Peach Jam: Scotty B's Saturday Notebook

Saturday began playoff games at all age levels at the Nike Peach Jam! Here we dive into what we saw in Peach Jam: Scotty B’s Saturday Notebook.   Team Griffin 16U Completes Comeback with Dominant 2Nd Half The first game of the day we saw was Team Griffin out of Oklahoma against Boo Williams from Virginia in the 16U quarters. Griffin got off to a fast start from three behind Jaxon Robinson, but Boo struck back looking like they were going to run away with it having a halftime lead of 43-31. Early in the second half Team Griffin flipped the script behind the play of their star point guard Trey Alexander who went off! A Jaxon Robinson three in the last minute sealed the deal as Team Griffin won 85-77. Trey Alexander absolutely changed the game with his play. Consistently got downhill turning his broad shoulders to the basket and getting to the foul line. Also hit a couple key jumpers on his way to 22 points. Long and lanky small forward Jaxon Robinson was lights out early from three. He is a plus shooter off the catch that can defend multiple positions. Went for 17 points. Daimion Collins is a long and lanky center. Plus shot blocker that is so agile on the defensive end. Finishes with power despite his thin frame. He had 14 points. KJ Adams is a powerful combo forward that is a mismatch problem with his quickness and ability to score on the block. Had the right handed hook shot working for 11 points. For Boo Williams 2021 wing David Jones stood out. This was my first time checking out the lefty wing and he can really score in bunches. Powerful driving to the basket with efficient moves. Also has range on his shot to three. He had 23 points. 2022 guard Jayden Epps was an outstanding shooter drilling an array of jumpers for 15 points. Marcus Banks can also put the ball in the hoop from distance ending with 14 points.   Brad Beal Elite 17U Picks up Win Over UPlay at Peach Invitational We checked out the St. Louis based Brad Beal Elite squad on Saturday morning over at Peach Invitational where they recorded a win over UPlay Canada. We came away very impressed with how well Whiney Young 2020 point guard Tyler Beard played. With so many talented ball handlers he was the one they had run the show. Crisp passing to his teammates. As a scorer he used his burst off the bounce to get in the paint for floaters and sliced the D up with his strong handles. Also hit a corner three late. Phillip Russell and Jayce Catchings are two under the radar guards from St. Louis who both played well. Russell was hot early and Catchings caught fire in the second half from three. Top 50 2020 Moses Moody had his moments with a baseline jumper and got loose in transition. Stretch where Cam’Ron Fletcher showed off his immense potential as the highly touted wing skied above the rim for a jam then hit a three. Brad Beal won 80-71. In the loss UPlay Canada jumbo wing Keon Ambrose caught our attention. Great size and strength. The scoring wing has a decent mid-range shot, can put it on the deck, and plays well in transition.   MoKan Clinches Semi Appearance with Win over NY Rens With all four quarterfinals at the same time it was hard to choose which one to watch. We went with MoKan vs NY Rens. Early on it was the two stars for the NY Rens who had it rolling. Jonathan Kuminga is the best player in 2021 and he proved that with his play over the last month at Elite 100 and Peach Jam. The power guard finished above the rim with ferocious dunks. Attacks so hard. Fundamentally sound wing can score from all three levels although he didn’t hit a three in this one going 0-8 from deep. Needs to be more efficient with it, but he is a dominant player that has the makings of an NBA All-Star wing. Kuminga had 23 points (9-22 FG), 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. His running mate is high scoring point guard RJ Davis. He also got off to a smoking hot start connecting on an array of pull up threes. Slick ball handler that sets up his shot well. Scored 23 points including 5-8 from three. Mokan would answer back in a major way. Their one-two punch of Kennedy Chandler and N’Faly Dante led the way. Kennedy Chandler is a 2021 point guard that is such a slick ball handler. He gets to the rim and finds teammates when the lane isn’t there. High IQ guard that makes sound decisions with the ball and has an advanced feel. Chandler went for 22 points (10-14 FG) and 7 dimes. N’Faly Dante has always been known as an elite defensive center with his rebounding and rim protecting. He still is that, but his offense is starting to come along. All game long he displayed his mobility inside catching passes in traffic and throwing them down. Put a couple combination moves together. He was an unstoppable force on the block. Went for 15 points (7-10 FG) and 13 rebounds! Mokan won 81-70 to advance.   Mokan Advances to Finals with Win Over Houston Hoops The roll for Mokan continued in the semifinals as they recorded an 86-77 win over Houston Hoops to head to the Peach Jam championship game on Sunday. The aspect which has impressed most about this team over the week has been how the pieces all fit together and everyone has a role. N’Faly Dante is the 5-star stud center inside that once again put in a workman like effort. He is the best lob catcher in the country. Over and over again they threw the ball near the rim and he went up to get it. High level rebounder as well finishing with 18 points (8-14 FG) and 11 rebounds. The point guard throwing most of those lobs was 2021 floor general Kennedy Chandler. This slick handling Tennessee point guard has such a tremendous feel for the game with his passing and is one of the best ball handlers we have seen all week. Line read 20 points and 7 dimes. Coban Porter was fantastic stretching the floor. Moves well without the ball to get open and was automatic from three connecting on 5-8 for 15 points. Guard Dajuan Harris stuffed the stat sheet for 10 points, 9 assists, and 5 rebounds. Really like how Mike Peake has played at Peach Jam. Bouncy four man that is explosive around the hoop. Quick second jump. Can stretch the floor with his shooting too. 12 points (5-6 FG) and 7 boards in semis. For Houston Hoops they were led by stud 2021 shooting guard Langston Love. He wasn’t overly efficient shooting just 6-20 from the field, but the kid is definitely a shot hunter who can put it in the basket. Another 2021 to track is power forward Arthur Kaluma. Thick post with good mobility recording 6 points and 7 rebounds.   Team WhyNot Wins Thriller over Boo Williams 92-89 to Advance to Title The last game of Saturday was one of the best of the day as Team WhyNot won an instant classic over Boo Williams. It was a competitive game throughout, but the best prospect on the floor Jalen Green took over late to give his team the win. At times Green can settle for long jumpers and play lackadaisical, but when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter he put his head down three consecutive times for scores. That included an absolute poster where he turned the corner and exploded above the hoop. Green scored 20 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter shooting 11-16 overall. 2021 point guard Devin Askew did his thing as usual knocking down 4-8 from three with his smooth pull up jumper along with dishing out 6 dimes. He had 15 points. Combo forward Terren Frank is a thick bodied and productive forward that went for 16 points. Big man Wilhelm Briedenbach had his moments in the first half. Skilled post that can stretch the floor and score with his back to the basket. Went for 14 points. Nimari Burnett stuffed the stat sheet as the top 30 national combo guard’s line read 13 points, 7 assists, and 8 rebounds. So impressed with his quick decisions as a passer on the move. For Boo Williams the story was center Mark Williams. This was my first time seeing the 7’0” five man play and I was so impressed. Classic center that plays physical around the hoop. Finishes extremely well through contact with power! Elite level rebounder that snatched them out of the grasp of opponents on many occasions. He had 24 points (10-13 FG) and 15 rebounds. High scoring wing Cameron Thomas is a crafty two guard that made a slick step back and won off the dribble. He finished with 22 points (6-17 FG). Early on it was 2021 point guard Zion Harmon that did the most damage getting off to a fast scoring start. Volume scorer going 6-15 from the field for 17 points.   Matchups for Championship Sunday at Peach Jam 15U – Nightrydas vs Team Final 16U – Team Griffin vs Team Takeover 17U – Mokan vs Team WhyNot