EYBL Session I: Friday Night Headlines

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The EYBL Circuit tipped off tonight in Emerson, Ga. at Lakepoint Sports Complex and it was a great welcoming to the grassroots season. Throughout my travels, I followed many of the DMV teams, but was able to venture off and catch a few others games with teams from other areas. After spending seven hours in the gym on day one, here are some headlines:</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TTO 15s win big</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first game of the day for me was watching [program_tooltip program_id='2077004' first='Team' last='Takeover'] against Indy Heat in a 15U matchup. It didn't take long for TTO to take control of the game and never look back. They relied on their swarming defense that turned into what seemed like transition buckets every time down the floor. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 point guard Anthony Brown had his hands all over this one finishing with a stat line of 16 points on 5-of-11 from the field and 3-6 from deep. Brown dished out nine assist and didn't turn the ball over once in the blowout win. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2026 guard Prince-Alexander Moody helped anchor the backcourt scoring with Brown as he led the team with 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting while hauling in four rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's hard to believe that 2026 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1782593' first='Zyion' last='Chase'] only finished with nine rebounds according to the EYBL website because if you were watching, it seemed like the 6-foot-6 forward got his hand on anything that came off of the rim. His willingness to to do the dirty work and make the small plays that ultimately win games for your team is why he'll be so valued in this class moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Melo 17s lose a close one</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a roller coaster of a contest for [program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo'] 17s who went up against Team CP3 and got off to a strong start. As the second quarter progressed, CP3 got into a groove and began connected on a few three's that would assist in gaining the lead headed into halftime. As the teams traded punches, CP3 made more plays down the stretch and escaped with a two-point victory on day one.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2023 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1747936' first='Mikkel' last='Tyne'] was the talk of the sidelines for Melo as the 5'10 lead guard was dynamic throughout in ball screen actions. Tyne, who plans to do a post-grad prep year, led the way with 16 points, recorded four assists and reeled in four rebounds in the loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 combo forward [player_tooltip player_id='1280947' first='Tyonne' last='Farrell'] got off to a hot start in this one before cooling off. He helped set an early tone with a few bully buckets on drives at the rim. The 6-foot-6 junior scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other bright spots came from the two centers in [player_tooltip player_id='1400499' first='Caleb' last='Embeya'] and Bronson Schmidt-Uili. There weren't too many sets that were designed to specifically get those guys touches on the block, but they made themselves available on rolls following ball screens or hanging around the dunker's spot awaiting dump-offs. Embeya scored six points and hauled in nine boards and Schmidt-Uili turned in eight points and four rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>TTO 17s make statement</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Takeover 17s would go onto beat Brad Beal Elite by 21, but it wasn't a cruise control sort of win. Brad Beal Elite would resort to a zone defense in the third quarter that helped stall the Takeover offense enough to claw their way back into punching distance. Once the fourth quarter began, Takeover put their stranglehold back on the contest and ran away with the victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As usual, the scoring wealth was dispersed evenly as three players scored 11 points. Those players were 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1127309' first='Donavan' last='Freeman'], 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='1127314' first='Caleb' last='Williams'] and 2024 Isaiah Abraham. Freeman brought the crowd to their feet late in the third when he rose up in the middle of the paint and crammed a one-handed hammer over two defenders right in front of Syracuse assistant coach Brendan Straughn. The battle continues for Freeman on the recruiting front as Syracuse and Alabama have seemed to emerge as the top contenders. Freeman registered 11 points and eight rebounds on the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams was efficient as his 4-of-6 shooting performances indicates. Not only was he efficient putting the ball in the basket, but he also made sound decision with the ball as a passer in crucial times. Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune and two assistants were visible as the Wildcats continue to prioritize the 6'7 southpaw wing. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Isaiah Abraham continues to trend in the right direction as he shows off his ability to make high-level plays as an athlete at 6-foot-8. Staff from Tennessee and Providence were court side and both think of Abraham in high regard. The Villanova staff is also involved with Abraham. He scored 11 points on 5-of-6 from the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Durant 17s lose in the last seconds, but show signs</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was another nail-biting finish for a DMV team that didn't come out on the winning side of things as [program_tooltip program_id='2078457' first='Team' last='Durant'] 17s lost by a final score of 59-58 against AZ Unity. Durant did have a last second attempt at the rim after a great play was drawn up for 2024 forward Royce Parham by way of a lob pass from the sideline, but it didn't fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2025 point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1225257' first='Acaden' last='Lewis'] had a strong debut in his Durant uniform. He's a dynamic, shifty lead guard who is a fun watch in the open floor. He scored his 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and handled pressure from the long AZ defenders with relative ease.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Parham led the team with 14 points and grabbed six boards. There isn't anything flashy to Parham's approach to scoring, he just gets it done on catches from 17 feet and in. He was perfect at the free-throw stripe going 6-for-6.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 forward [player_tooltip player_id='1370514' first='Malcolm' last='Thomas'] showcased his versatility, athleticism and two-way effectiveness scoring around the rim to a tune of 11 points and sending away four shots on the defensive end. The way that Thomas gets off the floor so quickly and effortlessly is alarming, but has now become a regular site if you've seen him this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->