Cayden Daughtry dominates at Peach Jam. Is he the nation’s top high school basketball player?

Cayden Daughtry was the only junior named a USA TODAY Sports All-American last season. • Daughtry led Calvary Christian Academy to a state championship and a No. 3 national ranking last year. • He is making a strong case to be considered the best high school basketball player in the nation. Last year, there was one junior boys basketball player named All-American by USA TODAY Sports, listed among 14 seniors on the three teams. That player, point guard Cayden Daughtry, is turning heads around the nation at the 2026 Nike EYBL Peach Jam this month, making his case as best player in the nation. After leading Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, FL) to a championship last year and his performances in The Throne national tournament, it's no surprise. Social media was abuzz following his record-breaking, triple-overtime game for the Florida Rebels against the New York Rens. He sent the game into overtime, and then an off-the-dribble 3-pointer in traffic that got a bounce á la Kawhi Leonard to send it to double overtime. He had 43 points on 14-for-24 shooting and 4-for-7 from 3 in an 84-83 loss, according to the NBA. Daughtry and three-star point guard Troy Fason Jr., who entered the game with no collegiate scholarship offers, according to 247Sports' Kyle Tucker, battled it out throughout the contest. Fason finished with 41 points, three rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Despite the loss, it was a continuation of dominance from Daughtry, who has recorded 109 points, 20 assists and 13 steals in three games, according to the NBA. In averaging 36.3 points, 6.7 assists and 4.3 steals per game, he's practically outdoing himself from a campaign last season that put Calvary Christian up against the best in the nation. Cayden Daughtry was the engine behind Calvary Christian Academy. He led the team to the No. 3 spot in the USA TODAY Sports Super 25, averaging 26.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.7 steals per game. Calvary Christian went 24-1, winning the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Class 3A championship, and Daughtry poured in 30 points in the title game. He has great body control, using his acceleration and deceleration to create space for his 6-foot frame. He shows the ability to catch and shoot the ball in one motion without bringing it down to his chest first, helping him get off his shot — and he can hit it from deep. As seen in the clips above, he's fast, has a quick release, and has control over the flow of the game. This was apparent in The Throne national tournament, where he had 31 points and five assists in an opening-round victory against the Frisco Heritage (TX) squad, and then nearly pulled the Eagles back from an early deficit to Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, NY) in the semifinals, scoring 36 points with five assists and steals, making half of his entire team's made field goals in the outing. In two games played, he was one of the best players in the tournament. Calvary Christian will have its work cut out for it with the graduation of three key players in Aiden Bolden, Kenneth Francis Jr. and Jacob Zhu, who combined to average nearly 40 points per game last season. Bolden in particular will be a tough loss; he and Daughtry combined for 57 of the team's 69 points in The Thrones semifinals game. But Daughtry was the key cog for the team that faced off and beat nationally ranked teams like Principia (St. Louis, MO), Paul VI (Chantilly, VA) and Wheeler (Marietta, GA). With a final year left in high school, Calvary Christian should remain relevant in the national landscape. The Peach Jam is showing us why.