Pool A Breakdown of Peach Jam

REAKDOWNS OF TEAM TAKEOVER, E1T1, BABC, TEAM TEXAS ELITE, ALL OHIO AND CALIFORNIA SUPREME

TEAM TAKEOVER

Team Takeover

Location: Washington, D.C.

Record: 16-2

Peach Jam Schedule:

July 11 (8:00 am) – vs. California Supreme

July 11 (6:00 pm) – at All-Ohio Red

July 12 (11:00 am) – vs. Team Texas Elite

July 12 (8:00 pm) – at BABC

July 13 (11:00 am) – vs. E1T1

 

Team Synopsis: Keith Stevens and the rest of Team Takeover deserves a warm round of applause. But as good as they were during the regular season, they now have a huge target on their backs heading into the Peach Jam. As long as Stevens’ fiery coaching and Takeover’s long ball continues to fall, they shouldn’t have too much of a problem getting out of this pool.

 

Guards: Team Takeover has a strong rotation of guards including Phil Booth, Dion Wiley and Tre Campbell. Both Booth and Wiley can shoot it from deep and Campbell led the during the regular season in assists.

 

Forwards: Martin Geben should not be overlooked this postseason, especially after recently helping Lithunia to the Bronze medal in the U19 FIBA world games.. Although he only averaged 7.5 points per game during the regular season, he can enforce his will in the paint and wear any frontcourt down.

 

Center: Quadree Smith is a load under the hoop. If he gets some more minutes — he averaged just 13.5 during the season — he’ll be able to grab more than his fair share of rebounds, leaving very few for the opposing team.

 

X-Factor: Team Takeover doesn’t have that one star to lean on during tough times. For that reason, Team Takeover’s X-Factor is head coach Keith Stevens. If you ever see him coach in person, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I refer to him as, “fiery,” and Team Takeover will need him to get the most out of his players each and every game.

EACH 1 TEACH 1

Each 1 Teach 1

Location: Orlando, Florida

Record: 14-6

Peach Jam Schedule:

July 11 (9:30 am) – vs. All-Ohio Red

July 11 (6:30 pm) – at Team Texas Elite

July 12 (8:00 am) – vs. BABC

July 12 (5:00 pm) – vs. California Supreme

July 13 (11:00 am) – at Team Takeover

 

Team Synopsis: Even before the addition of Grayson Allen, E1T1 was a Peach Jam finals contender because of how balanced their team is. And if it wasn’t for a forfeited loss in Minneapolis, they would be heading into the postseason with some real steam flowing behind them. With so much talent all over the lineup, though, that petty loss shouldn’t matter at all because this team has firepower.

 

Guards: This is the strength of E1T1. Led by Joel Berry, a pure point guard who always looks to set up his teammates, E1T1 can move the ball with ease on the perimeter and shoot before you can even get a hand up. The ones shooting the ball, Kobie Eubanks, D’Angelo Russell and Allen, can be streaky but will light you up if you fall asleep.

 

Forwards: Boubacar Moungoro was in the running for D1 Circuit’s Most Improved Player, and there’s good reason for it. By shooting 51 percent from the field this season, Moungoro has turned himself into a serious inside-outside threat. Productivity out of Mike Gilmore and Alex Owens makes them very tough to beat.

 

Center: Trayvon Reed towers at 7’2”, so that alone is a problem for any opposing frontcourt. The second problem, Reed can really play some defense. He recorded seven blocks against the CIA Bounce back on May 25.

 

X-Factor: E1T1 played the Minneapolis session without a big scorer in their backcourt in Russell. Since then, Russell has signed with Ohio State. With that pressure off of his back, Russell could be a lethal scoring threat to pair perfectly with Berry and Allen.

BABC

BABC

Location: Boston, Mass.

Record: 11-7

Peach Jam Schedule:

July 11 (11:00 am) – vs. Team Texas Elite

July 11 (8:00 pm) – at California Supreme

July 12 (8:00 am) – at E1T1

July 12 (8:00 pm) – vs. Team Takeover

July 13 (8:00 am) – at All-Ohio Red

 

Team Synopsis: BABC is a methodical team. They’re not going to score a ton but they take advantage of their moments throughout the game. A balanced roster with a little bit of everything helped them start the season off hot and clinch their bid to the Peach Jam.

 

Guards: No word has been said on Johnny Joseph’s status as of yet but with him on the court, BABC becomes much stronger defensively. Alongside him is dead-eye shooter Tyler Nelson, who should never be left wide open.

 

Forwards: Terrance Mann ended up second on BABC in minutes played, and there’s good reason for it. The 6-foot-5 wing was fourth on the team in scoring and second in rebound per game.

 

Center: He’s not exactly a center, but not enough can be said about Bonzie Colson’s season and his presence down low. The undersized, unranked power forward continually stayed in the top ten in the EYBL in points per game and rebounds, making him one of the league’s best overall players.

 

X-Factor: Again, Bonzie Colson is BABC’s X-Factor. As long as he can continue to prove that he can bang in the post with bigger, stronger bodies, BABC could ride Colson all the way into the finals.

TEAM TEXAS ELITE

Team Texas Elite

Location: Dallas, Texas

Record: 10-8

Peach Jam Schedule:

July 11 (11:00 am) – at BABC

July 11 (6:30 pm) – vs. E1T1

July 12 (11:00 am) – at Team Takeover

July 12 (6:30 pm) – at All-Ohio Red

July 13 (9:30 am) – vs. California Supreme

 

Team Synopsis: Team Texas Elite is a dangerous Peach Jam contender because of the inside-out roster they have. Built to shoot from deep but also go inside, Team Texas Elite will adapt to your defense and beat you however they see fit.

 

Guards: Austin Grandstaff’s recently committed to Oklahoma State, shortly after a great showing in Minneapolis. The 2015 shooting guard is a serious threat from three, shooting 37 percent from deep this season. He teams with the coach’s son Matt McQuaid to form a lethal backcourt from distance.

 

Forwards: TJ Maston is a gifted rebounder. So much that he actually out-rebounded the bigger, stronger Elijah Thomas during the season.

 

Center: Thomas is a top-ranked player in the 2015 class. He’s big and very skilled in the post, built in the mold of Al Jefferson. He led Team Texas Elite in points per game during the regular season with 15.5.

 

X-Factor: Team Texas Elite needs to rely on that inside-out game. For that to happen, Thomas and Grandstaff have to be on top of their games. When they are, they could be unstoppable.

ALL OHIO RED

All Ohio Red

Location: Columbus, Ohio

Record: 10-8

Peach Jam Schedule:

July 11 (9:30 am) – at E1T1

July 11 (5:00 pm) – vs. Team Takeover

July 12 (9:30 am) – at California Supreme

July 12 (6:30 pm) – vs. Team Texas Elite

July 13 (8:00 am) – vs. BABC

 

Team Synopsis: All Ohio Red is more than just a one-man machine. A host of supporting characters gives All Ohio Red a solid shot at upsetting Pool A. Although not a great three-point shooting team, All-Ohio Red can put points up on you in a hurry.

 

Guards: Shemar Waugh may be small but it plays to his advantage. Waugh will beat you with his speed off the dribble and then kick it off to one of his high scoring forwards on the perimeter.

 

Forwards: Jae’Sean Tate is the name you need to know about here. The Ohio State commit can score on you any way he pleases. Be it from inside or out, Tate will without a doubt get his points. Also worth a mention is Vincent Edwards, All-Ohio Red’s second leading scorer on the season. The skilled swingman takes pressure off of Tate when he is on his game.

 

X-Factor: The easy answer here is Tate because of the weight he carries on the team. But already assuming that he’s going to get his points, Javon Bess has to step up. Both he and Edwards need to play big to compensate All-Ohio Red’s lack of size in the frontcourt.

CALIFORNIA SUPREME

California Supreme

Location: California

Record: 7-11

Peach Jam Schedule:

July 11 (8:00 am) – at Team Takeover

July 11 (8:00 pm) – vs. BABC

July 12 (9:30 am) – vs. All-Ohio Red

July 12 (5:00 pm) – at E1T1

July 13 (9:30 am) – at Team Texas Elite

 

Team Synopsis: California Supreme did what they could to sneak into the Peach Jam with just a 7-11 record but their roster is good enough to make it further than that. A plethora of talented guards and a couple bigs gives Cali Supreme a team that is ready to silence the critics.

 

Guards: Parker Jackson-Cartwright, Julian Richardson and Aaron Holiday are all ranked nationally and give Cal Supreme some perimeter threats. But it’s Brian Beard is their special drive-and-dish player, who is always looking to set up teammates. He led them in assists per game during the season with 3.4.

 

Forwards: Bennie Boatwright has length for days and a beautiful jump shot to boot. He’s a smooth wing that can beat you all sorts of ways.

 

Center: Payton Dastrup and Zylan Cheatham are the big guys in the middle. They may lack a little in height but they are both strong rebounders. Cheatham is also good for a highlight dunk or two as well.

 

X-Factor: Cali Supreme needs all they can get from that deep backcourt of theirs. If all four of those guards can play up to the level they’re capable of, Cali Supreme will certainly upset a couple teams in this pool and have a legitimate shot of moving forward.

 

Written by: Jonah Steinmeyer