Numerous four-star and five-star high school prospects were among the top performers during the latest AAU season that wrapped up a few weeks ago, according to analysts and scouts. The three main shoe-sponsored circuits are the Nike EYBL league, the Adidas 3SSB league and the Under Armour Association (“UAA”) league.
4-star and 5-star Top Performers in Latest AAU Season
All three leagues held several spring sessions before conducting their season-ending playoffs in July. Throughout the most recent grassroots hoops campaign, college coaches were in attendance during a couple of NCAA-permitted live periods. Based on comments from national analysts and scouts, here are some of the top performers across these three shoe-sponsored leagues.
Top Performers in Nike’s EYBL
Jordan Smith Jr. with the Washington, D.C.-based Team Takeover earned high marks all spring and summer. The 2026 five-star shooting guard, rated No. 2 nationally by 247Sports, is down to a final six of Arkansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Syracuse, Duke and Georgetown. He was among the leading scorers in the EYBL’s main 17U division, although Team Takeover shockingly didn’t make it out of pool play at July’s season-ending Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C.
The Oakland Soldiers from California featured two of the premier scorers in EYBL competition during the latest season. One is 2026 five-star combo guard Jason Crowe Jr. , who is verbally committed to Missouri. The second is 2026 five-star small forward Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 national prospect in this class. Kentucky is trending in Stokes’ recruitment, some analysts say.
Scouts anointed Maximo Adams as the top forward in EYBL play this past season. The 2026 four-star prospect shined for the Las Vegas-based Vegas Elite. His work on the glass throughout the spring and summer months was impressive. Adams has locked in multiple official visits to blue-blood programs.
Brandon McCoy was another top-flight scorer on the EYBL circuit. The 2026 five-star combo guard averaged 22.0 points per game at Peach Jam. The scouting experts at The Circuit named McCoy to their All-Peach Jam first team.
Top Performers in the Adidas 3SSB League
Deron Rippey Jr., a 2026 five-star point guard, was arguably the top performer in the latest 3SSB season. Rippey led the 17U team of the New York-based New Heights to the quarterfinals of the Adidas playoffs. A top-10 national prospect, he recently disclosed a top 12 that features many heavyweight programs and has set a bunch of official visits for the coming months.
Bruce Branch III was electric this spring and summer for the California-based Compton Magic, analysts say. Nate Buss , in a piece for Sports Illustrated, said that Branch had an “eye-opening ascension” with the Magic in the latest 3SSB season. Branch, a five-star small forward, is the No. 1 national prospect in the 2027 cycle.
Neiko Mundey was one of the best guards on the 3SSB circuit. The 2026 four-star prospect averaged 21 points per game and shot around 40 percent from beyond the arc this past season. He starred for New World, a program based in the D.C. area. Adam Finkelstein, 247Sports’ director of scouting, noted that Mundey is an excellent two-way player who plays with big-time energy and intensity.
Finkelstein also characterized 2026 five-star Abdou Toure as one of the top wings in the Adidas league. Toure, a top-25 national prospect, is an explosive athletic, scouts say. Finkelstein noted that Toure, who suits up for the Boston-based BABC, is a stellar defender and strong rebounder for a wing player.
Top Performers in UAA
Two of the top prospects in the Under Armour Association league this spring and summer were 2026 four-star small forward Christopher Washington Jr. and 2026 four-star wing/power forward Quinn Costello. Washington plays for the Knoxville, Tenn.-based B.MAZE Elite. Costello, one of the fastest-rising prospects nationwide, is a standout with the Boston-based Middlesex Magic.
Not too long ago, Costello dropped a top six of Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, North Carolina, Purdue and Texas. Michigan has buzz in his recruitment. Washington has a top seven of Ole Miss, Auburn, Villanova, Tennessee, Alabama, Cincinnati and Florida A&M.
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