Philadelphia Players Turn Heads at Hoop Group Southern Jam Fest

Over the weekend, the Southern Hoop Group Jam Fest took place at the Boo Williams Sportsplex in Hampton, Virginia. AAU season is currently in full swing, and the Jam Fest was just one of many high-profile events over the weekend. The folks at Hoop Group do a tremendous job of recapping their events, and while reading over the recaps, I came across a number of familiar names. As anyone who follows high school in the Philadelphia area knows, the area is littered with talented freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. A handful of those talented players got themselves some publicity over the weekend. Their names, and links to the articles, are provided below.

The Team Final 16U team took home the title over the weekend. The team stars Chester sophomore Rondae Jefferson, Princeton Day School (NJ) sophomore guard Davon Reed, Saint Pat's sophomore forward Austin Colbert, and a number of other big-time prospects. The link below details the success that Neumann-Goretti sophomore Johnny Davis had over the weekend. In the article, he claims offers from Saint Joseph's, Temple, and Delaware, as well as interest from Rutgers and Seton Hall.
Johnny Davis Getting Press

Two of the most talented freshmen in the area are, without a doubt, Roman Catholic's Shep Garner and Neumann's Ja'Quan Newton. Garner and Newton both play in the Team Final 15U backcourt together. As the article points out, there are unlikely to be many backcourts in that age bracket with their firepower. That article can be found here.

Another Roman Catholic guard, rising senior Montana Mayfield, also got himself some positive press this weekend, primarily due to a 31-point outburst for his NJABC team. Mayfield talks about his game and recruitment here.