⛳️ A (high school basketball) tradition unlike any other

The top recruits head to Peach Jam, more good news for Georgetown, thoughts on Arkansas and Kentucky, plus more.

July 18, 2022

Just three months after the Masters, a different type of tournament occurs in Augusta, Georgia. Well… technically, it’s 10 minutes across the state line in North Augusta, South Carolina, but disregard the semantics. Peach Jam, the premier AAU showcase, officially tipped off Sunday!

For years, the tournament has given us a glimpse into who’s got next in college hoops. Of course, plenty of big names will regale the crowds throughout the week. But just as interesting are the under-the-radar kids who use the competition as a springboard into prominence. Let’s see how the event has unfolded so far.

STARTING FIVE

1. Who is on the rise after Day 1 of Peach Jam?

Even though college coaches haven’t arrived at Peach Jam (they aren’t permitted to attend until Wednesday), a handful of players have already boosted their stock.

  • BABC forward TJ Power (2023) built upon his terrific showing in Kansas City last weekend. The 6-8 stretch 4 flashes a smooth face-up game, creating magic out of the mid-post and involves his teammates. Though his shot didn’t fall in a six-point loss to Team Herro, he still turned in an 11-point, 14-rebound, and 4-assist performance. Once considered a Boston College lean, the Massachusetts product now holds offers from North Carolina, Kansas, and Duke. Something tells me he won’t end up in Chestnut Hill.

  • Perhaps no one elevated himself more on Day 1 than Team Takeover’s DeShawn Harris-Smith (2023). The big-bodied guard posted two absurd stat lines in two wins on Sunday: 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists against ProSkills, and 17 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists against Georgia Stars. The explosive lefty plays his high school ball at Paul VI Catholic (Virginia) and showed growth as both a shooter and a slasher this past season. Also noteworthy: his Twitter handle is @thatdogdeshawn in an era where every player wants to “have that dog in them.” Harris-Smith certainly lives up to that billing. He holds offers from Iowa, Virginia Tech, Indiana, Maryland, and Villanova among others.

  • Liam McNeeley (2024), a 6-7 wing for Drive Nation, exhibited his versatility by scoring 12 points, nabbing 10 boards, and dishing out 8 assists in a blowout win over Boo Williams. While McNeeley and his luscious locks are sitting pretty with a consensus top-15 ranking, a stellar showing could push him into the top 10. Texas stands out as the early favorite.

  • In the world of unknown prospects, Alabama Fusion’s Eltramon Smith (2023) impressed in a 2-point loss to Strive for Greatness. The 6-7 forward flashed a pogo-like second bounce and a growing perimeter game en route to notching 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and one picture-perfect “hand down, man down” moment:

Smith will spend his senior year at Spire Academy and holds an offer from Morgan State.

2. Analyzing Nick Smith’s fit at Arkansas

Don’t let the nondescript name fool you. Nick Smith is poised for stardom in Fayetteville.

At last year’s Peach Jam, the 6-4 guard cemented himself as one of the nation’s elite prospects. While his team, Bradley Beal Elite, came up just short of a championship, Smith made the All-Peach Jam first team after averaging 18.6 ppg, 3 apg, and 3 rpg.

But how will Eric Musselman use him during his (likely) lone season for the Hogs?

For starters, Smith is enthralling with the ball in his hands — he effortlessly gets wherever he wants on the court, swishing shots off the dribble and accentuating drives with rattling dunks. Expect Musselman to let Smith run wild in iso situations, much like he did with Mason Jones in 2020 and JD Notae last season.

Moreover, the rookie torments his opponents as a pick-and-roll ballhandler. Regardless of ball screen coverage, Smith finds a way to demoralize a defense:

(The play above bears some similarities to this deep triple from Notae a year ago).

If Smith puts up numbers in the range of Jones or Notae this season, Arkansas fans will file zero complaints. But the craziest part is that the freshman’s burst and handle raise his ceiling significantly higher than his predecessors’.

3. A charitable take on NIL

Late last week, Iowa announced its partnership with The Swarm Collective — an NIL collective with a pending non-profit status.

The move comes as welcome news for the Hawkeye faithful, as the school “was among the last Big Ten schools to receive the support of an NIL collective,” per On3. From that same report, Swarm CEO (and former Iowa golfer) Brad Heinrichs started the collective with an aim to help student-athletes and serve Iowa City.

“As a former student-athlete at the University of Iowa, I am excited to form The Swarm Collective — a non-profit corporation that contracts with Iowa’s student-athletes to serve the community. NIL is a wonderful tool for student-athletes to be able to profit from their name, image and likeness. Our objective is to use their popularity for the benefit of the Iowa community by raising money or providing services to local charities and other non-profit organizations.

Heinrichs’ philanthropic mission for the collective is a win for all parties involved (even if some think forming as a 501(c(3) is problematic). For a basketball team that won the Big Ten tournament a season ago, there will be no shortage of charities that will appreciate the added visibility from athletes’ involvement.

4. Georgetown gets its superhero

Patrick Ewing continued his torrid recruiting stretch over the weekend, landing 2023 top-30 prospect Marvel Allen. The 6-4 combo guard pressures the rim with unhinged aggression, plays ferocious on-ball defense and creates offense off the bounce.

Allen could see his ranking rise as he finishes his high school career at basketball powerhouse Montverde Academy.

But his recruitment points to a larger storyline: Ewing’s ability to bring in talent despite zero Big East wins in 2022. During this offseason cycle, the coach brought in two under-the-radar studs in Akok Akok (UConn) and Brandon Murray (LSU). Akok provides the rare combination of rim protection and 3-point shooting, while Murray sticks on opposing ballhandlers the full length of the court.

In addition to those two, low post threat Qudus Wahab (Maryland) boomerangs back to the Hoyas, and Big South sniper Bryson Mozone (USC Upstate) also enters the fold.

Just because Georgetown plays in the “DMV” doesn’t mean that watching its games should be akin to waiting in line at the DMV. With the roster makeover, the Hoyas should improve by leaps and bounds in a make-or-break season for Ewing.

5. A Jacob Toppin conundrum

Kentucky forward Jacob Toppin positively impacts the game in a variety of ways — his motor, rebounding, rim running, and defense lift the ‘Cats’ on-court performance.

Perhaps most notably, though, he provides a level of athleticism that no other player on the team can match.

Yet for all of his strengths, he has one glaring weakness: 3-point shooting. For his career, Toppin has made just 21 3s at a 27.6 percent clip.

Kentucky already starts two non-shooters in Sahvir Wheeler and Oscar Tshiebwe. When that duo plus Toppin share the court, defenders sag off, clog the lane, and stifle John Calipari’s dribble drive offense. This was one of the issues with Keion Brooks (23% from 3 on just 30 attempts last season) at the 4 last season.

UK’s late-season results give a more significant cause for concern. After a smoldering 21-4 start, the ‘Cats went 5-4 over their final nine games, including a shocking first-round loss to St. Peter’s. During that stretch, Kentucky converted on just 31.8 percent of its long-range attempts. The poor outside shooting often cramped scoring from inside the arc; in three of the four losses, the ‘Cats shot under 50 percent from 2.

Thus, Toppin’s progression as a shooter will heavily factor into Kentucky’s season-long potential. Calipari needs him on the floor — and UK still has a top-5 upside — but the coach may have to get creative with how he deploys lineups.

TWEET OF THE WEEK

That’s one big Moc

Last Wednesday, Chattanooga tweeted out the measurements of its most splashy offseason acquisition, Jake Stephens (VMI). The results made me do a double take.

The super-senior posted some of the most efficient numbers in the country for the Keydets last year, and yet, his wingspan might be his most jaw-dropping attribute. You probably never expected to see him in the same sentence as Mo Bamba, but here we are. Get Sheck Wes back in the studio.

OFF THE CAROUSEL

Kenny Payne’s journey home

After 10 years as a Kentucky assistant and two years on staff with the New York Knicks, Kenny Payne has returned to his alma mater. In this interview with Jeff Goodman, he shares lessons he learned in Lexington and the NBA, along with how he hopes to restore Louisville.

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THE FAST BREAK

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