For most Augusta-area basketball lovers, the Nike EYBL Peach Jam that comes annually to North Augusta was a chance extend their innate love for the game by watching the nation’s most elite prospects duke it out for Nike Circuit supremacy.
For local basketball trainer Darrin Shine, it means much more — namely, an opportunity for him to extend his impact on the amateur basketball world beyond CSRA borders.
That’s why, for the last six years, Shine has been opening up his quarter-court basketball workout facility to whosever will come, knowing that the nation’s best ballers will never pass up an opportunity to sharpen their skills and keep the rust off their game.
“When you’re talking high-level basketball, players of that caliber that come to the Peach Jam, they treat this thing like their livelihood,” Shine said. “Before games, after games, they’re finding ways to keep their game and craft tight. By the Peach Jam being in this area, I’ve been doing this long enough to where kids know when they come in town, they can get in contact with me, come in and get shots in.”
Since 2018, when Shine’s Peach Jam clientele started really upticking. He’s seen a plethora of big time hoopers, some of which have gone on to some solid careers at the sport’s next level.
One of the most notable names is London Johnson, a 6-foot-3 standout from Metro Atlanta, now playing for the NBA’s G-League Ignite squad. Before coming to Ignite, Johnson represented Jamaica in the 2021 FIBA CentroBasket U17 competition in Mexico. There, he averaged 36 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals per game. He opted to forego college to go straight to the G-League.
This past Peach Jam, Shine was back at it, this time opening up his gym at 5:30 a.m. each day to consensus top-100 point guard Acaden Lewis out of the Washington, D.C. area.
Lewis is a 6-foot-3, 4-star prospect from Sidwell Friends School in D.C. He’s got a Who’s-Who list of schools vying for his collegiate services.
That list includes blue blood programs, North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke, UCONN, Kansas and Indiana. But also schools such as Louisville, Auburn, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Villanova, Tennessee and Syracuse are a part of the more than 30 schools that have given him a scholarship offer.
He played for Team Durant during the EYBL circuit, and attributes a stellar summer to his recent recruiting explosion.
Instead of taking a day or two off to rest before his Peach Games, he wanted to take advantage of Shine’s services to keep him game-ready.
“That’s just not how I’m built to take days off,” Lewis said. “I’m built to work out. It’s what keeps me sharp, especially since I hadn’t played much coming in. Coming off some time off, I wanted to get in and get some work to make me sharp so I can make everybody on team look good.”
Lewis wasn’t disappointed with his time with Shine.
“It was good. Darrin ran me a good work out,” Lewis said. “I got a lot of shots up, got me a good sweat in. It’s good for blood flow purposes. Just an all-around good workout.”
Lewis’ father approved too.
“We’ll be back again tomorrow,” he said while watching his son’s workout.
Shine was hands on with the D.C. product, working him through several high-intensity workouts and even giving him a few tips along the way. Lewis was receptive. And, looking back on Lewis’ performances, the work paid off.
He didn’t play during Peach Jam week until Thursday, but he scored 17 points, snagged eight boards and dished out four assists, helping Team Durant to a 71-64 win over Team Final.
He scored 15 points and 17 points respectively in his final two Peach Jam performances — the latter featuring a 5-for-8 showing from the field, while sinking 3 of 5 3-pointers.
For Shine, seeing those performances and just knowing he had an opportunity to make a contribution to Lewis’ Peach Jam showing was satisfying. Not just for the basketball, but for the connections. And he’s looking forward to getting to know and work with more of the country’s best, both for their benefit and his as he works to expand the reach of his training work.
“It’s satisfying for me when the parents, they call to come,” he said. “Throughout the year, teams, players, coaches, I’ve just built so many relationships through the Peach Jam, and relationships, that’s just what I’m all about. Relationships go way beyond finances and money. It’s networking and you never know how it can build your brand.”
