due to his size and length. Both teams also feature standout guards such as Joel Berry for E1T1 and Stan Robinson and Josh Hart. Also on Team Takeover is point guard Will Ferguson. Ferguson has been fairly quite in the EYBL games despite starting almost every game. His quickness could cause Berry problems and give Takeover the advantage. 

7)      Baltimore Elite vs. The Family (Friday, 10:30am)

Both teams enter the Peach Jam with 12-8 records; however they both feature some of the top scorers in the EYBL. From Baltimore, shooting guard Kameron Williams averaged a season high 22.2 ppg while James Young, from Detroit averaged 18.5 ppg. Young is also coming off a 29 point performance in the Global Challenge in which he helped his Midwest team defeat Team Canada. While these players might not spend a lot of time guarding each other, they will most likely be putting on a scoring display. Also featured is point guard Wesley Clark who drew rave reviews at the Lebron James Skills Academy.

Will.....

-CIA Bounce be able to bounce back after their trip to Oakland and win the championship?

-The Pool C teams (CIA, Mac Irvin, Texas Titans) be to beat up after pool play to win a championship?

-Julius Randle claim the #1 spot in the 2013 rankings?

-A team from the West Coast (Cal Supreme or Oakland) win their first EYBL championship?

Oakland EYBL Review

The final regular season installment of the Nike EYBL ended over Memorial Day in Oakland, CA with several teams making a strong final push to earn a berth to the prestigious Peach Jam tournament in July. Here is a look back at the 5 games to watch along with answers to the “Will…..?” section.

1)      CIA Bounce came into Oakland with a 14-0 record and faced off with Mean Streets on opening night. Mean Streets jumped all over CIA Bounce in the Friday nightcap behind the strong play of guard Kendrick Nunn who had 24 points and 7 rebounds. Mean Streets only has one player that averages in double digits, but they are one of the best coached teams on the circuit. The stars from CIA all struggled and their quest to go undefeated went up in smoke early on in the West Coast trip.

2)      The two top players in the class of 2013, Jabari Parker and Julius Randle faced off this past Sunday with Randle’s team holding on in the second half and getting the 63-59 victory. Randle went for 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Parker went for 14 and 5 on 6-15 shooting. One of the areas of improvement for Parker is his 3-point shooting which showed in this game as he went 0-5, and Mac Irvin as a whole went 0-16. Top junior big man Jahlil Okafor held his own with 12 and 16, while sharp shooting Matt Jones of the Texas Titans went for 19 on four 3’s. While Parker has always been the clear cut top player in the class of 2013, Randle is by far the most imposing and physically dominant player.

Jabari vs. Randle 

3)      In the big men battle of the 2014 class, Jahlil Okafor’s team, Mac Irvin cruised to a 17 point win over Dakari Johnson’s E1T1 who was missing its starting point guard Joel Berry. While Okafor’s team got the win, it was Johnson who was the aggressor in the match-up. Johnson went for 11 points and 17 rebounds while getting to the line eight times. Okafor finished with 4 points and 9 rebounds and did not get to the line once in 27 minutes. Mac Irvin does not do a great job of feeding their big men down low so unfortunately this battle did not live up to the expectations, although there will surely be many more big men match-ups in the future.

4)      Tyus Jones made his return to the EYBL circuit after missing the previous tournament in Dallas. Jones went 8-13 for 18 points in his match-up with the talented Houston Hoops squad; however Houston had too much talent and pulled away in the 2^nd half in a 63-52 victory. Houston had a balanced attack led by Justin Jackson’s 14 points. The other members of the wing trio, Justice Winslow and Keith Frazier were fairly quiet during the game, but the other team members were able to pick up the slack and defeat Jones and his teammates.

5)      In a West Coast match-up, the talented Cal Supreme team dominated its rival from Portland 62-43. The newly committed Washington Husky, Nigel Williams-Goss led the way for Cal Supreme with 17 points on 6-11 shooting. Playing in his second EYBL tournament with this team, Williams-Goss was the best player on the court. The top players on ICP, who will both play for Long Beach Poly next year struggled shooting the ball. Roshcon Prince went 7-20, while Kameron Chatman went 1-8. Prince struggled throughout the weekend, except for his Sunday night game against CP3, in which he got back to attacking the basket on his way to 25 points and 9 rebounds.

Williams-Goss, future UW guard

 WILL…….

CIA Bounce stay undefeated? No. CIA Bounce was destroyed by Mean Streets in the first game of the tournament and followed that up with a loss to Boo Williams the next day. Despite the losses in this tournament, they will still be the top seeded team in the Peach Jam.

James Young continue his dominant spring? Partly. Young’s team went 2-3 over the weekend. At times Young was dominant, but at others he struggled. Young went for 29 points in his first game and 27 points and 9 rebounds in his last game, both wins. In between, Young had 19 and 16 in a loss to Team Takeover on 5-14 shooting, 15 and 10 in a loss to Nick King and Bluff City on 4-13 shooting, and 20 against Mokan Elite on 5-20 shooting. Despite these sub-par shooting performances, Young can get his shot against any defender on the AAU circuit.

Jabari Parker show why he is the consensus #1 player in the class of 2013? Parker’s team went 3-3 over the weekend and he failed to shoot over 50% in any of the 6 games. Parker played well at times, however he shot 2-16 from the 3 point line throughout the tournament. While Parker has always been the clear cut number 1 player in his class, Julius Randle might have started to close the gap, especially with the 33 point, 20 rebound performance he put up on the final day.

Kennedy Meeks show why he is considered one of the top big men in the country? Meeks’ team played well, going 5-1 (including 1 forfeit). Meeks turned his game up on Sunday and Monday going for 13 points and 10 rebounds against BABC, 18 and 11 against Bobby Portis and the Arkansas Wings, and finally 16 and 6 in the lone loss to Texas Pro. Meeks has great court awareness, but needs to continue to work on his conditioning.

Freshman Malik Newman and 8^th grader Thon Maker spark the Jackson Tigers? Well, the Jackson Tigers went 0-6 in Oakland and Maker did not make the trip. Newman missed the last two games, but went for 16 points on 7-14 shooting in his first game against Bluff City. Newman established his dominance in Dallas and led the Tigers in shot attempts this time out. Unfortunately Newman missed his Sunday night game against another freshman sensation Isaiah Briscoe.

All Iowa Attack win their first EYBL game? No. All Iowa finished with a record of 0-20. Fairly embarrassing.

Nike EYBL - Oakland Preivew

The final four part installment of the Nike EYBL series comes to a close over Memorial Day weekend in Oakland, CA. This tournament will take place over four days (compared to the normal three) with the top 24 teams advancing to the Nike Peach Jam in July. With many teams jumbled together, some of the final spots won’t be decided until the last day in Oakland. As each team will be playing six games this week, Memorial Day could turn interesting. Here is a look at the top five match-ups of the weekend (Note: All rankings per ESPN.com):

1)      CIA Bounce (14-0) vs. Mean Streets (12-2)

Time: Friday – 9pm

Notes: The top two teams record wise face off on the opening day in Oakland (Note: Houston and Mean Streets both have 12-2 records, but since one of the Mean Streets losses came on a buzzer beater tip-dunk, I will proclaim Mean Streets as the 2^nd best for now). CIA Bounce has been destroying the competition in the EYBL behind the top player in the country, Andrew Wiggins, along with the point guard play of Tyler Ennis (2013-#30) and the shooting of Xavier Rathan-Mayes (2013-#20). CIA had a close call in Dallas against Indy Spiece until Wiggins took over and dominated the final stretch. On the opposing side, Mean Streets is extremely tough and led by one of the biggest winners in high school hoops, Kendall Nunn (2013-#55). After helping lead Simeon to another Illinois state championship, Nunn has helped his team to a 12-2 record. We’ll see if CIA can hold off Mean Streets at the start of the tournament and keep their undefeated streak alive.

Kendrick Nunn just wins

 2)      Mac Irvin (11-3) vs. Texas Titans (11-3)

Time: Sunday – 5pm

Notes: This game features serious star power, including the number 1 ranked player in the class of 2013, Jabari Parker versus the number 2 ranked player in the class of 2013, Julius Randle. While these two won’t be guarding each other both players will be trying to top one another throughout the game. These players aren’t the only ones to watch in this game as Mac Irvin features Jahlil Okafor (2014-#2) and one of the top players in the spring, point guard Kyle Davis. The Titans also feature sharp-shooter Matt Jones (#19) who has already committed to Duke. The stars are out in this game and will draw one of the largest crowds of the weekend.

3)      Mac Irvin (11-3) vs. E1T1 (11-3)

Time: Sunday – 11am

Notes: While the afternoon Mac Irvin game features the top two players in the class of 2013, this game could pose as the most interesting match-up to watch of the weekend. In a battle of 2014 big men, Jahlil Okafor (2014-#2) goes up against E1T1’s Dakari Johnson (2014-#6). These big men have been at the top of their class throughout their first two high school careers (despite the fact that Dakari sat out his sophomore year) and finally get to go head-to-head. Both players use their power and wide bodies to get baskets. While scouts consider Okafor the better player, Johnson has been tearing up the first three EYBL sessions. He is currently averaging 17 points per game (top 10) and 9.6 rebounds per game (1^st). Hopefully the refs let these two players bang as they both make a claim for top Center in the class of 2014.

The big men last battled as freshmen in the City of Palms

4)      Houston Hoops (12-2) vs. Howard Pulley (7-7)

Time: Saturday – 12:30pm

Notes: While Houston is the superior team in this match-up, Howard Pulley has the most talented player. Point guard Tyus Jones returns to the EYBL after missing the Dallas session due to illness. Jones is currently the best point guard in the class of 2014, and possibly the country. He is averaging 20.8 ppg and a league best 6.6 apg. Houston will try to slow him down behind the wing duo of Justin Jackson (2014-#9) and Justice Winslow (2014-#11).

*Houston Hoops also features the 9^th ranked player in the class of 2013, Keith Frazier, however he hurt his ankle during the first Dallas game and is questionable.

        5)   California Supreme (11-3) vs. ICP Elite (7-7)

              Time: Sunday -11am

Notes: This game is featured in the top five due to the geographical nature of the two  teams. As the final regular season tournament takes place in Cali, it is only right to feature a battle of west coast teams in the games to watch. Cal Supreme stumbled a bit in Dallas with two close losses, however with the recent addition of Nigel Williams-Goss; this already talented team is primed for a deep run in July. The Miles Simon coached team already featured star 2014 point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright and big man Marcus Lee (2014-#26). These players will be challenged by the Portland based AAU squad led by Roshcon Prince, who is currently at school in Long Beach, CA. Prince has not really come close to making anyone’s top 100, however he has been one of the top scorers and performers during the first three EYBL sessions. Prince is averaging 18.1 ppg and getting to the line a league leading 10.4 attempts per game. Prince uses his size and strength to attack the basket and will be attacking Cal Supreme all night long. While ICP does not have much depth, Prince could lead them to an upset as he tries to earn the respect he deserves.

WILL……….

CIA Bounce stay undefeated? They open up with 12-2 Mean Streets from Chicago and finish-up with the 12-2 Houston Hoops squad on Sunday evening.

James Young continue his dominant spring? Young vaulted up to the #5 prospect in the class of 2013, but will face some tough competition over the weekend. He will face off against Team Takeover wing, Ishmail Wainright (2013-#18) on Saturday morning followed by the Nick King (2013-#15) and Jujuan Johnson (2013-#54) duo on Saturday afternoon. Wainwright could be one of the strongest wings in the AAU circuit and King and Johnson can match-up with Young athletically.

Jabari Parker show why he is the consensus #1 player in the class of 2013?

BABC get one of the last open spots for the Peach Jam in order to defend their title, sans Nerlens Noel?

Kennedy Meeks show why he is considered one of the top big men in the country? Meeks only played in 2 Dallas games and goes against Team Final on Saturday morning.

Freshman Malik Newman and 8^th grader Thon Maker be able to spark the Jackson Tigers again?

All Iowa Attack win their first EYBL game?