The stars come out

International summer hoops is showcasing college stars. VJ Edgecombe looks like to continue the thread of George & Walter as an impact freshman. Plus, more NCAA lawsuit woes, and transfer grades for the CAA.

Good morning! Hope you’re ready for some fireworks. And with that, a quick programming note: No Daily tomorrow as we’re off for July 4. But we’ll be back in your inbox on Friday.

Let's get to the news.

1. Summer showcases incoming NCAA stars

Find me a better tandem than Scott Drew and great guards. Hint: You can't.

For recent fans, two years ago it was Keyonte George. Last year, JaKobe Walter. Now VJ Edgecombe is stepping into that role And Edgecombe is a bit more skilled top-to-bottom than the other two. He’s long, athletic and such a tough player to stop from getting to the rim.

He just led the Bahamas Olympic team to a 96-85 win over Finland. Edgecombe scored 20 points on 7-11 shooting and dunked on pretty much everyone.

That Bahamas team isn't just Edgecombe, either. The three biggest names are DeAndre Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon. Edgecombe belonged and thrived on a court with a trio of longtime NBA vets. Not bad.

Another current college hooper who shined in the FIBA Olympic qualifying round is Bowling Green's Youssef Khayat. The 6-9 forward scored 20 points on 8-14 shooting against Spain — one of the tournament contenders. Khayat transferred from Michigan, and he didn't get much run there. Maybe a miss by the former Michigan staff?

Let's switch to the younger FIBA basketball side. Team USA’s U17 team beat the brakes off China, 146-62 in a record-breaking performance for the young Americans.

Cameron Boozer was terrific again, scoring 20 points with nine rebounds — just a shade under his 22 and 10 tourney averages. Another rising star is lengthy wing Jalen Haralson, who led the United States with 21 points. You won’t find a more dominant team on the FIBA stage than this U17 squad. Much of the team are 5-star recruits class of 2025 prospects, and AJ Dybantsa and Boozer look like transcendent recruits.

Next up for Team USA is the Philippines today at 7:30 am ET, so you might now the result by now. I'm guessing it won't look much different.

2. NCAA, others sued for using player highlights

The NCAA is getting sued. Again. And once again, it’s from former players.

Subscribe to The Field of 68 Daily to read the rest.

Become a paying subscriber of The Field of 68 Daily to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In