Building project
Here’s what we learned from the Peach Jam tournament
Dan Hurley, Luke Murray and Kimani Young took in the prestigious Nike Peach Jam tournament in North Augusta, South Carolina, last week, evaluating top recruits as well as a pair of recent Husky commits.
Hearst Connecticut Media was the only local affiliate at the tournament. Here are five things we learned from the Peach Jam:
HUSKIES HAVE SOME TALENT COMING IN
UConn 2023 commits
Solomon Ball, a 6-foot-3 guard, and Jayden Ross, a 6-7 forward, teamed up on Team Melo to varying results. Both players had their moments: Ball poured in 22 points and grabbed six rebounds in a loss to Drive Nation and had 15 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals in a win over Team United. Ross garnered 14 points, three boards and a pair of steals in a win over Seattle Rotary and had 11 points and five boards in a loss to Brad Beal Elite.
Ball is a cut 185 pounds who looks like he can get even stronger. A lefty shooter, he attacks every possession aggressively and seems to have the perfect attitude to play for Hurley. He’s certainly not a finished product, however, and will benefit from his upcoming prep year at Brewster Academy.
Ross is definitely more wiry at 180 pounds and has plenty of room to get thicker and stronger. He’s a bit raw, but showed flashes of brilliant athleticism and a good outside shot. He seems like the perfect program player for UConn, who could be around for at least three seasons. Ross is still contemplating where he’ll prep this season, either at Long Island Lutheran or at Oak Hill Academy, and hopes to be accompanied by his brother, a 2025 prospect.
Combine that pair with 6-6 standout guard Stephon Castle, who played in Chicago at an Under Armour event last week, and UConn currently has the No. 2rated 2023 recruiting class, per 247Sports.com.
Team Melo went 3-4 for the week and finished sixth place out of eight teams in its pool, which couldn’t have pleased team sponsor Carmelo Anthony, who was at the event all week.
FRONTCOURT A MAIN FOCUS
Murray and Hurley spent a lot of time watching Jaylin Stewart, a 6-7 forward for Seattle Rotary. Stewart was extremely impressive at times, a three-level scorer with deft passing and ballhandling skills as well. He’s thickly built, conjuring up images of a taller Jarron Cumberland, the former Cincinnati star. But Stewart may have more upside than Cumberland ever had, and despite his thick build and tree-trunk legs, he showed some nice athleticism with a few putback dunks and
spectacular blocked shots.
Stewart didn’t show it much over the week, but a lot of his game revolves around post moves and fadeaways. That would seem to make him a good Ryan Gomes comp, as well. As we know, UConn didn’t get Gomes. Stewart might be tough to pry away from the West Coast, but he told Hearst Connecticut Media that he and his family were intrigued by UConn’s recent offer.
The Huskies also kept a close eye on Coen Carr, a rugged, 6-7 power forward who plays for Georgia Stars. Carr is a dunking machine and plays with intensity. He doesn’t appear to be a great shooter, but is certainly the type of athlete who’d fit in well in the rough-and-tumble Big East. He also has 2023 UConn star commit Castle recruiting him to come to Storrs.
While UConn entered the week as one of the final three teams on talented 6-6 forward Scotty Middleton’s list, it appears the Huskies are out on this one. UConn had no presence at any of Middleton’s games with
Brad Beal Elite.
Youssouf Singare, a raw 2023 7-footer, and Yves Missi, a more polished 2024 big, also appear to be players the Huskies would love to have join the program to augment 7-footer Donovan Clingan over the next couple of seasons.
2024 TOPS 2023
The general consensus among scouts and coaches at the Peach Jam was that the Class of 2023 is not great at the top, not overly deep and clearly inferior to the Class of 2024.
“And my observations over the last four days,” one NBA scout told Hearst Connecticut Media late in the week, “is that I would agree with that.”
Of course, it’s worth noting that Shaedon Sharpe and Jalen Duren, a pair of 2022 NBA lottery picks from Kentucky and Memphis, respectively, were supposed to be in the 2023 class before reclassifying last summer. Certainly, other 2023 kids could still reclassify before this summer is over, as well.
AAU COACHES ARE ... SOMETHING
It seems every AAU coach needs to yell at the top of his lungs for virtually every second of every
game. Meanwhile, what they’re yelling doesn’t always make a whole lot of sense. The coaching with some teams certainly left much to be desired, with odd substitution patterns and on-court strategies.
One interesting thing: A lot of teams seemed to be playing zone defense. That certainly belies typical AAU ball, but must have brought a smile to the face of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who was in the house all week.
ZONE-BREAKER FROM SIMSBURY
Speaking of zones, Simsbury’s Gavin Griffiths looks like a player who will be breaking a lot of zones over the next several years with his outside shooting. Griffiths’ deft shooting touch was on display all week, particularly in a 22-point win over Brad Beal Elite on Thursday. Alas, Griffiths spurned UConn’s recruitment and will head to Rutgers, where he’ll play for exHusky player and Bristol product Steve Pikiell. Griffiths will finish his prep career at Kingswood Oxford this upcoming season.