2024 Standouts from EYBL Session IV
MEMPHIS, TN - The last stop on the EYBL Circuit before Peach Jam was a great way to cap the spring AAU season. Before we turn the page to individual camps and high school team camps, a look at some of the 2024 standouts from the past weekend is in order.
I didn’t get to see everyone on my list, but these were some of the best that I was able to get to during my two days in Memphis.
Bethea had one of the performances of Sunday with his efficient 28-point outburst. The 6-foot-4 guard lived up to his reputation as one of the better pure shooters in the 2024 class by going 6 of 8 from beyond the arc and 10-13 from the field overall. One of the class’ risers, Bethea added another piece of evidence to his case for a bump up in rank. His recruiting list correlates with his play as of late. UConn, Georgia Tech, LSU, Xavier, Kansas, Maryland have offered within the last month or so. Virginia Tech, Georgetown, and West Virginia are among the others who have offered. He'll be high on the next HoopSeen rankings update.
Derrion Reid can impact a game in a variety of ways. Versatile on both sides of the ball, Reid can adjust to an opponent and do what he needs to do to help Team Thad get a win, and they’ve been doing plenty of that this spring. This weekend, he averaged 18.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He can play big, he can play on the wing. Reid’s multi-positional value is part of what has led to his rise as a prospect and to Team Thad’s success overall. Alabama, Mississippi State, LSU, West Virginia, and Ohio State are among the schools that have offered.
If there was a singular stockriser of the weekend, that honor would have to go to Team Takeover’s Patrick Ngongba. The 6-foot-10 center was a beast in Memphis. He’s a double-double machine, and he showed flashes of being able to incorporate some skill game in his repertoire. In addition to dominating around the basket, Ngongba stretched the floor with his jumper some, and he impressed as a passer out of the post. This could be a momentum builder for him in terms of rankings and recruiting. Virginia Tech, UConn, Indiana, Syracuse and Notre Dame are some of the most recent schools to offer. He will be seeing a nice rankings bump with the next update.
One of the spring’s risers, Austin Swartz has been one of the best shooters and scorers on the EYBL circuit, averaging 21 points per game. Well, he did more of that this weekend. I was on hand for a 29-pointer from Swartz, and from home, I got to see him close out his weekend with 26 more. USC, Penn State, Miami, Indiana, Georgetown, Maryland, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, and Florida State are some of his most recent offers. Add him to the list of those that will be getting a boost come rankings updates.
Jordan Tillery has been on breakout watch for me. He could be a player that pops in June now that the transfer portal recruiting season is over. The Nightrydas guard/wing was especially good early in the weekend as a slasher. To open the weekend, he boasted games of 18 points and 23 points. Tillery is a gifted athlete, and he has plenty of defensive upside.
Kon Knueppel was one of the main stories of the weekend. Out of PhenomU’s five games, Knueppel scored 30 or more in three of them with a 28-point game mixed in as well. I got to catch his 37-point outburst that ultimately pushed him to the top of the scoring list on the EYBL for the season. One of the best shooters in the 2024 class, Knueppel shot 48.44% from deep on 48 attempts. Outside of shooting, Knueppel is a savvy offensive player with a build that allows him to play physically as well. His feel and IQ are as good as it gets. Per 247 Sports, Knueppel has visits to Louisville and Ohio State coming up.
Is there a better backcourt than this one that has led Team Final to the top of the EYBL? Ahmad Nowell is part of the three-headed monster, and he thrives as a combo on this Final team. Nowell’s physicality shines on both ends. He looked comfortable playing back in Memphis this weekend. He’s one of the better defensive guards on the circuit and can wear opposing ball handlers down over the course of a game. Nowell can knock ‘em down from deep as well. His overall playmaking and passing may be the underrated part of his game, but he certainly does his part in that regard. This weekend was all about his overall production, and that’s especially evidenced by his weekend-ending near triple-double. He has offers from Kentucky, Tennessee, UConn, Kansas, Memphis, St. John’s, and Auburn.
Let’s just round out the Team Final guards while we’re at it. He was one of the best, most productive pure point guards on the weekend. He’s second on the circuit in assists and averaged over 7 per game in Memphis. He also scored more than 15 points per game and pulled over 6 rebounds per game. His feel, his playmaking, his ability to be the floor general that leads this talented group to win after win is what separates him from most at his position. Wright is a Baylor commit.
Man, Mustaf gets to the free-throw line a lot, doesn’t he? He averaged 9.8 free-throw per game attempts in Memphis. He made 8.6 of them too. That’s an efficient way to point some points on the board. He’s hard to keep out of the paint. He’s at his best when he’s going at the basket, clearly, so he puts a lot of pressure on defenses. Getting those freebies at the line certainly helped his average of 20 points per game. He has good positional size and speed. Georgia Tech and Seton Hall were the most recent schools to offer. He also has offers from Florida State, NC State, Georgetown, Virginia Tech and Indiana.
