The AAU shoe circuit spring sessions are in the books. Play wrapped up on Memorial Day, and won't resume until July when the Nike EYBL side heads to North Augusta, South Carolina for Peach Jam, and Adidas 3SSB plays its nationals in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
Of all of the players in the 2026 class North Carolina has offered, only Toni Bryant plays on another shoe circuit besides Nike and Adidas. He is with Tre Mann Elite in the Puma NXTPro League. Four play in both the EYBL and 3SSB sides.
Thankfully, each organization provides individual statistics, and even box scores from the games in most but not all cases. This gives us a better idea of how each prospect performed in these highly competitive leagues.
EYBL
Just about everyone in the grassroots industry believes Tyran Stokes has not only solidified the top spot in the Class of 2026, but created distance from the rest of the field. Probably the biggest news of the spring was Stokes' return to the EYBL after opting out of the first of three sessions, and saying he would forego AAU play.
The Oakland Soldiers went 5-3 with him. He had a double-double in four of his eight games. His most impressive showing was a 30 point, 18 rebound outing against Team Durant this past Sunday in Kansas City.
There are many things Stokes does that is impressive, but his gift for drawing fouls may be at the top of the heap. He is a runaway train when he gets downhill. 81 trips to the charity stripe in seven games is unheard of on the EYBL level.
Stokes is second in the entire organization in rebounds at 10.1 per game, and first in defensive boards with eight. He is also second in double-doubles with four, and third in performance ranking index at 226.
Stokes grew up a North Carolina fan, and it remains to be seen if they can cash in on those feelings. But right now the teams that seem to be in the lead group are Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, and Louisville.
The 2026 class is top-heavy with guards at the top. But if I had to pick one from the EYBL side it would be Jordan Smith. He definitely has a claim for the best two-way player. Smith also impacts winning at a high level. He is a bull at the point guard spot with his 6-foot-3, 200 pound frame. His mentality is also one of pure aggression. Take the body and the intensity level, and comparisons to Anthony Edwards from that standpoint are not far-fetched.
Team Takeover has the best record in the entire EYBL through three sessions at 10-1. That's what Smith helps bring to the table. For a player that tough, Smith has strong shooting numbers of 56.4% overall, 59.2% from two-point range, and 36.8% from three although only 19 of 149 attempts came from that part of the floor.
Want another reason why Smith might be the first guy to make a push at Stokes for the overall top spot in our opinion? He has high ratings in the analytical categories that matter. Smith in first in the EYBL in Performance Index Rating, first in Efficiency, and first in plus/minus point differential at plus-163.
North Carolina has offered Smith, but it appears they are going to have to make up major ground if they look to go down that road. He is mentioning several schools he plans to visit, and for now UNC is not in that conversation.
The Arizona Unity made a late run in its last three games of the spring in Kansas City to get above the .500 level at 6-5, and better position itself for the Peach Jam. Cameron Holmes' numbers were consistent with the rest of his stats for the season.
Holmes' shooting percentages leave somewhat to be desired, but he is on the high level athletically. He is along, lengthy, and quick-twitched on the perimeter. He can also create off the dribble.
Holmes is planning a visit to North Carolina this fall. He already has one set up for Oregon on September 20. Texas and Arizona are two other programs who are expected to play host. Looking for a player in the 2026 class who will give the Tar Heels serious attention? Look no further than Cam Holmes.
This version of Team CP3 is looking to win another Peach Jam title. Cole Cloer has already tasted gold, and his squad will head to North Augusta, South Carolina in July with an 8-3 record.
Cloer had good numbers across the board, and even though he is shooting the three-ball in bulk (70 attempts), he has made 21 in all. He is known as a knock-down shooter, but he has run hot and cold so far. Cloer came off an 0-11 three-point outing Sunday night, and responded by making three of six on Monday. Put his four best games together, and he made 12 of 25 long balls for 48%.
Cloer is another player that Tar Heel fans should take seriously, but there is lots of competition. North Carolina State, Wake Forest, Virginia, Alabama, Louisville, Florida, Michigan, BYU, Tennessee, and Indiana were other schools he mentioned to us last week.
Adidas 3SSB
Game Elite is a perfect 8-0 in the Adidas 3SSB side, and Caleb Holt has been as good as advertised. With the initial decisions by Tyran Stokes and Brandon McCoy Jr. not to play this spring, Holt became the highest ranked player to compete in AAU. But he still only trailed Stokes once he returned during the live period.
Holt is averaging 21.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 steals per game. He has shown the ability to impact the game in a number of ways. His highs this season are 27 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 steals. His shooting percentages are not available on the Adidas side, but Holt has made eight, or exactly one per game.
Houston and Kentucky have paid Holt in-home visits this spring. He has taken an official visit to Ole Miss. All eyes are going to be on the the schools that get official visits the next few months. Alabama, Auburn, Houston, and Kentucky appear to be in the best spots, but it is early and anything can happen.
I spoke with a scout who in my opinion is as good as anybody anywhere. He confidently named Anthony Thompson as one of the top three perimeter players in the 2026 class. Here is some proof of his importance. Indiana Elite went 1-2 the first three games without him, and 5-0 once he returned to play.
Not only is Thompson is big, lengthy wing at 6-foot-8, he also has the reputation as one of the best three-point shooters in the country. He has made 11 in five games on the Adidas circuit.
Thompson has recently released a list of his top-15 that includes BYU, Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Purdue, Notre Dame, Auburn, Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, Georgetown, Louisville, Xavier, and Texas. He has taken a couple of unofficial visits to Midwest schools like Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. Now it remains to be seen where he sets up officials in the fall.
I believe Taylen Kinney is better than his No. 20 ranking. The point guard put up big numbers this winter at Overtime Elite despite being one grade younger than most of his very talented competitors. Kinney can run a team, but he is also tremendous at getting to the rim.
Just like at OTE, he put up a very balanced box score in the Adidas circuit at 19.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. He had a double-double which featured 10 rebounds. Put together his game highs and you have 29 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals. He also had nine rebounds in another game despite only being 6-foot-3. Another thing we did expect is high two-point numbers. He was 49 of 74 for 66.2%.
Wildcat Select stands at 7-1 behind their stellar guard. Kinney has scheduled an official to Oregon on September 6. He has a wide range of offers, but he is from Newport, Kentucky, and in the end it will be tough to get him out of the Bluegrass.
Deron Rippey Jr. is one of those rare high end guards whose skill and shooting does not take a back seat to his athleticism. In eight games this season he made 42 of 84 shots for 50%. But even more impressive was his 42.2% three-point rate. Just more than half of his attempts came from behind the arc. Rippey was also efficient. He averaged 15.3 points in just over ten shots per game. New Jersey guards are known for their toughness and defense. Rippey was one of the best on any circuit when it came to steals. He snatched two per game.
New Heights went 5-3 for the spring, and of the eight games, Rippey had one outlier. Take away his seven point outing against BABC, and his scoring average jumps by almost a full point to 16.4.
Rippey has a ton of offers, but he and his family were thrilled when North Carolina threw their hat in the ring. The Tar Heels and Kansas are the only blue bloods who have offered the very talented guard.
