NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer are broadly thought of the 2 finest highschool basketball gamers within the nation, however selecting one isn’t any simple job. Simply ask the military of faculty coaches who final weekend descended upon Nike’s Peach Jam, the largest recruiting occasion of the 12 months, and watched these two dominate en path to a gathering within the championship recreation. Boozer’s loaded staff gained a 3rd consecutive Peach Jam crown, but when we’re simply speaking particular person expertise, the query stays: Who’s the very best of the very best?
“That’s a wholesome debate,” stated one high-major head coach, granted anonymity as a result of the NCAA doesn’t allow staffers to touch upon unsigned prospects. “I feel they’re each going to be nice for the one 12 months they’re in school, and their upside is unbelievable.”
He makes a very good level: There’s school efficiency, after which there’s long-term ceiling, and also you may not select the identical man for each. So The Athletic polled 13 high-major coaches — 10 of them head coaches — with a two-part inquiry: A) Who’re you taking for a 12 months of faculty ball? B) Who’ll be the higher professional?
Boozer was the slim selection for school by a vote of 7-6. Dybantsa was the professional decide by a vote of 11-2.
Boozer, a 6-10, 240-pound ahead, averaged 20.4 factors, 10.1 rebounds and three.5 assists, shot 60 % from the sector and made 12 of 24 3-point makes an attempt in eight video games at Peach Jam. Dybantsa, a protracted and athletic 6-9 wing, averaged 23.1 factors, 5.3 rebounds and a pair of.4 assists on his method to the championship-game showdown. Head-to-head, Dybantsa had 25 factors and 6 boards, whereas Boozer hit 7 of 8 photographs, ending with 19 factors, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and three blocks to take the title.
“Cam is the very best participant in highschool proper now,” stated one assistant, “as a result of I actually have by no means seen him have a nasty recreation. He’s Mr. Constant. He can dribble, move and shoot. He performs actually laborious. He simply doesn’t have the particular measurables that AJ has, with the talent that he possesses. However the very best participant proper now could be Cam. He’s dominant.”
One coach stated Dybantsa is “like a online game.” One NBA scout in attendance stated Dybantsa “has slightly little bit of (Jayson) Tatum in him.”
“I don’t keep in mind the final time we noticed a No. 1 participant within the nation be the hardest-playing dude each single second he’s on the court docket,” one head coach stated of Dybantsa. “That’s his tremendous energy, man. Of all of the issues which might be spectacular about him, his motor is unbelievable. He units an depth degree that everybody else has to stay as much as. These are simply phrases I haven’t actually used once I describe gamers.”
Backwards and forwards it went as we wandered across the who’s-who of faculty coaches crowding the courts each time Dybantsa or Boozer performed.
“I simply assume Cam is extremely mature, smart past his years, might play in any system efficiently, nice communicator, bodily however doesn’t depend on his physicality to win, nice household help system,” raved one other head coach. “I simply assume he has every thing you want in a generational prospect. I might simply guess on him.”
One more head coach principally agrees with all of that, “it’s simply that AJ appears like a future NBA All-Star.”
And the way’s this for a curveball? Possibly there’s one other title (or extra) that belongs on this dialog. A lot of the coaches polled do consider there’s some separation between Boozer, Dybantsa and everybody else in highschool basketball. However …
“I let you know what: Tyran Stokes may be the very best of all of them,” stated one head coach. “He’s tremendous fascinating. He’s simply youthful.”
The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Stokes is simply 16, however the top-ranked participant within the 2026 class had a spectacular Peach Jam. Taking part in alongside Dybantsa on the Oakland Troopers, Stokes averaged 20.6 factors, 10.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists and shot 50 % (9 of 18) from 3. He had a 25-12-10 triple-double in a single recreation.
“I can’t keep in mind a child as quick as he’s being a bigger-body man,” stated one other head coach.
No third choice acquired practically as a lot point out as Stokes, however Boozer’s teammate Caleb Wilson, ranked No. 4 in 2025, and level guard Brandon McCoy, ranked No. 2 in 2026, additionally got here up. Wilson, a 6-9 ahead, averaged 17.3 factors, 7.0 rebounds and a pair of.3 assists at Peach Jam and dropped 29 factors on 14-of-18 capturing in a wide ranging semifinal efficiency.
“Versatility, impacts the sport on each ends, has traditionally simply been a set bounce shooter however now rapidly he’s taking the ball off the bounce and ending at a excessive proportion,” one head coach stated. “Bought nice palms, actually good really feel and instincts, nice size.”
5-star guards Darryn Peterson and Jasper Johnson acquired single mentions, as did middle Chris Cenac, an outside-the-box candidate. One coach stated the precise finest participant in that age group is huge man Jayden Quaintance, who simply turned 17 this month however is enrolling early at Arizona State and must play two years in school earlier than turning professional.
That remaining coach added a thought many share: “There are 10 (future NBA) All-Stars within the subsequent two lessons.”
Certainly, the expertise degree in highschool basketball’s subsequent two lessons is spiking, so right here’s a have a look at who else caught our eye over three days at Peach Jam.
Better of the very best
Caleb Wilson (No. 4 in 2025): The 6-foot-9 ahead was essentially the most dominant defensive participant I noticed this weekend. He’s a disruptor along with his size and quickness, capable of generate turnovers and block photographs. He’s the one man Dybantsa struggled to complete over or round. Wilson is a dream defender within the fashionable recreation, and you would see him creating extra confidence in his offensive repertoire because the weekend progressed. Throughout his 29-point efficiency within the semis, he even hit a one-footed jumper from about 16 toes. His jumper is his weak spot however seems to be bettering, and he finishes every thing across the bucket: He shot 74.1 % on the basket in EYBL play, per Synergy. He’s above the rim earlier than defenders can react.
Wilson advised The Athletic that he has heard essentially the most from Kansas and Kentucky. He can be a straightforward man for both blue blood to include immediately due to his defensive talents and his expertise enjoying alongside and mixing in with an important participant in Boozer. — Moore
Jordan Smith Jr. (No. 8 in 2026): Smith was the very best participant from the 2026 class within the under-17 division not named Tyran Stokes. He’s undersized at 6-3 however performs like a giant guard with a soccer player-like construct and a wingspan that makes up considerably for his top. What stands out immediately is how laborious he performs on each possession. He defends, rebounds (5.7 per recreation) and takes sensible photographs. Not many dudes constructed like him may also shoot, however Smith shot 44.1 % from 3 this summer season. Smith isn’t an elite scorer fairly but, however he impacts the sport in loads of methods, and coaches are noticing. He posted to X this weekend that he acquired provides from Michigan, Duke and North Carolina. — Moore
Brayden Burries (No. 14 in 2025): At 6 foot 4 and 200 kilos, Burries has the score-first tendencies and three-level scoring potential to make an instantaneous influence. Not solely did he common a double-double at Peach Jam — 22.2 factors and 10 rebounds per recreation, the latter determine being essentially the most of any non-forward on the occasion — however he did so whereas capturing 41.7 % from 3. Burries’ athleticism comes by means of extra on the rim, the place he’s a artistic finisher, than it does when it comes to pure blow-by or wiggle, however he will get to his spots all over the place on the ground. Burries has provides from mainly all the highest applications within the nation (UConn, Arizona, Kansas, Duke, UCLA and extra) however stated he and his father are nonetheless within the technique of establishing his fall visits. — Marks
Tounde Yessoufou (No. 20 in 2025): With an NFL security’s physique and an explosive enjoying type, Yessoufou is without doubt one of the most eye-catching gamers within the nation. He averaged 21.8 factors, 5.4 boards and a pair of.2 steals whereas capturing 39 % from 3-point vary at Peach Jam, together with one absurd recreation wherein he went for 29 factors, eight rebounds, six steals and two blocks.
He has already visited USC and Arizona and plans to take 5 extra visits to Baylor, Connecticut, Kansas, Tennessee and Kentucky. New UK coach Mark Pope was presupposed to be first in that line however requested to reschedule so he may be the final go to earlier than Yessoufou decides. He has known as Kentucky his “dream college” and can be an enormous pull for Pope, who remains to be looking for his first five-star pledge. The Wildcats have “been on me actually laborious,” Yessoufou stated. “They simply love the way in which I play actually laborious and I can do every thing, defensively and offensively, and the way powerful I’m with my thoughts.” — Tucker
Shelton Henderson (No. 25 in 2025): At 6 foot 6 and 220 kilos, Henderson has the body to play school basketball tomorrow if he had been eligible. And whereas his recreation does match his physique at instances — he can bulldoze his method to the rim — he’s a surprisingly connective participant, able to playmaking as a lead or secondary handler. (No shock, then, that Henderson stated he fashions his recreation after “huge guards” like Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards and San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Citadel, the fourth general decide in final month’s draft.)
Henderson might’ve simply averaged greater than the 14.7 factors, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per recreation he had throughout Peach Jam if he weren’t enjoying with two different top-50 prospects on JL3, however his potential to play inside the framework of a staff will solely make his life simpler on the subsequent degree. Henderson already has visits scheduled to Duke, Louisville and Texas, and Houston can be within the combine. — Marks
Better of the remainder
Derek Dixon (No. 59 in 2025): Dixon jogs my memory of Cam Spencer, one other product of the DMV who lacks some foot pace however makes up for it along with his really feel and capturing. He’s top-of-the-line shooters within the class and understands the way to get to his spots and discover house. He additionally has good imaginative and prescient and normally makes the sensible play. Not surprisingly, Spencer’s outdated coach Dan Hurley was watching him intently this weekend. Dixon already has a protracted record of high-major provides, together with North Carolina, Virginia and Arizona. — Moore
Christian Jones (unranked in 2025): Jones is already dedicated to Siena, and Gerry McNamara acquired a steal. Jones is listed at 5 foot 9, however he is without doubt one of the finest guards figuring out of the pick-and-roll within the EYBL, and he creates house along with his pace and deal with. He has fast excessive finishes with both hand across the basket, a necessity for a guard of his stature. He’s a very good shooter off the bounce and may also make catch-and-shoot 3s. He can move, too. The scale doubtless scared away the massive colleges, however they’ll in all probability be seeking to poach him in just a few years. — Moore
Nigel James (No. 88 in 2025): James, a Marquette commit, is just 6 toes, nevertheless it’s simple to see why Shaka Good would have an interest. He performs with distinctive tempo and units the desk properly on offense. Regardless of giving up measurement to a few of the nation’s greater guards, he made life tough for nearly everybody he matched up in opposition to on protection. James nonetheless must hone his 3-point shot — he went 0 for 13 from deep at Peach Jam — however I’d guess on him being a productive, multi-year Huge East guard down the road. — Marks
London Jemison (No. 38 in 2025): Jemison was perhaps the very best shooter I noticed all weekend. His stroke was simply so constant, and his fast set off was replicable in a number of settings. The 6-foot-7 ahead shot 40 % from 3 at Peach Jam, however in case you omit an 0-for-5 effort in his second recreation, he made 14 of 30, good for roughly 46.7 %. Jemison doesn’t showcase a ton of creation, however given his body and lightning-quick launch from deep, he’s going to be in excessive demand for a number of high-major groups. He went 9 for 18 from deep in his remaining two video games, averaging 17.5 factors whereas at instances being his staff’s solely constant supply of offense. Jemison has already taken an official go to to Syracuse and is listening to from Windfall, BYU and Notre Dame, amongst others. — Marks
Christian Gurdak (No. 128 in 2025): Watching the wide-bodied Gurdak seemingly at all times find yourself in the fitting place, exhibiting off a delicate contact across the basket, I joked to 1 high-major assistant that the 6-foot-9, 260-pound middle was “Medium-Sized Nation,” a nod to former Oklahoma State star Bryant “Huge Nation” Reeves. The assistant shot again a a lot better nickname: “Low Nation.”
His numbers don’t pop — Gurdak averaged 11 factors and 6.6 boards in 21.1 minutes at Peach Jam — however he’s powerful, sensible and expert for his measurement. Spectators usually discovered themselves fixated on his super-efficient work inside on one of many 4 finest groups on this 12 months’s Nike circuit. He shot 63.5 % from the sector in seven video games. The current Virginia Tech commit goes to be an ideal slot in Mike Younger’s program. — Tucker
(Picture of Cam Boozer: Katie Goodale / USA In the present day)
