And then there were no EYBL unbeatens

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FRISCO, TX – After one and one-half sessions of Nike Elite Youth Basketball League – 2014-style – it’s apparent there is no one dominant team.

Five teams left Saturday’s competition in the spacious and spiffy Field House USA in this Dallas suburb with 5-1 records after BABC, Athletes First and Spiece Indianapolis Heat suffered their first losses of the season.

The Boston Area Basketball Club (63-46 to Team Final of Pennsylvania), Oklahoma-based Athletes First (79-78 to The Family of Michigan) and Spiece (65-62 by way of MOKAN and its Missouri and Kansas players) fell in the second game each played Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Team Penny (based in Memphis) and Team Final (with players from Pennsylvania, more or less) went to 2-0 on Saturday to improve to 5-1.

Here are some of the players with noteworthy performances on Saturday:

*Jalen Brunson (Chicago Stevenson) continued to look like a strong contender for “No. 1 point guard in the Class of 2015) designation on Saturday.

The left-handed son of another left-handed point guard (Rick Brunson played at Temple and in the NBA) averaged 18.6 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in Mac Irvin Fire’s wins over Southern Stampede of Georgia (78-72) and Playground Elite of Wisconsin (73-60).

Brunson (averaging 16.6, 6.6 and 2.8 on the season) will lead his 4-1 squad against Team Penny on Sunday morning (9:30 Central Time).

*Ivan Rabb (Oakland Bishop O’Dowd) was the No. 1 junior in California last season and – barring a considerable upset – with be a near-unanimous choice as the state’s top senior a year from now.

His credentials for those tags were apparent on Saturday as he averaged 19.5 points and 13.0 rebounds as he and the Oakland Soldiers split games with the Arkansas Wings (falling 75-71 in overtime) and Team Takeover of Washington, DC (prevailing 61-58).

*One of the best in the Class of 2016 showed why no one will dispute that moniker with his two efforts Saturday.

The Arkansas Wings Elite’s 6-foot-3 Malik Monk (Bentonville, AR) scored 29 points against the Oakland Soldiers and 21 in the 76-60 loss to Houston Hoops.

*Six-four Malik Newman (Jackson, MS, Callaway) made his 2014 EYBL debut Saturday for the Jackson Tigers after spend the first session (two weeks ago in Sacramento) playing in a Under Armour-sponsored event in Kansas City.

Jackson split a pair of games as Newman struggled to get scoring rhythm in either game, missing eight of 10 shots from the field in the opener (a 59-33 win over Mean Streets of Chicago) then following by hitting just six of 20 – but scoring 27 points – during his club’s 75-60 loss to the New Jersey Playaz.

*Six-two Isaiah Briscoe (Roselle Catholic) averaged 22.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in the Playaz’ wins over the Jackson Tigers and New York Lightning (84-68).

*Dennis Smith (Fayetteville, NC, Trinity Christian) – a 2016 guard who made a big splash a couple of weeks ago for team Loaded during an adidas-sponsored event in Dallas – is spending the weekend with Team United in this event.

He is doing what several players have done over the years – participate in one EYBL session in order to become eligible for one of the Nike-fronted “Skills Academy”, including a possible slot in LeBron James’ event in Las Vegas in early July.

With four points against The Family and 14 against Howard Pulley (Minnesota) Smith wasn’t the scoring machine Saturday than he was in the adidas event with he became a Internet “scouts” sensation of sorts.

But he did show off a nifty combination of physical (he’s strong with considerable vertical and on-floor explosiveness, with and without the ball) and basketball skills and absolutely should be rated among the better guard prospects in the national Class of 2016.

*No one had a better pair of performances on Saturday than did 6-7 Miles Bridges (he’s from Flint, MI but plays for Huntington Prep in West Virginia) for The Family.

The 220-pound left hander scored 20 points to go with five rebounds in the 69-67 win over Team United and 22 and eight as his team handed Athletes First its initial loss (79-78).

The second contest was one of the more entertaining of the EYBL season.

Athletes First had rallied from an 11-point deficit to go up but Bridges scored in transition – with his right hand – while being fouled with 2.5 seconds to go and then converted the “And 1!” opportunity to stun the Allonzo Trier-led Athletes First.

Trier scored 29 points earlier Saturday (vs. Expressions Elite and its New England-area players) but was “held” to 23 against The Family as he had his first poor shooting (six of 23 from the field) shooting performance of the season.