A who's who of high school talent expected in South Carolina for Nike's Peach Jam

North Augusta, South Carolina – It is Peach Jam week. Nike’s EYBL Circuit, home to 70 percent, or more, of the top high school basketball players in the country, starts on Monday, July 3, and will culminate on July 9, a day referred to as ‘Championship Sunday.’

Twenty-three teams that played on Nike’s EYBL Circuit qualified for 17u Peach Jam. The remaining 18 teams, who did not qualify for Peach Jam, will play in the PIT (Peach Invitational Tournament). Twenty-four teams qualified for the 16u Peach Jam, and twenty qualified for the 15u Peach Jam.

The teams who qualify for Peach Jam will play four days of pool play. The top two teams from each of the four brackets will advance to the Peach Jam Finals. The finals are eight teams who play in a single-elimination bracket until a champion is crowned. 

The 2022 Peach Jam Champions were MoKan Elite in the 17u division, Team Takeover in the 16u division, and Nightrydas in the 15u division. 

2024 Peach Jam

Team Final is the No. 1 overall seed in the 17u division. The Pennsylvania-based program finished the regular season 16-1. Final was led this year by Jalil Bethea. The 6-foot-4 wing averaged 18.6 points while shooting 42.6 percent from three. He is the No. 14 player in the 2024 On3 150. Baylor commit, four-star Rob Wright averaged 15.2 points and 6.2 assists this season. Four-star Ahmad Nowell and Georgetown’s four-star center commitment Thomas Sorber were both in double figures, and each had big moments this EYBL season. 

DMV-based Team Takeover, led by Duke commitment Darren Harris (11.4 points), finished second at 14-3. The third seed is 14-3 Tennessee-based Team Thad, led by four-star wing Derrion Reid (17.9 points, 6.5 rebounds), followed Missouri-based Brad Beal Elite, led by four-star forward Dallas Thomas (10.8 points), at 14-3 and fifth the New York-based New Heights Lightning program, led by four-star wing Jakhi Howard (16.9 points), with a 13-4 record.

Kon Knueppel, the Milwaukee (WI) Wisconsin Lutheran shooting guard who plays with Phenom U, led the 17u EYBL Circuit in scoring. The 6-foot-5 Knueppel averaged 22.5 points and 3.5 assists while shooting 46.7 percent from three. 

Despite not playing in the fourth session, Memphis, Karter Knox, the younger brother of Kevin Knox, finished second in scoring (21.2). Charlotte-based Austin Swartz, with the Boo Williams program, finished third in scoring (21.0), and The Family teammates Darius Acuff (20.1) and Trey McKenney (19.9). Both Acuff and McKenney are class of 2025 players, playing up in age on the 17u circuit.

Peach Jam 16u Division

A look across the 2025 class, you see many of the top-ranked players are playing up in the 17u division. However, many of the eyes will be on the 16u division watching Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg, the top two ranked players in the class.

Boozer, the son of former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, plays with the 14-1 Nightrydas program. The 6-foot-9 power forward averaged 24.9 points, 13.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. The MVP of the 2023 u16 FIBA Americas u16 Championship shot 70.2 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three during the EYBL regular season.

Flagg plays with the Maine United program. The 6-foot-8 small forward averaged 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds. 4.7 assists, 4.5 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game. The MVP of the 2023 NBPA Top 100 Camp shot 55.3 percent from the field, while Maine United finished 9-9 during the EYBL regular season.

Nightrydas are set to play Main United on Wednesday at 9:00 AM EST.

Live evaluation period

Peach Jam starts on July 3. On Thursday, July 6, the live evaluation period beings for college coaches. This is when D1 programs are able to have coaches sit courtside to evaluate the players at approved events.

All eyes will be on Riverview Park with an expected who’s who of college coaches planning to walk through the doors. The live evaluation period runs until Sunday, July 9.