The Nike EYBL Session 2 unfolded at the Memphis Sports & Events Center from May 15 through May 17, drawing scouts, coaches and media from across the country to watch some of the nation’s most promising under‑17 prospects.
Team Thad’s 17‑under squad arrived with a distinctive feature: six players raised on Memphis streets, a local concentration that Coach Norton Hurd IV describes as the strongest the city has fielded in the past fifteen to twenty years.
Among those prospects, guard Dylan Jones and forward Justin Frison quickly became the talk of the tournament. Jones, ranked No. 56 nationally by the 247Sports Composite, has already spoken with Tennessee, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Memphis, while Frison announced weekend offers from Belmont and UAB.
The buzz extends beyond individual recruitment. City officials and economic development leaders point to the event as a catalyst for tourism, hotel occupancy and ancillary spending that can ripple through Memphis’s downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.
Rising Stars Signal a New Era
As college programs sharpen their scouting lenses, the Memphis contingent offers a glimpse of a talent pipeline that could reshape the regional basketball narrative for years to come.
The combination of home‑grown skill, national exposure and measurable economic benefit underscores why Memphis is once again positioned as a hotspot for the next generation of basketball excellence.