Southeastern PA Grassroots Report: Southern Jam Fest
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[player_tooltip player_id="1119147" first="Elmarko" last="Jackson"] of ANC & WeR1 This past weekend the Hoop Group / Boo Williams Southern Jam Fest, the marquee spring grassroots event here on the East Coast took center stage. The Southern Jam Fest pitted southeastern Pennsylvania’s…
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Continue ReadingThis past weekend the Hoop Group / Boo Williams Southern Jam Fest, the marquee spring grassroots event here on the East Coast took center stage. The Southern Jam Fest pitted southeastern Pennsylvania’s grassroots squads against many of the elite regional and national teams on the circuit.
Below is a review of prospects from southeastern Pennsylvania who played well at the Southern Jam Fest this past weekend.
17U (2022)
Kenny Jackson Kenny Jackson 6'3" | PG #23 Nation PA – 6’4” / Academy of the New Church / WeR1 / Combo Guard: After ANC had a very limited Covid season this winter, Jackson has been eager to get back out on the court. Unfortunately for his opponents at the Southern Jam Fest, they were on the receiving end of his unleased game. Imagine a Russell Westbrook style of guard with a very consistent jump shot and you would get this prospect. Jackson (Who is actually a C/O 2023 prospect “playing up”.) is a physical and fierce athlete who played aggressive, downhill basketball all weekend. Jackson pushed WER1 to the 16U division Elite 8 where they suffered a one point loss to eventual runner up Team Melo EyBL. Jackson holds offers from numerous schools including Hofstra, Ole Miss, Seton Hall, Cal, Rider and Sienna.
Matt Mayock Matt Mayock 6'4" | SG Westtown School | 2023 State PA – 6’4” / Westtown School / East Coast Power-Rap / Combo Guard: Mayock’s reputation as a high level spot up shooter proceeds him, but this weekend he definitely showed that he is developing into a more complete player. He scored off the bounce and was very effective in pick-n-roll and pick-n-pop action. He scored 20 points in a win over the Fairfax Stars (VA) and averaged 15 ppg. over the weekend (2-2). Mayock is a 2022 prospect we will be keeping a close eye on.
Byron Hopkins Byron Hopkins 6'0" | PG Upper Moreland | 2022 State PA – 6’3” / Montverde Academy (FL) / Team Final EYBL / Combo Guard: Unless you were living in a cave all weekend, you know that an absolutely stacked Team Final EYBL team stole the show down in Hampton Roads, VA. In fact, with the likes of Jalen Duren, Dereck Lively II Dereck Lively II 7'1" | C Westtown School | 2022 State #3 Nation PA and Emoni Bates flushing on opponent’s heads all day, Team Final’s Southern Jam Fest games became known as “The Show”. Still if you look deeper then social media highlights, for Williams (Philadelphia native and former Roman Catholic star) this was a break out weekend. Williams showed can score the ball at the cup whenever he wants. His jumper was “on” as well which made him very difficult to guard. He scored 16 points in the 17U semifinals as well as in the ‘chip game which TF won by 20 points over Team Takeover EYBL.
16U (2023)
Justin Edwards Justin Edwards 6'6" | PF Imhotep Charter | 2023 State #3 Nation PA – 6’7” / Imhotep Charter / Team Final EYBL / Wing: Edwards has now been extremely impressive at two of the biggest recruiting tournaments of the spring season. Back in March at the MADEHoops Midwest Mania (IN) event he killed the competition and led his squad to the championship. This past weekend at the Southern Jam fest, Edwards was one of the best prospects in the 16U division and Team Final again won the 16U hardware. He is an elite, lefty wing player who is always in attack mode. Then when defenses try to wall off the lane, he can knock down threes off the dribble or in transition. The list of schools that have offered Edwards a scholarship is growing at a ridiculous rate.
Augustus Gerhart Augustus Gerhart 6'9" | PF Hill School | 2023 State PA – 6’9’ / Hill School / Philly Pride / Power Forward: At the Southern Jam Fest Gerhart (a.k.a. “Big Aug”) really made his presence known at the defensive end of the floor where he served as an rim protector, cleaned the glass and displayed that he is athletic enough to guard smaller players out on the perimeter. On the offensive end, Gerhart showed off decent foot work and a soft touch with both hands on the interior. But, do not make the mistake of thinking Gerhart is a plodding big. No chance. Again this prospect is an athletic big, so he can play above the rim and finish with authority.
Lucas Orchard Lucas Orchard 6'4" | SF Devon Prep | 2023 State PA – 6’3’’ / Devon Prep / SJ Hoops Elite / Wing: After an outstanding high school season in which he proved to be one of the most well rounded prospects in the Philadelphia Catholic League, Orchard continues to impress on the grassroots circuit. On offense Orchard can score at all 3 levels, owns solid court vision and is a willing passer. At the other end, he plays with a bit of an edge and appears to enjoy playing hardnosed defense. Orchard is extremely athletic and has an enormous wingspan which led to numerous deflections / steals at the Southern Jam Fest.
Michael “Zaire” Paris Michael “Zaire” Paris 5'11" | CG Archbishop Ryan | 2023 State PA – 5’11” / Archbishop Ryan / Philly Revolution / Combo Guard: A lefty backcourt player with elite speed who plays a slasher style of game, this past winter Paris saw significant time for PIAA 5A state tourney runner up Archbishop Ryan. At the Southern Jam Fest, Paris and his Revolution teammates “played up” in the 17U gold division and Paris still scored at the rim whenever he wanted. Across three games this weekend (2-1) Paris averaged around 24 ppg. and posted a 30-point effort. As a bonus to his offensive skills, Paris owns a high motor and thus is a menace on defense who recorded multiple steals each game.
15U (2024)
Ty Burton Ty Burton 5'10" | PG Moravian Prep | 2024 State NC – 5’10” / Lampeter-Strasburg / Philly Pride National UAA / Point Guard: A high energy floor general who excels in transition, Burton was simply amazing at the Southern Jam Fest. Burton is extremely savvy and was relentlessly probing opposing defenses with the dribble. He owns a high basketball IQ and plays an unselfish style, which allows him to be a distributor. Still because he is so quick off the bounce and is high percentage jump shooter as well, he appears very capable of going for 30 points in any given game. Burton and Philly Pride went 2-1 this past weekend and took home a big win over the very talented Team Melo EYBL squad.
Jalen Harper Jalen Harper 6'4" | PG St. Joseph’s Prep | 2024 State PA – 6’0” / St. Joseph’s Prep / Prep Select / Point Guard: At the Southern Jam Fest this wiry and speedy lead guard was the primary ball handler, playmaker and scorer for Prep Select. That’s a lot of responsibilities for a true freshman, but Harper handled it well. To be honest, he excelled all weekend. Especially during his 43 point game (20-23 from FT line.) against Impact Elite. Harper’s quick twitch speed and handles allowed him to get into the paint at will where he finished through contact. He showed flashes of a solid 3-point shot as well.
Jake West Jake West 6'1" | PG William Penn Charter | 2025 State #193 Nation PA – 5’11” / Plymouth-Whitemarsh / Team Final Red HGSL / Point Guard: At the Southern Jam Fest an injury riddled TFR was forced to bring in five new players to fill out their roster. Despite all the new faces, West remained a force all weekend. His fluid jumper was hitting from the mid-range out to behind the arc. He moves without the ball very well and his high basketball IQ allows West to function as an coach on the floor. The highlight of the weekend for West was a 26 point effort against Team Loaded Virginia 3SSB during which West provided scoring and playmaking from the lead guard spot.
Robert Wright III Robert Wright III 6'0" | PG Montverde Academy (FL) | 2024 State #35 Nation FL – 5’10” / Neumann-Goretti / Team Final EYBL / Combo Guard: This past winter Wright proved he is an extremely athletic, elite level player and this spring he has solidified that reputation. When he played point guard he can create for himself or distributed the ball to open teammates. As a shooting guard, he splashed home threes in a variety of different ways or used his next level quickness to slash to the bucket from the wing for a lay-in. Wright is one of the top combo guards in southeastern Pennsylvania Class of 2024. His outstanding play this past weekend steered Team Final EYBL to the Southern Jam Fest semifinals where they lost to eventual 15U champion Team Takeover EYBL. Wright recorded 22 points and handed out 9 dimes in that semifinal game.