The Nike EYBL, which is the prestigious AAU circuit that runs in the spring, regular season has officially ended. 24 teams made the Peach Jam — the name for EYBL’s championship tournament held in South Carolina — and plenty more got valuable experience for the kids that will all certainly be heading to a division one college at some point in their life.
Expectations are put on each player, whether because of his size, star-ranking, name, etc. These five players played well during each of the four sessions, and exceeded expectations, each for a variety of reasons.
Gary Trent Jr. — Howard Pulley — SG
4-star, Class of 2017
A pretty obvious selection for this group was Gary Trent Jr. The junior had a superb reputation before this EYBL season, but he took his game to a higher level against tougher competition. He ended the season with an average of 22.1 points per game (led the EYBL), and even had a 43 point game against the Kentucky Travelers. He scored at an efficient pace, making his field goals at a 45% clip. He made 40% of this threes, too. Trent was also second on the team in rebounds per game averaging 4.2. Howard Pulley did not succeed in making the Peach Jam, though, and it is a shame we won’t be able to see Trent do his thing there.
Trent has more time than the rest of the guys on this list to figure out his recruitment, but Ohio State seems to have the leg up on the rest of the competition thus far. Gary Trent Sr. played at Ohio University, where he was teammates with Jeff Boals — who just so happens to be an assistant coach for Thad Matta at Ohio State now. The Buckeyes offered Trent on April 27th, making it official that they were seriously interested in the high-scoring guard.
Myles Powell — Playaz Basketball Club — PG
2-star, Class of 2016
A little known two-star recruit — according to Verbal Commitments — from Trenton, New Jersey, Myles Powell used his time with the Playaz Basketball Club well. The point guard averaged 18.1 points per game, which was good for 10th in the EYBL. He led the EYBL in three pointers made and attempted, which was a big reason for his high point total. He would also manage to average 4.1 rebounds per game and 1.4 steals per game.
While Powell doesn’t have much information out there about his college recruitment right now, that should be changing with his performance at the EYBL. According to Future150.com, Powell has offers from schools such as Cincinnati, Marquette, Seton Hall, Temple, VCU, among others. Powell’s name should come up more in the summer, and he could be a guy that keeps surprising people once he gets to college.
Nick Ward — All Ohio Red — PF/C
4-star, Class of 2016
Nick Ward has grown into a force on the glass, as well as scoring the ball. Ward is not exactly an unknown recruit — he is committed to Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans — but Ward still played well enough to surprise some folks during the EYBL season. He averaged 14.9 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game, narrowly missing averaging a double double for the season. Ward was fourth in rebounds per game, eighth in defensive rebounds and third in total rebounds. He was also sending many opponent shots back, coming in at fourth in blocks per game and third in total blocks. He led the EYBL in free throw attempts, too. Not bad for a guy that is supposed to be undersized and in bad shape.
C.J. Walker — Speice Indy Heat — PG
3-star, Class of 2016
C.J. Walker had about as solid of a EYBL season as one can have, and doing well against the tough competition should only help him going forward. The guard averaged a solid 18 points per game, 3.1 rebounds per game, and 3 assists per game, although his effort enough wouldn’t help Speice Indy Heat get into the Peach Jam. Walker — standing at an intimidating 5 foot 11 inches — weaved through defenders at each of the four sessions and opened a lot of eyes.
Walker de-committed from Purdue on March 29th, and now considered a heavy Butler lean. Walker managed to pick up an offer from Iowa coach Fran McCaffery this past weekend, too. That could be a sign of things to come for the young guard.
Kristian Doolittle — Athletes First — PF
3-star, Class of 2016
Kristian Doolittle did just enough to slide into a spot on this list, but he did more than enough to catch the eye of everyone in the gym of Athletes First’s games. Doolittle scored 14.9 points per game, and pulled down an impressive 8.3 rebounds per game. Although teammate JaKolby Long got most of the shine during the season, Doolittle was much more efficient and the rebounds he accumulated were a big reason for the team’s success. Doolittle’s Athletes First squad is now Peach Jam bound, and he deserves a lot of credit for the work he put in.
The athletic forward committed to Oklahoma on December 2nd, and could fit their offense really well. If Doolittle keeps improving like he has, he may have a chance to see major minutes when he gets to Norman, Oklahoma.
All statistics from d1circuit.com unless noted
Star status’ from 247Sports unless noted
