Columbus (Miami, Fla.) captured the championship of the highest division of the 2023 Part 7 Workforce Camp and stamped itself as a significant FAB 50 nationwide title contender for 2023-24. The play of the Boozer brothers for Columbus, Cameron and Cayden Boozer, stands out to no shock, however a numerous variety of prospects assist their recruiting worth over the weekend at State Farm Area in Glendale, Ariz.
The Part 7 Workforce Camp is a staple on the NCAA’s June Scholastic Dwell Interval and for all intents and functions is the usual for June dwell occasions. On the subject of particular person gamers, rising junior (2025) energy ahead Cameron Boozer of Columbus (Miami, Fla.) in the usual relating to manufacturing and expertise at the highschool degree. The should cease within the West Area for nationwide scouts, school coaches and highschool groups in June placed on by the Arizona Basketball Coaches Affiliation, Part 7 featured 162 groups from 14 states and effectively over 450 prospects who might garner some NCAA or NAIA curiosity.
Not solely was Boozer the cream of the recruiting crop because the returning Mr. Basketball USA, his staff was the category of the sphere at Part 7 after it knocked off defending California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) champ Harvard-Westlake (North Hollywood, Calif.), 75-60, within the title sport of the NFHS Powerade Bracket on Sunday morning at State Farm Area, the house of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. Simply because it did in its first three video games, Columbus put it stamp on the sport from the very onset and made its opponent really feel its bodily prowess and should continuously play from behind. Columbus, which completed the 2022-23 season ranked No. 6 within the FAB 50 Nationwide Workforce Rankings powered by Ballislife, led 8-0 earlier than Harvard-Westlake (which completed No. 11) settled into the sport.
Previous to Boozer, the nationwide highschool participant of the yr has returned to the highschool scene for an encore solely three different occasions relationship again to the mid Nineteen Fifties, so it’s clearly fairly particular when a expertise such because the 6-foot-9, 240-pound dynamo is round to impose his will on opponents. Even for faculty coaches that don’t have a shot within the Boozer sweepstakes, it’s a very good gauge to see the place their targets stand by way of having the ability to compete with such a expertise. Regardless of the early foul hassle to Cayden Boozer, the dual brother of Cameron, the Explorers led Harvard-Westlake, 21-10, after one quarter and 43-26 at halftime in a contest marred by a plethora of officers’ whistles.
Despite the fact that the dominance of Cam Boozer is obvious even to probably the most novice observer, the advance of Cayden Boozer, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound level guard who can be a rising junior, was the distinction in Columbus’ dominant run to the tourney title. He’s noticeably stronger, extra explosive and purposeful in his offensive assault, and most significantly, is taking higher care of the ball than a yr in the past. No matter fortunate school will get the Boozer twins is getting fairly some extent guard alongside one of many higher school prospects to return dome the pike within the final decade.
Cam’s foul hassle vs. Harvard-Westlake didn’t flip the tide, as he and his teammates adjusted simply sufficient to the tightly-officiated environment. Harvard-Westlake fought again and minimize its 17-point halftime deficit to 48-42 on a 3-pointer by Harvard-bound rising senior (2024) guard Robert Hinton with 3:15 to go within the third interval, however the Explorers went on a fast 9-0 run after that discipline aim to place the sport out of attain.
Cayden Boozer completed with 22 factors, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, whereas brother Cam completed with 22 factors, 12 rebounds and 4 assists of his personal.
Hinton completed with 17 factors, whereas rising junior (2025) wing Nikolas Khamenia led the Wolverines with 19 factors. Rising senior level guard Trent Perry added 12 factors and 6 rebounds.
“This was our first time (occasion) taking part in collectively (as a staff),” Cayden Boozer mentioned. “We wished to return out right here and get the win. With Cam, he’s only a nice participant and it’s straightforward to play with him.”
Cayden’s feedback have been made within the context of placing apart the actual fact Cameron is his brother and commenting on his play. The identical may be mentioned if Cameron was requested the identical query, as Cayden’s affect on this tourney title run was one of many most important taking factors of the whole occasion. Cayden Boozer averaged 18.8 ppg within the 4 victories within the NFHS Powerade division, together with a 23-point, six-rebound, four-assist efficiency within the 71-41 victory over Centennial (Corona, Calif.), the champion of the 2022 Part 7 high division title.
Even with the 15-point victory over Harvard-Westlake, Columbus had a 29-point common margin of victory in its 4 wins. Cayden Boozer had 20 factors within the 87-55 quarterfinal win over Park Heart (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) and 10 within the 70-31 opening spherical victory over De La Salle (Harmony, Calif.), which performed the sport with out star participant Alec Blair, a 6-foot-6 2025 wing who doubles as a terrific baseball prospect and performed effectively after he arrived to the occasion on Saturday.
As for Cameron Boozer, he averaged 22.3 ppg and double-digit rebounds in 4 video games. He had 23 factors, 12 rebounds and 4 assists vs. Centennial, completed with 20 factors vs. Park Heart and with 24 factors vs. De La Salle.
For Harvard-Westlake, its large victory got here within the quarterfinals, because it downed Salesian (Richmond, Calif.), 62-49. Salesian, should you recall, defeated the Wolverines within the championship sport of the highest division at California Dwell 2023, which was the primary ever June Scholastic dwell interval occasion held in California for CIF golf equipment completely. California Dwell came about the weekend prior in Orange County, whereas 64 groups (together with a couple of who didn’t play in California) made the trek to Arizona for Part 7.
Two groups that performed at Cali Dwell ’23 final weekend met within the title sport of the NFHS Slam Bracket and each determine to be main contenders for berths within the CIF Southern Part open division playoffs in 2023-24. These two groups have been St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.), which misplaced within the semifinals to Montgomery (San Diego, Calif.) in its bracket at Cali Dwell ’23, and Roosevelt (Eastvale, Calif.), which misplaced to Salesian in its semifinal within the high division. It was a again and fourth battle and a person matchup of two of the highest guards within the 2025 class, each within the West Area and nationally: 6-foot-4 Brayden Burries of Roosevelt and 6-foot-5 Elzie Harrington of St. John Bosco.
St. John Bosco got here out with the 63-60 victory as Harrington made the important thing performs down the stretch. His pull up jumper was on, he made good selections, and likewise had a strong driving one-foot slam dunk that turned loads of heads. Harrington completed with 23 factors, whereas Burries had 21 factors for Roosevelt, which had an opportunity to tie the sport on a 3-pointer try on its closing possession. Bosco additionally obtained a key 15 factors on 5 3-pointers from 6-foot-7 2025 ahead Jaison Joyce.
“I felt wholesome and powerful and trusted the work that I put in, together with my teammates trusting me and one another,” Harrington mentioned. “So far as my very own sport and the matchup with Brayden, I do know the largest factor I’ve to work for the subsequent degree is my physique. Brayden already has that, as he does nice work across the basket. However I really feel than I’m extra faster than him going to the basket and I wished to make use of that to my benefit.”
Other than gamers similar to Khamenia, Harrington and Burries, there have been loads of different prospects who used profitable basketball to bolster their recruiting visibility and profile at Part 7. Certainly one of them was 6-foot-7 rising senior (2024) Gavin Ripp, who led Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, Calif.) to a second consecutive June scholastic dwell interval championship. It simply so occurred the Monarchs defeated the identical staff they did eventually week’s Cali Dwell ’23 occasion: Montgomery (San Diego, Calif.). The sport at Cali Dwell was shut, however Mitty received the NFHS Arizona Sports activities Fee division championship sport going away, 56-35.
Ripp drew the eye of faculty coaches along with his passing, exact offensive actions and exercise degree across the basket, as he didn’t want to attain to make a optimistic affect for his staff. Ripp’s recruitment is bolstered by his terrific tutorial profile (4.5 GPA) and he’s nonetheless huge open so far as narrowing down his faculty of selection. Ripp is contemplating the Ivy League and can be listening to a lot from Montana and Cal-St. East Bay.
Ripp obtained loads of offensive assist from his backcourt mates vs. Montgomery in Sunday’s title sport, as rising seniors Nathan Noronha (6-2) and Tyler Jones (6-3), netted 17 and 16 factors, respectively.
One other California membership captured one of many high 4 divisional titles at Part 7 as Windward (Los Angeles) downed St. Mary’s (Pheonix, Ariz.), 90-69, within the title sport of the NFHS Legacy Basis bracket. Windward defeated two talent-laden golf equipment from Northern California on its strategy to a blowout victory over St. Mary’s. Windward defeated Branson (Ross, Calif.), 57-54, in a sexy quarterfinal matchup {that a} plethora of faculty coaches witnessed, and downed Capital Christian (Sacramento, Calif.), 73-65, within the semifinals.
Gavin Hightower, a 6-foot-1 2025 scoring dynamo, Jeremiah Hampton, a 6-foot-4 southpaw combo guard, Louis Bond, a 6-foot-5 wing guard with glorious grades, and Jayden Harris, a 6-foot-6 small ahead with oozing potential, all had terrific moments through the occasion for Windward and every noticed an uptick of their recruiting profile.
For St. Mary’s, undecided 6-foot-3 rising senior level guard Kinds Phipps scored 29 factors in a shedding effort and averaged 20.0 ppg within the four-game set. St. Mary’s additionally has a superb long run prospect that caught the attention of faculty coaches and scouts alike in Cameron Williams, a 6-foot-9 rising sophomore (2026) ahead.
Ronnie Flores is the nationwide Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He may be reached at [email protected]. Don’t overlook to comply with him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
