EYBL Scholastic Spire: Saturday Standouts

The EYBL Scholastic league came to Geneva, Ohio for a weekend hosted by Spire Institute featuring five Nike EYBL Scholastic teams. In this article I'll break down my standouts from those three league games, as well as the Spire International game Vs ISA that previewed the league action.    Another game where Hyatt got busy as a scorer, Hyatt plays hard, has teammates who look for him, has the ultimate green light and is efficient. That combination of skills gives him the ability to take over a game at any moment, like he did in the first half on Saturday afternoon for Spire international. Knocking down a handful of deep 3-pointers, Hyatt eventually started making crafty two-point field goals off polished footwork, fakes and dribble moves. A certified bucket from the off-guard position, Hyatt should be on scholarship radars.     Playing some new roles than I saw earlier in the year, Scipio had to play in the middle of the Spire zone defense to rebound, protect the rim and front the post due to some forwards being out for their team. Scipio had some strong offensive rebounds and had some easy layups in the paint thanks to the extra space Spire was able to play with by going with mostly guards on the court. Scipio also dove on the ground for a loose ball, the type of hustle he needs to bring every game. I enjoyed seeing Scipio step up to the challenge on Saturday to help his team get a blowout win.     Coming over from Australia, Mabbot has hit the ground running for Spire International this season. Standing at 6'11, maybe even 7 feet tall, Mabbot takes up a lot of space in the paint. Showing soft touch at the rim, Mabbot could catch, turn and finish over smaller defenders. While Mabbot was patient, he's also adjusting to the speed of the game and will take some time to fully adjust. A player with a ton of long term upside, I'm excited to see more of Mabbot as he continues to acclimate himself to Spire and the American style of play.     I think every time I see Long Island Lutheran, McKnight Jr is making shots consistently from beyond the arc. Today, he went 5/6 from 3-point range in a tight victory over Tennessee Collegiate Academy that significantly helps their odds of making it to Augusta for the Nike Scholastic Championships. McKnight Jr also sat down to defend the ball aggressively numerous times throughout the game, forcing bad shots despite his smaller frame. One of the more talented lead guards in the 2027 class, McKnight Jr is a nationally known name who has continued to impress this season.     The Ohio native was playing back in his home state and found a lot of success on Saturday evening. Miles has a bruising style of play with the body and physicality of a college wing. Able to play through contact, Miles was looking to score inside of 10 feet whenever he had the chance. Going 7/19 from the field, Miles also drew numerous fouls to also attempt 12 free throws for his team. While there were some ups and some downs based on those percentages, Tennessee Collegiate Academy needed Miles to stay aggressive on the offensive end and he almost helped lead them to a comeback win.     Keeping the game simple can sometimes lead to the best results and Corbett did that on Saturday evening, going 5/6 from the field to tie for the team lead with 16 points. A wing guard who can knock down an open shot, slash to the rim in transition and cut in the half-court, Corbett usually scores within the natural flow of the offense instead of needing to isolate himself. On a night where both teams shot 40% or worse from the floor, the efficency of Corbett was noticeable.

The EYBL Scholastic league came to Geneva, Ohio for a weekend hosted by Spire Institute featuring five Nike EYBL Scholastic teams. In this article I'll break down my standouts from those three league games, as well as the Spire International game Vs ISA that previewed the league action.