IndiHoops Ranking Recap : How We Got Here

Following session one of the live period the main question persists -  have we seen the last shoe company league finale?

These are the last results as we head into after finishing the first session of July, the first of three.  Now Vegas will be very interesting, but our top three have been revealed based on the championships.

Nike EYBL Circuit

Team Takeover was the favorite going into the Nike EYBL Peach Jam.  The Washington D.C.-based team took home the title this year, avenging their loss in the finals from last year after beating Russell Westbrook’s Team WhyNot, a first year EYBL team.

Team Takeover capped off a historic season at 23-1 in the EYBL,  defeating Team WhyNot who was not ranked going into the tournament.  Because Team WhyNot gave Team Takeover a great run they are now ranked at #5.

Team Takeover’s lone loss in the EYBL came to Nike Team Florida in pool play, a team that featured Scottie Barnes, a standout at #IndiWorld1 and a top five player.

The Oakland Soldiers made a deep run with Boogie Ellis, who picked up interest from Duke due to how well he played.  Ellis hit four 3s in a row and NBA legend Scottie Pippen was seen in the stands just loving the performance.

Scottie Pippen was too hype after Boogie Ellis back to back threes! @Soldiers_Salute pic.twitter.com/LRelkYEWzI

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 14, 2018

Jahmir Young of Takeover was also a standout in the EYBL finale, where he was perfect from the field, going 5-5 and was also perfect from the line, hitting all 3 free-throws he took. Young really increased his stock because he is undecided and only has offers from mid-majors.  Fielding offers from George Mason and UNC Charlotte, Young is certainly someone to track moving forward after showing he can compete at the highest level.

Cassius Stanley of Team WhyNot scored 15 points and 3 rebounds.  It is interesting to note that Kevin Knox is about to turn 19 year old and just got drafted by the Knicks, whereas Cassius Stanley is already 19 and is going to be a senior in high school.

Cassius Stanley will play his final year of high school at Sierra Canyon, where Marvin Bagley played and where LeBron James Jr. is scheduled to go.

Under Armour Association

New Heights comes in at #2 after winning the Under Armour Circuit.

New Heights was on the radar all year and we place a heavy value on winning your circuit’s championship. There were 78 teams at the UA challenge in Atlanta on July 11-14, and New Heights defeated Philly Pride in the championship in a nail-biter, 56 to 55.  New Heights jumped all the way from #19 to the #2 spot after the win.

Philly Pride was our  #12 team heading into the final and Philly Pride jumps up to the #6 spot.

New Heights saw a 20-8 performance from Precious Adhiuwa, a top 15 player out of The Bronx New York.  Adhuiwa is a 5 star recruit with offers from Kansas, UCLA, Ohio State and is definitely a player to track for the rest of July.

Lastly, Philly Pride’s Hakeem Hart is a 6-6 shooting guard that scored 13 points in the final and  just got an offer from St. Joes and is trending up.

Adidas Gauntlet

Compton Magic won the Adidas Gauntlet final, moving all the way up to #3 in the rankings after being previously unranked. Compton Magic made a surprise run to the final and won it when it counted.

D1 Minnesota remains at #4 after they lost in the championship to Compton Magic, 87-83.

Tyrell Terry, a Stanford commit, scored 20 in the final for D1 Minnesota in a loss.

Matthew Hurt, a still undeclared top 10 player, scored 15.  It is still a mystery where he will end up but Hurt will certainly be one of the most watched guys in July.

Evan Mobley, scored 17 pts in the final shooting 7-9 from the field.  Mobley was recently named the #1 player on ESPN Class of 2020 rankings and is a USC Trojans commit.  His brother Eric Mobley finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds and is also a USC commit.

Over the past few years, the Compton Magic served as a pipeline to the UCLA Bruins, sending many of their players to Westwood.  Now the team appears to be a pipeline to USC, with Onyeka Okongwu committing to USC alongside the Mobley brothers.  

Okongwu also played with the Ball brothers at Chino Hills High School. He is the 13th ranked player in ESPN for class of 2019.

NCAA Proposed Restructuring For AAU Highly Unpopular

There have been countless tweets over the weekend from those in the media and people in grassroots doubting that the proposed restructuring of grassroots basketball by the NCAA will work.  Many have asked - Where is Condoleezza Rice - who is the head of the commission on college basketball. Long time scout Frank Burlison noted how amazing this weekend was for basketball and does not want to see the current structure go.  The proposed decision continues to be very unpopular.

So, there are folks who think that keeping NCAA coaches away from non-NCAA/NABC (?)-run "evaluation events" will keep players/parents/"advisors"/"Coaches" from taking $$$ from "agents/agent-types/boosters" when offered behind closed doors? You can't legislate morality. people.

— Frank Burlison (@FrankieBur) July 17, 2018

Basketball such a great tool to encourage young men to stay off the streets by choosing the gym. As a result, young men stay safe while developing self esteem, work ethic, confidence, all while networking and creating life long friendships. Grassroots basketball changes lives!

— Rivals Nation (@RivalsNation) July 8, 2018

All these great exposure live events for travel & grassroots basketball and the @NCAA considering taking them away... So many feel good stories will be doomed if this happens.

What about the kids?

Someone help me out here!

— Kowacie Reeves (@HypesouthMedia) July 13, 2018