AOT Goes 1-3 in First Session
Atlanta, Georgia – The 2019 Nike EYBL season tipped off this past weekend in Atlanta’s own suburban backyard in Emerson, Georgia at the fabulous Lakepoint Sportscenter. It was also the start of the one and only spring live period, where…
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Continue ReadingAtlanta, Georgia – The 2019 Nike EYBL season tipped off this past weekend in Atlanta’s own suburban backyard in Emerson, Georgia at the fabulous Lakepoint Sportscenter. It was also the start of the one and only spring live period, where college coaches and scouts get to spectate their recruits and maybe even spot some new recruits.
Georgia’s own AOT Running Rebels had themselves a great year last AAU season in the Nike EYBL. The Running Rebels finished the regular season with a 13-3 overall regular season record and making an appearance in the Nike Peach Jam last July. They finished Peach Jam with a 3-2 record and unfortunately ended their season there in pool play.
This year, top prospects, 2020 PG Sharife Cooper and 2020 SG Brandon Boston Jr., were the main key pieces returing from last year’s team and this past weekend was not the start they were looking to get off at. The Running Rebels went undefeated last spring when the sessino was hosted in Atlanta, but this year they finish their hometown weekend with a 1-3 overall record.
The Nike EYBL is a grind and it will take a team effort to get wins in this league. Individually, Sharife Cooper and Brandon Boston Jr. had themselves a solid start. Cooper current leads the Nike EYBL in scoring after the first session at 31.3 points per game, while Brandon averages 22.5 points per game. Sharife also ranks in the top five in assists so far at 7.0 assists per game after the first session.
Their loses came from Alabama Fusion (AL), Team WhyNot (CA), and the Oakland Soldiers (CA). Their win came against Georgia’s own Georgia Stars, a program they defeated last year also in Dallas, Texas. Cooper, Boston Jr, and the rest of the AOT squad will certainly have to step their game up the rest of the way.
WIth the NCAA changing the recruiting calendar, the Nike EYBL was forced to cut down a session this year. The EYBL usually have four sessions, but this year there will only be three, which means less games. Prospects like 2020 W Eugene Brown III, 2020 C Dylan Cardwell, and 2020 F Cam Bryant will have to step up if they plan on making another Nike Peach Jam appearance.