Duke commit Darren Harris drops 28 as Team Takeover wins 3rd 17U Peach Jam title; Cayden Boozer leads Nightrydas Elite to 16U title
By ADAM ZAGORIA
After losing in last year’s Peach Jam final to MoKan Elite, Darren Harris and his Team Takeover teammates came into this year with a chip on their shoulder.
The Duke commit put on a performance to be remembered Sunday when he shot 5-of-7 from beyond the arc en route to 28 points as Takeover beat Vegas Elite, 76-61, for its third 17U Peach Jam championship. That tied MoKan Elite for the most titles since 2010. Takeover has appeared in the finals five times since 2010, the most of any team.
“I’ve been playing with takeover since 5th grade,” Harris told ZAGSBLOG. “It was always a dream to win a Peach Jam. Coming off last year’s loss, we knew we had a real shot to win it this year and we delivered. We played with a chip on our shoulder and wanted to deliver another championship to the program.”
He added: “I came in with a chip on my shoulder and in attack mode. But the biggest goal was to win.”
Darren Harris leads Team Takeover to win the Peach Jam Championship!
— Blue Devils (@BlueDevils) July 9, 2023
28 points
4 rebounds
4 assists
10-15 FG
5-7 3PT
pic.twitter.com/rLrWXjhEaD
Syracuse commit Donnie Freeman added 13 points in the win, including a huge transition dunk, and uncommitted big man Patrick Ngongba had 11 points with 5 rebounds. Rhode Island-bound point guard Ben Hammond tallied 9 points and 9 assists.
Uncommitted wing Isaiah Abraham, who is poised to announce his college choice from among UConn, Marquette, Providence and Virginia Tech, had 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Harris, Abraham, Ngongba, Hammond and Garrett Sundra all play for Paul VI Catholic (VA) and coach Glenn Farello.
Donavan Freeman got UP@DonavanFreeman1 @NikeEYB pic.twitter.com/tzcyNrSFbZ
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) July 9, 2023
Ohio State commit John Mobley Jr. led Vegas Elite with 20 points.
NIGHTRYDAS ELITE WINS 16U TITLE
In a battle between the top two players in the Class of 2025, Cayden Boozer stepped up the most.
The 16U final was billed as a matchup of Cameron Boozer, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2025, and No. 2 Cooper Flagg, two players who captured the imaginations of NBA scouts and college coaches alike over the past week.
But it was Cayden Boozer who led the way for Nightrydas Elite, posting 23 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds to lead the Florida-based team to a 58-50 win over Maine United in the title game, avenging a loss from four days earlier in pool play.
The Boozer twins, the sons of former Duke and NBA star Carlos Boozer, emphasized that they are not locks to go to Duke and are also being pursued heavily by Kentucky’s John Calipari and North Carolina’s Hubert Davis, among many others. Both said they plan to go to college, and won’t pursue a pro optionl
Flagg, who was brilliant all week averaging 25.4 points, 13.0 rebounds and 6.9 blocks while being pursued by Duke coach Jon Scheyer, UConn coach Dan Hurley and Michigan coach Juwan Howard, among others, was held to 18 points on 24 shots while adding 12 rebounds and 7 assists, while Cam Boozer managed just 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting while battling foul trouble. Dante Allen added 14 points in the win.
Ace Flagg and Landon Clark scored 12 apiece for Maine United.
Cayden Boozer, one of Carlos Boozer's twin sons, goes for 23 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds to lead @nightrydaselite to a 58-50 win over Maine United in the 16U Peach Jam title game, avenging a loss 4 days ago
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) July 9, 2023
Cooper Flagg held to 18 points on 24 shot attempts in the loss. https://t.co/ufNBqijnIn
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