For most high school basketball prospects, dreams of playing in the NBA is a given. However, a few of these NBA hopefuls are actually living the life already. Joe Eyen of Granite Bay High is one of those players.
Eyen is a starting senior guard for the Grizzlies but the journey that took him to Placer County is the interesting part. Eyen's father, Jim Eyen, is a coaching veteran, having coached high school, Division I, and the NBA. In the past 20 years, he has coached for the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trailblazers, and currently is an assistant with the Sacramento Kings. Eyen has moved in concert with his father's coaching changes. Joe was born in Milwaukee and lived there until he was three years old. Then, he moved to Alameda for a year. The family then resided in Portland until he was 10 years old. The Eyen family road trip next stopped in Los Angeles for six years. Since 2009, Eyen has been in Sacramento.
In addition, the basketball roots run deep. Eyen's grandfather is Bill Bertka, the longtime Los Angeles Lakers Assistant Coach and current director of scouting. His grandmother is Solveig Bertka, who ran Bertka Views, the largest collegiate scouting service in the U.S. for 30 years. Even his mother, Britt, played high school basketball. The younger Eyen has been exposed to the ins and outs of the NBA from his father and his family's experiences. Eyen has frequently attended practices for the Clippers and Kings to see what kind of grueling sessions that the players go through. He has also accompanied his father on some of the long road trips that NBA teams encounter to experience the commitment that is required every day to be an NBA athlete. As a result, Eyen has been living the NBA life already.
Despite all the moves, Eyen has developed into a solid guard for Granite Bay High at 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds. Eyen is an accurate shooter and capable playmaker. In a tense road game against Oakmont High last year, Eyen knocked down four consecutive three pointers in a four minute span. On his E-Time Hoops club team, Eyen lead this talented group in three point shots made. Eyen is also a playmaker as he tries to create shots for himself and his teammates. As a result, Eyen models his game after former Santa Clara star, Steve Nash. His ability to shoot, make plays, and his leadership on the court are skills that Eyen tries to emulate and makes into his own strengths. Specifically, Eyen observes Nash's ability to shoot and get open with his given size and strength.
Eyen considers his best skill to be his perimeter game. He is fearless and does not hesitate if an open shot is available to him. During the offseason, he works on getting open, speeding up his shot delivery, and working on his shot. The non shooting skills that he focuses on are his ball handling, conditioning, and watching basketball to learn about the game.
The influence from his family and being around NBA practices and players has rubbed off on Eyen. Eyen says, "Getting tips from players on skills or how to practice hard has been beneficial to my development. Being around professional athletes, I understand the importance for someone my size to have outstanding skills and a high basketball I.Q. That is a main factor in my insistence of becoming a great shooter, and using various ways to get open and get my shot off. My Dad has been influential in how I watch basketball to learn new things. He points out players for me to model my game after because of their similar skill sets, size, or their abilities that I should take note of: Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Beno Udrih, and so on. Both my Dad and my Grandpa stress the importance of being a team player and not having a 'me-first' attitude and that is how I try to play."
E-Time Hoops Coach Ernest Taubodo says, "Joe is an excellent pure shooter with solid fundamentals. He is a consistent 3 point threat with focused concentration and very good depth perception. He's able to create space to get off his shot against most opponents regardless of size and athleticism. Joe is a very smart player with a high basketball IQ. Joe often makes suggestions in the huddle on how to attack the opposing defense. He will be a successful coach after his playing days."
Eyen started playing organized basketball at the age of five. At Palos Verdes High School in Los Angeles, he started on the junior varsity team as a freshman and moved up to varsity as a sophomore. After moving to Sacramento in his junior year, Eyen played both as a spot-starter and from the bench. Going into his senior year, he will be a starter. Last year, Granite Bay High finished 16-11 in the Sierra Foothill League and barely missed making the playoffs. For this year, his team goal is to win league and to make a run at the state title but Granite Bay High will also have a very challenging preseason.
With the addition of more playing time, Eyen will be getting more college looks. Currently, Occidental, Menlo College, Pomona-Pitzer, Sacramento State, and UC Irvine have been in contact with him. Eyen is not too concerned with the program's style of play as his playmaking and shooting skills allow him to be adaptive and productive in any basketball scheme. He is not concerned either with the program's geography as he is flexible with the location. But he does want the program to have solid academics to prepare him for life after college. Eyen carries an impressive 4.40 GPA.
Coach Taubodo says, "Joe's relentless quest to get better will create opportunities for him beyond high school. He puts in countless hours in preparation and basketball development. He possesses the qualities necessary to compete at the collegiate level. Joe is a polite intelligent student/athlete that is destined for success. He has a professional attitude with an aggressive bulldog mentality."
Eyen is definitely mature beyond his high school age. As already noted, he has had to move frequently due to his father's coaching changes. Moving is always a trying time as one has to deal with the logistics and stress of the process. Eyen had to adjust to the new societies, people, friends, homes, areas, teams, and schools for each move. As a new student, he also had to try out for the basketball team again. In addition to basketball, Eyen plays baseball. He has used both sport as a way to integrate himself into the new community and school by meeting his classmates and neighborhood.
Eyen considers the last move to Sacramento to be the hardest because of the difficulties with moving in the middle of high school at the end of his sophomore year and because Los Angeles was home for the longest time up till then for him. However, Eyen does see the benefits of relocating. Eyen says, "Moving a lot has been beneficial to me in some ways because I have been able to meet a lot of people and experience different places. It also has been beneficial to my abilities as an athlete. Each move has forced me to work harder and improve in order to gain a position on a new team as I have had to prove myself all over again each time. The worst part about moving is leaving friends. But it can also be seen as a positive, because now I have friends in several different places."
Despite his frequent moving and being an athlete, Eyen also takes his academics seriously. He has taken eight Advanced Placement classes. Eyen is undecided on a major, but is interested in something related to history, social studies, or humanities. He enjoys studying the history of the places that his family visits. He has traveled throughout North America and made visits to France and Italy. In addition, he has a passion for photography.
Coach Taubodo says about Eyen's emotional maturity, "As coaches and mentors of young student/athletes, the E-Times Hoops coaching staff stresses the importance of competition. We often ask our young players to self-reflect and asses their development. In order to achieve your goals and be competitive there must be something that separates you from others. Joe has the unique ability to improve his position in most pressure situations without panic. In doing so he creates opportunities for himself and his teammates. Most guards struggle and fail where Joe often succeeds. This important and overlooked skill brings value to Joe and his teams' success."
Eyen has been living the NBA life in many ways already. But look for Eyen to be living the Granite Bay High life this upcoming year. And then look for Eyen to be living the NCAA life in 2011.
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