Nike Peach Jam: The best players

NORTH AUGUSTA, SC --- If nothing else, the Nike Peach Jam has re-opened the debate about who is the number one rising senior basketball player in the nation. As the tournament winds down to the final day and the crowning of a Nike national championship travel team, five different players have used their time in North Augusta to state their case as the nation's best.

When June turned into July, Michael Gilchrist (6-7, 190, Somerdale, NJ St. Patrick's) was thought to be the best player but Bradley Beal (6-4, 190, St. Louis, MO Chaminade Prep), Austin Rivers (6-4, 192, Winter Park, FL), Marquise Teague (6-2, 175, Indianapolis, IN Pike) and James McAdoo (6-8, 210, Norfolk, VA Norfolk Christian) have all made a case for the number one position.

Gilchrist, who has put together three exceptional games since returning from Germany, where he played on the gold medal USA team at the FIBA 17-and-Under World Championships, has helped Philadelphia-based Team Final make it to the semifinals. The Kentucky commitment scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds Wednesday night to lead Team Final past Boston-based BABC, 70-63. Team Final will face the St. Louis Eagles in Wednesday morning's first semifinal at 9. 

Beal, who was the MVP at the FIBA championships, has had a decisive role in four consecutive wins by the St. Louis Eagles, who made it to the semifinals Wednesday night with an 82-76 win over the Oakland Soldiers. Beal, who is committed to Florida, scored 24 points, hitting 4-9 on three-pointers. After his scintillating performance in Hamburg and his outstanding play at both ends of the floor in North Augusta, Beal has earned the right to be considered for the top spot in the individual player rankings.

Austin Rivers couldn't shoot Each One Teach One into the Peach Jam playoffs but he's certainly had a July to remember. Rivers shot lights out at the FIBA Americas 18-and-under tournament in San Antonio at the end of June. Playing with a less than able supporting cast at Peach Jam, Rivers was forced to carry the entire scoring load for his team, delivering 27 points in his final game of pool play Wednesday morning. Rivers has a list of five schools --- Duke, Florida, North Carolina, Kansas and Kentucky.

Teague, like Gilchrist and Beal a member of the USA gold medal team in Germany, came up big with 30 points Wednesday night to lead Spiece Indy Heat to an 80-76 overtime win over Tidewater Virginia's Boo Williams Summer League. A Kentucky commitment, Teague is thought to be the top pure point guard in the country.


McAdoo, who is committed to North Carolina, was the best big man for the USA team in Germany. He showed tremendous ball skills and great timing as a shot blocker for BWSL in his four games at Peach Jam. McAdoo scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the loss to Spiece Indy Heat. 


So what's the answer? Which one of these guys is the best?


Maybe there is no answer.


"There are several kids who are all right there," said Paul Biancardi, the former Boston Celtics assistant who scouts high school kids for ESPN. "I'm not sure you could say that there is one player better than everyone else, but you can say there are four or five who are a cut above the rest."


So consider Beal, Gilchrist, McAdoo, Rivers and Teague the five elite players at Peach Jam. Are they the best five players in the country? You could make a case for each one that would be very difficult to argue.


THE NEXT FIVE: In no certain order, the next group of five players would include Dorian Finney Smith (6-8, 185, Portsmouth, VA IC Norcum), Michael Gbinjie (6-6, 200, Chester, VA Benedictine), Ben McLemore (6-4, 180, St. Louis, MO Erskine), Kyle Wiltjer (6-9, 210, West Lake, OR Jesuit) and Rakeem Christmas (6-9, 225, Philadelphia, PA Academy of the New Church). 


The Gators have a legitimate shot to land both Finney-Smith and Christmas. Finney-Smith is thought to be a Florida-Virginia Tech battle while Christmas seems evenly split between Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida International. 


McLemore, who scored 18 points for St. Louis Eagles against Drew Gooden Soldiers, has a long list of schools he's considering headed by Kansas. Missouri and Arkansas. 


Gbinjie is a Duke commitment while Wiltjer has a long list that includes Arizona, Arizona State, Kansas and Kentucky. Christmas lists Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and Florida International on his short list.