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Peach Jam: Young puts on a show

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. – Friday night at the Peach Jam featured high drama as MoKan Elite and Howard Pulley waged an epic overtime pool play battle with five-star players all over the floor. At the end, five-star point guard Trae Young and MoKan emerged victorious capping off a great day of action.

Trae Young (Nike/Jon Lopez)
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Young leads MoKan to victory

Saying that it was a good day for five-star point guard Trae Young is putting it mildly. Young was only getting started when he cooked the Las Vegas Prospects with 33 points, nine assists and five rebounds during an early afternoon game. He saved his best work for a high-level battle between his MoKan Elite team and Howard Pulley in the final game of pool play.

Regional rivals based in the Midwest, MoKan and Pulley hit the floor loaded with talent. Playing alongside Young is five-star small forward Michael Porter, Rivals150 wing Jared Ridder and they bring 2018 four-star big men Jontay Porter and Carte’Are Gordon off the bench. On the other side, Pulley countered with five-star shooting guard Gary Trent, Rivals150 guard Brad Davidson, Rivals150 forward Theo John and 2018 five-star point guard Tre Jones.

Lining the sidelines were the likes of Mike Krzyzsewski, Bill Self, Tom Izzo, Lon Kruger, Matt Painter, John Beilein, Chris Collins, Steve Wojciechowski, Brad Underwood and many others, and they couldn’t have been disappointed in the show.

While Porter (11 points and six rebounds) was quiet for MoKan most of the game, Young stepped up and stole the show with 35 points, five rebounds and four assists in an overtime win. Young found success getting into the lane and making use of his crafty floater, he attacked in transition when he could and he didn’t settle for jumpers or try to shoot his way through pressure. He made the plays he needed to make, showed toughness and was rewarded with a win. While Young lists more than Kansas, Kentucky and Oklahoma, those three appear to be pushing ahead of the pack.

Young received plenty of help from 2018’s No. 18 ranked player Gordon. Gordon came off the bench to score 14 points and grab seven rebounds and help to take care of the paint in a highly physical contest.

On the other side, Gary Trent Jr. went down swinging and firing. He played with intensity and physicality on both ends. While he didn’t shoot the ball well (just 11-36 overall, 2-15 from three) he still finished with 38 points and 12 rebounds and forced overtime on an incredibly tough floater after a full court drive to beat the buzzer. Tre Jones also showed well with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists while showing burst to get into the lane and make plays.

Chaundee Brown (Nike/Jon Lopez)

Brown continues to rise

The No. 64-ranked player in the 2017 Rivals150, 6-foot-5 wing Chaundee Brown continues to take his game to a new level. The four-star product from Florida has emerged as the go-to guy for Nike South Beach and he was good on Friday morning with 20 points and nine rebounds.

An athletic bull who can get on the glass and perform in transition, Brown has found the right blend between attacking the rim and hunting jumpers. As he’s done that his game has expanded and his recruiting has taken on an entirely new dimension.

Brown now counts offers from programs like Maryland, Florida, Connecticut, Wake Forest, Xavier, Georgia, LSU and Texas Tech and his list keeps growing. He does plan to cut things down to between five and seven schools in August but for now is focused on getting better.

“I’m just showing my confidence and my aggressiveness on the floor,” said Brown. “I’m trying to be aggressive with the ball and get to the hole whenever I can.”

Marcus Santos-Silva (Nike/Jon Lopez)

More Friday notes from Peach Jam

Las Vegas Prospects five-star guard Troy Brown did everything he could to try and get his squad a win against one of the Peach Jam’s best teams, MoKan Elite. However, his 27 points, six rebounds, three steals and pleading with his teammates to turn up the intensity wasn’t enough in a 91-80 loss.

Three-star big man Derrick Walker of MoKan had 14 points and seven rebounds in their first win. He’s a rugged and tough guy who does the dirty work, sets tough screens and makes good when rewarded with low post touches. UIC has offered and others like Wichita State, Oral Roberts and SMU are involved but he seems like the type of guy who should pick up much more attention this month.

Small forward Jordan Schakel has been playing really well for California Supreme. His jump shooting is his calling card but the 6-foot-6 wing has showed a toughness and emotion that his teammates have fed off. He’s becoming more of a priority for West Coast high majors and has offers from California, USC, Rice and San Diego State among others.

It’s been an up and down grassroots run for No. 42 in 2017 D.J. Harvey. He was all the way up on Friday night in a eight point and eight rebound effort as his Team Takeover squad put the hurt on the King James Shooting Stars. Harvey got a lot of work done on the offensive glass and those easy buckets left him free and easy with his jump shot. N.C. State’s Mark Gottfried took a look, Duke kept tabs and many others

Texas commit Royce Hamm was active with 19 points and nine rebounds. The first day he steps on campus he will be one of the Big 12’s bounciest athletes and he can make a lot of noise on the glass. He has been inconsistent at times but looks to be a fit for how Shaka Smart will won’t mobile forwards to press.

Three-star big men Terrell Brown (22 points and 12 rebounds) and Marcus Santos-Silva (12 and 11) put on a high/low clinic in a game against the Houston Hoops. Then 2018 four-star faceup four man Cole Swider came in off the bench came in and hit all five of his shots (including three three-pointers) to end things with another 13. Pushing 6-foot-10, Brown has a great frame, is athletic and has soft touch to go with passing skills out of the high post. A space eating post, Santos-Silva has 40 and over league game for days which means he has a counter for every defensive counter. Swider, is a mobile big who can really shoot and plays hard. Boston College recently offered Santos-Silva and from what we can see there’s a home for him on the high major level.

We spent some time watching a high level 16U game between U-Play Canada and the St. Louis Eagles. There was no shortage of players to talk about but U-Play’s 6-foot-2 class of 2019 point guard Andrew Nembhard and the Eagles 2019 power forward James Wiseman stand out. Nembhard – who will attend Montverde (Fla.) Academy for his sophomore year – has good size, a sturdy build and can knock down a deep jumper. He’s patient, poised and reminds us some of another Canadian player at the same age, Cory Joseph. A 6-foot-9 big man who can run, Wiseman has size, length, athleticism, touch and huge potential. He lacks physicality right now but looks like a top 10 type prospect in his class at this point.

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