While the Nike EYBL Scholastic League takes much of the media attention as far as prep academy-type high school basketball is concerned, there are many other leagues that boast elite levels of competition for successful programs that play outside of the swoosh. Enter the Grind Session, providing a platform for elite programs to play in regardless of shoe affiliation. For over a decade, the Grind Session World Championships offer a one stop shop for college coaches, scouts, and media alike to see some of the nation’s finest talent under one roof.
Ultimately, two-time defending champ and FAB 50 No. 9 Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif.), No. 22 Utah Prep (Hurricane, Utah), Fort Erie International out of Canada, and No. 35 DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) all punched their ticket to Lawrence, Kansas for the Final Four of the Grind Session World Championships last weekend. The Final Four field set up a potential championship game involving the nation’s top two players, 6-foot-9 A.J. Dybansta and 6-foot-6 Darryn Peterson, and a potential individual rematch of their epic battle earlier in the year in Atlanta.
The rematch never surmised.
Fort Erie International Academy shocked Grind Session onlookers by upsetting Utah Prep in the semifinals, 64-61, in what should ultimately be Dybansta’s final high school game. That loss dropped Prolific Prep two spots in this week’s FAB 50.
Coach Ryan Bernardi and Prolific Prep then steamrolled through the rest of the competition, toppling DME Academy, 78-72, before trouncing Fort Erie in the title game, 77-50, to claim their third straight Grind Session championship.
Darryn Peterson, a leading Mr. Basketball USA candidate, was named league MVP for The Crew, who will wrap up their season at Chipotle Nationals.
Below are a handful of standout players during the 2025 Grind Session World Championships:
A.J. Dybantsa, 6’9, SF, Utah Prep (Utah), 2025 One of the more special prospects that we have seen over the past decade, the evolution of Dybansta as a potential two-way threat at the next level continues to be more evident. Playing in front of the BYU faithful in Salt Lake City, the 6-foot-9 wing put on a marvelous performance in Utah Prep’s upset victory over FAB 50 No. 42 Winston-Salem Christian (Winston-Salem, N.C.) to advance to the Final Four. Dybantsa guarded all five positions at times, really utilized his size to take advantage of smaller defenders, and showed promise as an outstanding rebounder from the wing. A.J. finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, three blocks, and two steals to help move his team on.
Darryn Peterson, 6’6, SG, Prolific Prep (Cal.), 2025The evolution of Peterson was evident throughout the weekend in Salt Lake City as Peterson, a natural scorer, truly showed his potential as a facilitator. Running point the entire game against Academy of Central Florida, the Northeast Ohio product showed extreme confidence as the catalyst for the No. 9 team in the Ballislife FAB 50. Peterson was elite in pick and roll play knowing when to read or reject screens; then in almost a James Harden-Clint Capela roll with Obinna Ekezie Jr., would get into the lane for a floater or a lob every single time. The Kansas recruit is the most gifted scorer in the class, but showed a different side of his game with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and zero turnovers in a blowout victory.
Obinna Ekezie Jr., 7’0, C, Prolific Prep (Cal.), 2027The top player in the class of 2027, per On3 Sports, showed why many industry insiders feel that he has the perfect blend of raw talent to make him the ideal new age center. The Nigerian-American sophomore is already a ridiculous lob threat that can go up there to get it from a standstill, has intriguing moves on the block with his back to the basket, and is a developing 3-point shooter with his feet set. The son of six-year NBA vet Obinna Ekezie is trending in his father’s footsteps and is certainly a name you will be hearing more about.
Nathan Kirk, 6’0, PG, DME Academy (Flor.), 2026With five star McDonald’s All-American Mikel Brown Jr. out for DME, it was Kirk’s time to shine and he certainly made the most of the opportunity. Kirk proved to be a super competitive playmaker who was in attack mode whenever he had the pill, was great working out of pick and roll play, and had a variety of creative finishes in the paint. The scoring lead guard averaged 28 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game on the weekend and recently picked up an offer from Fordham.
Jalyn Patterson, 5’10, PG, Minnesota Prep (Minn.), 2025As far as pure scoring performances are concerned, Jalyn Patterson stole the show in Salt Lake City, pouring in 44 points (11-of-21 3-point) in a narrow loss to national power Prolific Prep. The diminutive guard who lacks no shortage of confidence has great burst out of pick and rolls, and is able to pull up on the drop of a dime from anywhere going full speed. The younger brother of Minnesota guard Lu’Cye Patterson is still wide open on the recruiting side, but his resume’ with Minnesota Prep and with J-Sizzle on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit stamps him as a D1 point guard.
JJ Sullivan, 6’2, SG, Iowa United Prep (Iowa), 2025Another Minnesota product who had quite the performance shooting the rock was Sulllivan, an automatic lefty who is still left on the board. Sullivan showed great patience and timing coming off screens, constantly relocated to create better passing angles from his bigs, and had a quick enough release to get his shot off over bigger defenders. The D1 Minnesota product and son of former Iowa St 3-point sniper Jake Sullivan is one of the better high school shooters still left on the board.
