KSR’s top takeaways from Saturday at Peach Jam

It was quarterfinal and semifinal Saturday at the Nike Peach Jam. And the matchups did not disappoint. With EYBL seasons on the line, every game was a must-win scenario. College head coaches from all over the country were lining the courts to see how these talented high schoolers handled the pressure. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope and assistant coach Mo Williams were the Wildcats’ representatives throughout the day to watch all the action. What did the KSR crew see during our second-to-last day at the Riverview Park Activities Center? Dive in below to find out. We’ll be back in the gym for the championship game on Sunday morning. Ryan Hampton struggles in Peach Jam semifinals loss It was a strong week for Ryan Hampton in North Augusta. It was not a strong finish for the future Wildcat in North Augusta. Going into the quarterfinals on Saturday, the Kentucky pledge had not scored under 15 points in any of his games at Peach Jam, ranked 12th among performers in scoring at 17.8 points per game while adding 5.8 boards per contest. And he was doing it on solid shooting splits of 46/39/88 — the biggest knock on his game in general. Then he went for six points on 2-11 shooting in a comeback win vs. AB Elite to advance to the semis, only to follow that up with four points on 2-6 shooting in a 62-48 loss to Drive Nation to end his EYBL career. He was also limited to just 19 minutes after turning the ball over four times compared to just one assist, sitting out much of the fourth quarter as Nightrydas unsuccessfully tried to pull off the comeback without him. Some of those bad habits with shot selection and reckless decision-making crept back in on Saturday, but that shouldn’t take away from everything he did Tuesday to Friday to prove why he’s a top-20 prospect in the country. It just wasn’t his day. — Jack Pilgrim Cayden Daughtry’s legendary run continues It’s tough to put into words just how unprecedented Cayden Daughtry‘s Peach Jam run has been this week. It’s not that we haven’t seen big-time performances on this stage before — his play is simply in a different stratosphere than his peers. There are scouts and reporters with 20-plus years of experience at this event who haven’t seen the level of consistency Daughtry is producing. Through seven games this week, Daughtry is averaging 32.1 points per game. That’s 7.9 more than the second-leading Peach Jam scorer. His shooting splits are what have everyone dumbfounded: 58.9/47.2/91.2. Don’t forget his 6.1 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.3 steals. Despite having the ball in his hands constantly, he’s only averaging 2.1 turnovers per game. He was named EYBL MVP, the first time that award has ever been handed out. He is truly unreal and a spectacle to watch. And that is why he has the Florida Rebels in Sunday morning’s championship game. It will be a must-watch for every basketball fan. He and his squad will take on Drive Nation at 10:30 a.m. ET with a trophy on the line. Drive Nation’s story shouldn’t go unnoticed, either. They recently lost five-star talent Marcus Spears Jr. to Texas as a 2026 reclass, but haven’t skipped a beat with just a six-man roster that doesn’t boast multiple high-major players. Buckle up, folks. Tomorrow’s title matchup has the potential to be an all-timer. — Zack Geoghegan Who Mark Pope and Mo Williams watched on Saturday As the competition thinned out, more and more Kentucky targets were knocked out of the bracket. That made life a bit easier for Mark Pope and Mo Williams, who were able to easily hop from court to court without missing out on their top targets. Pope was in the gym for most of Saturday before heading out to Rock Hill for the adidas 3SSB Championships in the afternoon, but Williams was in North Augusta all day long. Here are the recruits with offers from Kentucky that Pope and Williams were sitting center stage for. Beckham Black (AB Elite): No. 3 overall Lewis Uvwo (Nightrydas): No. 8 overall Cayden Daughtry (Florida Rebels): No. 9 overall Ryan Hampton (Nightrydas): No. 18 overall 2028 Benji Berrouet (AB Elite): No. 14 overall 2028 Liam Mitakaro (Uplay): No. 27 overall — Zack Geoghegan Liam Mitakaro’s got the goods Suiting up for UPlay Canada U16, Mitakaro had a strong spring and early summer, averaging 15.4 points, 4.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals on 46/32/74 shooting splits. Then he was a standout for Canada at the U17 FIBA World Cup, all of it leading to an influx of new interest and scholarship offers, including from the likes of Kentucky, Arkansas, Texas and Ohio State, among others. Peach Jam was my first extended look at the 6-foot-3 guard, however, and he more than lived up to the hype. He’s not a flashy athlete with an emphasis on viral highlight plays, instead playing with poise and pace, methodically getting his game off in a Shai Gilgeous-Alexander kind of way — who he says he models his game after. He averaged 16.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals on 40/32/80 splits in North Augusta. Turnovers were high at 4.0 per game, efficiency probably not what he wanted it to be, but I don’t care. The dude produces and I found myself trusting him as a lead guard the more and more I watched him. He’s currently ranked No. 23 overall and No. 3 at his position, but circle back with me this time next year. I’m willing to bet he’s a top-10 prospect and making a push for No. 1 among point guards. — Jack Pilgrim BONUS: What Brandon Ramsey saw at adidas 3SSB Believe the RJ Evans Hype Having now seen many of the top Class of 2029 names in the country through the spring and summer, I believe the three best prospects are JJ Crawford, RJ Evans, and Mason Grivna. Coach Mark Pope has had eyes on both Crawford and Evans very recently, while Kentucky’s staff is obviously very familiar with Louisville Ballard’s Grivna as well. On Saturday, Coach Pope was front and center to watch Evans and ultimately extended an offer to the 6’6” wing. Even while playing up two age divisions for Austin Rivers SE Elite 17U, Evans was a two-way standout. He had 16 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, along with a couple of LeBron-esque chase-down blocks. Darius Wabbington is a Perfect Match for Coach Pope’s Offense If I were given the ability to hand-select one more Class of 2027 prospect to attend Kentucky, it would be Darius Wabbington. CJ Rosser and Adan Diggs are NBA-type scorers. Beckham Black and Cayden Daughtry are elite playmakers and lead guards. However, what Wabbington brings to the table is simply harder to replicate. He is the prototypical 5-man to run Zoom Action. The 6’10” forward is so skilled with the ball in his hands, fluid athletically, and still very physical. Kentucky recently was a part of Wabbington’s Top 6. Yann Kamagate is the Lewis Uvwo of the Class of 2028 Both big men had meteoric rises up the national rankings in the spring. They are also both elite rim protectors while being pretty raw on the offensive end. Yann Kamagate actually flashes a bit more potential with the ball in his hands, starting the fast break and operating in dribble handoffs on the perimeter, but Lewis Uvwo is a better interior finisher right now. Both are absolute freaks athletically and are, without a doubt, the two best shot blockers in high school basketball. — Brandon Ramsey