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Syracuse commit Malachi Richardson (above) and the rest of Team Final make their first public appearance on Saturday. (Photo: Mark Jordan)
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL), a summer league consisting of 40 of the country’s top Nike-sponsored AAU programs, tips off next week in Sacramento. With just one week before the big event–the only “live” recruiting period before three in July–various Nike-backed programs around the country are getting ready to play in front of hundreds of Division I coaches from April 25-27.
Team Final, the Philadelphia-area’s entry into the EYBL and one of its title condenters this season, is hosting a scrimmage on Saturday that will have a quartet of Nike programs on three courts at Life Center Academy, as well as a few other teams stopping by.
This is the first time that Team Final’s 17U, 16U and 15U teams will be on display, and big things are expected for this group. The 17s are led by Villanova commit Donte Divincenzo and Syracuse commit Malachi Richardson, plus D-I targets Lamarr Kimble, Levan Alston, Jr. and Trey Lowe and more. For a full preview of Team Final, click here.
Baltimore Elite and Team Takeover are both based out of the Baltimore area, and both are stocked with Division I talent. Baltimore Elite, who plays in the same “A” Division of the EYBL as Team Final, features 2016 studs Khalil Richards and Daquan Bracey, who are also teammates at St. Frances (Md.), on the 16U roster. On their top team, they have rising senior Evan Fisher (McDonogh), a 6-9 forward, and reclassified 2016 point guard Kurk Lee (St. Frances).
Team Takeover is probably the stronger of the two 17U programs out of the DMV Area. They’re led by recent Syracuse commit Franklin Howard, as well as high-major targets Justin Jenifer, Bryant Crawford and Josh Reaves. For more on the two above squads, make sure to check out the excellent work by our friends at DMV Elite.
In fact, the entire 2015 recruiting class for Syracuse will be present. Tyler Lydon, a 6-foot-8 combo forward with a sweet shooting stroke, leads Albany City Rocks, which features some of the top talent from northern New York. He’ll join Richardson, a 6-6 shooting guard, and Howard, a 6-4 combo guard, on campus next fall.
Also stopping by for an early set of games are the Jersey Shore Warriors, while Philly Pride’s 15Us–who didn’t play in last week’s Spring Jam Fest–also make their debut with a pair of games.
Here’s the complete schedule for tomorrow’s scrimmages, which will be held at Life Center Academy (2045 Burlington Columbus Rd; Burlington Township, N.J); admission is $4:
10:30
Court 1, 16U: Jersey Shore Warriors vs. Team Final Black
Court 2, 17U: Jersey Shore Warriors vs. Team Final Black
Court 3, 15U: Jersey Shore Warriors vs. Philly Pride
11:45
Court 1, 17U: Baltimore Elite vs. Albany City Rocks
Court 2, 17U: Team Final vs. Takeover Orange
Court 3, 15U: Team Final vs. Takeover Black
1:00
Court 1, 16U: Baltimore Elite vs. Albany City Rocks
Court 2, 16U: Team Final vs. Takeover Black
Court 3, 15U: Baltimore Elite vs. Albany City Rocks
2:15
Court 1, 16U: Takeover Orange vs. Team Final Black
Court 2, 17U: Takeover Orange vs. Baltimore Elite
Court 3, 15U: Takeover Orange vs. Philly Pride
3:30
Court 1, 16U: Team Final vs. Albany City Rocks
Court 2, 17U: Team Final vs. Albany City Rocks
Court 3, 15U: Team Final vs. Albany City Rocks
4:45
Court 1, 15U: Takeover Orange vs. Baltimore Elite
Court 2, 16U: Takeover Black vs. Baltimore Elite
Court 3, 16U: Takeover Orange vs. Team Final Black