NORTH AUGUSTA, Ga. — The 2022 Nike EYBL Peach Jam lived up to the hype as the nation's top talent competed at the Riverview Park Activities Center for eight consecutive days of elite grassroots hoops action. The action brought out basketball's biggest names as LeBron James and John Calipari were among the many current and future Basketball Hall of Famers in attendance.
The grueling week of non-stop hoops action culminated with Sunday with Mokan Elite 17U, Team Takeover 16U and Nightrydas Elite 15U each taking Peach Jam titles.
After taking in a week of the top players from around the nation, here are our top takeaways from the Nike EYBL championship event.
Trey Green, seen playing for Link Academy last season, was a catalyst for Mokan Elite in its 2022 Nike EYBL Peach Jam title run.
Photo: Samuel Mfinanga
No player was more impressive at the 2022 Nike EYBL Peach Jam than rising sophomore
Cameron Boozer, who led Nightrydas Elite 15U to the title with three convincing wins in elimination play. Nightrydas blew past Maine United 79-36 in the quarterfinals before shellacking Team Why Not 80-47 in the semifinals and dismantling Drive Nation 63-39 in the championship game. Boozer displayed his elite all-around game and showed why he's the top prospect in high school basketball regardless of class. The 6-foot-9 forward also dominated a highly anticipated showdown with
Cooper Flagg as the son of Carlos Boozer finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and four assists on 9-of-13 from the field while holding Flagg to 13 points and seven rebounds on 4-of-19 shooting with seven turnovers. The special prospect just turned 15 last month.
Who is the top prospect in the Class of 2023?
Although no incoming seniors had breakout, marquee performances, a number of five-star prospects had strong showings at Peach Jam. Duke pledge
Mackenzie Mgbako showed consistent production across six games and continues to develop as a knockdown deep-range shooter, he averaged 18.3 points and 7.5 rebounds while leading NJ Scholars to a 3-3 record at the event.
Justin Edwards had a number of strong showings as well, averaging 16.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals to guide Team Final to the quarterfinals. North Carolina commit
Simeon Wilcher had a strong showing also, being named co-MVP of pool play after averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals to lead Albany City Rocks to a 5-1 record.
Mokan Elite 17U wins record third Peach Jam championship
Mokan Elite now has more Peach Jam titles than any other program, breaking a tie with Team Takeover and Oakland Soldiers, who've each captured two. Mokan Elite did it with a balanced effort as the group saw a different leading scorer in each of its three elimination contests. Five-star
Omaha Biliew led the way with a team-high 14 points and six rebounds in their 68-53 quarterfinal victory over Indy Heat, while
Kyle Pock also chipped in 14 points. Top 100 guard
Trey Green had a team-high 15 points and five assists off the bench in a 65-57 semifinal victory over Houston Hoops. In the title game, it was under-the-radar prospect
Kayden Fish who provided the spark by scoring a team-high 13 points on 6-of-7 from the field in 12 minutes off the bench. Mokan Elite also captured Peach Jam crowns in 2016 and 2019.
Jaland Lowe headlines under-the-radar prospects who shined
Jaland Lowe is the No. 154 prospect in the Class of 2023 overall, according to 247Sports Composite Rankings. Throw that ranking out the window after seven games of Nike EYBL Peach Jam play. The 6-foot-2 guard clearly established himself as one of the premier guards in high school basketball after earning co-MVP honors in pool play while averaging 20.2 points, 4.6 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals for Houston Hoops.
Amani Hansberry, a 6-8 forward, was another player who outplayed his ranking. The No. 140 prospect in the Class of 2023 posted a double-double in six of his seven outings while leading Team Durant to the semifinals. Hansberry averaged 16.1 points and 10.3 rebounds while displaying an impressive face-up game in the mid-range.
NBA players and college coaches in the crowd
Along with the star power on the court, their was plenty of celebrity faces in the crowd also as eight days of elite grassroots basketball action was taken in by notable NBA players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Ja Morant, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. Former NBA all-star Jermaine O'Neal was also the head coach of Drive Nation 15U, which advanced to the Peach Jam title game. Nearly every Division I college program was also in attendance as college coaches lined the walls of all five gyms at the Riverview Park Activities Center. Kentucky's John Calipari, John Scheyer of Duke, Hubert Davis of North Carolina, Tom Izzo of Michigan State, Bob Huggins of West Virginia, Tony Bennett of Virginia, Chris Beard of Texas and Bruce Pearl of Auburn as college basketball staffs were three to four deep to scout the top talent in the nation.
