AAU season is formally up on us. Whereas there have been a lot of excellent impartial AAU occasions all through the nation to get issues going this spring, the circuit really begins when the shoe firms start having their occasions. Whereas Adidas, Beneath Armour, New Stability all have vital quantities of expertise on their respective circuits, there may be one league that’s normally on a totally totally different degree: Nike EYBL.
Held simply outdoors of Phoenix on the Arizona Athletic Grounds in Mesa, EYBL Session I provided rising seniors the prospect to solidify their reputations in a single last AAU go-around. In contrast to most different AAU occasions, gamers performed one recreation a day, making it tough to determine which video games to look at at occasions with such an enormous quantity of expertise within the constructing. Fortunately, the Ballislife group was rolling deep with Ani Umana, Ronnie Flores, and myself all manning totally different courts to take a look at the motion.
That being mentioned, here’s a extra in depth have a look at a lot of the highest 2026 gamers who caught my eye on the 17U degree:
Tajh Ariza, 6’8, SF, Crew 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 analogous to his father in that he’s a 6-foot-8+ two means wing, however the youthful Ariza has an much more superior offensive recreation on the identical 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 prime 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 continually in assault mode that you just simply completely hate to have the duty of guarding. The highly effective lefty is aware of how one can 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 recreation. When you toss in his 19.7 level per recreation scoring common and skill to protect a number of positions, it is easy to see why Andrews is approaching 5 star standing.
Christian Collins, 6’8, SF, Crew 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 simple on the ground, whether or not it’s scoring off screens or creating buckets for himself. He possesses nice contact taking pictures from the perimeter, is remarkably coordinated for a creating participant his dimension, and makes use of his dimension to complete excessive of defenders within the paint. Forming the most effective duo within the EYBL with Tajh Ariza, each ought to probably 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 impression that he provided as a plug and play swingman was evident in Phoenix. The massive wing confirmed off easy vary properly past the 3-point arc, had a launch excessive sufficient to get his shot off over just about any defender, and retains you trustworthy sufficient as a scoring menace with placing the ball on the ground just a few occasions and scoring excessive through a smooth contact. Oklahoma’s greatest participant positively performs the sport at his personal tempo as properly, 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 charge for fairly a while now, and whereas he has all the time been often called a scorer, his improvement as a playmaker for others has been enjoyable to look at. Sustaining his scoring presence to the tune of 24.7 factors per recreation with Vegas Elite, Harmon additionally displayed his potential as a catalyst for Wasatch Academy, main the EYBL Scholastic League with 6.2 assists per recreation. Harmon performs the sport with a terrific change of tempo, is elite getting at drawing fouls (shot 39 free throws in 3 video games at EYBL), and is trying 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 potential 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 bounce shot. He has additionally improved as a finisher to the purpose he retains you trustworthy along with his potential to assault the rack. The reigning Ohio Mr. Basketball (his father, Sonny, additionally gained Ohio Mr. Basketball) is the point of interest of coach Jake Diebler’s new look Ohio State Buckeye recruiting class.
