INDIANAPOLIS — SYF Players coach Wayne Brumm's teams have historically improved through the course of the summer and found themselves playing their best basketball by July.

If history holds true this week, the Northwest Indiana-based AAU basketball program may be returning from Georgia with another championship for its trophy case.

SYF opens play Wednesday in the Nike Peach Jam in North Augusta, S.C. It'll do so with considerable momentum on its side.

Brumm's team sent five players to this past weekend's NIKE All-American Camp in Indianapolis; four of them made the event's all-star games.

Seniors-to-be Robbie Hummel, E'twaun Moore and Scott Martin — all top Purdue recruiting targets — stood out at the camp and subsequently were selected to its all-star game for Class of '07 players. Junior-to-be Cordell Passley was named to the all-star contest for underclassmen.

In its most recent tournament appearance, SYF won the Nike Memorial Day Classic in Nashville, in improbable fashion, as it battled some bumps and bruises physically and was coming off an up-and-down spring and a loss the weekend before to Spiece Central Stars in the final of the state AAU qualifier the weekend before.

In Tennessee, SYF beat the likes of fellow Nike-sponsored programs like The Family, Team Florida and Georgia Stars — each of whom have some elite talent — before beating the Arkansas Wings in the title game.

"We haven't peaked yet," Martin said at Nike, "but we're getting there."

This time a year ago, SYF got to the Peach Jam's title game, but lost by five to Boo Williams.

"This is a big one for us," Martin said. "… We have high expectations for ourselves. We plan to play well."

The Peach Jam's 17-and-under bracket also includes the following teams: Alabama Challenge, Alabama Lasers, Arkansas Wings, Athletes First, Boo Williams, Charlotte Royals, Friends Of Hoop (Seattle), Georgia Blazers, Georgia Stars, Houston Hoops, Howard Pulley Panthers, Illinois Warriors, Mean Streets Express, Metro, Hawks, Miami Tropics, Portland Legends, Team Florida, Team Final, Team Melo, Team Texas, Tennessee Traveler, The Family and YOMCA.

Hummel thinks SYF is heading south at the right time.

"We all played really well (at Nike) and we played really well in Nashville," said Hummel, who'll announce a commitment to either Purdue or Indiana on Monday. "I think we have a really good shot."

In addition to Hummel, Moore, Martin and Passley, SYF's senior-to-be team features high-Division I recruits such as big man Gary McGhee, guard Antwaun Boyd and guard Greg Hill (who's headed to prep school), as well as big man Evan Schmidt.

In Tennessee, it received a boost of energy, rebounding and interior defense from late-blooming Warren Central big man Jason Clardy, who joined the team after the state tournament and had a fantastic showing in Nashville, coming off the bench.

Later in the month, SYF will compete in the Nike Showcase and AAU National Tournament, both in Orlando, on back-to-back weekends.

With its roster now back to full strength — Purdue commitment JaJuan Johnson is back from the Reebok ABCD camp in New Jersey — Spiece Central Stars play this week at Eddie Ford's Kentucky Hoopfest in Louisville, before returning to Indianapolis for the Best of the Midwest Showcase, which tips off Thursday.

Coach Pat Mullin's team advanced to the title game of the Hoosier Shootout this past weekend.

Later this month, SCS — which also includes Purdue target Matt Howard — will be at the Reebok Big Ten Tournament in Las Vegas, as well as the U.S.S.S.A National Championships in Fort Wayne and Indianapolis.

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