NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – The 2024 Peach Jam continued on Tuesday, as some of the best high school players on Earth continued to test themselves against each other inside Augusta’s Riverview Park Activities Center. Rivals national analyst Rob Cassidy was also on hand in the Peach State and shares some of his takeaways from the day that was.
More from Peach Jam: Five stock-risers | Recruiting chatter from a busy Sunday
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ILLINOIS WILL LOOK TO LOCK UP BRANDON LEE ON UPCOMING VISIT
Illinois appears to be in the early driver’s seat when it comes to four-star guard Brandon Lee. The New Jersey-based star is slated to visit Champaign in August and already seems high on both the program and the coaching staff that runs it.
“They’ve been the teams with the most wins in the Big Ten over the last few years,” Lee said of Illinois on Sunday. “I love coach [Brad] Underwood. He’s a great guy. I feel like he is really going to be able to help me with all the things I need to improve about my game. He’s a hard-nosed coach that is going to push me every day.”
Seton Hall and Pitt are also heavily involved with Lee, who hopes to visit the campus of each down the road. Still it seems as though the Illini could wrap up Lee’s recruitment in August should things go well on the visit as mutual interest seems to be growing quickly.
It’s worth noting, however, that current Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway coached Lee’s brother, Matthew Lee, when Holloway was the coach at St. Peter’s. For that reason, the Pirates must be treated as a serious threat to snatch the New York-based guard away from the Illini.
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USC ALREADY MAKING HEADWAY WITH DYLAN MINGO
Five-star guard Dylan Mingo says he received an overwhelming number of phone calls when the contact window opened for 2026 prospects on June 15. The list of programs that have remained in frequent contact in the month since, however, is much shorter.
“Florida State, USC, Villanova, Penn State and Virginia Tech are the ones that I have probably talked to the most,” Mingo said following his Tuesday afternoon game.
Mingo’s recruitment is still in its infancy, as the young point guard won’t arrive on a college campus for two more years, but the junior-to-be already has a checklist of sorts when it comes to evaluating potential landing spots. The most important criteria? Head coach involvement.
“I want to pick a school that is really interested in me,” Mingo said. “I pay attention to whether it's the head coach speaking to me most or only assistant coaches. I also want a coach that pushes me.”
According to Mingo, the head coach that is most involved with him at this early stage of his recruitment is USC’s Eric Musselman, with whom he is quickly forming a bond.
“He’s one of my favorite coaches,” Mingo said of Musselman. “I love what he does with his guards – Nick Smith and Anthony Black, those guys.”
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MARQUETTE LANDS ITS NEXT POINT GUARD
The most important non-basketball event of the day belonged to four-star point guard Nigel James, who announced his commitment to Marquette while surrounded by family and teammates at an out-of-the-way table in the event center’s main gym.
James, who became emotional while announcing his intention to sign with the Golden Eagles, chose Shaka Smart’s program over Georgia Tech, Creighton, Rutgers, Iowa, USC, St. John’s and others.
What the 6-foot point guard lacks in height he makes up for with a 6-foot-3 wingspan and tight handle that keeps him from getting rattle or sped up. James is among the most patient point guards in the class and rarely makes bad decisions with the ball in his hands. He’s a capable but inconsistent long-range shooter and is hot or cold on a game-by-game basis. He’ll take the next step as his scoring becomes more consistent because his shot-creation and facilitation ability are unmistakable.
Following his commitment to Marquette, James took the floor and turned in a 15-point, four-assist effort on 7-for-11 shooting for his Expressions Elite squad in a win over the Florida Rebels.
