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CoBL's Nike EYBL Peach Jam Standouts

07/13/2015, 12:30pm EDT
By Josh Verlin

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- Over the last few days, some of the best high school players in the country came to the four courts at Riverview Park Activities Center

Based solely on the 16 games I watched from Thursday afternoon through Saturday night (including seeing a number of teams multiple times), here are my standouts:

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Marvin Bagley (2018/F/We All Can Go)
Some of the top college coaches in the nation were fixated all week on this special prospect out of Temple (Ariz.) Corona Del Sol. Though he stands north of 6-foot-10, Bagley is a mobile, athletic wing with a developed offensive game and a ceiling that is sky-high. One of those players who makes the game look easy, Bagley almost moves too well for a kid of his height, with better body control and shooting form than classmates of his a foot shorter. He led his team to the 16U semifinals, averaging 25.4 ppg and 14.8 rpg; look for him to dominate the EYBL’s top level for the next two years.

Mohammed Bamba (2017/F-C/PSA Cardinals)
Bamba came into Peach Jam with offers from nearly every blue-blood school in the country, though he’s made it known that he’s still looking for an offer from Duke during these July live periods. The NYC native and Westtown School (Pa.) center is a special talent, 6-11 and athletic with easily a 7-6 wingspan; he’s also got an aggressive on-court demeanor but handles himself well, and has great leadership qualities for a rising junior. He put together the only triple-double of the week, going for 22 points, 16 rebounds and 12 blocks in a win over Team Penny.

Miles Bridges (2016/SF/The Family)
A powerful, athletic wing forward, Bridges put together an all-around stellar week at Peach Jam, averaging over 20 ppg and 10 rpg. At 6-foot-7 and 225 pounds, Bridges is one tough matchup nightmare for opponents: he can blow by opposing big man off the bounce or work his way free for open jumpers, and can bully smaller guards into submission in the post or mid-range; he’s also a plus passer, as he showed in a 26-point, 10-rebound, six-assist performance against the City Rocks on Saturday. The left-hander named his final five schools on Monday morning: Michigan, Michigan State, Kentucky, North Carolina and Indiana.

Tony Bradley (2016/PF/Each 1 Teach 1)
The first of two E1T1 players who will get a mention is this 6-10 power forward from Bartow HS (Fl.), considered a top-25 prospect in his senior class. A powerful, mobile power forward, Bradley is the prototypical ‘4,’ with a face-up game out to 17 feet but the ability to challenge shots at the rim and battle for tough rebounds on the glass. In two wins over NY Lightning and BABC, he put together performances of 22 points and 12 rebounds and then 16 and eight. North Carolina is the current favorite for Bradley’s services, but his offer sheet is 30-plus deep.

D.J. Harvey (2017/SF/Team Takeover)
Just looking at the box scores from Peach Jam, Harvey’s numbers might not immediately jump out: sure, he averaged double figures, but there were plenty of players who lit it up more than he did. It was really what the 6-foot-6, 210-pound wing (pictured above) accomplished on the defensive end that was most impressive, going up against opponents’ key players and frustrating them throughout the game. He also had a very efficient week offensively, shooting 53.8 percent (24-of-52) from the floor and 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from 3-point range. The DeMatha (Md.) product should have a big summer next year with another scoring wing, V.J. King, moving on to Louisville.

Jonathan Isaac (2016/SF/Each 1 Teach 1)
The Florida State commit has been one of the quickest risers this summer, and it was clear to see why. The wing has grown a few inches in the past few months to be a legitimate 6-foot-9, but he still moves like he’s only 6-4 or 6-5. The IMG Academy (Fl.) product had 20 points in a win over BABC to lock up a spot in the playoffs after scoring 16 in the game prior; both times, he only needed nine shots to get to his total, and he totaled 18 rebounds and six blocks between those performances to boot. He’s super-smooth offensively and can hit tough shots off the bounce, and he’s learning how to use his length on the defensive end to become a solid shot-blocker, too.

Harry Giles (2016/PF/Team CP3)
There’s really nothing bad to say about Giles, who drew the biggest crowds all weekend long--though it didn’t hurt that CP3 himself, Clippers’ point guard Chris Paul, was helping coach the team he sponsors. Giles, a 6-foot-10 forward, is almost impossible to guard when he’s playing at his best...which nowadays is always. His 14-point, 20-rebound against Team Final before fouling out was one of the tougher performances all week long, and he followed that up by going for 26 points (on 11-of-13 from the floor) and seven rebounds in a demolition of Team Takeover. If there’s a surefire one-and-done in this class from the EYBL circuit, he’s it.

Malik Monk (2016/G/Arkansas Wings)
Caught the Wings’ opening game of the tournament against Team Penny, and it’s hard not to notice Monk almost immediately: the 6-foot-4 guard, ranked in the top five in his class, already has a college-level speed to his game, with quick decision-making that makes it seem like he’s just seeing the court a split-second faster than everybody else. His outside shot wasn’t falling in that win (1-of-8 on 3s), though he still garnered 21 points, four rebounds and three assists; he found his shot the next game, to the dismay of Team Final, as he went for 31 points (12-of-19 shooting, 4-of-7 on 3s), three rebounds and three assists.

Ikechukwu Obiagu (2017/C/Georgia Stars)
There’s almost no point in attacking the hoop when Obiagu, a true seven-footer with long arms and fantastic timing, is patrolling the paint. The Atlanta (Ga.) Green Forrest Christian big man is going to be a favorite for EYBL Defensive Player of the Year next season at the least, if his 12-block effort against PSA Cardinals in a 16U quarterfinal was any indication. Though his offense still needs some polishing, he’s a physical specimen of a big man who should be able to make an impact at the high-major level right away when he gets to college. The Nigerian-born forward picked up an offer from Florida on Sunday to add to those from South Carolina, Purdue, Auburn, Kansas and many more.

Chuma Okeke (2017/F/Georgia Stars)
Obiagu’s frontcourt teammate proved to be the perfect compliment to his paint-patrolling, as Okeke is a skilled combo forward who can stretch the floor with his shooting. At 6-8 and 225 pounds, Okeke is far from a scrawny stretch-forward, however; he can also bang with the big men down low and does good work on the class, as he showed in a 20-point, nine-rebound effort against the PSA Cardinals. In the 16U championship, he put 17 and eight on the Arkansas Wings, with three assists and steals to boot. Georgia, SMU, Georgia Tech, Auburn and Florida State have offered thus far, but his list should rapidly expand soon.

Tyler Polley (2017/SF/Each 1 Teach 1)
Athletic and versatile, Polley is a 6-8 wing forward with some serious upside. The Westin (Fl.) Sagemont School rising junior has an intriguing all-around game, which he showed off in a 26-point outburst against Albany City Rocks on Friday afternoon. Polley has a smooth shooting stroke with range out to the 3-point line, but though he’s a fairly skinny 200 pounds, doesn’t mind absorbing contact and getting to the line; against the City Rocks, he made all 12 of his foul shot attempts and was 23-of-25 (92 percent) from the line for the tournament. Southern Cal, LSU and UAB are his only three offers thus far; that won’t last much longer.

Cameron Reddish (2018/G/Westtown School)
There was one commonly-heard remark amongst college coaches watching Reddish play with Team Final’s 16Us: “wait, he’s only a sophomore?” At 6-foot-6 with a rapidly strengthening frame, Reddish has a very mature game for a lead guard in his class, with the ability to hit tough pull-up jumpers and deliver passes that most his age won’t (and can’t) make. While WACG’s Bagley (see above) dropped 33 points on Team Final in a battle between the two teams on Thursday, Reddish acquitted himself well, with 19 points and seven rebounds. Penn State and Auburn are his two current offers.

Quinton Rose (2016/G/Albany City Rocks)
A 6-foot-5 combo guard out of Rochester (N.Y.)’s Bishop Kearney, Rose has the ability to impact the game in a lot of different ways, which he showed in a 13-point, four-rebound, four-assist, four-steal, zero-turnover game against The Family (Det.) on Saturday. He’s silky-smooth with the ball, comfortable pulling up for jumpers from the mid-range and out to the 3-point area, but he’s also not afraid to attack the rim--which he showed with a monstrous jam earlier in the tournament. Temple is one of his top suitors, as are Miami (Fl.) and Southern Methodist.

Cassius Winston (2016/PG/The Family)
After a solid opening four games to Peach Jam where he averaged just over 13 ppg, Winston exploded for 23 points in a win over Albany City Rocks, a game in which he also dished out six assists in an impressive overall effort. Winston’s stellar handle and quick first step allowed him to get past defenders and into the lane, but he was more often using that to kick out to teammates and start good ball movement than anything else; when he got his shot, though, he wasn’t shy to take it. And at nearly 42 percent from beyond the arc in EYBL play, he’s got the green light. Michigan and Michigan State are the favorites in his recruitment, but Harvard, Stanford and Pittsburgh are all in play as well.

Kassoum Yakwe (2016/PF/PSA Cardinals)
The EYBL’s Defensive Player of the Year played like he felt as if he didn’t yet deserve the title. Though he’s a little undersized for a high-level interior player at just about 6-7, he’s got every other tool in his advantage: he’s mobile and athletic yet strong, with great timing and reach to help him block and alter as many shots as he possibly can. The lefty also has a nice hook shot that he can utilize from numerous spots around the bucket, and he’s got great bounce off two feet to slam home second-chance opportunities.

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