Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Peach Jam Friday Viewing Guide

9am - Texas Titans vs Howard Pulley

Start off your morning with future Duke shooting guard Matt Jones (#19) going up against Class of 2014 point guard super recruit Tyus Jones (#3). I have yet to see either play and really want to see Jones, the best point guard prospect of his class who is compared to Chris Paul. Jones need to finish better and work on his shot, but he is described as the purest of point guards. Matt Jones has ideal shooting guard size and is an excellent shooter. Both are the best prospects on their teams by a decent margin so expect a battle between the two. Matt Jones has more help with power forward Damian Jones (#70). He is young for his class and very smart.


10:30am Boo Williams vs Team Final

Boo Williams is led by Anthony "Cat" Barber and Troy Williams, two guys I saw in Alexandria, and have another top 40 recruit for them playing on the perimeter. Allerick Freeman (#36) is what you call a power wing player and will have his best success in college. He holds offers from Duke, Ohio State, Kansas, UCLA, and Villanova. They will be going up against Rondae Jefferson's Team Final team. Jefferson against Troy Williams is the matchup I really want to see. Both are super athletic, long, and get after it on both ends of the court. Team Final also has a smart Northwestern commit at point guard, Jaren Sina (#74), that will attempt to stay in front of Barber. Good luck with that. Devon Hall  (#99) may be better for the job, another top 100 point guard heading to Virginia.

12pm CIA Bounce vs Mac Irvin

I was mainly looking for great position battles when picking out games, but you can't pass up the top two players of 2014 doing battle. This game pits Andrew Wiggins up against Jahlil Okafor (#2) and although they play different positions, you can bet Okafor will be out to prove he deserves to be number one. We do have a nice point guard matchup here. CIA Bounce has a trio of ball handlers who all played together for Team Canada - Tyler Ennis, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, and Kevin Zabo. One of the youngest players in the tournament, Marcus Lovett Jr (#5 Class of 2015) will be given the difficult duty of hanging with CIA Bounce's guards. He could earn major points if he leads his team to a win here. He does have help though, as Billy Garrett is also on the team. Garrett really caught my attention with his performance at the Nike Global Challenge.

1:30pm to 6pm will be 16U teams.


6pm Bluff City Legends vs Arkansas Wings

The matchup to watch here is ironically not on the wings, but inside. Bobby Portis and Moses Kingsley team together just like at the Nike Global Challenge to form a defensive force inside. Johnathan Williams III (#19), who could possibly join Portis at Arkansas, is going to be expected to go up against him at power forward in this game. Williams III gets some Odom comparisons. The combination of him and Nick King, who should get some minutes at the PF, will really challenge Portis' lateral quickness. And if the Legends can score inside, it will be a big statement from Williams III and King. Shooting guard JaJuan Johnson is also in this game playing for Arkansas and could be the edge the Wings need to win this game.

7:30pm California Supreme vs Houston Hoops

This matchup should easily be the best of game of the 7:30 starts, although Kennedy Meeks vs  Trey Lyles should garner some attention. Both these teams are loaded, Supreme has Nigel Williams-Goss and Parker Jackson-Cartwright in the backcourt. Hopefully this time Jackson-Cartwright gets to be the playmaker. They also have Marcus Lee, who is a big time prospect at power forward. Big man Torren Jones is the perfect compliment to him inside. All four guys played at the Global Challenge. Houston won't be intimidated though, as Keith Frazier and Justin Jackson also received invites to the prestigious event in Alexandria. Along with Justise Winslow (#11 Class of 2014), they may prove to be too much on the wings. Derrick Griffin, who is headed to Texas A&M, can provide Lee with a tough matchup with his strength.

9pm CP3 All-Stars vs Mokan Elite

It will be tempting not to watch Boo Williams again as they take on the Oakland Soliders, but there will be better matchups to see Aaron Gordon in. Assuming he makes it through Friday healthy. Mokan Elite can be a one man show at times with Semi Ojeleye (#33), who now has a Duke offer on the table. He will be pitted up against Theo Pinson, so we could have a nice back and forth between the two. If Pinson shuts him down though, we could have a blowout. CP3 All-stars have more talents, including SF Greg McClinton (#81) and point guard JaQuel Richmond (#41 in Class of 2014).

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