Nike EYBL S2: DMV 17U Notebook

The only live period of the spring is a wrap and over the course of this week, we'll have a slew of content breaking down different angles of different circuits at all age levels (15-17).   I'll start by unpacking the notebook from an intense EYBL S2 in Memphis.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo']</h2>   Melo leaves Memphis with a 3-1 showing that included wins over Utah Prospects, Vegas Elite and Team United. Their sole loss was to Team Thad. There were ups and downs throughout, but this team showed plenty of resilience and promise moving forward as they ended the weekend with a dominant win over Team United by a final score of 84-64.   2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2454534' first='Terence' last='Jones III'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2353562' first='Ian' last='Condon'] had outstanding weekends and they needed to considering they were without [player_tooltip player_id='2878470' first='Carter' last='Fisk'], a 6-foot-3 combo guard who acts as a secondary playmaker to Jones in the backcourt.   Condon proved himself all weekend long in front of a baseline full of coaches that he can impact in many ways. His shot from both mid-range and from three was falling with efficiency. On his catches in the mid-post, he can get into his face-up jumper before his defender has time to react to his step-back motion as he retrieves the entry pass. If they show aggressively, he has the frame and quickness to mull his way to the rim, but if their a second late, he buries shots with great lift. When his feet are set from three and his shoulder are square, good results followed. While his EYBL play from a shooting perspective started off a bit rocky, the Sidwell Friends product adjusted back to the mean in S2 as he sunk 47.6 percent of his three's (21 attempts) and converted over half of his overall field goals on the weekend while averaging a team-high 22.8PPG and pulled down 8RPG. Condon is going to help a college program win a lot of games.   As if Jones didn't have enough usage on the ball, the absence of Fisk pretty much doubled his workload. He was equipped for the task though, and did a nice job of controlling the tempo of games in a manner that favored his team. He was turnover prove against Vegas Elite and got a bit careless with it early in their opening game against Utah Prospects, but factoring in how much he had to do both as a scorer and playmaker, there's some room for forgiveness. Factor in the pressure he supplies with his scoring prowess and you're willing to play through those mistakes even more. Melo saw their share of zone and if Jones wasn't knifing into the heart of the defense, he was knocking down three's well beyond the arc. Overall, Jones averaged 20.5PPG on very respectable splits of 44.7/39.3/90.6 on heavy usage and caught the attention of several programs who aren't yet involved in his recruitment.   Elsewhere was [player_tooltip player_id='2353549' first='Jordan' last='Taylor'] doing his typical blue-collar work being a beast around the rim where he flushed his fair share of rim-rocking dunks. It was a common theme to see him draw a wing or even a guard matchup offensively and with that, he wasted no time in going immediately to the block where he established immovable seals for teammates to lob over the top. Taylor averaged 13.3PPG and 6.5RPG on the weekend. Mason Ridgeway was another solid contributor who should see more minutes without Fisk in the lineup as well. At 6'5"-6'6" he bring positional versatility at the 2-4. He embraces his role as a swingman that can play off Jones or Condon's gravity to let go spot-up three's, run the lanes in transition or make the simple pass that led to quality looks.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='2077004' first='Team' last='Takeover']</h2>   Takeover went 1-3 this weekend as they continue to try and find their groove as a team that is adjusting to new faces. All of their losses were by single digits, with two of them being by a combined 5 points. Despite the lack of victories, there were still some positives to take from the four games.   First of which starts with the play from 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2139297' first='J'Lon' last='Lyons']. The top-ranked prospect in our 2027 MD/DC rankings, Lyons had highs and lows in the City Series event to open his EYBL career, but this weekend in Memphis it wasn't the eye-popping dunks that he had or the tough shots that he made after crossing his defender. It was the ball security and his better approach to controlling pace as the point guard. This is an aspect that I expect this Takeover staff to emphasize with Lyons as the summer progresses it it'll ultimately help Lyons' game reach new heights. He averaged just 1.4 turnovers per game in Memphis compared to his 4.3 per contest in S1. While the assists numbers dipped slightly as well (from 4.7 to 3.3), there was still better overall play creation from him in my opinion. He was doing the simple things in getting to the paint playing off two, Nash dribbling along the baseline for spray outs to shooters or operating with better pace navigating ball screen actions. Still, he got to his spots and shined bright as a scorer when needed, averaging 14.5PPG, but will still need to improve on the overall percentages.   Some other prospects that stood out to me this weekend was 2027 big man [player_tooltip player_id='2802627' first='Jared' last='Jeffers']. His best outing came in the last game of the weekend against Team Thad where he finished with a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds. He was gelling with Lyons in pick-and-rolls, remained active as a mover/lifter along the baseline on drives and rebounded with a purpose. The high ceiling conversations around Jeffers remain.   2028 [player_tooltip player_id='2194788' first='Xavier' last='Skipworth']'s name certainly skied up on opposing scouting reports after his loud production in the City Series event. It was going to be tough to sustain those sort of shooting numbers and he definitely saw closeouts on the catch become much more aggressive in Memphis. With that, there was a dip in his overall statistics, but as he continues to adjust to these different defensive schemes and strategies, he'll need to remain aggressive and keep his man honest. Like Jeffers, I thought Skipworth played his best game against Team Thad and despite not attempting a three, it was his aggression in getting downhill that was the biggest adjustment. He seemed more aggressive to get to the circle and initiate contact while also being a bigger presence on the glass as he collected six rebounds.   Productive weekend overall for 2027 Brian Mitchell Jr., who is one of the new faces on this roster finding his niche. He looked a lot like the player we saw this season for PVI as a strong, off-ball guard who can stretch the floor with a lethal outside shot. He had his struggles against Team Thad, but averaged 15.3PPG and 9RPG in the first three contests in Memphis. I'd expect his name to appear on a ton of college program recruiting radars for the month of June.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='2078457' first='Team' last='Durant']</h2>   Durant comes back home after winning three of their four matchups in Memphis and currently sits 5-2 overall in EYBL play.   If you had to pick the biggest stock-riser of this team thus far, it's 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2353540' first='Jamaal' last='McKnight Jr.'], who has rung in three new offers over the last week and much of it has to do with the things that he proved in S2. The 6-foot lead guard has improved several aspects of his skillset over the last year, but his ability to navigate ball screens with better efficiency and precision has been a catalyst. He's seeing the floor better as a distributor and making the necessary secondary reads with relative ease now while remaining sharp as a pocket-passer or a threat to stop on a dime for mid-range pulls. His toughness and intensity as a competitor comes to light with his individual defense, hunting down 50/50s or just making the consistent plays that tough guys make at his position. The numbers from Durant's last game, their only loss to Vegas Elite, have yet to be posted, but in the three wins he was dishing out seven dimes and averaging just two turnovers despite being a heavy on-ball presence similar to Jones on Melo.   2027 big man Beau Daniels is another frontcourt prospect that will be polarizing like Condon ([program_tooltip program_id='2076999' first='Team' last='Melo']) amongst college programs, but in differing ways. For Daniels, he's a powerful, 6-foot-8 paint presence that some may categorized as undersized for a center at the high major level. While in theory that may be true, the improvement with his vertical pop and his strong frame allows him to match up against 6'10" bigs and handle leverage effectively. Expanding his offensive skillset overall will be a key focus for his development over time, but he proved himself in Memphis as a violent finisher in traffic who looks to punish a rim (and defender) any time he has the clear launching pad. Daniels also approaches protecting the rim with immense pride. If he wasn't punching lay-up attempts into the baselines, Daniels was leaping up and simply grabbing the ball out of the oppositions hands to spark transition points for Durant.   2027 guard Kye Gray brought the usual intangibles as a guard off the bench that any coach would kill to have. One of the more underrated defenders in the class, he was the key for their 23-point comeback victory to open up the sessions and seems to always make the simple, correct read when operating off the live bounce as a passer. He embraced contact on his finishes and demands the level of intensity, although a quiet intensity, from the rest of the teammates he shares the floor with.   Continued flashes from 2027 [player_tooltip player_id='2353547' first='Jymin' last='Veney'] that will keep him as a name in this DMV class that MM+/HM programs monitor closely. He's a two-guard that scores it within the flow and still has substantial upside based off a skillset that rests on fundamentals.   The versatility that the 2027 duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2353558' first='Isaiah' last='Carpenter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2353574' first='Christian' last='Proctor'] bring to the rotation is critical. On a circuit with so many dynamic wings or bigger guards, their length and athleticism are invaluable on the defensive end. Offensively, both have been picking their spots efficiently by knocking down open looks, but mainly being threats in the lane during transition opportunities.

The only live period of the spring is a wrap and over the course of this week, we'll have a slew of content breaking down different angles of different circuits at all age levels (15-17).