Storylines to track at Nike Peach Jam
Storylines abound today as hundreds of the top prospects in the country, droves of college coaches and countless fans converge on Riverview Activities Center for the Nike Peach Jam.
From dream matchups to expanded roles to recruiting battles, we’ve zeroed in on a handful of the top narratives to keep an eye on in South Carolina for the coming week.
*****
More: Four key basketball flips from the spring
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2025 Rankings: Top 130
Transfer Portal: Latest news | Portal player ranking/transfer tracker (hoops) | Portal player ranking/transfer tracker (football)
*****
POTENTIAL FLAGG-BOOZER MATCHUP
Last summer, Peach Jam gave everyone what they’d been waiting for and everyone is hoping that history will repeat itself once again this year. The newly-appointed top-ranked Cooper Flagg has been on a tear all spring, averaging 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4.5 blocks a game for Maine United. Cameron Boozer, who is ranked No. 2 overall in the Rivals150, is pumping in 24.9 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game.
Boozer won the battle last year, posting 20 points, on 9 of 13 from the field, 12 rebounds and four assists in a 79-36 win over Maine United and Flagg, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Last week at the NBPA Top 100 Camp, the two squared off and where Boozer won the production battle, Flagg won the game.
Round 3 anyone?
*****
TAHAAD PETTIFORD'S EXPANDED ROLE
The New Heights Lightning were one of the most electrifying teams in the Nike EYBL all spring, averaging 18.9 assists a game and leading the league in scoring (83 ppg.). But now their engine, Elliot Cadeau, has relocated to Chapel Hill, after reclassifying from 2024 to 2023 to suit up for the Tar Heels this season. That’s 15.7 points and a league-leading 9.3 assists gone; the brunt of the load carrying duties will now fall on Pettiford. The good news is that the 6-foot-1 Auburn commit has shown and proved his capabilities all spring, evident from his 15-spot leap to No. 17 overall in the Rivals 150. For the Lightning to continue to roll, Pettiford will have to up his production as the playmaker, which could in turn cause him to ascend even more nationally.
*****
CAN ANYONE STOP TEAM FINAL'S DEVASTATING GUARD LINEUP?
Good luck finding a more lethal backcourt than Team Final’s trio of Jalil Bethea, Robert Wright III and Ahmad Nowell. Between the three of them, they check off every box imaginable multiple times over and have dominated the competition all spring in the Nike EYBL. Bethea, Wright and Nowell combine to average 47.5 points, 13.1 rebounds and 12.9 assists a game and have reeled off 14-straight wins. Expect a major traffic jam of college coaches courtside at all of Team Final’s games; of the three Wright is the only one off the board. The 6-foot point guard committed to Baylor last September and has been one of the most dominant point guards in the league.
*****
AUSTIN SWARTZ'S NEW BULLSEYE
The worst-kept secret of the spring was that Boo Williams guard Austin Swartz was one of the most dominant players in the country. Initially, he caught the country off guard being ranked outside of the top 100, but after averaging 21 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists a game, Swartz jumped 96 spots all the way to No. 39 overall in the Rivals150. Now, he’s the hunted on and off the court with everyone from Indiana, Clemson, Florida State, Connecticut, Tennessee and others all lining up for the 6-foot-5 shooting guard.