KANSAS CITY – In Kansas City, Missouri, the main attraction is barbeque, fountains, and jazz music, but for the weekend, the main attraction bringing fans from across the country to the 816 is Session Four of the Nike EYBL.
Coming into Session Four, Boo Williams' (Virginia) Treymane Parker led the EYBL 17u age group in scoring with 21.5 points per game after posting a 22-point game against The Family (Detroit) and 21 points, five assists, and four blocks against Team United (Charlotte) in Indianapolis for Session Three of the EYBL.
Dozens of college scouts were in the building to watch Boo Williams take on The Skill Factory (Atlanta) on court three, such as University of Michigan head coach Juwan Howard, Georgetown head coach Patrick Ewing, and Indiana University head coach Mike Woodson.
With the vast crowd of coaches and spectators in attendance, the Boo Williams AAU squad knew it was destined to put on a show.
Boo Williams would get off to a slow start, allowing The Skill Factory to get an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter after missing their first eight shots which three would be layups.
Parker would get Boo Williams on the board with a rebound and a floater to help find a rhythm for Boo Williams.
However, when Parker started his night, his teammate Jaylen Curry also accelerated with a crossover stop-and-pop jump shot inside the perimeter.
Now playing with more confidence on the offensive end, Etienne Strothers would penetrate to get just a little inside of the arch to draw in the defense, allowing the backcourt to open up. Strothers would read the defense and kick the ball out to Parker at the top of the key for a wide-open 30-footer to cut The Skill Factory's lead to one at the end of the first quarter, 11-10.
Boo Williams began to run off with the lead after Tichyque Musaka picked up a loose ball to kick the ball to the top of the key to Michael Ojo, who would look for a cutting Curry to the wing allowing the frontcourt to unclutter, leaving Brandon Gardner wide open for a two-handed jam from a Curry touch-pass to gain a ten-point lead over The Skill Factory, 27-17.
Boo Williams held onto the lead at halftime, 33-23.
The Skill Factory's defense held Boo Williams to only seven third-quarter points, allowing TSF to take advantage to score 17 points to knot things up at 40 going into the fourth quarter.
With time winding down quickly, Boo Williams would go back-and-forth with The Skill Factory before Parker connected with Curry on a fastbreak for a transition three-pointer to gain a five-point lead.
Maintaining only a three-point lead with 26 seconds of gameplay remaining, Curry would take a trip to the line after drawing a foul away from the ball to put his team in a double-bonus to knock down both free throws to regain their five-point lead.
In Parker's mind, the ballgame doesn't end until the clock strikes zero and the buzzer sounds. From a Curry outlet pass up-court on transition, Parker wanted to end the contest in style while showing his ability to get his teammates involved.
From the wing, Parker leaped in the air of one foot for a between-the-legs eastbay alley-oop to Musaka for a two-handed slam, sealing the victory over The Skill Factory with a final score of 61-56.
Curry led Boo Williams with 26 points, followed by Parker's 16 points and six assists.
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