High school basketball: Nightrydas Elite dominance headlines takeaways from shoe circuit championship events

Championship events for the club basketball season wrapped up over the weekend with plenty of headlines coming out of the major shoe circuits including the Nike EYBL and Adidas 3SSB.

The most notable included Nightrydas Elite 17U squad making its claim as one of the greatest club basketball teams of all-time, Matthew Able emerging as an under-the-radar prospect showing elite upside and Cameron Boozer, A.J. Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson each making strong claims for the top spot in the Class of 2025 player rankings.

Read on for a deeper look at the biggest stories coming out of the club circuit in the month of July. Nightrydas Elite historical dominance

Nightrydas Elite 17U went 8-0 over the past week at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam to finish the season with a record of 22-1 overall in EYBL action. Led by No. 2-ranked Class of 2025 prospect Cameron Boozer, the Florida-based team made its claim as one of the greats in grassroots basketball history following a run to a third consecutive Peach Jam title. 

Four of the five starters remained the same through runs to the 15U crown in 2022, 16U title in 2023 and 17U championship this past weekend as Boozer anchored a lineup that featured mainstays Cayden Boozer, Alexander Lloyd and Dante Allen. 

The addition of five-star forward Caleb Wilson early in the club basketball season put this group over the top and filled any holes in the lineup throughout their dominant run that included an average margin of victory over over 17 points per contest at Peach Jam.

Able experienced a meteoric rise in South Carolina at the Adidas 3SSB championship event. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard showed his ability to score in a variety of ways with elite shooting abilities off the bounce. Able averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 steals per contest for Austin Rivers SE Elite 17U, seeing his spot in the 247Sports rankings elevate from No. 227 to No. 64. 

Other under-the-radar players who stood out during championship events included 6-5 wing Jordan Tillery of Team Loaded (N.C.), Cornelius Ingram of Florida Rebels, Aiden Argabright of New World and Christian Jeffrey of New Heights Lightning.

Currently regarded as the No. 2 prospect in the Class of 2025, Boozer may have been the biggest standout of the summer circuit as he helped guide Nightrydas Elite to their third consecutive Nike EYBL Peach Jam title. That came on the heels of a MVP performance in leading the USA U17 National Team to a gold medal at the FIBA World Cup. He averaged 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest across eight games at the Peach Jam. 

Dybantsa, regarded as the top prospect in the class at the moment, was similarly dominant for the Oakland Soldiers. He led his team to the 17U championship game before suffering a loss to finish the year 21-2 in EYBL action. Dybantsa showed his elite ability to create his own shot and score in a variety of ways as he put up 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest in eight games at Peach Jam. 

Peterson may have had the most impressive week of any prospect as he was a force on both ends of the court for Phenom United at the Adidas 3SSB championship event. Peterson tallied 28.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 4.2 steals and 3.0 blocks per contest and played with controlled efficiency.