Nike EYBL Session #1 Recap

By David Cordova

Now that it is April, it marks the start of the AAU season for many of the elite programs in the country. The biggest & most prestigious stage of the three major circuits around is the Nike EYBL, which is in its fifth year of existence. The Nike EYBL has produced countless McDonald’s All-Americans, Division I college stars and more than 100 NBA players, including Andrew Wiggins,  Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon and Anthony Davis, to name a few.

There were many elite Division I colleges from schools such as Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgetown, UConn, Miami, SMU, Iowa and many others on hand to scout the talent from across the United States and Canada.

The EYBL is one of the biggest events in the country and presents the toughest competition. It is a stage where the best of the best perform in the search of a scholarship and the opportunity to make it to the Nike Peach Jam, the Nike EYBL’s finale which happens in mid-July in North Augusta, SC. This weekend brought out a lot of major talent to the EYBL as plenty of major talent was spread out over eight courts. It is branded as the toughest league in America.

Here is some of the most outstanding players that showed out in this great event:

Mohammed Bamba, Westown School (PA)/PSA Cardinals, Class of 2017 -Bamba is a long, agile athletic center who is very dominant. He is known for being above the rim and blocking many shots. He holds offers from Seton Hall, Villanova, Maryland, Texas, Temple, James Madison, Yale & Rice.

Omari Spellman, MacDuffie School (MA)/PSA Cardinals, Class of 2016 – Spellman is a big man that can run the floor very well with or without the ball.  He is also a good shooter, even from the three-point line. He is verbally committed to Villanova.

Howard Washington, Montverde Academy (FL)/Albany City Rocks, Class of 2016 – Washington is a pure point guard and is also a scorer when needed. He holds offers from Xavier, Wake Forest, Miami (FL), Boston College, Memphis, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Dayton, UPenn, Boston University, Canisius, George Washington, Siena, Buffalo and Rice.

Myles Powell, Trenton Catholic Academy (NJ)/New Jersey Playaz, Class of 2016 – Powell is a scoring guard that is known for his flashy ball handling and shooting stroke.  He averaged 22 points throughout the weekend. He holds offers from Delaware, Robert Morris, St. Joseph’s,  Drexel, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Temple & Rider.

Marcus Zegarowski, Hamilton-Wenham (MA)/Expressions Elite, Class of 2017 – Zegarowski is a lights-out shooter that can score and can get to the basket easily.

Nicholas Richards, The Patrick School (NJ)/Expressions Elite, Class of 2017 – Richards is a big man that can shoot jump hooks, rebound and also is able to throw down ferocious dunks. He is also a great shot blocker.

Arnaldo Toro, St. Benedict’s Prep (NJ)/Albany City Rocks, Class of 2016 – A big man that is capable of shooting from long range. He holds an offer from Iona.

Jayson Tatum, Chaminade (MO)/St. Louis Eagles – An offensive dynamo that plays above the rim. Is aggresive and can finish at the basket. Had a 27 point, 11-rebound game against The Family in Saturday’s game. He holds offers from Duke, UConn, Arizona, North Carolina, Kentucky, Kansas, St. Louis, Illinois, Wake Forest, Missouri, UCLA, Indiana, Michigan State, Ohio State, North Carolina State, Memphis, Marquette and Florida.

Jeremiah Tilmon, East St. Louis (IL)/St. Louis Eagles, Class of 2016 – An athletic player that can play above the rim. He holds an offer from Illinois.

Rodney Miller, Oak Hill (VA)/NY Lightning, Class of 2016 – A solid big man that can block shots and also score inside on the low post. He holds offers from Seton Hall, Georgia Tech, UConn, Tulsa and Wake Forest.

Kassoum Yakwe, Our Savior New American (NY)/PSA Cardinals, Class of 2016 – An athletic player that is adept at blocking shots and rebounding. He holds offers from Seton Hall, Syracuse, Oregon, UNLV, St. John’s, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Kansas and Louisville.

Michael Porter, Jr, Father Tolton Regional Catholic High School (MO)/MOKAN Elite, Class of 2017 – A long, lanky forward that can shoot and can take it to the basket. He holds offers from Indiana, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, SMU and Washington.

De’Aaron Fox, Cypress Lakes High School (TX)/Houston Hoops, Class of 2016 – A player who is great on the perimeter and can take contact when going to the basket.  He holds offers from Texas Tech, SMU, Baylor, Kansas State, Texas & Texas A&M.

Hary Giles III, Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC)/CP3 All-Stars, Class of 2016 – A big man that is powerful in the paint on both offense and defense. He holds offers from UConn, UNLV, Baylor, Syracuse, Kansas, Georgetown, Duke, Kentucky, North Carolina, Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Maryland, Florida State, Ohio State and Texas.

Malik Monk, Bentonville High School (AR)/Arkansas Wings Elite, Class of 2016 – A long, athletic forward to that can hang above the rim. He holds offers North Carolina, Baylor, Kansas, Florida, Indiana, Memphis, Arkansas and LSU.

Darnell Rogers, Indian Land High School (NC)/CP3 All-Stars, Class of 2016 – A pint-sized guard that plays bigger than what his height implies. He scored 29 points on Friday night over Team Penny.