By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Class of 2026 four-star guard Kaiden Bailey had a hand in one of the craziest comebacks at Nike EYBL Peach Jam.
In the semifinals against Team CP3, Team WhyNot found themselves down 19 points at halftime and on the brink of elimination. But Bailey and company didn’t back down.
“We saw them laughing at halftime at us and we took that personally,” Bailey said. “So second half we came out, we just kind of chipped away at it. It wasn’t us saying one thing — we didn’t figure them out in any specific way. It was just kind of chipping away at it on defense and bouncing back on offense.”
In the final quarter, Bailey made several huge plays, including a couple steals and free throws to tie the game at 63-63. He finished with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists on 8-of-11 shooting. WhyNot wouldn’t have won without him.
“That’s probably, nah, that’s definitely the craziest comeback I’ve been a part of,” Bailey said. “Being at the EYBL, comebacks like that don’t happen, especially in the playoffs. You know, a great team like CP3, great solid players, we just wanted it.”
Team WhyNot just eliminated CP3 with a 66-63 win and they are moving on to the Peach Jam Final 4
Kaiden Bailey led them with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.@NikeEYB @teamwhynot pic.twitter.com/GC4B73CwtV
— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) July 19, 2025
Bailey, the 6-foot-2 combo guard out of Santa Margarita Catholic (CA), was a key playmaker in that game, and that’s how he describes himself as a player. Bailey averaged 12.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists in seven Peach Jam contests.
“Creating shots for myself, but also creating shots for my teammates. I feel like that’s when I’m at my best,” Bailey said. “As soon as I step in the half-court, everything is bread-and-butter. I work on everything. Deep threes, mid-range, floaters. There’s nothing really that I don’t see in workouts and everything. So it’s kind of just fluid out there.”
Recently, Bailey has added offers from Colorado State, UNLV and Washington. He’s been previously offered by schools like LMU, UCSB, UCSD, Washington St. and more. He tripped USC unofficially about a year ago and recently took an unofficial to UCSB.
As for others interested?
“After the Pangos camp UCLA reached out,” Bailey, who won Pangos Camp MVP, said. “Louisville has been in contact recently. Illinois started getting in contact with my agent recently too. Those are the couple of the ones that have been reaching out recently.”
No official visits have been set for Bailey quite yet.
“I’m just kind of setting up officials in around August time when football starts up,” Bailey said. “That’s when I’ll be coming out for officials. So nothing to say yet, but soon.”
Bailey’s recent offers are three of the schools he’s looking to trip. He broke down those programs to ZAGSBLOG:
Colorado State: “Just their guard play. They had a guard last year who’s in the NBA now. The way that they play through their guards. Obviously how they’re competitive every year. New coach, so I really like it.”
UNLV: “Actually it’s funny, I have a couple people that I know. Myles Che, he’s over there now. He was at UCI. But when I was in eighth grade, he used to beat up on me and open runs and stuff. So it’s actually kind of funny to see him over there. He text me when I got the offer, which was pretty cool. Issac Williamson who was at Roosevelt last year. So I know a couple of the guys there. It’s good to talk to them about the program and they all really like it.”
Washington: “Coach [Danny Sprinkle] has been really nice, reaching out a lot, calling a lot. We had like an hour conversation first time we talked. They really support, come out to a lot of games. I like it a lot. Good conference.”
Bailey hasn’t given any thought to a potential list cut, and he’s in no rush to make a decision. He’ll commit “most likely spring, late season, high school season.”
The four-star is ranked the No. 149 overall prospect in the 2026 class by 247Sports. He takes bits and pieces from NBA players, but said he’s most like Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland.
“I get that comparison quite a bit,” Bailey said. “You know, not the most athletic but can shoot the ball. Comes off with pace. Plays at his own speed.”
Off the court, Bailey enjoys bowling and bought a summer pass at his local alley. He’s getting pretty good, bowling a 190 the last time he played before Peach Jam.
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