Recruiting

Nike EYBL Roundup: Los Angeles

A summary of how Michigan recruiting targets performed in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League over the weekend.

This weekend was the first of two April evaluation periods and one of the nation’s top events was session one of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League in Los Angeles. John Beilein was in Los Angeles throughout the weekend while LaVall Jordan also did some recruiting at the EYBL. Michigan’s three outstanding offers in the class of 2014 – Devin Booker, Trevon Bluiett and Vince Edwards – were all in action as well as a number of other notable targets.

Nike EYBL Session 1 Per Game Averages

Player GP Min Pts Rebs FG FGA FG% 3P 3PA 3P% eFG% FT% A TO
Devin Booker 4 26.5 16.5 1.8 6.3 11.5 54% 2.0 4.8 42% 63% 80% 2.0 4.0
Trevon Bluiett 3 28.7 18.7 5.0 6.0 14.3 42% 2.7 5.7 47% 51% 100% 2.7 3.0
Vince Edwards 3 22.3 12.7 5.3 4.0 7.0 57% 1.3 2.0 67% 67% 77% 2.0 4.0
Kameron Chatman 4 29.5 13.5 10.5 4.8 14.5 33% 0.3 2.3 11% 34% 83% 1.5 3.0
Zylan Cheatham 4 24.3 8.3 7.8 3.0 6.0 50% 0.0 0.5 0% 50% 69% 1.8 0.0
Jalen Brunson 4 23.0 10.0 3.3 3.8 11.8 32% 1.3 4.8 26% 37% 42% 3.0 2.0
Edmond Sumner 4 22.5 10.0 1.3 2.5 6.3 40% 1.5 4.0 38% 52% 78% 3.8 4.0

Notes & Observations:

  • Trevon Bluiett is a hardwired scorer but he missed Spiece’s final game with a knee sprain. Bluiett didn’t have the most efficient weekend, struggling to score inside, but his 19 point per game average is impressive. Bluiett visited UCLA, where his former high school coach Ed Schilling is now an assistant, along with his Spiece teammates after the tournament.
  • Devin Booker’s Alabama Challenge team went 1-3 on the weekend but Booker wasn’t far behind Bluiett in the scoring column, averaging nearly 17 points per game with a 63% effective field goal percentage. Booker didn’t have great assist to turnover ratios but that’s a tough statistic to judge at the EYBL level, he still appears to be a prototypical fit for the two guard in Michigan’s system.

  • Kameron Chatman struggled shooting the ball – going 1-of-13 in his third game of the weekend really hurt his numbers – but his rebounding was consistent throughout. Chatman looks like a great fit for a combo forward role at Michigan but it would be good to see him show off an outside shot after going 1-of-9 from long range on the weekend.
  • Vince Edwards made the switch to All-Ohio Red and his numbers – 13 points and five rebounds with a 67% eFG% – are solid but it would be good to see him slightly more aggressive. Edwards has talent, length and athleticism but putting it all together all the time is the next step. Edwards missed Sunday’s final game with a hip injury.
  • Zylan Cheatham has received a lot of mid to high major interest on the west coast and Michigan is also starting to take a look. Cheatham is a lengthy athlete with ball skills but right now his rebounding ability is what jumps off the charts.
  • Edmond Sumner is a player that Michigan has kept an eye on throughout the prep season. The skinny 2014 guard is something of a combo right now and put up better assist numbers than any of Michigan’s other primary prospects in LA.
  • Jalen Brunson is playing up at the 17U level and is a big time player that Michigan – and the rest of the Big Ten – has kept a close eye on.

BIQg7hoCYAArizX[1]Coach Watch

Michigan had a heavy presence in Los Angeles as John Beilein was on hand for most of the event. Reports popped up on Twitter all weekend of Michigan’s head man watching games – no surprise considering the only three prospects that Michigan has offered were playing in LA.

Edwards Lewis (who provided the Point of view scouting John Beilein picture to the righr) spotted Beilein watching ICP Elite vs. Wisconsin Playground Elite in a battle that featured Kameron Chatman vs. 5-star Rashad Vaught. Lewis also caught Beilein watching Meanstreets against Devin Booker’s Alabama Challenge team along with “Coach K, Tom Izzo, Josh Pastner, John Groce and Tommy Amaker”.

Jason Scheer reported Beilein watching the Mac Irvin Fire and 2015 point guard Jalen Brunson against Team Texas along with “Groce, Dixon, Izzo, Self, K, McCaffery, Anthony Grant, Collins, Kentucky, and more”.

Beilein was spotted watching Booker again along with Roy Williams and Coach K and also caught Trevon Bluiett’s Spiece squad.

Early on in the weekend, Beilein was back watching Chicago prospects in a battle of Meanstreets against Boo Williams along with “Groce, Izzo, Smart, Amaker, Craig Robinson, numerous others”.

Beilein also caught the Mac Irvin Fire earlier in the weekend along with “Steve Alford, John Beilein, Tom Crean, Sean Miller, Shaka Smart”. Here’s footage of that Mac Irvin Fire-Oakland Soldiers game that Beilein watched, Jalen Brunson wears #1.

Michigan’s assistant coach LaVall Jordan was also watching Trevon Bluiett.

Scouts Say

Scout.com hit on two west coast wings ($) that Michigan is eyeing, Kameron Chatman and Zylan Cheatham. Cheatham is more in the evaluation stage but the Wolverines are recruiting Chatman heavily per this Rivals.com update.

Four-star Long Beach (Calif.) Poly forward Kameron Chatman said his list, while still somewhat open, is down to seven.

“Oregon, Arizona, Louisville, Michigan, Washington, UConn and UCLA,” he said. “I felt that they were the best fits for me.”

Of those schools, Chatman said, Michigan, Washington and Oregon are coming after him the hardest

Chatman played well on Friday.

Chatman was excellent Friday, scoring 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting while also pulling down 15 rebounds. Similar to my observation of Cliff Alexander, Chatman has improved in the past 12 months by becoming a much more aggressive, physical player. Chatman, the No. 9 overall player in the state of California by 247Sports, has a 247Composite rating of .9792, which equates to four stars. Chatman, considered by most to be a heavy Oregon lean (he’s from Portland), will likely see more schools like Arizona, UCLA and Memphis, which have each already offered, try and make a bigger push following the April evaluation period if he can sustain his level of play.

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https://twitter.com/DevinGOAZCATS/status/325447465144819712

Up Next: Session Two of the Nike EYBL takes place April 26th through 28th in Hampton, VA.

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