Memphis East

[thegame523]

Who actually coaches this team? Is it Hardaway himself. Reason I ask is depending on what website you look at there is a different coach named as the head coach on almost every website. I was watching their semifinal game vs. Blackman and was very impressed not only with their talent level, but how well-coached they were and especially how sound they are defensively, and that was against one of the best coaches I have seen in Coach Wortman. It looks like Hardaway handles most of the timeout stuff but the lighter skinned assistant seems to do most of the rest of it. Either way they do a great job. 

[mrmemphis26]

Penny from all accounts is the head guy..Coach Johnson is the coach on paper but Penny does most of it not all the coaching..

[thegame523]

Was a great game between 2 great and well-coached teams. Thanks for the info!

[wingman10]

Penny has been with those young men for several yrs..when some  of them was in middle school

[kwc]

East’s T.J. Moss making waves in 2018 recruiting class

June 11, 2016

 

By John Varlas of The Commercial Appeal

 

In a city with as much basketball talent as Memphis, it's easy to get overlooked. But it would be a mistake to overlook East's T.J. Moss.

 

Moss, who helped lead the Mustangs to the AAA state championship in March, is one of the area's top prospects in the class of 2018. That class and the one the next year are stacked with potential high-major players.

 

D.J. Jeffries of Olive Branch is ranked fifth nationally in the class of 2019 and Cordova rising junior Tyler Harris wows observers with his Steph Curry-like shooting range.

 

Even on his own team, Moss sometimes takes a back seat. Alex Lomax won the Mr. Basketball and Gatorade state player of the year awards and Chandler Lawson is, well, the latest talented Lawson.

 

But Moss is carving out his own niche.

 

"Sometimes I do (feel overlooked), but on our team, anybody can have a great game," he said. "The exposure helps all of us ... I'm just trying to take advantage of it."

 

Added local trainer Scottie Mason, who has worked with Moss for several years, "I think he is overlooked to a certain extent. If he was on a .500 team, he could easily average 30 points. But you look at how (East coach) Penny (Hardaway) plays. He uses 12, 13 guys and substitutes (frequently).

 

"That team has a lot of talent. So T.J. really doesn't have to be a big-time scorer. And he's winning, that's what matters most to him."

 

The 6-3 guard was nicknamed "Easy" by an uncle who thought he made the game look easy. And he does.

 

Moss has a great shooting stroke out to the 3-point line and beyond and his great athleticism makes him very effective in the open court and slashing to the rim. With his long arms, he has the potential to be a lockdown defender and will surely improve in Hardaway's relentless, pressing system.

 

"The (college) coaches would like to see me do more off the dribble," he said. "And talk more on the floor."

 

Mason, who also counts two-time Pepsi Best of the Preps girls basketball winner Myah Taylor of Olive Branch and fast-rising 6-4 Ridgeway junior Elizabeth Dixon among his athletes, has been most impressed by Moss' mental improvement on the floor.

 

"He has a high basketball IQ and understands the game very well," he said. "And he's learned to adapt to the adversity in a game; how do you handle winning and losing or what do you do after a bad shot or a turnover?

 

"You have to have a short memory in basketball."

 

Moss' first offer came from Tennessee-Martin and since then Iowa State, Florida, TCU, UMass, Ole Miss and Alabama have joined the list. The University of Memphis offered under Josh Pastner but when asked if he had heard from the Tigers since Tubby Smith took over, Moss said no.

 

Moss has also visited Arizona and Arizona State and said he "loved" everything about those trips. Even the weather.

 

"I love the heat, not the humidity," he laughed. "When I go on a college visit, I'm looking at how they can help me develop into an NBA player and also how to develop into a better man."

 

TSSAA RECOMMENDS STANDING PAT

 

The Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association has recommended that Division 1 high school football remain at the current six classes while keeping three classes for basketball, baseball and softball.

 

The TSSAA's Board of Control will meet July 27 to vote on the new classification plan that will take effect starting in 2017-18. The board was presented with several alternate classification plans Tuesday. A plan to expand to four classes for basketball, baseball and softball — which would effectively end district tournaments and reduce the state tournament from eight to four teams — is also on the table.

 

A plan for Division 2 football could add a third class, with the three classes being equally divided or with the 12 schools with the highest enrollment comprising the top class.

Edited June 17, 2016 by kwc

[kwc]

 

Top 10 prospect Chandler Lawson mulling transfer to prep school

Posted: June 10, 2016

 

By Jason Smith of The Commercial Appeal

 

Five-star Class of 2019 forward prospect Chandler Lawson could be headed to a prep school this fall rather than returning to East High for his sophomore season.

 

Lawson's father, Keelon, the director of player development for the University of Memphis, told The Commercial Appeal late Thursday night Chandler's return to East is up in the air and that the 6-foot-8 forward will visit hoops powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and IMG Academy in Florida.

 

Chandler is the younger brother of Tigers forwards Dedric and K.J. Lawson. He's ranked No. 10 in the newly released 2019 ESPN 25, having helped East earn its seventh Class AAA state title in March.

 

Chandler was coached at East last season by former Tigers star Penny Hardaway. He also plays for Hardaway's AAU organization, Team Penny.

 

Would a move to an out-of-town prep school hurt the U of M's chances of landing Chandler? Much of course will depend on whether Keelon is still on the Tigers' staff when Chandler chooses a school.

 

But Chandler's mother, Dedra, told The CA last summer that the family plans to keep Chandler's recruitment open, an indication perhaps that he might not follow his father and older brothers to Memphis.

 

So whether he's playing at East High this fall or somewhere else, Memphis is likely in for a fight to land Chandler, especially if he remains ranked among the nation's elite 2019 prospects between now and whenever he picks a school.

 

“We don’t want to just limit Chandler just to Memphis. We really want it to be his choice and not just what we want and where his dad is," Dedra told The CA last June. "We would love for him to be where his dad is, but we want it to be open for him.â€

[RealisticFan45]

Heard Chandler Lawson was playing with East yesterday at MUS.

[alumnicoach85]

Heard Chandler Lawson was playing with East yesterday at MUS.

Yes he was. He looked real good with his All-Around game

[kwc]

Currently, Memphis East has three players from it's team that are playing on Team Penny. Team Penny is one of the favorites to win the prestigious 17U Peach Jam, which is a Nike AAU event held in Augusts, SC. The tournament started yesterday, and TP in 2-0 so far.

 

The Team Penny roster is as follows:

 

http://www.d1circuit.com/page/show/2664851-team-penny-tn-

 

Penny has one stacked roster!

 

The Nike EYBL Peach Jam tournament site is as follows:

 

http://www.nikeeyb.com/games/

 

It's really cool. Go check it out if you get an opportunity. The games are streamed live, free of charge.

Edited July 7, 2016 by kwc

[Mustang49]

Alex lomax picks up 7 offers after peach jam. Ole miss, Florida, seton hall, umass, lsu,Memphis, and temple. With more coming the sky is the limit for this kid. #mustangforlife #doitfordez #binghamptonproduct

[TonyG]

lomax will be a 4* guard for sure when ESPN updates its ratings in August. Idk if he'll ever crack 5 bc of his size but he's a top 10 pg for sure

[kwc]

lomax will be a 4* guard for sure when ESPN updates its ratings in August. Idk if he'll ever crack 5 bc of his size but he's a top 10 pg for sure

I streamed a few of those Peach Jam games and he impressed. He's a floor general with a tenacious pit-bull mentality on defense. He can take his man off of the dribble and score in the paint because he is THAT quick AND THAT strong. Yet, he's not looking for HIS shot, he's looking to get his playmakers involved.

 

However, what really grabbed my attention is his LEADERSHIP. On a team full of D1 prospects with 5, 4, and 3 star ratings, depending upon the recruiting service you look at ... they (his team mates) followed his lead and he was the coach on the floor.

 

THAT is what every basketball coach is looking for in a PG. Todd Day, Penny, and everybody associated with Team Penny realized, trusted, and relied upon his leadership skills.

Edited July 11, 2016 by kwc