Calling Tom Konchalski a pioneer in the grassroots scouting world would still be an understatement - Konchalski’s devotion to scouting every player on the floor was as firm as his handshake. No matter the game, no matter the competition level, Tom took pride in his ability to properly evaluate and find a level of basketball for each player that laced them up. Everyone who’s been around knew that once the ball tipped, you could find Tom in the top row, notepad in hand, attention fully invested on the game at hand. We hope that this small nod to the titan, as well as the work that follows, will honor his guiding principles - to invest fully in the game & to cover every angle of scouting, for every player, for every game. To rise to that lofty standard, we have brought together a group of the brightest minds in this space from all across the country, offering their own unique insights on the prospects, teams and data that you need to know.
Who had some of the spotlight performances of Peach Jam?
Aneesh Namburi, Pro Insight & Cerebro (@AneeshNamburi):
When I look back at my live viewings of 2022 Peach Jam, the first thing that will always come to mind is Cooper Flagg’s (Maine United 15U) 2nd half against Meanstreets. We were given teases of his competitiveness at the FIBA U17 World Championships, but after an unnamed player on the opposition BLANK, it was over. Down 10 at the end of the 1st half, Maine United ended up winning 67-51 on the backs of arguably the best defensive half I’ve seen from a prospect live. In the first 8 minutes of the closing half, Flagg legitimately might have gotten a block, steal, or deflection in every possession, and continued a slightly less impactful but still insanely dominant stretch to close out the game. While he is 6-foot-8 with about a +3 WS and excellent movement skills, Flagg is definitely not the type of elite athlete that will make highlights. However, his movement skills paired with some of the best defensive positioning and instincts that I’ve seen end up creating those substantive highlight plays.
Trey Green’s shooting at Peach Jam was as impressive as any shooting prospect in recent memory. Leading Mokan to a 17U championship, Green shot 24-for-59 from deep over 8 games, rated as a 92 in Cerebro’s 3-point efficiency metric. This has been nothing new for Green this spring/summer, who shot 54-for-133 from 3 over all 5 EYBL sessions (even while starting out 2-for-8 at Session 1). For a Mokan team that didn’t have a 5-star go-to offensive weapon, Green’s ability to hit pull-up jumpers almost on command was invaluable.
Travis Graf, Rivals (@TravisGrafHoops): I’ll go with the BABC duo of Reid Ducharme and Tre Norman, who were excellent alongside TJ Power.
Ducharme averaged 21.6 points per game for BABC while helping them achieve a 5-2 record in Augusta. He had shooting splits of 44/35/81 on high volume, and his jumper looked effortless with beautiful mechanics on each rep. His best game came against Vegas Elite, where he scored 42 points on 15-25 shooting and 6-11 from behind the arc.
In seven Peach Jam games, Norman’s production was extremely consistent, as he averaged 23.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest. He operates well from the point of attack and his physicality made life very tough on each defender he faced. His best performance of the weekend was in a win over The Skill Factory, where he accounted for 30 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
Analytically, Norman was a top-5 performer at the 17U level according to Cerebro Sports.
PD Web, Writer, Cerebro (@abovethebreak3): Playing without fellow 5* Ron Holland, 2024 Liam McNeeley was tasked with his largest usage of any sessions on 17s (25 u%) & stepped into the role spectacularly. McNeeley scored 17.9 points per game efficiently, shooting 48 / 40 / 75 58.5 TS% across his 8 games in Augusta. The 6’8 Drive Nation wing has proven to be a dribble/pass/shoot wing that can scale his usage up to primary or down to act as a connector as needed. That shooting hot streak brings McNeeley up to 35% on 97 3PA for his entire EYBL season (1st half of the summer on Drive 16s & the second half with the 17s) & as teams had to close out hard on McNeeley he could bring his full repertoire to bear. The versatility & ability to process the game very well on both ends really stands out, with the physicality to defend multiple positions & the skillset to attack across a broad swath of actions on offense. It’s not a surprise that McNeeley finished this session as it’s best overall 17s performer according to C-RAM (11.4)
At the 16u level, 2024 6’9 F/C Thomas Sorber was a model of consistency & finished his summer with a big time demonstration of his continued development. Sorber’s bread and butter is his productivity in the paint: posting double digit points and 7+ rebounds in 5 of Final’s 6 Peach Jam games & averaging 1.9 blocks per game. With a wide frame, Sorber holds positions well and does most of his work with great timing and understanding of angles. Sorber really frustrated the toolsier 16u bigs with the mix of footwork, a patient approach, catching everything and an advanced understanding of leverage. I had seen Sorber at an earlier EYBL session & in the months since, he has continued to develop his shooting touch and corresponding perimeter skillset. He balances the spacing elements with offensive glass eating (2.7 ORPG), but the burgeoning option of PNP-ng into space has really opened up another level of his recruitment. It’s early days (10 PJ 3PA, 17 total EYBL 3PA) but the results are encouraging (40%) & the form looks repeatable, easy & soft out his hand.
Aaron Proia, OWE Hoops (@owe_hoops, @pr0ia):
Juni Mobley stood out for his Vegas Elite 16u team as an elite shotmaker with 55/47/97 shooting splits on steady volume (7 3PA/11 FGA per game) and a C-RAM of 9.5 while receiving the lion’s share of the defensive attention. Hit some ridiculous shots off the bounce and off of screens, plays with good pace in the halfcourt but also excels in transition.
As far as local guys, Amani Hansberry had a productive week in a Final Four run for Team Durant- averaging 16 points and 10 rebounds with 2 assists. The ferocity on the boards extended a lot of possessions for his squad while he also showcased the ability to lead the fastbreak as a ballhandler- a skill that he added during the high school season.
What were your takeaways from 17u?
AN:
Kaden Gumbs (JL3 Elite ‘23) is not someone who will garner national attention, but the Texas State commit has been one of the best players in Texas this summer. A natural point guard who can scale across lineups, Gumbs has filled every role that JL3 needed from him. He can get into the paint as an offensive creator with his handle and make high level reads (20 assists to 8 turnovers), find gaps in the defense as a slasher, and attack secondary actions with decisiveness to keep an offense flowing. Gumbs’ pairing with Trenton Walters created a very pesky defensive backcourt that created a ton of turnovers for JL3. While Texas State is a very good program that should fit him well, I would not be surprised to see HM programs calling in 2 years.
Gavin Griffiths (Expressions Elite ‘23) put NBA scouts on notice with a skillset tailormade for a complementary wing in the league. Most people will rightfully be drawn to the shooting (13-for-32 from 3 over 5 games, 88 3PE) that looks comfortable in just about any situation, but what puts him over the edge into a real prospect is the secondary skills. He excelled at attacking closeouts while consistently making positive decisions both as a finisher and playmaker, could create in a pinch, and showed instincts as a cutter. Griffiths being an above average athlete with promising movement skills helps him take on tough assignments, and as he gets stronger over the next 2+ years, Griffiths projects as a real 2-4 defender.
PD:
Caleb Foster is back.
After a struggle looking comfortable for most of last year at Oak Hill, the Caleb Foster I remembered fully arrived in Augusta. It’s not just averaging 25.5 / 6.7 / 4.7 for Team Thad, it’s not just shooting the hell out of the ball (44.4 3P%, 3PE leader for 17s), it’s doing all that with the trademark bruising downhill style - getting to the FT line 37 times (29.8 FTr) and punishing teams for crowding the OTD creation. This is the guard who looks to make a day 1 impact at Duke.
Houston Hoops’ 6’8 big man JoJo Tugler may be the most impactful player in the EYBL. It’s a bold claim to make on a player who averaged less than 10 points per game at Peach Jam, but Tugler is excellent in his role as a havoc making defender. The Houston commit has both the quickest hands I saw & tremendous length, allowing for disrupting shots at the rim, passing lanes as a help defender & handles when switches onto guards. The energy is always high & the technique on microskills, like foot placement in drop, tracking the ball off the rim & hand positioning to shed contact are all fantastic. Looking deeper into the numbers, Tugler’s unique impact stands out, as he was one of only 3 players to average 1+ steals 2+ blocks & 3+ offensive rebounds per game at Peach.
TG: Five-star wing Mackenzie Mgbako was the NJ Scholars’ most consistent player at the 17U level and it wasn’t even close. He really got his swagger back at Peach Jam, posting a 9.1 C-RAM on Cerebro, his highest of the summer. He also shot 35.7% from three on high volume, which was his second-highest percentage behind session one.
How about the 16u age group?
TG: Some guys who really caught my eye at the 16U level were Kon Knueppel from Phenom University, Juni Mobley from Vegas Elite, and Tyler Betsey from the NY Rens.
Knueppel averaged 23.4 PPG on 51/42/88 shooting splits and was a magician from all over the court.
Mobley showed off his typical Curry range, but was the most consistent I’ve ever seen him in beating his man off of the dribble.
Betsey was terrific in my first extensive viewing, shooting 45% from behind the arc.
PD: I liked performances of a trio of wings: Tyler Betsey (6’8 2024 Rens), Cameron Patterson (6’4 2024 ProSkills) & Jahlil Bethea (6’5 2024 Final), but more importantly, I really liked how their performances showcased the evolution of their game over the summer months. Betsey has been known as a high level static knockdown shooter (45.2 3%, 68.8 3pr, 91 3PE), and at Peach, he flashed more confidence with his wiggle as a self-creator, as well as guarding smalls POA. Patterson has further refined his creation skills & scoring acumen - holding his largest EYBL usage to date in Augusta (19.5 ppg, 30 u%), even with the jumper not falling (2-11 3pa), due to his downhill craft & ability to get to the freethrow line at a huge rate. Patterson took 34 trips to the line in 4 games (an absurd 65.2 FTr! For reference, Mean Streets’ 5* big man James Brown had a 71 FTr at Peach Jam), knocking them down at a 88% clip. Bethea, a high volume knockdown shooter, has added ball-skills, changing the dimensions of his coverage with additional comfort in closeout creation, putting additional pressure on the wim hen attacking downhill (23.8 FTr) & a more developed frame haf Bethea contributing more on the defensive glass than ever before.
AN: Coming off a FIBA appearance where he had to be more of a playmaker for the USA, Boogie Fland settled into more of his natural scorer role with PSA Cardinals’ 16U and had another excellent event at Peach Jam. Another U17 gold medalist that is extremely young for his class, his ability to generate space from his handle, first step, and shiftiness puts a ton of pressure on defenses, and while a bit limited as a finisher due to his size, is able to make adjustments around the hoop. Fland is still gaining consistency as a shooter, but the touch he shows as a pull-up threat from the 2nd level combined with the level of difficulty in attempts gives promise as he enters his upperclassmen years. Defensively, Fland’s motor and activity throughout a game was impressive to watch, evidenced by him genuinely grabbing a majority of every loose ball in PSA’s game against NY Rens.
I didn’t have much of a sample size on Jaxson Prunty when I sat down to watch Team United 16’s for the first time, but he gave a great first impression with his 20 points (7-for-12 shooting, 2-for-3 from 3) and 6 assists in a win over ProSkills, in addition to setting clear personal bests in Cerebro’s scoring and shooting metrics. His shot looks repeatable off the catch and he also showcased impressive poise as a slasher and a utilization of counters around the hoop while also not being afraid to take contact.
In 15u, what players or teams captured your attention in the class of 2025 & 2026?
PD: In 15u, brolic wing size players often have to get on the block & use their long term frame for short term gains. It’s not the most developmentally beneficial for the perimeter feel or skillset, but it’s understandable because strong underclass wings can be super productive as forwards. So, naturally I was excited to see 2025s 6’6 Jaquan Womack of Takeover & 6’5 Tounde Yessoufou of WhyNot playing as true versatile wings on a 15u level. Both are in the process of further developing their all-around game - each possessing broad skillsets that can have them take OTD 3s on one possession, use their physicality for a hi-low on the next & on the third grab and go into a transition drag set. Womack and Yessoufou play with good senses of the matchups & of lineups, so if there was a mouse in the house, they would find the block, but it’s not the default & I’m curious to see how this summer of positional freedom accelerates their further development as sophomores.
AN: We are seeing the fruits of not having to deal with a (obviously very serious) pandemic that interrupted many 2023 and 2024 bigs’ developmental pathways with the 2025 class. Let’s start with Cam Boozer (Nightrydas ‘25), a 6-9 forward that despite turning 15 during Peach Jam, looks like he has spent time in a college weight room and has elite movement skills. Boozer is an elite play finisher who also has counters when he cannot overwhelm physically, can provide creation from the high post, and is an instinctual help defender. His shooting continuing to show the positive developments that I saw at Peach Jam gives him an elite foundation as a prospect.
While Boozer is rightfully the headliner out of this group, the depth of this position group helps it stand out compared to years past. Jaden Toombs (Drive Nation ‘25) is a force down low that has used his recent weight loss to play higher at the screen if necessary, a wall as a rim protector in addition to interior force and rebounder, and continues to show great touch as a finisher who flashes floor spacing. Badara Diakite (NJ Scholars ‘25) flashed shooting to pair with his aggressiveness at the rim and showcased some inside-out game defensively as well. And while I’m technically cheating by picking Chris Nwuli, a 2025 who played with Vegas Elite’s 16U group, his still raw frame despite having a stacked lower body paired with elite movement skills provide a foundation for a true 1-5 defender by the time his high school career is completed.
TG: Going to start off with the obvious two first in Boozer and Flagg, who are currently my top two prospects in the 2025 class. Both are terrific in their own way and it’s a joy to watch them on the court at all times.
Jaden Toombs is one to keep a close eye on over the next few years. Drive Nation’s big man has upside through the roof down low and was moving noticeably better than he did in the spring.
Expressions’ 2026 AJ Dybantsa is another prospect you have to talk about when discussing the younger prospects. Wing player with a good all-around skill set that is a nightmare to stop on the way to the rim. I took the five minute trek down the road to catch a game at MADE Hoops 8th Grade Finale featuring All-Ohio Summer and 2026 forward Tyran Stokes as well. Stokes’ athleticism is the first thing that jumps off the page, but his basketball IQ and body control are very advanced for a young age.
AP: Thomas Sorber had a good run with Team Final 16u, averaging 14 and 8 with a C-Ram of 9.7. Love his frame and his footwork around the basket, finished well around the cup as well as from distance (40%). Played solid defensively and made the right read from the block, earned an offer from Maryland and is sure to see an uptick in his recruitment with a diverse blend of offensive skill/upside.
What was a skill that stood out to you the most?
PD: There is an understood tamping of expectations for shooters in grassroots setting, where the average 3p% is lower, the distance of the 3 is further back to the HS line, the average 3Pa quality is more difficult & the role allocation may not be ideal for pure shooting numbers. Buddy, not this session. Dudes really shot the ball well.
In 17u, 16 players shot 36+% on 30+ 3pa
Trey Green, 2023 MoKan - 40.7 % on 59 3pa
Carlton Carrington, 2023 Melo - 38% on 50 3pa
Camp Wagner 2023 ProSkills - 37.5% on 48 3pa
Aden Holloway, 2023 CP3 - 41.3% on 46 3pa
Caleb Foster, 2023 Thad - 44.4% on 45 3pa
Jared McCain, 2023 WhyNot - 37.5% on 39 3pa
Desmond White, 2023 Brad Beal - 38.5% on 39 3pa
Bronny James, 2023 SFG - 37.8% on 37 3pa
Dayjaun Anderson, 2023 All Ohio Red - 40% on 35 3pa
Milan Momcilovic, 2023 Phenom U - 36.4% on 33 3pa
Gavin Griffiths, 2023 Expressions - 40.6% on 32 3pa
Samuel Orme, 2023 Indy Heat - 41.9% on 31 3pa
DeShawn Harris-Smith, 2023 Team Takeover - 46.7% on 30 3pa
John Kinzinger, 2023 Phenom U - 46.7% on 30 3pa
Lamariyon Jordan, 2023 Georgia Stars - 36.7% on 30 3pa
Liam McNeeley, 2024 Drive Nation - 40% on 30 3pa
In 16u, 12 players shot 36+% ON 25+ 3pa
Kon Knueppel, 2024 Phenom U - 41.7% on 48 3pa
Tyler Betsey, 2024 Rens - 45.2% on 42 3pa
Curtis Givens, 2024 MoKan - 43.2% on 37 3pa
Jalil Bethea, 2024 Final - 43.2% on 37 3pa
Juni Mobley, 2024 Vegas Elite - 47.2% on 36 3pa
Nick Coval, 2024 Final - 37% on 27 3pa
Dallas Thomas, 2024 MoKan - 38.5% on 26 3pa
Daquan Davis, 2024 Takeover - 50% on 26 3pa
Taj Degourville, 2024 Vegas Elite - 42.3% on 26 3pa
Brayden Burries, 2025 SFG - 56% on 25 3pa
Nyk Lewis, 2025 Takeover- 36% on 25 3pa
Qing Fang Pang, 2024 Rens - 44% on 25 3pa
Was there a team that you really enjoyed watching?
AN: I was really impressed by Team Final 16’s offensive flow and creativity in addition to having the full tool box of individual offensive skill sets for an AAU lineup that works well together. NY Rens 16’s operated mostly with the ball in Dylan Harper’s hands, but their size in what seemed to be their go-to lineup (6-5 Harper, 6-5 Dwayne Pierce, and a 6-8ish trio of Tyler Betsey, Qing Pang, and James Moore) was cool to see.
PD: Drive Nation 15s had a any given night type vibe that I really enjoyed, Phenom U 16s ran beautiful stuff to give their guys room to create & City Rocks 17s for the 4 guard pace & space lineups that slashed teams to pieces.
TG: BABC 17’s, NY Rens 16’s, Team Final 16s, and Drive Nation 15’s.
AP: Team Final 16s- offense flowed smoothly, good inside-out balance on the offensive end of the floor with some hot perimeter shooting opening driving lanes and low post scoring. TTO 16s were a deep, versatile bunch with multiple HM recruits (Caleb Williams, Garrett Sundra) coming off their bench. This unit could send out halfcourt-dominant lineups, small-ball/fast-breaking lineups, lineups with 6’4 and above across the floor- coaching staff did a good job of creating matchup issues for opponents to deal with. Mokan’s 15u unit features a trio of high-level prospects in shot-making PG Avian Webb, versatile wing play from Charles Love III and elite big man potential from Xavier Wilson- think this group will have the best chance of upsetting the Boozer dynasty in one of the next two Peach Jams.
What prospects do you think are primed for a recruiting jump after their Peach Jam performance?
PD: Some quick shouts:
Chip Brunt 2023 TSF - 6’5 lefty combo guard who can score in flurries & showed developing playmaking skills
Brady Dunlap 2023 SFG - 6’7 tough-minded connecting wing who consistently shot the 3 well in EYBL (36.6% on 139)
Sebastian Mack 2023 Oakland Soldiers - 6’4 bucket getter who can play on or off-ball with high level scoring craft & OTD 3s
Dylan Warlick 2024 Team Griffin - 6’6 workhorse forward who thrives as a decision maker in the pinch post
Sammie Yeanay 2024 Nightrydas - 6’8 fast developing do-it-all forward has tools that scream potential & box scores that scream production
Nicholas Petronio 2024 Expressions - 6’4 G, a slithery & confident shot creator with a ratchet (47.8% on 94 EYBL 3pa)
Pharoah Compton 2024 Vegas Elite - 6’7 play finisher with an absurd wingspan & a track record as an opportunistic scorer supreme (73.7 TS% at Peach Jam, 69.5 TS% in all of EYBL 16s)
Hayden Assemian 2025 CP3 - 6’8 productive F/C with a projectable frame, a big time motor & finishes seemingly everything around the rim with a bang
AN:
Mouhamed Dioubate (PSA Cardinals ‘23) is someone that continues to stand out in the Cerebro database, finishing Peach Jam with a silver medalist badge in our player performance scores, his 4th session medaling this spring/summer. The 6-foot-7 forward with a great frame is a force in the paint with his soft touch and presence on the glass, and his flashes of self-creation offer some intrigue to open his game more out to the perimeter.
Ryder Elisaldez (Vegas Elite ‘24) is an excellent connecting guard to pair with Juni Mobley’s threat as a shooter. Elisaldez not only initiates sets for Vegas, but does a great job as a game manager (27 assists to 8 turnovers), is an aggressive slasher off closeouts who is not afraid of contact but can also make adjustments at the rim, and takes a majority of point of attack assignments defensively.
TG: Kon Knueppel, TJ Power, Thomas Sorber, Tyler Betsey, Tre Norman, Pharaoh Compton, Jaland Lowe.
We need to talk about …
PD: Bronny James.
Look, I dunno how exactly we got here, but the son of an NBA star has been overlooked as a prospect & totally misevaluated as a player. Bronny James is real, real good. I think part of it is that his style of play, which is laser-focused on playing winning basketball, is harder to accurately convey in short clips & he plays in a different archetype than his famous father. Where Bron is a primary creator, a heliocentric wing, Bronny is a connective wing, a do-it-all lower usage player who get most of his looks in the opportunistic scoring areas (transition, spot up shooting & off cuts), with a variable amount of halfcourt creation as the lineup dictates. In short, the exact sort of high-feel dribble/pass/shoot wing that NBA teams are desperately searching for, to fit in as a complimentary piece with a heliocentric/usage-heavy star. Bronny is smaller, somewhere in the 6’2-3 range, but powerfully built with a low center of gravity, a great tool to leverage against taller, more high hipped wings & get under their handles. Offensively, there were flashes of self creation for pullup 3s, but I was most impressed by the clever passing and efficiency (54 TS%) at what I would consider the outer thresholds of his optimal usage (25%). There are not too many wings that can provide weakside rim protection, cut well, guard multiple positions POA, make smart HC decisions across multiple actions (5.3 apg, 80 FGS), while shooting 37.8% from 3 & fit seamlessly next to multiple different creator archetypes.
AN: It doesn’t make a ton of sense why Ty-Laur Johnson (Rens ‘23) only has 2 Power 5 offers after tracking him in multiple live viewings and film over the spring and summer. A Cerebro medalist in 4 of the 5 EYBL sessions, Johnson is a modern twist on the classic New York point guard. True to his playstyle, Johnson’s motor and competitiveness on both ends of the floor is something that every college coach is looking for. His ability to draw help rotations after getting into the paint with his quickness/handle before finding shooters, cutters, or lob-threats should really translate to the next level. While Johnson’s shooting is still streaky and his size limits him as a finisher, he is not afraid of anything and always seems to rise to the occasion in big moments.
TG: Jaland Lowe answered the call in every big-time matchup. He averaged 17.7 points and 4.7 assists at Peach Jam and delivered 26 & 4 against DJ Wagner and 19 & 4 vs Griffin’s Johnson/Castillo.