EBA Summer League-Opening Night Standouts

Last night was opening night for the Elite Basketball Academy Summer League, which now takes place at Loyola Blakefield High School. With two games going at once, there was no shortage of action and highlight plays throughout the night, but let's take a look at the prospects who stood out among the pack.   Caleb Franze | Gerstell '24   Franze had the biggest scoring performance of the evening as he willed his team to a victory behind 28 points. The 6'0 lefty lead guard used his tremendous burst to get to the basket in the blink of an eye. Franze took advantage of any opportunity to attack his defender going left and by the time the weakside defender made his rotation, Franze was finishing a layup. He also converted on multiple triples, which forced the defense to respect his scoring ability from everywhere on the floor.   [player_tooltip player_id='1127307' first='Andrew' last='Dixon'] | Mt. Carmel '24   Dixon continues his high level of play this spring/summer and under new head coach Tony Martin, it seems that he'll be responsible for the primary playmaking as he was last season. Dixon attacked off of catches on the perimeter and if he was cut off, quickly countered to find driving lanes elsewhere. He had several floaters, finishes in transition off of turnovers and found his mark from three on a couple of occasions en route to 23 points and five rebounds in a win.   [player_tooltip player_id='1494081' first='Rodney' last='Scott'] | Mt. Carmel '25   A lot can change between now and the start of the high school season, but an assumption that I'm willing to bet on his Dixon and Scott will be the engine of this Mt. Carmel squad in 2023-24. Scott was a blur in transition and when he wasn't getting all the way to the paint on his own, he was delivering sound advance passes to streaking teammates that generated quick point. The Cougars applied a full court press for a stretch of the contest and that's where Scott made his presence felt lost with active hands. Scott tallied seven points, four rebounds and four assists.   Ezra Tull | Dulaney '24   Tull was active from the opening tip as he established himself as a physical paint presence at both ends. He played well off of drives where he'd relocate along the baseline where he made himself available for dump-off passes that he would finish through contact around the rim. Tull led Dulaney in the loss with 17 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='1948345' first='Paul' last='Gross'] | Dulaney '24   It was my first time seeing Gross in some time and his frame is impressive. He's built like a grown man at 6'3 and when he's able to get downhill, his bullying approach is certainly noticed. He plays with wiggle at the top of the key and got to the paint whenever he wanted. Gross could've finished more of his attempts once he got there, but he was still able to notch eight points, four rebounds and four assists in the effort.   [player_tooltip player_id='1127308' first='Ashton' last='Kendall'] | McDonogh '24   The Eagles are equipped with more on-ball guards this year and while Kendall can handle it when needed, he's better playing off the ball where he can look for his own scoring opportunities. His sweet spot is in the mid-range and whether it be on quick 1-to-2 dribble pulls or stopping on a dime in transition, the rising senior can knock down shots with volume. He led the Eagles in their win over Poly with 12 points.   [player_tooltip player_id='1370502' first='Jeff' last='Exinor'] | McDonogh '25   Exinor can make his impact in multiple ways. Last night he scored in an efficient manner as he hit his typical corner three followed by a few strong drives to the basket where he uses his strength to absorb contact. He was a versatile defensive piece and does his due diligence on the defensive glass to spark run-out scenarios. Exinor recorded nine points and five rebounds.   Zyian Gates | Poly '24   Admittedly, I didn't have the chance to catch Poly in action last year despite them having a good season, but Gates didn't take long to rise to the occasion for the Engineers as one of their main scoring guards. At 6'3, Gates can mix it up from where his points come from, but was particularly effective in catch-and-shoot scenarios from the wing. He canned three of them in total before finishing with 15 points and hauling in five rebounds.   Jeremiah Douglas | St. Paul's '24   The Crusaders started off their summer league season with a win over a City team comprised of many of their younger guys. Douglas asserted himself from the get-go with his slashing and finishing abilities. The 6'1 combo guard's body is noticeably stronger, which makes things difficult on opposing guards to keep him from going where he needs. As a result, he drew fouls and took advantage from the charity stripe when he wasn't finishing on either side of the basket. Douglas led with 13 points and also dished out four assists.   [player_tooltip player_id='2353556' first='Cahron' last='Wheeler'] | St. Paul's 27   If you follow the scene closely, you'd know that Wheeler headlines as one of the more talented freshmen in the area. He possesses good size at 6'5 and what I liked most last night was watching the motor that he played with. Wheeler used his size and length on his buckets in the paint and did a good job of cleaning up any mess that was left on the offensive glass. He finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in the win.   CJ Jackson | Boys' Latin '24   Jackson has the look of a prospect that is going to take a big step forward heading into his senior campaign. He's noticeably bigger and now stands a little taller than 6'4, making him more of a mismatch for smaller guards who are assigned to him. He's agile enough to beat slow-moving bigs from the perimeter and knows how to finish the job once he gets two feet in the painted area. Jackson also knocked down two triples as he led the Lakers with 15 points and five rebounds in a win over Concordia Prep.   [player_tooltip player_id='1579098' first='Josiah' last='Legree'] | Loyola Blakefield '24   One thing to watch coming into opening night was how Legree gelled with his new teammates in a game setting. As he did at Parkville, Legree put on a show supplying the crowd and videographers plenty of highlight reel moments. Legree got his buckets, but it was his passing that caught the most attention. Specifically one where he was on the receiving end of a full court baseball pass that he caught in mid-air before tossing the ball behind his head where 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='2333460' first='Deji' last='Battle-Olley'] threw down a dunk over another defender that ignited the gym. The Dons would go on to defeat Milford Mill behind Legree's 14 points.   Omar Williams | SEED '26   Williams is a low-maintenance blue-collar forward who does he work before the catch to get his scoring opportunities. It seemed like every time I would focus on Seed and Overlea exchanging blows, it was Williams who was crashing the offensive glass or converting off of quick hooks after teammates found him in the paint. He'd go on to score 11 points and grab four rebounds.   Tjay Beckles | Overlea '24   Beckles in the straw that stirs the drink for Overlea and it all starts with his ability to shoot the ball with extended range. He has progressed as a playmaker off the bounce over the last 12 months and while he didn't rack up assists, he made the right read on drives and as Seed threw double teams his way. As usual though, Beckles was looking to cash in on any open looks and made defenders pay for not putting up a contested hand. The 6'0 guard scored 17 of his team's 36 points in the loss.

Last night was opening night for the Elite Basketball Academy Summer League, which now takes place at Loyola Blakefield High School. With two games going at once, there was no shortage of action and highlight plays throughout the night, but let's take a look at the prospects who stood out among the pack.