Friday EYBL Notebook (Tennessee-style)
This mid-May weekend includes EYBL’s third session, more importantly EYBL’s first LIVE Period session. LIVE Period is the most exciting time of the AAU year, when college coaches are allowed to watch courtside. There is an added energy in the air as players are literally playing in front of men who can change their lives…college coaches.
MoKan 17u vs. Team Thad 17u
Coaches Watching in-person
Mark Pope (Kentucky)
Greg McDermott (Creighton)
Porter Moser (Oklahoma)
Bruce Pearl (Auburn)
(Iowa State)
Baylor
South Carolina
Florida State
Southeast Missouri
Illinois Assistant
Tennessee Assistant Rod Clark
TN-based Players
Jayden Jones
Jayden
Jones
6'4" | SF
Goodpasture | 2025
State
#389
Nation
TN
(
Team Thad
17u)
Taquez Butler
Taquez
Butler
6'3" | SG
Douglass | 2025
State
TN
(MoKan 17u)
Team Thad 17u is very thin on Tennessee players, featuring Jayden Jones Jayden Jones 6'4" | SF Goodpasture | 2025 State #389 Nation TN (Goodpasture). The remainder of the team hails from stats that touch Tennessee, which is the outer boundary within which they can draw players.
Team Thad hopped out to 7-0 lead, drawing many free throws early. The defense was solid in the halfcourt for Team Thad thanks in large part to Jamarion Davis-Fleming. He blocked or altered shots during three successive possessions.
Jayden Jones Jayden Jones 6'4" | SF Goodpasture | 2025 State #389 Nation TN entered with just under 2:00 minutes left in the first quarter. Taquez Butler Taquez Butler 6'3" | SG Douglass | 2025 State TN played three minutes in the first quarter, from about 4+ to 1+.
Taquez ran the pre-assigned cuts and screens MoKan scripted before the game. It looked like they have a pretty fluid halfcourt set with many moving pieces. He was moving through the spots fine. His first real touch was a dribble and kick to the near wing. He was covered up very well by the defense on the drive.
Butler’s second real touch was a head-fake from the top of the arc and a simple pass away.
Butler was given the role of point guard for a very brief segment. I have not seen Taquez play point guard before. It would add a few more tools to his toolbox if he could be a reliable ball-handler under severe pressure.
During this PG cameo Butler did nothing bad or good, other than get the ball from the inbounds to the halfcourt set without turning it over despite constant on-ball pressure.
Jayden Jones Jayden Jones 6'4" | SF Goodpasture | 2025 State #389 Nation TN entered the game late in the opening quarter, but almost immediately the scoreboard began to malfunction causing a lengthy delay.
Upon their return, Jayden caught a lob in the open floor, dunking with two hands. On the next possession Jayden blocked a shot that the shooter somehow still pushed through the block and made.
Taquez’s second time included sold on-ball defense and improved defense on the weakside. He is still developing defensive court awareness, in my opinion. When the ball is in front of him he does really well, but his angles and play can drift some when it is away.
Jayden sat most of the second quarter, returning with a little over a minute to play as Team Thad led 30-27.
Halftime Stats:
Jayden Jones
Jayden
Jones
6'4" | SF
Goodpasture | 2025
State
#389
Nation
TN
— 2p (1-1 FG)
Taquez — 0p, 1 reb
Taquez Butler Taquez Butler 6'3" | SG Douglass | 2025 State TN did not play until late in the third quarter, while Jayden checked in around 2+ left. Helped his team get a rebound, which immediately led to a fastbreak.
Team Thad ran away from MoKan in the third quarter. MoKan’s mission was clearly to feed the post and they just could not make good post feeds. Team Thad liked to pressure the guards and it worked here and there. It worked enough for them to succeed.
A non-Tennessee guy to watch is Jasper Johnson (KY). The lefty is an incredible shooter in patches. He has a step-back the quality of which you almost never see before the NBA. He is the real deal. He will probably play at any college that he wants to. He already holds offers from Kentucky, Auburn, and several more.