A few local high school basketball players participated in two of the biggest summer basketball events on the calendar last week.

Cam Scott (Lexington High), Jaxon Prunty (Lexington High) and Braylhan Thomas (Gray Collegiate) played for Team United in Peach Jam. Peach Jam, played annually in North Augusta, is one of the final events in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball circuit and has grown more popular in recent years with NBA stars like Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Bradley Beal and Chris Paul showing up to coach their sons or the teams they sponsor. It’s also the focus of the college basketball world as coaches and NBA scouts come in from all over the country to scout the nation’s best basketball talent.

Former Irmo center Brandon Crawford joined Ellis Graham and Trey Maddox from Gray Collegiate in plaing for the Upward Stars in Adidas’ 3SSB tournament in Rock Hill. Like Peach Jam, the 3SSB tournament has grown as a hotbed for college basketball recruiting as well as having its own star power when it comes to high profile NBA players sponsoring teams and coaching them.

Cam Scott

It’s been a big summer for Scott, who has been labeled as the top college basketball prospect in the state of South Carolina and one of the top 40 in the entire country according to 247 sports and ESPN.

Scott has garnered serious college interests and has already taken one official visit to Oregon last month. Scott has caught the attention of schools like Alabama, Texas, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Florida State and has received offers from all of them.

At Peach Jam, Scott played through some injuries right off the bat as he experienced lingering effects from a sprained ankle suffered during the last live team event shortly before. On the second day of Peach Jam, he dislocated his index finger on his shooting hand and had to play with it wrapped all week.
Despite the discomfort, Scott played in all nine games for Team United in North Augusta. His best scoring output came against All Ohio on July 5 when he poured in 18 points on an efficient 7/12 shooting from the field and 3/6 from three-point range. For the week, he averaged a little over eight points per game.

At the beginning of the week, Scott said he was focused on becoming a more ball-dominant guard as well as working on his leadership skills. With NBA scouts and college coaches in attendance, Scott feels like he was able to expand those elements of his game with the help of his teammates.
“It’s the people I have around me,” Scott said. “They allow me to play my game and play my style and they just make everything easy.”

Team United head coach Michael Prunty sees some growth from Scott in those departments as well.

“Especially with the leadership and speaking up,” Prunty said. “With the ball handling, he’s starting to make that second read where he’s able to make the read of the defender that’s on him but then he’s trying to figure out where the ball should go depending on how the defense shifts, so he’s gotten a little better.”

The stats from the week reflect some of the efforts he has made to be more ball-dominant on offense. Against Team Why Not on July 4, he recorded seven assists and against Skill Factory July 6, he was able to record six assists and be a plus to the offense despite not having a good shooting game from the field.

Scott ended his week with a bang as he nailed a step-back three-pointer in the final minutes against Howard Pulley to cap off an efficient 12-point scoring performance.

“I feel like it’s one of those secret talents I got,” Scott said about his developed step-back jumper. “Most people like my slashing ability and getting downhill and catch-and-shoot but you know, I can do a little bit with the ball and the step-back was just a little plus.”

Scott has some crucial official visits coming up this fall with scheduled stops to Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama and Florida State. One of the big elements Scott will weigh is how well the schools develop talent.

“Just talking to coaches and seeing where I can develop my game,” Scott said. “I feel like that’s going to help where my decision goes. I’ve had a lot of coaches talk to me about player development and I’ve seen a lot of the players they developed and put into the league so I’m just gonna take that information and talk about it with my family and that will probably have a major impact on where I go.”

Jaxon Prunty

Fellow Lexington High guard Jaxon Prunty stuffed the stat sheets at Peach Jam. For the week, Prunty averaged 12.5 points, 5.8 assists, and over one steal per game.

The Lexington High combo guard scored in double figures in the first five games of the event with his highest scoring output coming against City Rocks July 3 (19 points).

Outside of the high scoring outputs, Prunty showed off his abilities as an offensive shot creator with a 12-assist game against Kingdom Hoops and for the whole week, he posted a total assist-to-turnover ratio of 46:7.

He has some offers from mid-major division one schools but has been gaining some traction during the EYBL circuit and has played well enough to start getting the attention of Virginia and other ACC schools. At 6’6”, Prunty is a tall point guard with a good feel for the game and can be versatile on the defensive end. But what has made this a successful week for Prunty was his ability to show off a complete offensive game with his scoring and passing, something that his father and Team United coach Michael Prunty has noticed as a main improvement.

“One of the things that Jackson has always been able to do is score the ball,” Michael Prunty said. “But he used to worry about trying to get everybody involved whereas this time, he was just more aggressive and being able to show his talents on the offensive end as well as being able to distribute. So I think he’s gotten to where he’s balancing out when to attack and when to make the right reads.”

Braylhan Thomas

After his performance in the SC Live Team showcase in June, Thomas has started to appear on the radar of more and more division one programs.
Before the festivities in North Augusta, Thomas had an official visit at Georgia Southern, where he was also offered a scholarship.

At Peach Jam, Thomas played well defensively and at times, provided short scoring bursts off the bench. He scored in double figures in two games including a hot shooting 23-point performance against Indy Heat in only 20 minutes of action.

What has impressed Coach Prunty about Thomas was his intelligence on the defensive end of the floor.

“He’s a strong guard and can defend very well,” Prunty assessed. “He has a good IQ, especially on defense.”

Prunty still sees Thomas as a player who can continue to see his stock soar if he becomes a more well rounded product offensively.

“I’m wanting him to make a couple more reads when he’s in attack mode and being able to know where the help is coming from but I think he’s an amazing guard.”

When asked about his solid defensive performance over the week, Thomas credits it to his mindset.

“Just clearing out your mind and get into winning. If you can stop the other team from scoring point, how can you not win the game?” Thomas said.
Thomas has also received an offer from UNC Asheville and has also been in communication with teams such as Siena and Xavier.

Trey Maddox

Maddox’s summer is a little different than some of his peers. Along with appearances in the Adidas 3SSB circuit, he went to Italy last month as a part of an Adidas sponsored showcase where he got to play with some of the best high school players in Europe.

Maddox said that the three biggest things he was able to develop in Europe was the improvement of his ball handling, shooting and defense. Since he’s been back, he has been working on defensive stamina to keep him being the best version of himself late in games.

“I’m still developing on defense,” Maddox said. “Sometimes I get tired but my dad keeps telling me ‘You’re going to get tired in a game and have to guard someone maybe as quick as you so that stamina needs to go up if you want to play defense.’”

Maddox helped lead the Upward Stars 16U team to a 3-2 record in Rock Hill. Upward coach Caleb Gaither said that the most impressive thing about Maddox’s game is his combination of size and athleticism.

“I think he passes the eye test initially,” Gaither said. “He’s the prototype wing player at the next level and beyond. His athleticism jumps out, he has a high IQ for the game and here lately, he’s always had a decent shot, but he’s really shooting the ball well. So his athleticism, high IQ and his ability to shoot the ball is kind of strong right now.”

Gaither also believes that once he masters ball handling, his game will make a jump.

“His ball handling, once he gets more consistent with that, there’s gonna be a next step in the process of development,” Gaither added. “Ball handling needs to tighten up a little bit but that’s the biggest thing right now.

This summer, Maddox has been contacted by Clemson, South Carolina, Wake Forest and a plethora of other high-level division one programs. He’s currently ranked in the Top 76 nationally in the 2025 recruiting class and is the No. 1 player in the state per 247 sports.

Brandon Crawford

Crawford is a former Irmo star center who helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 4A state championship last season. This summer, he has been playing for the Upward Stars 17U team in the 3SSB circuit. For this upcoming season, he will be taking a prep year to play in Overtime Elite, the developmental pro league that produced two top five picks in the NBA Draft this past season with Amen and Ausar Thompson.

Crawford had options to go to other prep schools but chose Overtime Elite because of the facilities and the way the coaches are devoted to player development.

Crawford’s length bothered opponents on defense and his ability to catch lobs and finish possessions with dunks were a strength of his throughout the week as Upward went 2-3 over the course of the week.

Crawford’s play has attracted some high major college suitors with Penn State showing him the most interest as well as offer a scholarship per Crawford. He also has had East Tennessee State, Ole Miss, Virginia Tech and others reach out and show interest.

Ellis Graham

Rising senior Gray Collegiate center Ellis Graham also took the floor with the Upward Stars 17U team this summer in the 3SSB circuit.

Like Crawford, Graham is a lengthy big who has turned heads with his spurts of athleticism and shot blocking ability, especially during the SC Live team event in Rock Hill last month.

Graham said he’s enjoyed the level of competition he’s faced in the Adidas circuit.

“I’m playing on a fast circuit, a good circuit,” Graham said. “It helps out my game and getting used to playing faster, better people.”

Graham said his best attribute is his ability to block and alter shots defensively and that he’s still working on getting better at being a scoring threat on offense.

Graham added that his two main offers right now are from Wichita State and Jacksonville and that he has also received interest from Georgia Southern after his performances this summer.