Kyle Anderson
File photo by Jim Redman
With a history of summer-circuit success and a recent alumni list that includes Dominic Cheek, Earl Clark, Wayne Ellington, Gerald Henderson and Mike Rosario, it should come as no surprise that the New Jersey-based Playaz Basketball Club is sitting at the top of Nike's Elite Youth Basketball League.
Under the direction of head coach Jerome Smart, the Playaz have piled up a league-best 13-1 record in EYBL session play and an overall spring and summer mark approaching 40 wins against just two losses.
The Playaz will head to South Carolina for the July 12-15 Nike Peach Jam as a slight favorite to emerge at the first EYBL champions.
"This group closes out games very well and deals with adversity very well," Playaz head coach Jerome Smart said. "The (EYBL) games haven't been easy."
The EYBL is Nike's new summer-circuit initiative, bringing together 42 of the top Swoosh-sponsored club teams in four divisions. Teams competed in three sessions held in Hampton, Va., Houston and Los Angeles to earn a spot in the Peach Jam, where 20 teams will battle for the inaugural title.
It's a new twist to the AAU scene and the idea took a while to warm up to for Smart.
"I was apprehensive about it at first," Smart said. "In the past there was a championship after every event and you always measured yourself on how many championships you could get at every level and final four appearances. The kids have got accustomed to that. To introduce this regular season, I didn't know how it would work out."
Myles Mack
File photo by Jim Redman
Two months after the first session in Hampton, Smart seems to be sold on the format.
"The structure has been positive," he said. "I think this gets them used to playing hard all the time and being challenged all the time. I think it helps prepare them better for high school and college. You can't let down."
His team hasn't. Led by the backcourt trio of Kyle Anderson, Myles Mack and Myles Davis, the Playaz have embraced the team game at a time of year when most young ballers are more concerned with showcasing themselves individually.
"They really bleed this stuff. When these guys were young they were like, 'I can't wait to be on the Gold Team,'" Smart said. "Now it's their time and their moment. These kids are very prideful and know the history of the program because they have been around so long. They play with an edge and want to win."
Anderson, a rising junior, can play four positions at 6-foot-7 and 200 pounds. He averaged 10.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a sophomore at powerhouse Paterson Catholic, set to close for good at the conclusion of the school year. Anderson will play for legendary Bob Hurley at St. Anthony in Jersey City next season and make a run at playing with the USA at the U17 World Championship in Germany later this month.
Schools like Georgetown, Kentucky and North Carolina are following Anderson's progress.
Mack – a teammate of Anderson's at Paterson Catholic – runs the point for the Playaz and is among the more underappreciated talents in the country, according to Smart.
"We call him 'Pound for Pound' because we don't think anyone in the country pound for pound is as good as he is," Smart said. "He is diminutive but has a big heart. He has been dominating AAU, high school and grade school ball his whole life no matter who he goes against. He comes to play, and people know they have their hands full with him."
The 5-9 rising senior has offers from Penn State, Rutgers, St. John's and Seton Hall, among others. Mack is coming off a huge year at Paterson Catholic, where he averaged 14.8 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 steals per game for the 28-1 Cougars.
Davis, a rising senior at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, completes the backcourt triumvirate and is coming off a notable performance last weekend in Los Angeles, burying six second-half 3-pointers in a Playaz victory.
"Myles is one of the best pure shooters in the country," Smart said. "One thing we know he can do is score the basketball. He is very creative and just a knock-down shooter."
Swing man Vaughn Gray (Don Bosco Prep) joins promising post men Desmond Hubert (New Egypt) and Derrick Randall (South Kent Prep) to give the Playaz a solid six-man core.
After a dominant run through the spring and summer, Smart's squad will go its separate ways for the next month – attending camps and working with high school teams – before re-assembling for a run at the EYBL title in mid-July.
"We look at it as a second season. To get them all back and on the same page, that's another totally separate task from league play," Smart said. "They are going to camps and be individuals for a while. To play a team game after showcasing yourself, that's a tough task and we look forward to the challenge."
EYBL Standings
Division A
Howard Pulley – 12-2
Mean Streets – 10-4
Louisiana Select – 9-5
Albany City Rock – 8-6
Playground Elite – 7-7
Team Final – 7-7
Georgia Blazers – 4-10
Tennessee Travelers – 4-10
Memphis YOMCA – 4-10
Baltimore Elite – 2-12
Division B
Takeover – 10-4
Each 1 Teach 1 – 10-4
Spiece – 8-6
All-Ohio Red – 7-7
The Family – 7-7
Team Texas – 6-8
King James – 6-8
Seattle Rotary – 6-8
South Carolina Ravens – 5-9
Arizona Stars – 4-10
Division C
St. Louis Eagles – 12-2
Boo Williams – 12-2
Drew Gooden Soldiers – 11-3
Alabama Challenge – 7-7
California Supreme – 7-7
Athletes First – 7-7
Jackson Tigers – 6-8
Inner City Players – 6-8
Houston Hoops – 5-9
Birmingham Storm – 1-13
Division D
Playaz – 13-1
Mac Irvin Fire – 11-3
Georgia Stars – 10-4
New York Gauchos – 9-5
Team Florida – 9-5
Boston Amateur – 8-6
Metro Hawks – 7-7
Arkansas Wings – 6-8
Southern Kings – 5-9
Friends of Hoop – 3-11
D-One Sports – 3-11
Charlotte Royals – 1-13
