Nike EYBL Peach Jam – Five Monday Takeaways

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Technically there were a couple of games played on Sunday night, but for all intents and purposes the annual Peach Jam got underway on Monday in North Augusta, South Carolina. The Riverview Activities Center is a beautiful venue for this great event and there was a good amount of fanfare that came through the gates to check in on the action Monday. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground throughout the day, just as we will on Tuesday and Wednesday, watching Indy Heat 17u along with some of the other top prospects across the country. Let's dive on in and comb through five primary takeaways from the day spent in the gym at Peach Jam.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Meanstreets 17u Notches Impressive Victory</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This Meanstreets 17u squad is really fun to watch. They play hard, have several different pieces that can hurt you, and aren't afraid to really get after it on the defensive end of the floor. That was all certainly the case on Monday evening when they defeated NH Lightning 74-64 in a balanced effort.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Iowa State commit [player_tooltip player_id='1157223' first='Nojus' last='Indrusaitis'] led the way with 17 points on just eight shots while Illinois bound [player_tooltip player_id='1157230' first='Morez' last='Johnson'] added a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Johnson is a little bit undersized for a power conference five-man, but I don't see it really impacting his game for the Illini. He plays so incredibly hard, has all the necessary toughness, seemingly rebounds everything, and protects the rim with his verticality on defense. Also, he is patient in the post with some real moves that result in points. He is the heart and sole of this Meanstreets team. Jeshawn Stevenson and [player_tooltip player_id='1158204' first='K.J.' last='Windham'] (Ben Davis H.S. 2024) rounded out their double-figure scorers with 14 and 11 points respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Team CP3 15u Turns Heads vs. Brad Beal Elite 15u</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A couple of months ago I would have told you that Brad Beal Elite 15u was likely the most impressive team I had seen at that age level. On Monday, Team CP3 15u took over that status in convincing fashion. They quickly jumped out to a comfortable lead on the back of slashing drives from Jaire Richburg, a pull-up three from Cole Cloer, and some do-it-all offense from Ashton Pierce. Those three would continue to lead Team CP3, along with Dionte Neal, as they would cruise to a 72-61 victory. There simply aren't many teams at that young age with their combination of size, skill, and athleticism.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Brad Beal, 6'7" wing Jaylan Mitchell (Evansville Reitz H.S. 2027) overcame a slow start to finish with 18 points including 4-8 shooting from three-point range. He is such an impressive prospect for having never played a high school game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Two Tough Losses For Indy Heat 17u</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Much of the spring and summer has been a story of close losses for Indy Heat 17u. The group is playing shorthanded this week with just six guys including missing Purdue commit [player_tooltip player_id='1275779' first='Kanon' last='Catchings'] (Brownsburg H.S. 2024) who is out due to an illness. However, even with only one sub and consistently coming up a bit short on the scoreboard, this group always fights until the end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Indy Heat led All Ohio by nine points at halftime of their morning game on Monday only to end up falling 62-61. An unfortunate foul on the free throw shooter down the stretch awarded All Ohio two additional free throws that ended up clinching the game. [player_tooltip player_id='1275780' first='Micah' last='Davis'] (Franklin H.S. 2024) threw in a late three-pointer to set the final score, but it was too little too late. [player_tooltip player_id='1297052' first='Jalen' last='Haralson'] (Fishers H.S. 2025) led the way with 18 points and 6 rebounds while [player_tooltip player_id='1297118' first='Trent' last='Sisley'] (Heritage Hills H.S. 2025) added 15 points and 10 rebounds. Those two are always among the most talented on the floor despite playing up a year, but ultimately playing with only six guys seemed to impact Indy Heat in the second half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the nightcap, Indy Heat actually dug themselves a 10-point halftime deficit but pretty quickly had it down to a two-point game. That would be as close as they could get it though as The Skills Factory came away with a 71-64 victory. This time it was Sisley who led the way in scoring with 21 points to go with 8 rebounds. Meanwhile, Haralson finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1275780' first='Micah' last='Davis'] deserves recognition for his play on Monday as well. The dynamic guard has really improved his outside shooting and was able to knock in some shots from deep throughout the day. It still isn't what he does best, he is truly explosive on the way to the rim, but college coaches will love to see his increased ability to make the defense honor him out beyond the arc.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fans Line Up in Droves for the Boozer Twins, Flagg, and James</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A lot of people around the United States have Monday off ahead of the July 4th holiday on Tuesday. However, that generally means family cookouts, a little bit of traveling, or maybe spending some time poolside. For basketball fans in and around North Augusta it means you load up the car and go to the Peach Jam. For some of the most nationally recognizable prospects there were standing room only situations at the Riverview Activities Center.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bryce James likely drew the largest crowd for his afternoon game as Strive For Greatness defeated Expressions 78-69. There wasn't an empty seat in the gym and fans lined up three or four deep along the track above the court to get a glimpse at LeBron's son. The 6'5" wing is a legitimate four-star prospect in his own right and scored 12 points including a couple of three-pointers in front of a very pro-James crowd.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg are ranked #1 and #2 in the Class of 2025, but are considered the top two prospects in all of high school basketball on essentially a consensus basis. Both drew massive crowds on Monday as well while picking up wins for Nightrydas 16u and Maine United 16u respectively. Boozer finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 blocks while Flagg put up only 7 points, but had 12 rebounds, 6 assists, and 10 blocked shots. Those two are worth the price of admission and will face-off against each other at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Monday Top Performers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Ohio State commit John Mobley completed the basketball equivalent of a perfect game on Monday night in an impressive 93-76 win over Vegas Elite over The Family. The 6'0" guard scored 25 points while posting 9-9, 4-4, 3-3 shooting splits.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Howard Pulley 17u had a couple of noteworthy individual performances in their 79-67 win over All Ohio. 6'8" 4-star forward Jackson McAndrew finished with 31 points and 7 rebounds. Meanwhile, his teammate Andrew Stefonowicz posted a triple-double of 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>7'0" 3-star center Emmanuel Stephen put on a clinic in Paul George Elite's 69-55 win over Boo Williams on Monday night. His 6 points won't be remember but he led all EYBL participants with 14 rebounds and 11 blocked shots in the game. It was a dominating performance by the big man.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>40-point performances deserve to be recognized, even in a loss. Mikey Lewis put up 40 points, including 8-15 shooting from deep, while collecting 11 rebounds, but the Oakland Soldiers came up short 80-78 to Mac Irvin Fire. Still, it was arguably the best individual performance of the day.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->