The Nike EYBL Peach Jam gets underway this week in North Augusta, South Carolina. The championship of the summer long EYBL circuit serves as the grandest stage of them all when it comes to basketball recruiting. Every year there are breakout stars that get recruited more heavily in the weeks following Peach Jam than they did in the years leading up to it. Missouri fans may remember the Jericole Hellems frenzy from 2018. There are no shortage of established Mizzou targets headed down to South Carolina this weekend to continue cementing their names amongst the top recruits in the 2020 class.
Two of the big local names, Caleb Love and Cam’Ron Fletcher won’t be among that group. Brad Beal Elite failed to qualify for the Peach Jam after a disappointing spring and early summer with a 4-9 record. On the other hand, Josh Christopher (Vegas Elite), Ryan Kalkbrenner (Mac Irvin Fire), Davion Bradford (MoKan Elite), Isaiah Jackson (The Family), and Carlos Johnson (The Family) will all get to show off their skills on the grandest stage.
Kalkbrenner, as discussed thoroughly on this site, has already been among the biggest risers of this EYBL session, taking his game from relative unknown to Top 70 recruit in the blink of an eye. The shot swatter supreme used his trademark ability to gather the honor of being named EYBL Defensive Player of the Year. This weekend serves as a chance for the 7-foot St Louis product to take another leap forward. One big performance on a stage like this could mean that the blue bloods come sniffing around on Kalkbrenner. Mac Irvin Fire enter Peach Jam with an impressive 10-3 record, tied for third best on the circuit.
For Christopher, it would be difficult to rise his stock past being the 11th ranked player in the country, but then again, there are 10 spots ahead of him. Kentucky was a little late to the game with Christopher but the talented guard from California told Eric Bossi earlier in the summer that he plans to take a visit to talk more with John Calipari about the possibility of becoming a Wildcat. Christopher finished 12th in scoring among players that played a full EYBL session at 21.7 points per game and led Vegas Elite to a 9-4 record.
Jackson and Johnson have been a dynamic duo all summer long for The Family. They’re joined on that squad by Maliq Carr, son of Mizzou assistant coach, Cornell Mann. The Family finished the EYBL regular season at 8-5. Johnson would seem to be right on that level of recruit that could benefit from a top notch performance at the event. Showing off his high motor and versatility could be a key in “Scooby” getting the attention of schools nationwide and possibly becoming a higher priority for Missouri. The two Michigan natives would be happy to bring an EYBL Championship hope to the Mitten state.
MoKan Elite has a number of players of interest to Missouri fans but none more so than Davion Bradford who is right up there with Kalkbrenner when it comes to priority big men. MoKan was 10-3 on the circuit and Bradford’s seven points and four rebounds per game have been no small part of that. N’Faly Dante, MoKan’s best player, is the nation’s 9th ranked recruit which could play to the benefit of guys like Bradford. Players the caliber of Dante draw attention from coaches, a lot of coaches. The more eyes on the game, the better it is for the lesser known guys and their chances to bolster their stock. This weekend serves as the perfect opportunity for Bradford to show the collegiate ranks what he is capable of with his aggressive nature and the rim and sheer size.
One more thing worth monitoring for MoKan Elite will be DaJuan Harris. Harris was originally a 2019 recruit from Rock Bridge in Columbia and signed to go to Missouri State. However, Harris received his release from Missouri State and ended up reclassifying and attending Sunrise Christian, much the same way Tray Jackson and Javon Pickett did. The 6-foot-1 point guard from Columbia has had an impressive spring averaging seven points and seven assists for MoKan but things have largely stayed quiet on the recruiting trail. That is, until Tuesday afternoon when Kansas offered. That should be all the indication anyone needs that Harris is about to blow up, and a Kansas offer right before Peach Jam is a great sign for him. I spoke with Harris Tuesday and he said that he has spoken with Missouri’s staff since reclassifying but the Tigers have yet to extend an offer. It is worth monitoring if that changes during or following Peach Jam.
Peach Jam gets underway this afternoon and will see a championship crowned this weekend. MoKan will play at 5 o’clock, Mac Irvin and The Family will be on separate courts at 6:30, and Vegas Elite plays at 8.
