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Published Apr 30, 2017
Nike EYBL: Tre Jones makes five-star case, Bol Bol & Cam Reddish shine
Eric Bossi  •  Basketball Recruiting
National Analyst
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@ebosshoops

WESTFIELD, Ind. -- During Saturday's action at the Nike EYBL, 2018 point guard Tre Jones looked primed to follow in his big brother Tyus Jones footsteps as five-star prospect. Five-stars Bol Bol and Cameron Reddish made cases for moves up from their already lofty status while several others made moves.

JONES MAKE CASE FOR TOP POINT GUARD IN 2018

Recruitment: Offers from Duke, Arizona, Minnesota, UCLA, Baylor, Oregon.

His day: With his older brother Tyus Jones of the Minnesota Timberwolves on hand, Jones looked ready to make the jump to five-star status and put himself into the conversation as best point guard in the 2018 Rivals150. Before winning a national championship at Duke, Jones' brother was an incredible thinker of the game while little brother is a more downhill, attacking style of guard who is wired to score and set up teammates.

Quotable: "This is my brother's (Tyus Jones) only chance to come out and watch me this spring and summer so I want to play the best I can for him. He's just been telling me to play with a chip on my shoulder. He knows how hard we've been working and he's been working with me since last summer. He just wants me to prove to the country what I'm capable of."

"The recruiting process is going really well. I'm still taking it slow and trying not to skip any steps along the way. I plan on narrowing things down in June and then taking my five official visits after the AAU season."

Prediction: This one is starting to look like it could be a two horse race between Duke and UCLA. Given the pedigree, it's tough to pick against Duke.

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TOP 10 BOL BOL AND CAMERON REDDISH TAKING GAMES TO NEW LEVELS

Seven-footer Bol Bol and super skilled wing Cameron Reddish are already big-time players. However, they are each taking their game to new heights and had monster performances on Saturday.

Recruitment: Offers from Arizona, Kansas, USC, UCLA, Oregon and St. John's.

His day: It's a beautiful thing when potential meets production and that's what is happening with Bol. He sank deep threes, played above the rim, dominated on the glass and protected the rim. The leap his game has taken is substantial and outside of 2018's top player Marvin Bagley III, Bol may be the best prospect in the junior class. Bol finished his day with 59 points and 22 rebounds on 21-30 shooting (6-7 from three).

Prediction: Bol moved to California in the fall and has seen his game and recruitment totally take off. The West Coast seems to suit him and his recruitment is shaping up to be a Pac-12 war.

Recruitment: Offers from Connecticut, Duke, Kentucky, Villanova and many more.

His day: During Saturday's nightcap, Reddish looked like a surefire pro and perhaps slightly under-ranked (if possible as a top five prospect) while racking up 29 points, five rebounds and a pair of assist. His ball handling, shot making, size and athleticism are ridiculous and he's a Jimmy Butler style wing.

Prediction: Reddish hasn't named any favorites, but Mike Krzyzewski and Duke are pushing hard and could be tough to beat.

SATURDAY RECRUITING NEWS AND NOTES

Recruitment: Final six of Arizona, Duke, Kentucky, Kansas, USC and UCLA.

His day: Bagley doesn't have the same level of talent around him as some of the other stars in the EYBL, but as far as Rivals.com is concerned he is the clear No. 1 player in the class. He's an ultra athletic big with skill and finished his day with a combined 51 points and 35 rebounds in two outings.

Prediction: Arizona is Bagley's home state, UCLA has been pushing and Kentucky is becoming more and more prominent. A battle of blue bloods at the highest level is about to get extra fierce.

Recruitment: Offers from Indiana, Xavier, Iowa, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Florida, Florida State, SMU and more. Duke, Kansas and Kentucky have all begun to recruit.

His day: Wiseman still needs more strength but he's figuring things out against older competition. He's got tremendous size, good skill and he's learning how to play physically.

Quotable: "I feel good about how I'm doing out here and think I'm getting better. I'm not in any hurry for a decision."

Prediction: Look for Wiseman to have offers from every big-time program in the country soon because of his immense upside.

Recruitment: Gonzaga, Texas A&M, Arizona, USC, UCLA and Oregon among others are involved.

His day: Cherry battled through some foul trouble at times but showed a nice blend of inside out game. He's right on the bubble of cracking into five-star status.

Prediction: Don't know yet if Oregon could be considered a leader, but Cherry has some Dillon Brooks to his game and the Ducks could be a good fit.

Recruitment: Offers from Michigan, Northwestern, Stanford, Notre Dame, Villanova and Yale among others.

His day: Ryan finished his day with an impressive 29 point and nine rebound effort where he hit six threes and a game winner in the final five seconds. He's got good size, plays hard and has backed up his national status.

Quotable: "My recruitment has been pretty steady and I feel good about the mix of academics and basketball with the schools that are recruiting me."

Prediction: This one is a tough call, there's little doubt he will end up at a big time academic program and Michigan seems like they could be in good shape.

Recruitment: Committed to North Carolina.

His day: Just a pair of 29 point outings for the aggressive scorer from North Carolina. His pull-up jumper is as good as there is in the class of 2018 and he plays fast without being out of control. He could be an instant impact guy at North Carolina and Roy Williams had to have been happy to have him locked up while watching him play.

Recruitment: Offers from Texas A&M, Nevada, San Francisco, Montana and San Jose State. Most of the Pac-12 monitoring closely.

His day: Akinjo was instrumental in the Oakland Soldiers win over a loaded California Supreme squad. He went for 27 points and nine assists while taking great care of the ball.

Quotable: "If I stay focused I think that I can be a high major point guard."

Prediction: Akinjo is the classic tweener at this point. Without a lot of depth out West at the point guard position, it won't be a surprise if Pac-12 offers start rolling in.

Recruitment: Interest from Auburn, Northern Iowa, Missouri State, Rice and an offer from Bowling Green.

His day: A strong and physically tough wing, Kaifes hit some timely shots and helped MoKan Elite to a 7-0 overall record in EYBL play.

Quotable: "I came into the spring thinking that I could get some mid major offers. But, with the way I've played I think I could maybe get some from high majors."

Prediction: Look for offers to start pouring in for Kaifes. He plans to visit Missouri State unofficially in the next week or so.

Recruitment: Early interest from Tulane, Virginia, San Diego, California and others.

His day: Playing in 16U action, Christopher stood out with his skill, toughness and ability to get a bucket. His older brother Patrick Christopher had a terrific career at Cal before ultimately spending some time in the NBA.