Dylan Petersen
Nike Peach Jam has always been a dream location for me and I finally made it there this past weekend. The preimere AAU tournament lived up to all the hype and more. I watched 14 games at Peach Jam and I can confidently say that the place is mind-blowing. Fans like me would go court to court looking to find the future of basketball. Each court is filled with top recruits, famous coaches, big time media, and even NBA players. The Nike Peach Jam was one of a kind and I am going to breakdown my takeaways from the star-studded tournament.
Peach Jam is a very chaotic event on the inside. After all it is held at a local YMCA and not some sort of big event center. You have to know which court you are going to watch once you get in, otherwise you will be waiting in line to watch a game. The lines are also terrible at Peach Jam, whether it is people waiting in line for a game or waiting in line to buy Peach Jam merchandise: it is rough. However, shoutout to the security at Peach Jam because they did a phenomenal job at making the tournament a safe place for people to enjoy basketball.
This event had the most competitive level of basketball that I have ever seen. The majority of the games were all decided by 5-10 points besides a few of the championship games surprisingly. Most of the matchups were very balanced because each team is filled with the marque players from each state. These marque players were all playing like they had something to prove no matter the ranking. These guys were fighting for their present teams and they were sending messages with their amazing performances to their future college teams. Some player’s careers were on the line at Peach Jam looking to gain that division one offer or high-major offer.
Coaching Hotbed
The Nike Peach Jam was flooded with college coaches. Every court had major division one scouts or coaches trying to find the next great player for their program. At Peach Jam they have one side of the court for fans to sit and on the other side it is strictly for college coaches. College coaches are willing to make the trip all the way to South Carolina to find their next big recruit. Just about every division one college was there to recruit whether it was IUPUI or Duke and Kentucky. I saw coaches like Jon Scheyer (Duke), Juwan Howard (Michigan), Dan Hurley (UCONN), and Scott Drew (Baylor). Every game I went to watch I could pick out multiple famous college coaches that were just sitting right across the court
from me.
Boom!
After just about every three, each team’s fans and bench players would yell boom as the ball went in. This added another unique aspect to the tournament. Team Takeover was easily the best at the boom sound effect, and they were yelling boom left and right after Duke commit Darren Harris put on a shooting clinic in the Peach Jam championship game. The boom sound effect is starting to become a staple in high school basketball as it just started to be a trend in these past few years.
My Standouts From Peach Jam
- Cooper Flagg; Class of 2025, Maine United
- Cayden Boozer; Class of 2025, NightRydas Elite
- Dylan Harper; Class of 2024, New York Rens
- Darren Harris; Class of 2024, Team Takeover
- Cam Scott; Class of 2024, Team United
- Jahlil Bethea; Class of 2024, Team Final
- Boogie Fland; Class of 2024, PSA Cardinals
- Donnie Freeman; Class of 2024, Team Takeover
- Tyran Stokes; Class of 2026, Vegas Elite
- Pharaoh Compton; Class of 2024, Vegas Elite
- John Mobley Jr. Class of 2024, Vegas Elite
- Khaman Maker; Class of 2024, Oakland Soldiers
Overall, Peach Jam was an amazing experience and I already want to go back next year. It was so fun to watch the best high school basketball players in the country compete on the biggest stage. Everything was just mind-blowing to me, whether it was the flashy court designs or the big name college coaches, it was all surreal. Peach Jam is outstanding at showcasing the future of basketball and it is a high school basketball fan’s galore.
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