Many of the top nationally ranked high school basketball players will be competing at North Augusta’s Riverview Park Activities Center for the upcoming basketball tournament Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Peach Jam July 17-24.
A few of the top high school recruits competing are D.J. Wagner, N.J. Scholars; Kwame Evans Jr., Team Durant; Mackenzie Mgbako, N.J. Scholars; G.G. Jackson, Team CP3; Mookie Cook, Oakland Soldiers; Robert Dillingham; Team CP3 among others.
Bronny James, the son of NBA star Lebron James, will also be competing for team Strive for Greatness.
MORE: Peach Jam returns Sunday and will be open for fans
Grovetown’s Derrion Reid, Thomson’s Jahkiaus Jones and Lavonta Ivery, and former Augusta Christian player Elijah Crawford, will all be competing for a team named “The Skill Factory” at the event. They are also coached by Julius Patterson, a former Burke County football and basketball player.
“It is really great seeing the kids competing against other kids of their age group around the country, so they can really see where they measure themselves up to and not just playing against kids in their community,” Patterson said.
The Skill Factory won the 15-under Peach Jam Championship last year and now will be competing in the 16-under group.
“We probably have the best guard play in the country and anytime you have good guard play, you’ve got a fighting chance to win any game,” Patterson said. “There is some pressure with us being the home team and the crowd favorite, but we just got to take one game at a time.”
For the 17-Under group, the top five teams from each of the four pools in the EYBL standings qualify for Peach Jam. Four other teams qualified at large bid to have a total of 24 teams. Only 20 teams qualify for the 16U and 15U group.
Games will begin Sunday, at 11 a.m. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the Elite Eight, which will begin Friday evening, July 22. The Final Four will be played on Saturday, followed by the Peach Jam Championship games Sunday.
Chris Rickerson is a staff reporter covering Columbia County government and general assignment topics for The Augusta Press. Reach him at chris@theaugustapress.com.
