Stars Shine On Day One of the Jayhawk Jam

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Jayhawk Jam brought together teams from seven different states for high-quality competition in Lawrence Kansas. 26 teams in the 17U division were highlighted by some starring performances on the first day of play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here are five stars who shined in the 17U category on day one of the Jayhawk Jam (in alphabetical order):</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1552407' first='Luke' last='Blackford'], 6-foot-3 forward, 2026, Calvary Academy (Springfield) Ill., Frontline 2025:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>An exciting and consistent scorer in Lawrence, Blackford is a sophomore who really opened eyes against older competition in Lawrence. He hit from deep…and we mean deep…on Saturday. He's a strong and willing to mix it up on defense and on the glass.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kaden Gallup</strong>, 6-foot guard, 2025, St. Paul Lutheran High School (Concordia), Mo., All Missouri Attack 17U Blue:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gallup is the epitome of a scorer. He is relentless on the attack off the dribble. He has a tight handle and the ability to force his way into the lane and to create space to get off jumpers. He scores at all three levels, and is particularly effective getting to jumpers in the paint. Gallup has a powerful, thick build that allows him to overpower opponents and play through contact. He scored a bunch of buckets in crunch time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2385639' first='Le-Shon' last='Roberts'], 5-foot-10 guard, 2024, Midwest City High School, Okla., Oklahoma Team Takeover 2025-2:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Roberts was a playmaker on Saturday. He refuses to lose and plays hard every second. He's slick with the ball, bouncy on the drive and can create shots. He hit from deep and created his own shots in the paint. Roberts was just as feisty on defense as he was creative on offense. He picked off passes and tipped away dribbles, making the game tough for opponents.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Eddie Tate</strong>, 6-foot-4 forward, 2025, Alma High School, Ark., Natural State Warriors 2025:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tate dominated on the glass and locked down the lane for the Natural State Warriors. He is a big, strong and tough, yet has a soft touch on finishes. He followed a lot of misses with buckets on Saturday. He provides a strong target on the block for entry passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2403412' first='Gerald' last='Walker'], 6-foot-3 forward, 2026, Kipp High School (Tulsa) Okla., F.O.T. Tulsa 2026:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard to pick a “best performance” of the day, but Walker made a good case Saturday. He blew up for 28 points in a hard fought win, and he was just effective throughout the day. He is long, yet seems to play even bigger than 6-foot-3. He got a lot of buckets in traffic and on put backs. He has a nice handle, which he uses to probe defenses for any weaknesses. He does more than just score too. He delivered the ball to teammates, rebounded and defended.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->