What you need to know about July's club basketball bonanza

It may sound sacrilegious to high school basketball purists, but for many teenage hoops hopefuls, the club-dominated month of July is met with the same level of anticipation and fervor as state tournament time.

Stepping out of the heat of summer and into an air-conditioned gym with the opportunity to catch a college coach's eye is as exciting in many ways as battling through state brackets in February or March.

July is also a grind. Some teams will play close to 20 games in the span of three weeks and any squad with a shoe company contract is likely jumping on a plane for an out-of-area tournament or two.

With the plethora of teams, tournaments and travel, we are cutting out the fat and keying you in on what to watch for in July:

Three live periods

Much of the action in July will be centered around three NCAA-approved live periods, when college coaches are allowed to line the court and get an up-close and personal look at prospects. The live periods are July 9-13, 16-20 and 23-27.

Reebok Breakout Classic

Already underway in Philadelphia, the Breakout Classic will include 120 of the nation's top prospects and some cool perks like a swanky players lounge and custom barbershop.

Players' lounge is buzzing. @kendallsmall17 and @DarrianTraylor6 getting after it on the pool table. #Breakout14 pic.twitter.com/ALHgvQkLs3

— Breakout Classic (@BreakoutClassic) July 8, 2014

LeBron James Skills Academy

We detailed the significance of the Skills Academy on Monday. Not only will 80 top high school prospects and 30 collegiate standouts be in attendance, there's a certain decision from the event's namesake that will loom large in Las Vegas. The camp opens Wednesday and runs through Saturday.

EYBL Finals at the Peach Jam

Closing out its fifth season, the Nike-backed EYBL has become a magnet for top prospects. There won't be a more competitive tournament in July than the Peach Jam, which runs from the 16th through the 20th in North Augusta, S.C. Twenty-four teams qualified for the season-ending tournament and perhaps as many as a dozen of those harbor realistic hopes of making a run at the title. Led by Malachi Richardson and Levan Alston Jr., Team Final of Pennsylvania compiled the best regular season record at 14-2.

Fab 48

Dinos Trigonis always assembles a star-studded cast for the Fab 48, which will be headquartered at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas and run from July 24-27. Over 600 teams in 12 divisions are already registered for the event. LeBron made an appearance at the 2010 17U final.

adidas Super 64

The Super 64 – held July 23-27 at Rancho High School – is always a highlight late in the month in Las Vegas. This year the tourney adds special significance as the culmination of three adidas events held in April and May. Indiana-based Eric Gordon Elite, Team Loaded of North Carolina, the Atlanta Celtics and Game Elite of Georgia enter as the teams to beat. Marcus Smart and Texas Assault beat Shabazz Muhammad and Dream Vision in a memorable 2011 final.

Best of the best

Pegging the top club of the spring/summer is a daunting task because teams rarely cross shoe company lines to face one another. But the good folks at IndiHoops.com do their best to size up the elite. Entering the month, Playaz Basketball Club (N.J.), the Florida Vipers, aforementioned Team Final, Team Charlotte and New Heights of New York held down the top five spots in the site's national rankings, respectively. The Playaz and Team Final will slug it out at the Peach Jam. Team Charlotte and New Heights are on the Under Armour circuit and will compete in the UAA finals in Atlanta then head to the AAU Super Showcase in Louisville. According to IndiHoops, the Florida Vipers enter the final stretch unbeaten.

Gunnin' for that No. 1 spot

The debate over the top prospect in the 2015 class is as hot as ever. In 247Sports.com's latest composite rankings, Montverde Academy (Fla.)/E1T1 forward Ben Simmons owns the No. 1 spot. Bishop O'Dowd (Oakland, Calif.)/Oakland Soldiers forward Ivan Rabb and Callaway (Jackson, Miss.)/Jackson Tigers guard Malik Newman would love to supplant the Aussie with an impressive July. With the emphasis on senior year high school play seemingly light, it's also a key stretch for McDonald's All-American Game hopefuls as scouts, analysts and committee members will be out in force.