NORTH AUGUSTA, SC --- The quarter-finals are set for Wednesday evening at the Nike Peach Jam at Riverview Park and the big surprise is that Mac Irvin Fire didn't make the final eight teams that will compete for the Nike AAU travel team national championship. The talented Chicago-based team was thought to be one of the three best teams coming into the tournament, but following a narrow loss to the St. Louis Eagles Tuesday night, the Fire played with dead legs and no energy Wednesday morning, falling in shocking fashion to Louisiana Select, 78-68. That loss and a win by the Metro Hawks over All-Ohio Red ended Mac Irvin Fire's run at the Nike title and propelled the Metro Hawks into the quarter-finals where they will face DC-based Team Takeover, which went unbeaten (5-0) in pool play.
In other quarterfinal games, St. Louis Eagles will face Oakland-based Drew Gooden Soldiers; Boston-based BABC will face Philadelphia's Team Final and Spiece Indy Heat will square off with Tidewater Virginia's Boo Williams Summer League.
The St. Louis Eagles went 4-1 in pool play, 3-0 after Florida commitment Bradley Beal (6-4, 190, St. Louis, MO Chaminade Prep) got back from the FIBA World 17-and-Under Championships in Germany. Beal scored 12 points as part of a balanced Eagles attack that put away Oklahoma City's Athlete's First in the Wednesday morning games. Butler commitment Roosevelt Jones (6-4, 215, O'Fallon, IL) paced the Eagles with 23 points, his most productive game of the tournament.
BABC lost Wednesday to Albany City Rocks but advanced to the playoffs as the second place team in Pool B. Florida has a strong interest in BABC center Nerlens Noel (6-10, 205, Everett, MA Tilton School) who has been reclassified as a 2013 recruit. Noel has blocked 22 shots in the tournament and deflected or altered at least three times that number. In other Pool B action Wednesday, Florida-based Each One Teach One lost to Detroit-based The Family, 73-71, despite 27 points from former Florida commitment Austin Rivers (6-4, 190, Winter Park, FL). Rivers was 10-27 from the field and only 4-14 from the three-point line.
Team Final went 3-0 once Kentucky commitment Michael Gilchrist returned to the US from Germany, where he was a teammate of Beal, James McAdoo (6-8, 210, Norfolk, VA Norfolk Christian), Marquise Teague (6-2, 175, Indianapolis, In Pike) and Tony Parker (6-9, 260, Lithonia, GA Miller Grove) on the gold medal winning USA team. Gilchrist scored 14 points in Wednesday morning's 87-71 win over California Supreme. Team Final got 14 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots from Rakeem Christmas (6-9, 225, Philadelphia, PA Academy of the New Church), who lists Florida, Oklahoma, Texas and Florida International on his short list.
Kentucky commitment Teague scored 20 points in Spiece Indy Heat's 70-66 win over Chicago's Mean Streets. McAdoo had 13 points, five rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot as part of BWSL's balanced attack that did in Georgia Stars, 61-50. Tony Parker, one of the nation's top bigs for 2012, scored 12 points and had eight rebounds in a losing effort for Georgia Stars. Kedren Johnson (6-4, 215, Lewisburg, TN Marshall County), who is a top prospect for the Gators, scored eight points to go with two assists and a steal in the losing effort.
Team Takeover went through its pool unbeaten with a shockingly easy 82-57 win over the Drew Gooden Soldiers. Mikael Hopkins (6-9, 215, Hyattsville, MD DeMatha Catholic) had five points and four rebounds. Hopkins is a big man prospect who is high on the Gators' list.
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The Gators have every intention to sign two more to the recruiting class of 2011, but if they can't get the big man they want, they'll hold the scholarship for 2012 where they look extremely good for Parker and a couple other bigs.
The Gators plan to sign one wing and one big. Here are the four wings the Gators have prioritized:
1. ADONIS THOMAS (6-6, 211, Memphis, TN Melrose): Great offensive player who has a 4.3 weighted GPA and a strong SAT score. Memphis and Arkansas are the others in the race although Mississippi State is trying to make a move.
2. DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH (6-8, 185, Portsmouth, VA IC Norcum): Plays the point on offense and power forward on defense. The most versatile wing in the country. He's a long time family friend of Gator Vern Macklin. Florida's top competition is Virginia Tech. Has a 3.0 in the classroom and an 860 on his SAT.
3. SAM THOMPSON (6-6, 190, Chicago, IL Whitney Young): The best perimeter defender in the country with great grades and a 29 on his ACT. Can play three positions well. Offensive game isn't quite there yet but he is a beast on the press and in transition.
4. KEDREN JOHNSON (6-4, 215, Lewisburg, TN Marshall County): He is a combo guard who can play the point for extended minutes. Fills up the stat sheet. Doesn't do anything great but does a lot of things extremely well.
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The Gators have narrowed their search for bigs down to four for 2011. The priority list includes:
1. JOHNNY O'BRYANT (6-10, 248, Cleveland, MS): He's got the highest energy level of any big man in the country. Marvelous physical prospect who only needs some coaching to become a true dominator. It's going to come down to Florida and Mississippi State.
2. CODY ZELLER (6-10, 210, Washington, IN): He runs the floor so well and can shoot the ball well on the pick and roll plays. He got an offer from North Carolina earlier in the week and we'll have to see how that plays out. Entering the week he had Butler and Florida as his top two.
3. RAKEEM CHRISTMAS (6-9, 225, Philadelphia, PA Academy of the New Church): When he plays hard he's something to watch. Doesn't always play hard, though. Florida was the first school to offer and the Gators have a legitimate chance to get him. He's slow playing everyone right now. Texas, Oklahoma and Florida International are on his short list.
4. MIKAEL HOPKINS (6-9, 225, Hyattsville, MD DeMatha Catholic): He's really leaning toward Syracuse right now but he's planning to attend Florida's elite camp in early August. If you want to press, there is no big man better in the country except for McAdoo, who is going to Carolina.
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BEST GUESS SCENARIO: A week ago, I would have had it another way, but based on the bond that has formed between Beal, O'Bryant and Thomas, I have to think the Gators finish strong by adding O'Bryant and Thomas to finish out their class.
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