Shannon had a weird HS career. Only played 2 years on varsity in Chicago and didn't have any real recruiting interest by the time he graduated. Some articles indicate that he shot up a few inches late.
As a result, he went to a year of post-grad at IMG and reclassified from a 2018 to a 2019 signee. Committed to Depaul and then de-committed. I think took visits to Georgetown, FSU & Illinois before picking Tech.
Even still, he had really good numbers his SR year of HS (15 pts, 8 rebounds) in a very competitive Chicago public school league.
I'm not certain but I don't think he was eligible to play on IMG's HS team since he was a post-grad, because there is very little film on him beyond the summer of 2018.
I did find and watch a few of the post-grad inter-squad scrimmages at IMG. It's a weird but fairly competitive mix of talent. There are four teams that are primarily made up of hard-nosed white guys that will play low major D1 or D2 ball. But each team also has one or two studs on it. For example, TJ was matched up with Lester Quinones a ton, who was pretty highly recruited and signed with Memphis.
From what I can tell, Tech fans are going to like TJ Shannon a lot. These are my observations:
Shannon has a guard skillset AND mindset. He was the de facto PG of his team. I just wasn't really expecting him to be such a good and willing passer.
Shannon's most comfortable in transition. He has a very, very fast and long first step that gives him the ability to get to the rim at will. That quick first step, combined with his length and body frame, reminds me a little bit of Jaye Crockett.
Shannon does a great job of playing slow too, if that makes sense. He'll push the ball in transition at half speed, while things around him develop unfavorably for the defense, and then he'll attack the basket. In that same playing slow vein, I saw a couple very effective "off-speed" drives, where he takes a hard first step to the basket and then slows it way down into a long-striding euro step that covers a TON of ground.
Getting to the rim doesn't mean much if you can't finish when you get there (see Josh Gray). Shannon can make the tough layups and has potential to be an elite finisher at the rim, which Beard really values. He's a little unorthodox with some of these finishes, maybe just to my eye cause he's a lefty, but I think it makes his shots tough to time & defend. Note that he almost exclusively lays it up (and drives) with his left-hand, even on the wrong side of the basket (which can also be tough to defend).
If Shannon does get all to the way to the rim with his left, he's throwing it down hard. Real hard. Unlike Culver, he's not trying to be polite or make friends when he dunks. His dunks have the same authority/violence as a Crockett or Tariq.
Defensively, perfect interchangeable piece in the Beard/Adams' Meat Grinder. Can adequately guard perimeter guys and, because of his frame, affected a ton of shots at the rim in the games that I saw (mostly taken by white dudes).
Other than clanking one off the top of the backboard, I didn't see him shoot much from the outside, which I liked a ton because there was zero reason for him to take any jump shots in that game. The only guy that could prevent him from getting to the rim at will was Quinones.
I'm most encouraged by Level's report re: how much energy Shannon has had in practice. That tells me he's going to be a plus rebounder. Combine that with his length/versatility on defense, ability to get to the rim AND finish.. Shannon probably plays a lot next year.
Ultimately, my biggest takeaway or surprise was his ability to be the primary ball-handler & decision maker, mostly in transition. I could see Shannon struggling some to create in half-court settings against good Big 12 defenses (like literally every player does).
This team might look different than the uber methodical/deliberate pace we played at last year. Clarke, Shannon, Jahmius should be absolutely devastating in transition, especially when defenses can't get organized in time to find Morro.
Projecting out, I think Shannon's ceiling is around the NBA-version of Jaye Crockett. I think his floor is similar to a 3-inch-taller & 25-pound-heavier version of Niem Stevenson.
As a result, he went to a year of post-grad at IMG and reclassified from a 2018 to a 2019 signee. Committed to Depaul and then de-committed. I think took visits to Georgetown, FSU & Illinois before picking Tech.
Even still, he had really good numbers his SR year of HS (15 pts, 8 rebounds) in a very competitive Chicago public school league.
I'm not certain but I don't think he was eligible to play on IMG's HS team since he was a post-grad, because there is very little film on him beyond the summer of 2018.
I did find and watch a few of the post-grad inter-squad scrimmages at IMG. It's a weird but fairly competitive mix of talent. There are four teams that are primarily made up of hard-nosed white guys that will play low major D1 or D2 ball. But each team also has one or two studs on it. For example, TJ was matched up with Lester Quinones a ton, who was pretty highly recruited and signed with Memphis.
From what I can tell, Tech fans are going to like TJ Shannon a lot. These are my observations:
Shannon has a guard skillset AND mindset. He was the de facto PG of his team. I just wasn't really expecting him to be such a good and willing passer.
Shannon's most comfortable in transition. He has a very, very fast and long first step that gives him the ability to get to the rim at will. That quick first step, combined with his length and body frame, reminds me a little bit of Jaye Crockett.
Shannon does a great job of playing slow too, if that makes sense. He'll push the ball in transition at half speed, while things around him develop unfavorably for the defense, and then he'll attack the basket. In that same playing slow vein, I saw a couple very effective "off-speed" drives, where he takes a hard first step to the basket and then slows it way down into a long-striding euro step that covers a TON of ground.
Getting to the rim doesn't mean much if you can't finish when you get there (see Josh Gray). Shannon can make the tough layups and has potential to be an elite finisher at the rim, which Beard really values. He's a little unorthodox with some of these finishes, maybe just to my eye cause he's a lefty, but I think it makes his shots tough to time & defend. Note that he almost exclusively lays it up (and drives) with his left-hand, even on the wrong side of the basket (which can also be tough to defend).
If Shannon does get all to the way to the rim with his left, he's throwing it down hard. Real hard. Unlike Culver, he's not trying to be polite or make friends when he dunks. His dunks have the same authority/violence as a Crockett or Tariq.
Defensively, perfect interchangeable piece in the Beard/Adams' Meat Grinder. Can adequately guard perimeter guys and, because of his frame, affected a ton of shots at the rim in the games that I saw (mostly taken by white dudes).
Other than clanking one off the top of the backboard, I didn't see him shoot much from the outside, which I liked a ton because there was zero reason for him to take any jump shots in that game. The only guy that could prevent him from getting to the rim at will was Quinones.
I'm most encouraged by Level's report re: how much energy Shannon has had in practice. That tells me he's going to be a plus rebounder. Combine that with his length/versatility on defense, ability to get to the rim AND finish.. Shannon probably plays a lot next year.
Ultimately, my biggest takeaway or surprise was his ability to be the primary ball-handler & decision maker, mostly in transition. I could see Shannon struggling some to create in half-court settings against good Big 12 defenses (like literally every player does).
This team might look different than the uber methodical/deliberate pace we played at last year. Clarke, Shannon, Jahmius should be absolutely devastating in transition, especially when defenses can't get organized in time to find Morro.
Projecting out, I think Shannon's ceiling is around the NBA-version of Jaye Crockett. I think his floor is similar to a 3-inch-taller & 25-pound-heavier version of Niem Stevenson.
