Nike EYBL Session 4 – Sunday Standouts
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While others are grilling out, enjoying time by the pool, or traveling with their family and friends, we are in the gym. That absolutely isn’t a complaint. This is simply what we do at Prep Hoops. Memorial Day weekend was…
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Continue ReadingWhile others are grilling out, enjoying time by the pool, or traveling with their family and friends, we are in the gym. That absolutely isn’t a complaint. This is simply what we do at Prep Hoops. Memorial Day weekend was a perfect time to make the trip down to Memphis for Nike EYBL Session 4. While taking in the action at the Memphis Sports & Events Center I primarily focused on covering the Indy Heat programs plus the other EYBL programs that feature Indiana high school prospects. However, I also took the opportunity to get eyes on some of the other top prospects from around the country. Let’s dive on in and highlight Sunday’s top performers nationally.
Team Final is absolutely loaded, as seen by their 15-1 record as the Nike EYBL regular season nears its end, and this dynamic 4-star guard is a big part of their success. The 6’4″ Bethea showed off his wide array of offensive skills on Sunday pouring in 28 points in a blowout victory against The Family. Most impressively, he was 10-13 from the field and 6-8 from beyond the arc in that game. He later scored 17 points with another strong 3-7 performance from deep in a win over Mokan Elite. Bethea is one that could see himself move up the national rankings this summer.
You would be hard pressed to find a prospect in the country with better physical tools than this 6’7″ 235 pound forward out of Compass Prep. Compton is a 4-star prospect that dominates with his strength, athleticism, and high motor on both ends of the floor. Vegas Elite rattled off two more wins on Sunday with Compton scoring 17 points to go with 6 rebounds in game one and 14 points in game two. He was an incredible 14-16 from the field on the day to improve his field goal percentage to 84.4% through 10 games on the EYBL circuit.
Easter is an up-and-coming guard in the Class of 2025 playing up with All Ohio 17u. He looks the part of one of the premier scorers in the class and that certainly was on display Sunday at the Memphis Sports and Events Center. The 6’3″ 4-star guard scored 31 points on 13-22, 2-5, 3-4 shooting splits against a very good Team Thad squad. Then, he came back with 27 points and 12 rebounds in the evening against Team WhyNot. All Ohio lost both games, and Easter must continue to improve his efficiency, but he absolutely has the scoring gene.
This Illinois commit wasted no time turning heads on Sunday morning. Johnson was the catalyst of Meanstreets impressive come-from-behind double overtime victory against New York Renaissance. The 6’8″ 4-star center dominated the glass from start to finish and would wind up with a crazy stat line of 25 points and 22 rebounds. His motor truly stands out and he has the strength to make up for being just a bit undersized. Johnson is super athletic vertically as well which allows him to block shots around the rim. He had some very impressive defensive plays on the day as Meanstreets went 2-0.
Knueppel is certainly in the running for the best weekend at Nike EYBL Session 4. He actually was even better somehow on Sunday than he was on Saturday. The 6’4″ 4-star sharpshooter scored 30 points on 10-16, 4-7, 6-6 shooting in a win over the Florida Rebels. Then, in the evening, he poured in 28 points on 10-19, 5-12, 3-4 splits in a tough loss to Team Takeover. Knueppel is now 17-37 from deep this weekend while averaging over 25 points per game.
Highlights
The Florida Rebels only played once on Sunday, losing a close one to Phenom U, but McNeeley was good enough to earn back-to-back top performer status. A 6’7″ 5-star forward, McNeeley continued to shoot the cover off of the ball in Memphis finishing once again with five three-pointers on his way to 25 points. He is now averaging 27.7 points per game while shooting 15-24 from three-point range in Session 4.
Ngongba was probably the most impressive prospect of the day on Sunday in terms of exceeding expectations. The 6’10” 4-star center looked like a guy who should probably be much higher in the national rankings after a pair of dominant performances led Team Takeover to a 2-0 day. He put a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds against the NJ Scholars in the morning which including everything from transition dunks to catch-and-shoot threes to strong post moves. Then, he went off for 33 points and 18 rebounds in their evening win against Phenom U. Remember this name. He is a STUD.
Paul George Elite went 2-0 on Sunday with a pair of strong performances once again from this 4-star guard headed to Arizona. Phillips, a powerfully built scorer with elite athleticism, scored 21 points while pulling down 10 rebounds in a win over Nightrydas Elite. He then came back with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists as they took down The Family in the evening. Arizona is getting a good one in this prospect out of Compass Prep.
Highlights
Richmond is a super long and athletic wing with a smooth left-handed jump and excellent finishing ability at the end of his drives. The 6’6″ 4-star guard plays above the rim, is an elite rebounder from the perimeter, and showcases the ability to knife through the defense off of the bounce both in transition and while operating in the half court. He put up back-to-back 21 point performances for the NJ Scholars on Sunday while averaging 8 rebounds on the day as well.
A super athletic 6’6″ wing, Yessoufou had two excellent performances on Sunday for Team WhyNot. The high 4-star prospect scored 16 points and pulled down 7 rebounds in game one before going off for 29 points on 12-19 shooting in a blowout victory against All Ohio. This Class of 2025 prospect has all of the physical tools and projects as a very high-level two way wing at the next level.