Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Isaiah Briscoe scored the final two points of the 2014 Peach Jam from the foul line after a controversial technical foul call with 3.8 seconds left and the Playaz Basketball Club held on for an 85-83 victory over Team Penny on Sunday afternoon.
It was the first Peach Jam title for coach Jimmy Salmon and the Playaz.
“Coming into this year at the beginning of the season, I told coach that we could win Peach Jam,” Briscoe, a 6-foot-3 rising senior out of Roselle (N.J.) Catholic who finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists, told SNY.tv after the win. “We all bought into what we had to do, and as you can see, we came out on top.”
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Dedric Lawson confirmed the worst-kept secret in college basketball: He will be heading to Memphis.
“The thing about Memphis is that they have a great environment,” Lawson said after he scored 7 points and added 10 rebounds in a 77-68 win over Boo Williams as Team Penny advanced to the Peach Jam championship game later Sunday. “It’s a great feel playing in front of your home crowd.”
When he was asked if the decision was made to go to Memphis, Lawson replied quickly, “Yeah, definitely.”
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — The Peach Jam semifinals are set for Sunday morning and will feature two teams from the Northeast and two from the South.
Team Penny, coached by Penny Hardaway and featuring Memphis-bound forward K.J. Lawson and his brother Dedric Lawson, who is expected to announce later Sunday for Memphis, and Florida commit Kevaughn Allen, will face Boo Williams in the first semifinal at 9 a.m.
Isaiah Briscoe and the New Jersey-based Playaz Basketball Club will face Tyus Battle and New York’s Team Scan in the second semifinal at 10:30 a.m on ESPNU.
The winners will meet at 3 p.m. for the championship on ESPNU.
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Esa Ahmad will cut his list to “seven or eight” schools at the end of July, his father told SNY.tv.
Ibby Ahmad said Ohio State, Maryland and West Virginia are “definitely on the list” for his son, a 6-foot-7 power forward from Cleveland (OH) Shaker Heights.
Ibby said his son is also looking at taking visits soon to Michigan, Michigan State and Wisconsin.
UConn, UNLV and Iowa State are among those also in the mix.
“I’m real open right now so it’s up in the air,” Esa said.