Weekend Recap: Team Thad 17u
EMERSON–
Team Thad brought their 17u UA team with one addition to a northeastern suburb of Atlanta. The #2 ranked team in PrepHoopsTN 17u rankings performed great and then poor. The team faced some exceptional opponents and displayed some gritty yet occasionally uneven performances.
Every Team Thad 17u game occurred on the featured Court 7 or Court 4.
Bright Spots
KyKy Tandy played exceptional defense. While Tandy is a physical specimen he has historically shown a lack of interest in defending the ball. When the possession is important Tandy will lock down, but he mentally drifts or rests on defense.
Not in Lakepoint Sports Complex. KyKy was all-in on the defensive end.
Matthew Murrell acclimated very well to his new AAU program. The second best player in 2020 converted many of his challenged shots at the 17u level. He is completely comfortable with the quickness. The city of Memphis is one of the best in the country at preparing players for the quickness at the next level.
Murrell hit the few outside shots he saw. Overall it was a fantastic weekend for Murrell in front of dozens of HM head coaches. He even sported stretches that rivaled Keon Johnson for top 2020 from our state.
Before the event there was no contest between #1 and #2 in the class, but now the debate is necessary as Murrell is closing the gap athletically.
Typically an afterthought on the bench Kameron Jones saw more meaningful minutes. Kameron is a combo forward with soft touch. With Team Thad he tends to operate as a faceup wing, which is both good and bad. Moving Kameron away from the basket opens up the floor for slashers like Tandy, Baugh, Murrell, etc. It also takes away Kameron’s best skill…short to mid-range jump shots.
Concerns
Tired legs cropped up Saturday afternoon. The squad competed in two different events in the Atlanta area this week and all of the guards looked lethargic. Both Damion Baugh and KyKy Tandy lacked their usual explosiveness. Christian Jones didn’t play much and Antonio Thomas’ absence showed up in the backcourt rotation.
I might be wrong, but I believe Antonio missed for a family funeral. The Thad squad travels to Las Vegas next week where they emerged Fab 48 Champions a year ago. You might remember Tyler Harris rocked Sin City with scoring and grit.
In a battle with Team M.O.A.M. the Memphis men yielded a quick rally. Rarely does Team Thad ever look like the lazier team, but M.O.A.M. outworked them early and held onto the lead throughout.
Below you can peruse the teams Thad 17u lost to.
TEAM PARSONS (CP25) 17U GAUNTLET
ATHLETE NAME YEAR HEIGHT POSITION SCHOOL
1 ISAIAH PALERMO 2019 6-6 SG OSCEOLA HIGH SCHOOL
2 JOSH MART 2019 5-9 PG OSCEOLA HIGH SCHOOL
3 XAVIER JOHNSON 2019 6-1 PG EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL
4 DARIN GREEN, JR 2019 6-5 SG WHARTON HIGH SCHOOL
5 SAMUEL PAYNE 2019 6-10 PF OSCEOLA HIGH SCHOOL
11 KMANI DOUGHTY 2019 6-5 SG FLORIDA AIR ACADEMY
20 SETH COLEMAN 2019 6-5 SG HOLY TRINITY EPISCOPAL ACADEMY
23 DAKOTA RIVERS 2019 6-8 PF WINDERMERE HIGH SCHOOL
30 ISAIAH ADAMS 2020 6-5 SF PAXSON SCHOOL OF ADVANCED STUDIES
35 JORDAN MITCHELL 2019 6-8 SF MONTVERDE ACADEMY