Nike Peach Jam 2016 Notebook: Trae Young Dominating with a Chip on His Shoulder

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Trae Young was motivated heading into Peach Jam.

The 6'2" point guard from Norman, Oklahoma, had been considered a 5-star prospect in the class of 2017 since bursting on the national scene in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) last spring. Many in basketball thought of Young as one of the nation's most lethal perimeter threats.

But even after a great spring that saw him finish fourth in scoring and second in assists in the Nike EYBL, Young was dropped a couple of spots in a few sets of national rankings entering the July live evaluation period.

Feeling that he wasn't getting the respect he deserved nationally, Young entered the summer hungry to prove he belonged in the conversation among the nation's best point guards. At Peach Jam—the Nike EYBL finals and considered by many to be the most important event of the summer—Young made his presence felt.

"Even though he may say he doesn't read the articles, he does. That's just motivation," Trae's father, Ray Young, told Bleacher Report.

Trae spent June traveling around the country and learning from some of the best as he played ball from coast to coast. The USA Basketball U18 tryouts in Colorado Springs—a first-time experience for Young—and learning from Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul at his annual CP3 Elite Guard Camp were big confidence-boosters.

Making the first cut as a finalist for the U18 team and taking advice from Paul on how to manage games and make specific reads, Young knew that his MoKan Elite team would do better than its 2-3 showing at last year's Peach Jam.

The hard work in June paid off for Young in July.

Playing at an elite level for the entire week at Peach Jam, Young averaged 27 points, 7.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 steals per game while shooting the lights out with ridiculous shooting splits: 55 percent from the field, 91 percent from the free-throw line and 47 percent from three-point range. 

With teammate and 5-star wing Michael Porter Jr. also having a monster week, MoKan went 8-0 at the toughest event in America and won their three bracket games by an average of over 26 points per game. In the championship, Young went head-to-head with 5-star guard Quade Green and emphatically outplayed him.

"[Everything that's happened recently] definitely fueled a little bit of fire in me," Young said. "I definitely used that as motivation. I always play with a chip on my shoulder. I always have something to prove. I don't think I get as much credit as I feel like I deserve. So heading into Peach Jam that added more fuel. It made winning it that much more great."

Performing at a high level at Peach Jam is a positive for Young, but he remains motivated to keep growing as a player and continuing this blistering stretch to begin July. Being from a place that isn't known for basketball—his hometown of Norman—is something Trae acknowledges as another factor in his motivation.

"Since Trae feels like he's not from New York, Chicago or L.A., he just feels like he has to do that much more to prove that he can play," Ray Young said. "How many point guards really come out of Oklahoma that are one of the top point guards in the nation?"

"Being from Oklahoma is definitely harder," Trae said. "You don't have the media attention around you. You don't have a lot of things that you would growing up in a bigger city with more of a basketball culture. When I have the opportunity to perform at a high level on a big stage, I feel like I have to do it. Growing up in Norman, Oklahoma, it's not known for it's basketball."

Since football is king in the Sooner State and with elite hoops competition tough to come by, Trae has spent the past few summers honing his skills with in-state college players like Oklahoma's Buddy Hield and Oklahoma State's Phil Forte.

Playing in shooting contests against Hield and learning how Forte tried to make 500 shots a day set the tone for how Young has trained the last few years to become an elite-level player.

"Growing up in Norman, I was there when Buddy was a freshman," Young said. "Being able to be with him and talk to him and being able to shoot with him was great. We'd always have shooting competitions. He would always win just because he's Buddy Hield and he was hitting some crazy shots. But it always made me better. It always made me better just going up against him. He'd always hit one-legged trick shots off the glass and stuff like that that I can't do. But he's a good guy, and I've learned a lot from him growing up these last few years."

Young also acknowledges that he believes he'll continue to grow as a player once he hits college because he'll have more time and freedom to put up the shots required to achieve 500 makes a day. High school life, chores and traveling get in the way of hitting that daily goal right now, but Young is going through his own routine to the best of his abilities until he gets to school.

"I think that's why Phil is such a great shooter," Young said. "He puts in the time, and I feel like [in college] I would do the same thing. I would definitely do some stuff like that."

The rest of July, Young has his sights set on trying to help the USA U18 team win a gold medal at FIBA Americas. But he'll also seek out whatever competition he can find to get better at basketball. Future Washington guard Markelle Fultz, a former 5-star guard DraftExpress has as the projected No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, often engages in shooting contests with Young just like the guard once did in Oklahoma before Hield exploded into a national name.

Young is just looking to continue making a name for himself as one of the best in the country.

"I think he wanted to prove a point on national TV in the Peach Jam that he deserves to be in that conversation [for top point guard]," Ray Young said. "For him, unless he plays well against those top guys, he doesn't feel like he gets the respect he deserves. That's what he needs for motivation, and I'm not going to change his mind."

Class of 2017 Big Men Put On a Show

One of the best parts of the Peach Jam this year was the amount of high-level battles between big men who were 5-star prospects. Since the class of 2017 has a lot of 5-star big men and the class of 2018 is topped by 6'10" 5-star Marvin Bagley, it seemed like every session of the Peach Jam had future pros facing off.

DeAndre Ayton, in particular, had to go through test after test as he faced Bagley, 5-star center Mitchell Robinson and 5-star big man Wendell Carter and won all three battles. The 7-foot Ayton averaged 21.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.8 assists per game at Peach Jam and led California Supreme to the semifinals even though the team was playing without 5-star center Brandon McCoy as it had during the regular season. 

"They're all good at what they can do," Ayton said. "Wendell is a versatile player; great down low. But me, I can run the floor, put the ball on the ground, shoot jumpers. I'm an all-around player."

Peach Jam's National Appeal Is Still Growing

Grassroots basketball isn't known for having hyped crowds, but the Peach Jam has become a big deal for fans as the event is starting to cross over into national appeal.

The long-running event, which has been played since 1996 and called the Peach Jam since 1997, has been a staple in the Augusta and North Augusta communities for 20 years, but it's starting to grow at a national level.

HoopSeen editor Justin Young ran into a family that had traveled from Lawrence, Kansas, and decided to go to Peach Jam for a family vacation. I spoke to one family that had driven from Texas to do the same. 

Unlike any other event in grassroots basketball, the Peach Jam has fans who are passionate about the games. Since many of the top players in the country are fighting for the title, the semifinals in the main gym have become a hot-ticket item.

Dozens of people were turned away at the door for the Saturday night games, and the packed gym had a line forming to get in 45 minutes before it opened.

With the crowd getting into it and the gyms being small and cramped, it provides one of the most unique experiences in basketball with some of the most memorable performances.

Recruiting ratings via 247Sports.

All quotes and information obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.