Indy Heat 16u – Peach Jam Champions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat'] as a program is no stranger to success on the national level. As a longtime flagship Nike program, they've been competing, and winning, at the Peach Jam for many years. However, it is still an amazingly rare accomplishment to actually win the entire event. That is what [program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat'] 16u was able to do this year in North Augusta, South Carolina. This group went 19-1 over the course of the spring and summer including a perfect 8-0 run at the Peach Jam.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground at all eight of their games in North Augusta including Sunday's 68-53 championship game victory over the Florida Rebels. It was an impressive wire-to-wire win that saw [program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat'] lead by as many as 19 points. Ultimately, [player_tooltip player_id='2194328' first='Jahari' last='Miller'] (Pike H.S. 2027) led the way with 21 points while connecting on 7-9 from three-point range. He picked up an offer from Wake Forest after the game. Florida State offered the sharp-shooting guard this week as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1751496' first='Ferlandas' last='Wright'] (Fairdale H.S. 2027) added 15 points and 7 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='2267048' first='Harper' last='Baker-Lands'] (Plainfield H.S. 2027) came up with some big defensive plays and also scored 9 points.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was fitting that all eight players scored in the championship game because that has been the story of this team's success. They are unselfish and truly don't care who gets the credit. Obviously, all eight of these guys are incredibly talented basketball players, but they are also great teammates which makes them very fun to watch. Also, it is big reason why they were so consistently successful.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2266896' first='Isaiah' last='Hill'] (Pike H.S. 2027), Kam Mercer (Overtime Elite 2028), and [player_tooltip player_id='2194328' first='Jahari' last='Miller'] get a lot of the national recognition and deservedly so. However, [program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat'] doesn't win the Peach Jam without contributions from guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2140392' first='JJ' last='Craig'] (Lawrence Central H.S. 2027) and [player_tooltip player_id='2140416' first='Mack' last='Welker'] (Homestead H.S. 2027). Those two tied for the lowest scoring output in the eight games averaging 3.8 points per game, but each had massive impacts on the championship. Craig scored 7 points off of the bench in just seven minutes of play in the title game going 2-2 from deep. He was 7-13 from beyond the arc at the Peach Jam. Meanwhile, Welker not only had the wild game-winner in Saturday morning's quarterfinal win over Meanstreets, but also had 8 points and 9 rebounds against Drive Nation and 8 points and 7 rebounds against JL3 in the semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a genuine pleasure getting to cover this team on their journey to the Peach Jam Championship! Below are the final statistics, per the EYBL website, from [program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat']'s eight games in North Augusta.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2194328' first='Jahari' last='Miller']: 19.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 31-64 (48.4%) from 3.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kam Mercer: 10.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.1 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1751496' first='Ferlandas' last='Wright']: 9.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2539851' first='Peyton' last='Kemp']: 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2266896' first='Isaiah' last='Hill']: 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.2 blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2267048' first='Harper' last='Baker-Lands']: 7.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2140392' first='JJ' last='Craig']: 3.8 points, 7-13 (53.8%) from 3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2140416' first='Mack' last='Welker']: 3.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5-12 (41.7%) from 3</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->