AAU season is formally up on us. Whereas there have been a variety of excellent impartial AAU occasions all through the nation to get issues going this spring, the circuit actually begins when the shoe firms start having their occasions. Whereas Adidas, Beneath Armour, New Steadiness all have important quantities of expertise on their respective circuits, there may be one league that’s normally on a totally completely different stage: Nike EYBL.
Held simply exterior of Phoenix on the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, EYBL Session I provided rising seniors the prospect to solidify their reputations in a single closing AAU go-around. In contrast to most different AAU occasions, gamers performed one sport a day, making it troublesome to resolve which video games to observe at occasions with such an unlimited quantity of expertise within the constructing. Fortunately, the Ballislife group was rolling deep with Ani Umana, Ronnie Flores, and myself all manning completely different courts to take a look at the motion.
That being stated, here’s a extra in depth have a look at a variety of the highest 2026 gamers who caught my eye on the 17U stage:
Tajh Ariza, 6’8, SF, Workforce Why Not/St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
In my eyes, there wasn’t a participant who solidified their status extra at EYBL Session 1 than Tajh Ariza. The son of longtime NBA vet Trevor Ariza is similar to his father in that he’s a 6-foot-8+ two manner wing, however the youthful Ariza has an much more superior offensive sport on the similar level. The lithe swingman was a beast of a finisher in transition, was just about unstoppable on straight line drives to the rack, and confirmed excellent contact along with his finishes within the paint. A well-known commodity for fairly a while on the West Coast, Ariza is actually cementing himself as a consensus high 5 participant along with his play on the EYBL.
J. J. Andrews, 6’6, SG/SF, Brad Beal Elite/Little Rock Christian Academy (Ark.)
A staple of consistency, J.J. Andrews is a type of wings who is consistently in assault mode that you just simply completely hate to have the duty of guarding. The highly effective lefty is aware of methods to rating successfully with restricted dribbles, bodily punished smaller defenders within the paint along with his 220 pound body, and stopped on the dime for pull ups along with his mid-range sport. When you toss in his 19.7 level per sport scoring common and talent to protect a number of positions, it is easy to see why Andrews is approaching 5 star standing.
Christian Collins, 6’8, SF, Workforce Why Not/St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.)
There aren’t many gamers who’ve exploded extra previously 18 months than Christian Collins, and that ascension would not look like stopping any time quickly. The ahead is so remarkably gifted that he makes the sport look extremely straightforward on the ground, whether or not it’s scoring off screens or creating buckets for himself. He possesses nice contact capturing from the perimeter, is remarkably coordinated for a growing participant his measurement, and makes use of his measurement to complete excessive of defenders within the paint. Forming the most effective duo within the EYBL with Tajh Ariza, each ought to doubtless discover themselves as top-5 gamers by just about each scouting service sooner fairly than later.
Jalen Montonati, 6’7, SF, MoKan Elite/Owasso (Okla.)
It wasn’t essentially the most effective weekend for Jalen Montonati numbers smart, however the influence that he provided as a plug and play swingman was evident in Phoenix. The massive wing confirmed off easy vary nicely past the 3-point arc, had a launch excessive sufficient to get his shot off over just about any defender, and retains you sincere sufficient as a scoring menace with placing the ball on the ground a number of occasions and scoring excessive through a smooth contact. Oklahoma’s finest participant positively performs the sport at his personal tempo as nicely, making him a matchup nightmare for opposing defenders on the perimeter.
Katrelle Harmon, 6’4, PG/SG, Vegas Elite/Wasatch Academy (Mt. Nice, Utah)
Having performed varsity since he was an eighth grader in Seattle with BFL Prep, Katrelle Harmon has been producing at a excessive price for fairly a while now, and whereas he has all the time been referred to as a scorer, his growth as a playmaker for others has been enjoyable to observe. Sustaining his scoring presence to the tune of 24.7 factors per sport with Vegas Elite, Harmon additionally displayed his means as a catalyst for Wasatch Academy, main the EYBL Scholastic League with 6.2 assists per sport. Harmon performs the sport with a fantastic change of tempo, is elite getting at drawing fouls (shot 39 free throws in 3 video games at EYBL), and is wanting like he’ll be the subsequent in line from the vastly underrated Pacific Northwest.
Marcus Johnson, 6’2, PG, Spiece Indy Warmth/Garfield Heights (Ohio)
Arguably the most effective particular person shot creator within the class of 2026, Marcus Johnson confirmed his means to create separation in opposition to anybody within the opening session of the EYBL. The lefty from Cleveland is excellent utilizing his footwork and easy vary to get to his step-back soar shot. He has additionally improved as a finisher to the purpose he retains you sincere along with his potential to assault the rack. The reigning Ohio Mr. Basketball (his father, Sonny, additionally received Ohio Mr. Basketball) is the point of interest of coach Jake Diebler’s new look Ohio State Buckeye recruiting class.
