NIKE Peach Jam 16-Under Analysis Plus Final Notes

By Roy & Harv Schmidt

July 18, 2010

3:00 P.M. CST

The majority of our coverage in the 16-Under division at the NIKE Peach Jam in North Augusta, SC centered around watching the Mac Irvin Fire, which was the only Illinois-based traveling team represented amongst that group, with a few prospects also playing for the St. Louis Eagles.  The following is our analysis of those 16-under players who stood out in the games that we watched.

... The jury may still be out when it comes to projecting the best college prospect from the "big three" from Illinois in the class of 2013, but make no mistake about it--the best high school player at this time is 6'7 forward Jabari Parker from Simeon Career Academy in Chicago.  That is because he is the hardest worker of the three and has been the most productive.  At Peach Jam, Parker clearly carried the 16-Under Fire team in all of their contests and was a model of consistency.  He finished, he nailed pullup jumpers, handled the ball and rebounded.  What is especially scary is that Parker continues to grow and get stronger and continues to do whatever it takes to get even better, which explains why his up side is through the roof.  It is therefore no surprise that college coaches flocked to all of Parker's games in droves.

... As we noted in our recruiting notes from Peach Jam, the second best player for the 16-Under Fire based on performance was 6'3 class of 2012 off-guard Jamal Millison from Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove, IL.  Millison shot the ball extremely well and was effective in the open court and finishing on the break.  He and 6'2 class of 2012 point guard Jerron Wilbut have been splendid throughout the spring and summer and the fact that Millison got it done against top national competition at Peach Jam is just one more reason why the Millison-Wilbut back court combination is one of the best in the state from the 2012 class.  We are starting to think that Downers Grove South could receive a top ten state ranking when we come out with our preseason high school team rankings in November.

... While we would still like to see more consistency, there is no question that 6'7 class of 2012 forward Steve Taylor from Simeon certainly had his moments at Peach Jam and showed us why he ranks right near the top of the 2012 rankings in Illinois, as he is one of the most versatile front court players in that class.  Taylor is active around the basket, is strong on the glass and a consistent scorer in the paint area.  He has also started to show the ability to face up and knock down open shots out to 3-point land, although this is an area that still needs refinement.  In a class that lacks a true superstar, we expect Taylor to remain right near the top and believe that the best is still yet to come.

... There is no other way to say it--6'8 class of 2013 forward Tommy Hamilton Jr. from Whitney Young High School in Chicago looked rusty as the result of missing most of the spring due to injury and at times even appeared disinterested.  As a result, he only played sparingly throughout the course of Peach Jam and overall did not make much of an impact.  We also find it to be more than mere coincidence that this appears to be having an influence on Hamilton's recruitment, as a number of high major programs who have expressed interest have really not gotten a chance to evaluate him.  Just one more reason why we consider the University Of Illinois to be a strong leader for Hamilton's services at this time.

... Another prospect who strikes us as being somewhat intriguing is 6'7 class of 2012 forward Willie Wiley from Springfield High School in Springfield, IL.  Wiley received scattered minutes playing for the St. Louis Eagles 16-Under squad and needs to become more consistent, but runs the floor well, has a nice shooting touch in the paint area and can score with his back to the basket.  We would like to see Wiley add strength and expand his shooting range, but he is a player that is definitely worth monitoring. 

Other Notes 

... Mike Shaw may have turned in a signature performance in the Mac Irvin Fire 17-Under's final game at Peach Jam.  In a 78-68 loss to Louisiana Select, Shaw put up 28 points including five three-point field goals and shot 10-14 from the field.  Simply put, it may have been the best game that we have ever seen Shaw play against top national competition.  If ever there is a player who truly gets it, it is Shaw, as he has come a long way over the past year and now recognizes what he needs to be at the next level.  While we have always regarded him as one of the three or four best college prospects in Illinois from the class of 2011, perhaps now the national respect will finally come.  And by the way, while Illinois and Michigan State are certainly two of the primary suitors in Shaw's recruitment, anyone who believes that it is a two-horse race at this point is truly out in left field.

... Sam Thompson seems to be the exact opposite of Shaw when it comes to evaluation--he is highly regarded by most of the national gurus while going underappreciated by a lot of the locals.  The bottom line right now is that Thompson does not see the ball as much as he should when he is on the floor for the Fire.  That is because the Fire guards shoot too much and do not look to Thompson as a primary option from the wing.  Therefore, virtually all of Thompson's production comes as the result of his own individual effort, which is usually displayed through his athleticism and high-flying acrobatics.  What we find especially interesting is that plenty of college coaches (in addition to those recruiting him) have told us that they believe Thompson's up side is even greater than Shaw's, which is further indication of why we still regard Thompson among the three best prospects in Illinois' 2011 class.

... While the Peach Jam is still one of the marquee events of the entire July evaluation period and once again featured an enormous amount of talent, attendance appeared to be down the last two days, especially when it came to the number of college coaches in the gym.  We believe that is not an indictment of Peach Jam, but rather the July recruiting landscape.  One college coach said it best when he told us that the July evaluation period is now too spread out, making it even more difficult to see everything that you need to in the amount of time that you have.  

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