North Augusta, S.C. – Peach Jam, the most talked-about summer event in travel ball, is back after a yearlong hiatus, and Rivals.com’s Jamie Shaw was baseline on the first two days of action. Here are some of the standouts from those sessions.
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MORE COVERAGE: Rivals awards from Birmingham events | Shaw's takeaways from UAA Session 1
2021 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2023 Rankings: Top 30
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DAY TWO
Simply stated, the 6-foot-7 Griffiths put on a show. It was the first game of the day and it was in the furthest gym away from the door, but the No. 71 prospect in the Rivals150 in 2023 was playing like it was Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Griffiths, who carries only three Power Five offers in Rutgers, Syracuse and Maryland, finished the game with 26 points on seven made threes. He showcased balance along with a quick and repeatable shooting stroke. Griffiths has already made 10 threes in his two games here. He has also dished out five assists in his first game and grabbed five rebounds in both games. This could be a big weekend ahead for Griffiths.
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Arceneaux made waves this high school season when he made the game-tying shot at the end of regulation to send his Beaumont (Texas) United High team into overtime, and then he hit the game-winning shot in overtime to claim the 5A Texas state title. The No. 83 player in the 2022 Rivals150 has carried that momentum over to the summer, and he hasn't looked back. Through his two games here Arceneaux is averaging 19 points and 6 rebounds, and the 6-foot-6 wing is guarding the opposing team’s big man in the paint. This is someone who makes winning plays, and he does so at a high level. Arceneaux visited Texas A&M and Houston in June.
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Hood-Schifino looked comfortable while being aggressive in looking for his shot. The 6-foot-6, strong bodied lead guard finished with 19 points, six assists, and three steals in the nightcap against Team Durant. Hood-Schifino finished with an assortment of pull-up jumpers and paint touches using his strong frame and great understanding of pace. The No. 32-ranked player in the 2022 Rivals150 took official visits to Indiana, Tennessee and Georgetown, along with an unofficial to Wake Forest.
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Word coming out of the West was the Boswell was a must-watch player. I made it a point early in the week to make sure I put eyes on him and got a full evaluation. I walked away with complete understanding why there is so much buzz about the 6-foot-2 point guard. Currently unranked in the 2023 Rivals150, Boswell looked every bit the part. He plays with speed, but also control. He made shots at each level, but also moved the ball around to get his teammates shots. Boswell moved with a certain flair that makes the offers from Washington, Louisville, Arizona, Kansas, Texas, Stanford, Illinois and others make sense. Look for Boswell to enter the rankings after our next update.
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If effort was the word of the day, Hausen gave it in spades, almost singlehandedly keeping his Team Griffin (Okla.) 17s team in the game. Hauser had a reputation coming in as a noted marksman, and he certainly justified that. But it was his defense in the passing lanes and his ability to create space off the bounce that stood out in this one. Currently unranked in the 2022 Rivals150, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard carries offers from the likes of Houston, Texas Tech, Butler, Minnesota, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and more. This could be an interesting weekend for Hausen, who finished with 22 points on six made threes, with four assists and four steals.
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I saw a lot of Reed this past season at Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy, and he was intriguing. Well, this is not he same Reed I saw a few months ago. For starters, he stands 2 inches taller and is a legit 6-foot-10. He also has looser hips and more wiggle in his movements. The son of the late Ole Miss legend Justin Reed, Jalen finished his game with 21 points and 10 rebounds on 9 of 12 shooting. Reed attacked the basket while facing the rim and finished with an assortment of moves from the mid-range in. There is a lot of upside here, and there could be an impending explosion about to happen. Reed will firmly be in the conversation to enter the 2022 Rivals150 in the next update.
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DAY ONE
Kyle Filipowski, a 6-foot-11 forward with the New York Renaissance, looked every bit the part of a five-star here. There was nothing on the floor he could not do as he went for 19 points (9-10 FG), 11 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks. Fluidity, ball skills, touch, vision, toughness.
Filipowski started April outside of the top 100, he then moved to No. 48 in our most recent update, and if he continues to play like this, Filipowski will be in the conversation for another substantial bump. If I were to set a FutureCast at this point, it would be for Duke.
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This was my first live viewing of Marquis Cook, and he showed why our Rob Cassidy was so adamant about putting him at No. 3 in our 2023 Rivals150. Cook stands every inch of 6-foot-7, and there is not anything on the floor he cannot do.
Playing with the Oakland Soldiers (CA) 16u team, Cook finished with 14 points (2-5 3-pointers), eight rebounds and three blocks. He stepped into one 30-plus-foot jumper with ease, showed some pop in transition, and he had a number of high-level passes in traffic. This was an excellent first viewing.
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We were bullish on Marvel Allen in our last update, ranking the 6-foot-4 combo guard No. 9 in our 2023 Rivals150. He did a good job of coming out of the gates, proving us smart on this one. Allen, playing with the Each 1 Teach 1 (FL) 16s group, has a smooth feel for the game, the type of feel that makes you believe he can go get a bucket anytime.
He has a smooth shooting stroke, with range, and a calm pace with burst and great size to get to his spots off the bounce. He finished night one with 14 points (6-11 FG) and eight rebounds. He will be a hot commodity in the 2023 class.
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This was actually the first time I had heard of Josiah Harris, let alone watched him play. I am not sure he could have done any more in his pairing against 2022 Rivals150 No. 2 ranked Emoni Bates. Harris is a matchup forward who really competed and thrived in doing the dirty work.
This makes sense as he is committed to a Bob Huggins' West Virginia program. Standing 6-foot-6, Harris got into the paint, made jumpers, defended Bates into an off night, and finished with 21 points (10-18 FG), 10 rebounds, three assists and two blocks in the win. Harris will be in the conversation for the next 2022 Rivals150 update.
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It was a somewhat rough start for Cade Phillips as he was stripped in his first three possessions, but the 6-foot-8 forward settled in and showed why our Dan McDonald was adamant in getting Phillips to the No. 37 ranking in the 2023 Rivals150. He played with a toughness, that is a given, but it was the way Phillips moved that stood out.
The TSF (GA) 16s big has long arms and he is both fluid and explosive, which is an excellent combination. While we would like to see him rebound better (he was recorded with zero for the game), Phillips finished with 14 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the field, six of which were dunks. The upside is what we are banking on here, and it could be huge.