West Haven’s Eaddy is on his way to ‘Bubbleville’
Shooters shoot. They start young. They’re not deterred by misses, doubts or taller opponents, and they always seem to find a place to ply their skill on the basketball court.
West Haven’s Tahj Eaddy is a shooter, and several seasons and several stops after leaving Connecticut, he is savoring the opportunity to shoot it for Southern California.
“MydadplayedatNorfolk State. He’s the one that put the ball in my hand early,” Eaddy said. “He was a great shooter. Even if you ask him now, he’ll still say he’s the best shooter in the family. He built the foundation.”
Emory Eaddy has always reminded his son to stay on balance, put some arc on it, work on touch, and when Tahj, who played one season at Southeast Missouri State and two at Santa Clara, was in the transfer portal last spring as a graduate student, he heard from several schools, including UConn, Wichita State, Iowa State and Central Florida. He identified Southern Cal as the place where he’d have the best opportunities to play, and benefit from a shooter’s coach, Andy Enfield, and a program that has sent five players to the NBAinrecent years.
“[Enfield’s] personality, he represents the NBA style,” Eaddy said. “He’s kind of more laid-back, and he puts the onus on you to take care of your responsibilities. Him being a shooting coach and my game being predicated on shooting, though I can do other things, he has opened everything up for me.”
Eaddy made an immediate impact in the Trojans’ season-opener, an overtime victory over Cal Baptist, scoring 18 points, hitting a tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation. He had four points, two assists in a win over Montana on Saturday. Now for the first time since leaving Notre DameWest Haven after his junior season, in a career that has taken him to prep schools in Atlanta and Nashville, and college ball at Southeast Missouri State and Santa Clara, Eaddy is playing back
at home, in Mohegan Sun’s “Bubbleville” this week.
The Trojans’ are scheduled to play BYU on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., and then either UConn or Vanderbilt onThursdaytocompletethe Legends Classic, originally scheduled for the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn. But Vanderbilt withdrew from the tournament Sunday becauseofapositiveCOVID19 case, and the schedule, again, is up in the air.
“This is the first time going back home. It’s exciting. It’s nostalgic,” Eaddy said. “I wish we could have fans, so some of my friends and family could come in and support us. I wish it was at Barclays. That would have been a great experience. But we’ll be fortunate enough to play as many games as we can this year.”
An all-conference player for coach Jason Shea at Notre Dame, Eaddy, 6-foot2, 165 pounds, still smiles when he remembers great matchups with Career, or Hillhouse or Fairfield Prep. But to play Division I, he needed to be proactive.
“Playing at Notre Dame broadened my horizons,
helped my IQ, helped me better myself as a young man,” Eaddy said. “Being in the Notre Dame environment helped memature very quickly. … I wasn’t really highly recruited. That’s why I went the prep school route. I really just wanted to showcase my skill set. I know that I was always extremely skilled, could score at all three levels, handle the ball, the pick and roll, but the knock on me was my size. ‘ Yeah, he’s really good, but is he really going to be able to defend at a high level?’ So having to answer those questions was big for me.”
He played at Tennessee Prep as a senior, averaging 24.6 points, then put in a year at The Skill Factory in Atlanta. Eaddy played at Southeast Missouri, shooting better than 40 percent on 3s, starting by the end of the season, then moved to Santa Clara, where after sitting a season, he averaged 15 points in 2018-19, and 9.1 points in 2019-20.
Southern Cal, meanwhile, was doing a quick rebuild with transfers, including Drew Peterson from Rice,
Chevez Goodwin from Wofford, Isaiah White from UtahValley. Eaddyhadsome history, scoring 21 points against USC as Santa Clara came from behind for an overtimewinonDec.19, 2018.
“Southern Cal was one of the first schools to contact me when I hit the transfer list,” Eaddy said. “They were a top priority for me in terms of academics, play style, roster in doing mydue diligence for each situation. I knew I have great responsibility to impact winning, playmaking, scoring the ball, defense, just my leadership being a fifth-year guy, everything lined up the right way.”
The new group was, at least, able to prepare for the season without a COVID-related pause, and Eaddy earned a starting spot. “Tahj has been very solid in the preseason,” Enfield told reporters during the Pac-12 media day. “He’s a great shooter, and he isn’t turning the ball over, which is tremendous for a lead guard.”
Alum DeMar DeRozan dropped in to see the new weight room he helped to
fund, one of the many new experiences Eaddy is enjoying. “My first time playing in an extreme high major program like USC,” he said. “This is all new. They put a lot of respect and faith in our program, which I love.”
Eaddy, who is going for a master’s degree in communication management, has made 37.4 percent of his 3-point attempts during his college career, and believes that, just as he played his way to the major Division I level, he can forge a pro career, too.
“The NBA, that’s the ultimate goal,” he said, “and I feel confident that it’s very possible. Everybody’s situation isn’t always the same, but somehow you find a way to get in the door. I’m not rushing the process. I understand it’s all about timing and opportunity. I would never get discouraged if the NBA is not a route right away, but I know myself and my abilities, and that one day I’ll play in an NBA game.”