The first Nike EYBL event finished up this past weekend. It was one of the first live AAU circuit events of the summer for college coaches to get a look at the talent out there.
And thanks to the EYBL's ability to collect
box scores, here's your all-tournament team, with brief writeups of Terp targets. (Hey, it's cheaper than a plane ticket to Los Angeles.) Let's get started...
FIRST TEAM
Rashad Vaughn is one of the top targets on
Maryland's board this summer, and you can see why. The 6-foot-5,
200-pound junior is a consensus blue-chip player and proved it at the
EYBL event, leading scorers with 24.3 points per game on 52% shooting.
Of the first team, all but
Bonzie Colson were top 50 players in the class of 2014 -- and all were known commodities prior to the EYBL event. Look for Colson's stock to soar as he put BABC on his back. The 6-foot-7 junior held offers from schools like Quinnipiac, Vermont, Siena and Fairfield. But with a strong summer, he may earn himself a slew of high-major offers.
Player |
PPG |
RPG |
FG% |
AAU Team / College |
Rashad Vaughn |
24.3 | 7.0 |
52% |
Wisconsin Elite / n/a |
Tyus Jones |
20.0 |
3.0 |
57% |
Howard Pulley / n/a |
Stanley Johnson |
19.8 |
10.8 |
44% |
Oakland Soldiers / n/a |
James Blackmon |
19.0 |
4.3 |
53% |
Spiece Indy Heat / Indiana |
Bonzie Colson |
16.8 |
9.0 |
51% |
BABC / n/a |
SECOND TEAM
No Terps targets on this list, although two names are particularly intriguing.
Allonzo Trier lived up to the hype. The 2015 point guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma did it all over the weekend, scoring points (18.7), grabbing rebounds (4.3) and serving as his team's floor general.
Perhaps the biggest out-of-left-field surprise all weekend was in
Ajon Efferson. Though small in stature, Efferson was one of the most effective players in the field. The junior will need a few more performances like that to stay on the radar of college programs. But for the first event of the summer, it's a good start.
Player |
PPG |
RPG |
FG% |
AAU Team / College |
Trevon Bluiett |
18.7 |
5.0 |
42% |
Spiece Indy Heat / n/a |
Allonzo Trier |
18.7 |
4.3 |
43% |
Athletes First / n/a |
Ajon Efferson |
17.3 |
2.5 |
54% |
ICP Elite / n/a |
Justin Jackson |
17.3 |
5.0 |
66% |
Houston Hoops / UNC |
Jae'Sean Tate |
16.8 |
8.0 |
50% |
All Ohio Red / Ohio St. |
THIRD TEAM
Expect the Terps' coaching staff to be planted front and center for Expressions Elite's games this summer. Big man
Abdul-Malik Abu is among the top priorities for Maryland. The versatile power forward holds offers from a dozen high-major programs, a number sure to rise after his performance this weekend. Abu averaged 15.5 points and 4.5 rebounds on an efficient 58% from the floor.
Expect
D.J. Hogg's name to become more familiar over the summer. The 2015 power forward put up a stellar performance at the EYBL, scoring 29 of his team's 65 points in a win over Seattle Rotary.
Player |
PPG |
RPG |
FG% |
AAU Team / College |
DJ Hogg |
17.0 |
4.8 |
45% |
Texas Titans / n/a |
Kelly Oubre |
16.3 |
6.8 |
53% |
Houston Hoops / n/a |
Reid Travis |
16.0 |
9.3 |
42% |
Howard Pulley / n/a |
Abdul-Malik Abu |
15.5 |
4.5 |
58% |
Expressions Elite / n/a |
Elijah Thomas |
15.5 |
7.0 |
58% |
Team Texas Elite / n/a |
FOURTH TEAM
Everyone on the fourth team is a top 50ish recruit, including one of Maryland's primary targets: sharpshooting guard
Dion Wiley of Team Takeover. Wiley averaged 15 points, 3.3 assists and 2.8 rebounds on 46% from the floor and 48% from three-point range.
Keelon Lawson is one of the top players in the class of 2015 and one to keep an eye on this summer as his stock continues to rise.
Player |
PPG |
RPG |
FG% |
AAU Team / College |
Dion Wiley |
15.0 |
2.8 |
46% |
Team Takeover / n/a |
Keelon Lawson |
15.0 |
7.3 |
47% |
Bluff City Legends / n/a |
Justise Winslow |
14.5 |
6.8 |
52% |
Houston Hoops / n/a |
Devin Booker |
16.5 |
1.8 |
54% |
Alabama Challenge / n/a |
Chris McCullough |
12.5 |
7.3 |
78% |
Team Scan / Syracuse |