Summer Jam introduces Australian big man Epperson

MORE SUMMER JAM: Ramey's big day

Mequon, Wis. – A potential high major big man emerged from on the second day of Summer Jam, as we took a closer look at 2017 Australian center Jacob Epperson, who has become a new target for several programs.

Jacob Epperson, a 6-foot-11, 210-pounder playing with AUSA Hoops, won't wow you with highlight reel plays but he will leave you looking forward to seeing more because of the plays that he does make.

Epperson is a long, mobile and agile center who runs the floor well. He has good hands and was the best big man passer we saw in the first two days of Summer Jam. Whether passing out of the low post when the double team arrives or from the high post to a teammate cutting to the basket, Epperson delivered passes where teammates could make plays.

On the defensive end, Epperson's presence and length affected more than his fair share of shots. When he grabs defensive rebounds he gets the ball out quickly to start fast breaks.

After next week's final live period, Epperson, the son of University of Toledo all-time leading scorer and rebounder Ken Epperson, will return to Australia to get ready for school and to work on adding weight, and getting stronger and tougher in the low post. Right now he gets pushed around some due to his lack of bulk.

Toledo, IUPUI, Cincinnati and Eastern Kentucky have already offered and interest is coming from Iowa, TCU, Xavier, Texas, Texas A&M, Washington State, Houston and UCF.

Stackhouse Elite North 2018 combo guard Marcus Carr of Montverde (Fla.) Academy had it going Friday in a game that was stopped by a mercy rule with three minutes to play and SEN leading by 20 points.

Carr used his speed and quickness to get deep into the paint to score and connected on three shots beyond the arc while scoring 13 points. Possibly more important than how many points he scored was that Carr was able to get where he wanted to go with relative ease, less than a year after tearing an ACL.

The three-star guard's instincts and feel for the game are very good and Carr used his court vision and passing to get teammates involved, setting several of them up with easy shots. Amid rumors that he is transferring to a new school, Carr told us that is not the case.

"Somebody started a rumor but I'm going back to Montverde Academy," he said.

Three-star Howard Pulley point guard Brad Davison verbally committed to Wisconsin on Monday and his play at Summer Jam can't be anything but pleasing to Greg Gard and his staff. Davison scored at all three levels against Dream Vision, finished through contact and when he got to the free throw line he was money. The No. 119 prospect in the Rivals150 hustles on every possession and is a very good on-ball defender.

SYF Players class of 2018 point guard Chase Adams may be small but do not question his toughness. The 5-foot-6 Adams lets the game come to him but he is assertive in probing defenses. He gets his teammates involved while also keeping defenses honest with his range just beyond the arc. The younger brother of former California point guard Jerome Randle, Adams told us that he has yet to receive his first Division I offer but interest is coming from California, Virginia, Drake, Creighton, Texas A&M, Illinois and UNLV.

AUSA Hoops class of 2018 center Benjamin Fakira stands to benefit from playing alongside the previously mentioned Epperson. Just 16 years old and already 6-foot-10, 230 pounds, Fakira is more of a traditional back-to-the-basket post player with good post moves for a young big man, plus good hands and feet. He is quick off his feet for rebounds and to contest shots.

Three-star big man Theo John doesn't put up big numbers for Howard Pulley but he is a key piece of one of the best AAU teams in the country. The No. 129 prospect in the Rivals150, John goes to work inside and does not shy away from contact at either end of the floor. He isn't a high flyer but more of a big, strong body who can defend the interior with his size and positioning.

We spent some time watching a talented 16U Iowa Barnstormers team take on the George Hill Rising Stars. The Barnstormers feature two top 50 prospects in the 2018 class in Iowa shooting guard commit Joe Wieskamp (No. 35) and, power forward Joey Hauser (No. 45). On this day it was three-star point guard A.J. Green who caught our attention. The rising junior, who just missed the most recently updated top 100 for 2018, is a low turnover point guard who values the basketball and knows how to run a team. He has range beyond the arc but also showed his ability to get to the rim and finish. At the other end of the court, Green is a good team defender who keeps his man in front of him.

At 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds he does need to get stronger to be effective at the next level. Green listed offers from North Dakota, South Dakota State and Northern Iowa (where his father Kyle is an assistant coach) plus interest from Nebraska, Iowa State, Stanford and Oklahoma.