NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer are widely considered the two best high school basketball players in the country, but picking one is no easy task. Just ask the army of college coaches who last weekend descended upon Nike’s Peach Jam, the biggest recruiting event of the year, and watched those two dominate en route to a meeting in the championship game. Boozer’s loaded team won a third consecutive Peach Jam crown, but if we’re just talking individual talent, the question remains: Who’s the best of the best?
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“That’s a healthy debate,” said one high-major head coach, granted anonymity because the NCAA does not permit staffers to comment on unsigned prospects. “I think they’re both going to be great for the one year they’re in college, and their upside is incredible.”
He makes a good point: There’s college performance, and then there’s long-term ceiling, and you might not choose the same guy for both. So The Athletic polled 13 high-major coaches — 10 of them head coaches — with a two-part inquiry: A) Who are you taking for a year of college ball? B) Who’ll be the better pro?
Boozer was the narrow choice for college by a vote of 7-6. Dybantsa was the pro pick by a vote of 11-2.
Boozer, a 6-10, 240-pound forward, averaged 20.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists, shot 60 percent from the field and made 12 of 24 3-point attempts in eight games at Peach Jam. Dybantsa, a long and athletic 6-9 wing, averaged 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists on his way to the championship-game showdown. Head-to-head, Dybantsa had 25 points and six boards, while Boozer hit 7 of 8 shots, finishing with 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks to take the title.
“Cam is the best player in high school right now,” said one assistant, “because I literally have never seen him have a bad game. He’s Mr. Consistent. He can dribble, pass and shoot. He plays really hard. He just doesn’t have the special measurables that AJ has, with the skill that he possesses. But the best player right now is Cam. He’s dominant.”
One coach said Dybantsa is “like a video game.” One NBA scout in attendance said Dybantsa “has a little bit of (Jayson) Tatum in him.”
“I don’t remember the last time we saw a No. 1 player in the country be the hardest-playing dude every single second he’s on the court,” one head coach said of Dybantsa. “That is his super power, man. Of all the things that are impressive about him, his motor is incredible. He sets an intensity level that everyone else has to live up to. Those are just words I haven’t really used when I describe players.”
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Back and forth it went as we wandered around the who’s-who of college coaches crowding the courts every time Dybantsa or Boozer played.
“I just think Cam is incredibly mature, wise beyond his years, could play in any system successfully, great communicator, physical but doesn’t rely on his physicality to win, great family support system,” raved another head coach. “I just think he has everything you need in a generational prospect. I would just bet on him.”
Yet another head coach mostly agrees with all of that, “it’s just that AJ looks like a future NBA All-Star.”
And how’s this for a curveball? Maybe there’s another name (or more) that belongs in this conversation. Most of the coaches polled do believe there’s some separation between Boozer, Dybantsa and everyone else in high school basketball. But …
“I tell you what: Tyran Stokes might be the best of them all,” said one head coach. “He’s super interesting. He’s just younger.”
The 6-foot-7, 235-pound Stokes is just 16, but the top-ranked player in the 2026 class had a spectacular Peach Jam. Playing alongside Dybantsa on the Oakland Soldiers, Stokes averaged 20.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists and shot 50 percent (9 of 18) from 3. He had a 25-12-10 triple-double in one game.
“I can’t remember a kid as fast as he is being a bigger-body guy,” said another head coach.
No third option got nearly as much mention as Stokes, but Boozer’s teammate Caleb Wilson, ranked No. 4 in 2025, and point guard Brandon McCoy, ranked No. 2 in 2026, also came up. Wilson, a 6-9 forward, averaged 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists at Peach Jam and dropped 29 points on 14-of-18 shooting in a breathtaking semifinal performance.
“Versatility, affects the game on both ends, has historically just been a set jump shooter but now all of a sudden he’s taking the ball off the bounce and finishing at a high percentage,” one head coach said. “Got great hands, really good feel and instincts, great length.”
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Five-star guards Darryn Peterson and Jasper Johnson got single mentions, as did center Chris Cenac, an outside-the-box candidate. One coach said the actual best player in that age group is big man Jayden Quaintance, who just turned 17 this month but is enrolling early at Arizona State and will have to play two years in college before turning pro.
That final coach added a thought many share: “There are 10 (future NBA) All-Stars in the next two classes.”
Indeed, the talent level in high school basketball’s next two classes is spiking, so here’s a look at who else caught our eye over three days at Peach Jam.
Best of the best
Caleb Wilson (No. 4 in 2025): The 6-foot-9 forward was the most dominant defensive player I saw this weekend. He is a disruptor with his length and quickness, able to generate turnovers and block shots. He’s the one guy Dybantsa struggled to finish over or around. Wilson is a dream defender in the modern game, and you could see him developing more confidence in his offensive repertoire as the weekend progressed. During his 29-point performance in the semis, he even hit a one-footed jumper from about 16 feet. His jumper is his weakness but appears to be improving, and he finishes everything around the bucket: He shot 74.1 percent at the basket in EYBL play, per Synergy. He’s above the rim before defenders can react.
Wilson told The Athletic that he has heard the most from Kansas and Kentucky. He would be an easy guy for either blue blood to incorporate right away because of his defensive abilities and his experience playing alongside and blending in with a great player in Boozer. — Moore
Jordan Smith Jr. (No. 8 in 2026): Smith was the best player from the 2026 class in the under-17 division not named Tyran Stokes. He is undersized at 6-3 but plays like a big guard with a football player-like build and a wingspan that makes up somewhat for his height. What stands out right away is how hard he plays on every possession. He defends, rebounds (5.7 per game) and takes smart shots. Not many dudes built like him can also shoot, but Smith shot 44.1 percent from 3 this summer. Smith isn’t an elite scorer quite yet, but he impacts the game in a lot of ways, and coaches are noticing. He posted to X this weekend that he got offers from Michigan, Duke and North Carolina. — Moore
Brayden Burries (No. 14 in 2025): At 6 foot 4 and 200 pounds, Burries has the score-first tendencies and three-level scoring ability to make an instant impact. Not only did he average a double-double at Peach Jam — 22.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, the latter figure being the most of any non-forward at the event — but he did so while shooting 41.7 percent from 3. Burries’ athleticism comes through more at the rim, where he’s a creative finisher, than it does in terms of pure blow-by or wiggle, but he gets to his spots everywhere on the floor. Burries has offers from basically all the top programs in the country (UConn, Arizona, Kansas, Duke, UCLA and more) but said he and his father are still in the process of setting up his fall visits. — Marks
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Tounde Yessoufou (No. 20 in 2025): With an NFL safety’s physique and an explosive playing style, Yessoufou is one of the most eye-catching players in the country. He averaged 21.8 points, 5.4 boards and 2.2 steals while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range at Peach Jam, including one absurd game in which he went for 29 points, eight rebounds, six steals and two blocks.
He has already visited USC and Arizona and plans to take five more visits to Baylor, Connecticut, Kansas, Tennessee and Kentucky. New UK coach Mark Pope was supposed to be first in that line but asked to reschedule so he can be the last visit before Yessoufou decides. He has called Kentucky his “dream school” and would be a huge pull for Pope, who is still searching for his first five-star pledge. The Wildcats have “been on me really hard,” Yessoufou said. “They just love the way I play really hard and I can do everything, defensively and offensively, and how tough I am with my mind.” — Tucker
Shelton Henderson (No. 25 in 2025): At 6 foot 6 and 220 pounds, Henderson has the frame to play college basketball tomorrow if he were eligible. And while his game does match his body at times — he can bulldoze his way to the rim — he’s a surprisingly connective player, capable of playmaking as a lead or secondary handler. (No surprise, then, that Henderson said he models his game after “big guards” like Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards and San Antonio Spurs rookie Stephon Castle, the fourth overall pick in last month’s draft.)
Henderson could’ve easily averaged more than the 14.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game he had during Peach Jam if he weren’t playing with two other top-50 prospects on JL3, but his ability to play within the framework of a team will only make his life easier at the next level. Henderson already has visits scheduled to Duke, Louisville and Texas, and Houston is also in the mix. — Marks
Best of the rest
Derek Dixon (No. 59 in 2025): Dixon reminds me of Cam Spencer, another product of the DMV who lacks some foot speed but makes up for it with his feel and shooting. He’s one of the best shooters in the class and understands how to get to his spots and find space. He also has good vision and usually makes the smart play. Not surprisingly, Spencer’s old coach Dan Hurley was watching him closely this weekend. Dixon already has a long list of high-major offers, including North Carolina, Virginia and Arizona. — Moore
Christian Jones (unranked in 2025): Jones is already committed to Siena, and Gerry McNamara got a steal. Jones is listed at 5 foot 9, but he is one of the best guards working out of the pick-and-roll in the EYBL, and he creates space with his speed and handle. He has quick high finishes with either hand around the basket, a necessity for a guard of his stature. He’s a really good shooter off the bounce and can also make catch-and-shoot 3s. He can pass, too. The size likely scared away the big schools, but they’ll probably be looking to poach him in a few years. — Moore
Nigel James (No. 88 in 2025): James, a Marquette commit, is only 6 feet, but it’s easy to see why Shaka Smart would be interested. He plays with exceptional pace and sets the table nicely on offense. Despite giving up size to some of the country’s bigger guards, he made life difficult for almost everyone he matched up against on defense. James still needs to hone his 3-point shot — he went 0 for 13 from deep at Peach Jam — but I’d bet on him being a productive, multi-year Big East guard down the line. — Marks
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London Jemison (No. 38 in 2025): Jemison was maybe the best shooter I saw all weekend. His stroke was just so consistent, and his quick trigger was replicable in multiple settings. The 6-foot-7 forward shot 40 percent from 3 at Peach Jam, but if you omit an 0-for-5 effort in his second game, he made 14 of 30, good for roughly 46.7 percent. Jemison doesn’t showcase a ton of creation, but given his frame and lightning-quick release from deep, he’s going to be in high demand for multiple high-major teams. He went 9 for 18 from deep in his final two games, averaging 17.5 points while at times being his team’s only consistent source of offense. Jemison has already taken an official visit to Syracuse and is hearing from Providence, BYU and Notre Dame, among others. — Marks
Christian Gurdak (No. 128 in 2025): Watching the wide-bodied Gurdak seemingly always end up in the right place, showing off a soft touch around the basket, I joked to one high-major assistant that the 6-foot-9, 260-pound center was “Medium-Sized Country,” a nod to former Oklahoma State star Bryant “Big Country” Reeves. The assistant shot back a much better nickname: “Low Country.”
His numbers don’t pop — Gurdak averaged 11 points and 6.6 boards in 21.1 minutes at Peach Jam — but he is tough, smart and skilled for his size. Spectators often found themselves fixated on his super-efficient work inside on one of the four best teams on this year’s Nike circuit. He shot 63.5 percent from the field in seven games. The recent Virginia Tech commit is going to be a perfect fit in Mike Young’s program. — Tucker
(Photo of Cam Boozer: Katie Goodale / USA Today)