The 17U Team Durant bunch finished pool play at Peach Jam this past weekend with a record of 5-0 and look to be on the favorites to win the prestigious Nike EYBL Peach Jam Championship next weekend. One of the players that has had a nice summer for Durant is Chas Kelley Chas Kelley 6'5" | PG Phelps | 2022 State PA who is a 6’4 point guard that goes to the Phelps School in Pennsylvania. Prep Hoops caught up with Kelley after he helped lead Team Durant to a 5-0 record in Augusta this past weekend.
“We came in really focused on pushing the pace. We wanted to constantly push the ball up the floor. We want to put pressure on teams to really make them guard us. We are really well bonded and constantly want to play for each other.”
Some of the most recent schools that have offered Kelley are Butler, Ohio, Boston College and Charlotte.
Kelley mentioned a slew of schools when asked which schools are prioritizing him the most.
“Butler, Ohio, George Mason, George Washington, William & Mary, Iona, Rutgers and Boston College are all recruiting me hard right now.”
Being a bigger guard, Kelley feels like he can bring a lot to a college program because of his versatility.
“I feel like I can bring a good offensive IQ and ability to be versatile. Being a big point guard, I am versatile enough to be the guy to cook off the dribble, get my teammates involved or if I have a smaller defender on me I can go down low and beat him with my post moves. I love to get my teammates involved, I love to throw lobs and to kick the ball out to the perimeter or the open court but I can also keep the defense honest with my ability to score.
Kelley loves to get after it on defense and has become a vocal leader on that end of the floor.
I love defense too, I want to become known as a big time defender. I can take charges, get steals and get rebound. My emotional IQ is pretty high too. I have learned how to accept my mistakes and move on instead of breaking down and getting down on myself. I always try to push my teammates to stay positive too, especially when different adversity hits.”
In the coming months, a college decision should be decided from Kelley but he also does not want to rush the recruitment process.
“I want to get through Peach Jam and after that I am going to do visits at the end of August and early September because I want to get that real school feel of students actually being there. By late September is when I want to make my decision.”
The number one thing on Kelley’s mind right now is winning Peach Jam and he sounds extremely locked in to help Team Durant win their first ever Peach Jam title.
“Everybody has to lock in, especially on the defensive end. The defensive end is where we have struggled. We have to grab defensive rebounds and immediately get the ball up the floor. If we can do all that, we will be in really good shape.”
