City of Basketball Love

Ari Rosenfeld (@ARosenfeldDVHR)
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The first of three July evaluation periods saw each of the three major sneaker circuits hold their championship tournaments, with the Nike EYBL invading North Augusta, SC as it does each summer for the annual Peach Jam, the finals of the four-session EYBL circuit. Also taking place in the Augusta area was the Peach Invitational (PIT), where the teams who didn’t qualify for the main event after the regular season could still duke it out in front of dozens of high-major coaches.

CoBL scouting director Ari Rosenfeld was in Augusta for the latter part of the week. Below is a recap of how Philadelphia’s EYBL representative, Team Final, performed on the week, along with some other observations from the Peach Jam:

Team Final
17U
In just the second play-in game in Peach Jam history, Team Final had a chance to earn its way into the main bracket with a win over 2019 stud Vernon Carey and Nike Team Florida. Playing on Wednesday at noon, before the start of the Division I live period, Final got a 44-point effort from top-5 2018 recruit Cameron Reddish (Westtown), but fell just short of the win and headed across town to compete in the Peach Invitational for the rest of the week. Final went 3-0 in PIT pool play but, with Reddish sitting out, lost to Spiece Indy Heat in the first round of bracket play.

With Reddish on the sidelines, it was Final’s other five-star wing prospect, Louis King (2018/Hudson Catholic, N.J.), who carried the scoring load on the week. Stats weren’t kept, but in the two games I attended, King was nearly unstoppable as a three-level scorer, playing in front of head coaches from Syracuse and Seton Hall in addition to assistants from Kentucky, Kansas, Miami, and Indiana, among many others. As he continues cementing his status as one of the nation’s elite prospects, it looks like only a matter of time before at least one of the blue-bloods jump in with an offer. Also impressing on the week was wing sniper Maurice Murray (2018/Timber Creek, N.J.), who struggled through most of the EYBL regular season but looked to find his footing in Reddish’s absence, knocking down some tough triples and getting out in transition effectively. He was rewarded for his play with his first offer, from Bowling Green.

16U
After finishing one spot shy of qualifying for Peach Jam -- a power point system ranked them 17th, and 16 teams make the cut -- Team Final’s 16U group was clearly on a mission to capture the PIT championship. While they finished one win short, falling 88-90 in a triple-overtime thriller against the Albany City Rocks, it was still a strong showing on the week from one of the more talented teams in the entire area.

The one who had college coaches buzzing the most was scoring guard Khalif Battle (2019/TBD), the younger brother of current Syracuse star Tyus Battle. Battle had head coaches from Virginia and Rutgers, along with assistants from Syracuse, Miami, UConn and more tracking him throughout the week, and he didn’t disappoint. In the two games I saw (the semis and the championship), he put his electric shot-making ability on display, hitting a game-winner at the buzzer in the semifinals and erupting for 29 points on 11-for-17 shooting in the title game. He’ll need to continue adding to his game, as right now Battle relies heavily on the 3-point shot to get his points, but with recent offers from Syracuse, Washington, and Miami, he looks like he’ll be leading a high-major recruitment from here on out. Another consistent standout for Team Final was hybrid forward K-Vonn Cramer (2019/Mount Pleasant, Del.), who put his high-flying act on display to the tune of 20 points and 15 boards before fouling out late in the championship contest. One of the freakier athletes in his class, Cramer overwhelmed teams with his bounce, near 7-foot length, and consistent energy; he has a ways to go in terms of developing his skills, but his athleticism and energy alone make him a potential high-major recruit.

Local bigs impress in their roles
Watching from a fan’s perspective, or just taking a glance at the box scores, it wouldn’t appear as though Tyrel Bladen or Xavier Mayo made a big impact for their teams. However, in zeroing in on them during their minutes on the floor for the NJ Playaz and Albany City Rocks, respectively, it was apparent that the two big men made a significant impact for their teams at Peach Jam. Bladen’s Playaz team struggled to a 1-4 finish with several key pieces nursing injuries, but getting the start in the absence of high-major center recruit Valdir Manuel, the budding Coatesville big man went toe-to-toe with some of the nation’s best big men and held his own as an effective rebounder, shot-blocker, and energy guy, throwing down some impressive dunks to boot. Bladen has only been playing basketball for a few years now, and just recently sprouted to 6-foot-9; some Division I schools are starting to sniff around, and his blow-up could come this week at Hoop Group Elite 2. Mayo, a bruising 2019 post from the Hill School playing up on the 17U level, made a similar impact as Bladen, hustling for contested rebounds, running the floor, and also doing a commendable guarding top-5 2019 prospect Vernon Carey on the block. Mayo recently received offers from Stony Brook, Buffalo, and Quinnipiac, and with his strong frame and boundless energy, looks like the type of player who can contribute right away at that level when the time comes.

Top point guards stake their claims
Two point guards used the Peach Jam stage as their personal proving grounds, with Tre Jones (2018/Apple Valley, Minn.) and Cole Anthony (2019/Archbishop Molloy, N.Y.) looking to prove themselves as the top floor general in their respective classes. The EYBL Regular Season Offensive POY, Jones averaged 23 points and 4.6 assists for Howard Pulley, erupting for 30 and four dimes in a bracket play loss to Brad Beal Elite while limiting fellow five-star point guard Darius Garland to just nine points on 2-for-7 shooting. Jones is the younger brother of former Duke star and current Minnesota Timberwolves guard Tyus Jones, and while there are several talented guards in the mix, it looks like he’s in pole position right now for the title of the top lead guard in his class. Anthony, on the other hand, is starting to put some distance between himself and the other floor generals in his class. Playing on the 17U level for the second straight year, the son of former NBA star Greg Anthony posted gaudy averages of 25.6 points (58.5 percent shooting), 5.6 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. Combined with a dominant EYBL regular season and an impressive showing at last month’s NBPA Top 100 Camp, Anthony’s Peach Jam performance seemingly solidified his status as the cream of the crop of 2019 point guards.