In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s mid-July again, meaning swimming pools are packed, Major League Baseball is on a break, and Kentucky Sports Radio is going to the Peach Jam. Our time-honored tradition of pretending to be scouts returns this week and we’re on our way south for the annual shoulder-rubbing with college basketball’s biggest names in coaching and media.
Right now, Matt, Tomlin and I are somewhere in South Carolina, listening to the sweet sounds of Conway Twitty and eating up all of the Combos along the way. Tonight we’ll rest up in the finest hotel Priceline has to offer before we tackle three consecutive days of elite AAU basketball.
This year we’re mixing it up a bit by adding another event to the trip, Under Armour’s UAA Finals in Atlanta. We will check out The Finals action Wednesday night before driving up to North Augusta for Thursday and Friday Peach Jam basketball. Evan Daniels recommended the detour to us because UK has several prospects in Atlanta, while Wednesday is somewhat of a bore at the Peach Jam. We took Evan’s advice because we trust him, and because there is so much more to do in Atlanta at night. (Tomlin can’t wait to get to Magic City.)
Below you’ll find a rundown of who we plan to watch and when we plan to watch them. You can find the games online (we’ll have links later in the week) or you can read our rundowns afterward.
UAA Finals (Atlanta, GA)
UK TARGETS TO WATCH
Diamond Stone
Center
6’10″, 240 lbs.
AAU: Young Legends
Top247: No. 6 overall, No. 1 C
247 Composite: No. 16 overall, No. 2 C
Rivals: No. 6 overall, No. 1 C
ESPN: No. 4 overall, No. 1 C
Scout: No. 1 overall, No. 1 C
UK Offer: YES
Jaylen Brown
Small Forward
6’7″, 220 lbs.
AAU: Game Elite
Top247: No. 2 overall, No. 2 SF
247 Composite: No. 4 overall, No. 2 SF
Rivals: No. 3 overall, No. 2 SF
ESPN: No. 8 overall, No. 1 SF
Scout: No. 4 overall, No. 1 SF
UK Offer: YES
Derrick Jones
Small Forward
6’6″, 180 lbs.
AAU: WE R1
Top247: No. 19 overall, No. 5 SF
247 Composite: No. 26 overall, No. 5 SF
Rivals: No. 33 overall, No. 7 SF
ESPN: No. 27 overall, No. 4 SF
Scout: No. 43 overall, No. 11 SF
UK Offer: YES
Brandon Ingram
Small Forward
6’8″, 180 lbs.
AAU: Stackhouse
Top247: No. 17 overall, No. 4 SF
247 Composite: No. 18 overall, No. 4 SF
Rivals: No. 25 overall, No. 5 SF
ESPN: No. 12 overall, No. 2 SF
Scout: No. 26 overall, No. 5 SF
UK Offer: YES
Doral Moore
Center
7’0″, 215 lbs.
AAU: Atlanta Xpress
Top247: No. 36 overall, 8 C
247 Composite: No. 48 overall, 10 C
Rivals: No. 38 overall, No. 10 C
ESPN: No. 36 overall, No. 8 C
Scout: No. 35 overall, No. 13 C
UK Offer: NO
KSR’s MUST-SEE GAMES
Wednesday
Stackhouse vs. WE R1, 6:50 pm
Our trip will kick off with two Kentucky’s targets going head-to-head, small forward prospects Brandom Ingram and Derrick Jones. Jones has slid in the rankings recently while Ingram climbed, picking up his UK offer last weekend.
Game Elite vs. Illinois Wolves, 8:10 pm
We’ll get our first in-person look at Jaylen Brown in the second game of the evening in Atlanta. He and his Game Elite teammates will take on the Illinois Wolves, led by 247Sports.com’s 42nd ranked point guard, Roosevelt Smart. The Wolves have the best record in the UAA’s West Conference.
Young Legends vs. Atlanta XPress, 9:30 pm
It’s the battle of UK targeted big men when Diamond Stone goes up against Doral Moore in the Wednesday nightcap. Stone is the higher rated of the two, but Moore can make a statement with a good game.
Nike Peach Jam (North Augusta, SC)
UK TARGETS TO WATCH
Malik Newman
Combo Guard
6’3″, 175 lbs.
AAU: Jackson Tigers
Top247: No. 3 overall, No. 1 SG
247 Composite: No. 4 overall, No. 1 SG
Rivals: No. 2 overall, No. 1 SG
ESPN: No. 3 overall, No. 1 SG
Scout: No. 6 overall, No. 1 SG
UK Offer: YES
Ivan Rabb
Power Forward
6’9″, 205 lbs.
AAU: Oakland Soldiers
Top247: No. 2 overall, No. 1 PF
247 Composite: No. 5 overall, No. 2 PF
Rivals: No. 4 overall, No. 1 PF
ESPN: No. 1 overall, No. 1 PF
Scout: No. 3 overall, No. 2 PF
UK Offer: YES
Cheick Diallo
Power Forward/Center
6’9″, 210 lbs.
AAU: Team SCAN Cardinals
Top247: No. 5 overall, No. 2 PF
247 Composite: No. 3 overall, No. 1 PF
Rivals: No. 5 overall, No. 2 PF
ESPN: No. 7 overall, No. 4 PF
Scout: No. 5 overall, No. 2 C
UK Offer: YES
Stephen Zimmerman
Center
7’0″, 230 lbs.
AAU: Oakland Soldiers
Top247: No. 7 overall, No. 2 C
247 Composite: No. 13 overall, No. 1 C
Rivals: No. 7 overall, No. 2 C
ESPN: No. 6 overall, No. 2 C
Scout: No. 8 overall, No. 4 C
UK Offer: YES
Antonio Blakeney
Shooting Guard
6’4″, 170 lbs.
AAU: Each 1 Teach 1
Top247: No. 11 overall, No. 3 SG
247 Composite: No. 12 overall, No. 2 SG
Rivals: No. 16 overall, No. 3 SG
ESPN: No. 16 overall, No. 3 SG
Scout: No. 20 overall, No. 5 SG
UK Offer: YES
Tyus Battle (2016)
Shooting Guard/Small Forward
6’4″, 170 lbs.
AAU: Team SCAN Cardinals
Top247: No. 11 overall, No. 4 SG
247 Composite: No. 15 overall, No. 5 SG
Rivals: No. 25 overall, No. 8 SG
ESPN: No. 19 overall, No. 4 SG
Scout: No. 12 overall, No. 3 SF
UK Offer: YES
Harry Giles (2016)
Power Forward
6’4″, 170 lbs.
AAU: Team CP3
Top247: No. 2 overall, No. 1 PF
247 Sports Composite: No. 1 overall, No. 1 PF
Rivals: No. 2 overall, No. 1 PF
ESPN: No. 5 overall, No. 1 PF
Scout: No. 3 overall, No. 1 PF
UK Offer: YES
KSR’s MUST-SEE GAMES
Thursday
Jackson Tigers vs. Wings Elite, 6:00 pm
Assuming Malik Newman is playing, we’ll be sure to take a look at the Jackson Tigers in the Thursday night game against Wings Elite. Malik Monk, a star shooting guard in the 2016 class, plays for Wings Elite. It’ll be Malik vs. Malik, the two best shooting guards in each class.
Oakland Soldiers vs. Mac Irvin Fire, 7:30 pm
Oakland has the best frontcourt in the tournament with Ivan Rabb and Stephen Zimmerman. They’ll be going against the Mac Irvin Fire, the team that had the best frontcourt last summer with Jalil Okafor and Cliff Alexander.
Team SCAN Cardinals vs. Spiece Indy Heat, 7:30 pm
Team SCAN features two UK targets, 2015 big man Cheick Diallo and 2016 wing Tyus Battle. The New York based club will take on Trey Lyles old team, Spiece Indy Heat.
Each 1 Teach 1 vs. Team CP3/The Family, 9:00 pm
Harry Giles III’s Team CP3 will need to win its Wednesday night play-in game against The Family for a spot in the Peach Jam. A Wednesday night win will put CP3 in a Thursday night game against Antonio Blakeney, a new name on the list of prospects with offers from Kentucky.
Friday
Team SCAN Cardinals vs. MOKAN Elite, 9:00 am.
We’ll get a second look at Diallo and Battle in the 9:00 am game Friday morning, assuming we get up in time to get there. On second thought, it’s very unlikely we catch this one.
Jackson Tigers vs. Southern Stampede, 10:30 am
Because we can never see too much Malik Newman.
The Travelers vs. Oakland Soliders, 6:00 pm
It’s the Kentucky team versus defending Nike EYBL champs, the Oakland Soldiers. The Travelers won’t have an answer for Rabb and Zimmerman inside, but they’ll have at least three guys from Kentucky rooting for them from the sideline.
Also Worthy Of A Look
Tacko Fall — At 7 feet, 5 inches, Tacko Fall is the tallest player in high school basketball. He will be playing alongside Antonio Blakeney for Each 1 Teach 1. I can’t wait to see this guy in person.
Bill Self’s Hairpiece — It’s not a trip to the Peach Jam without a glance at Bill Self’s hairpiece. We’ll also be looking out for Roy Williams’ blanket.
Hooters — Let’s be honest, this is the real reason we drive to North Augusta every year. The scene at Hooters is always bizarre as coaches slam beers and hit on waitresses.
It’s going to be a fun week and we’ll have plenty of content here on the website for you to enjoy.