Monday, April 20, 2009

Extra Thoughts Pitt

I had a few more thoughts from Pittsburgh that I forgot to include in the other posts. They come from the 2012 Spiece Indy Stars team.

Brent Calhoun 6'7 Warren Central-Still raw and growing but showes flashes with a soft jump hook. He blocks a lot of shots and controls the boards for the Indy Stars. He should develop into a star for Warren Central. Very high ceiling and I believe he takes coaching well.

Jeremy Hollowell 6'6 Lawrence Central- He was a lot better this weekend than when I saw him last in sectional play. He shot the ball well and handled the ball a lot better than he did when I saw him in March. That bodes well for his development.

Austin Burgett 6'8 Avon- If you have seen Justin Gant play think of the same type of player but I believe Burgett is more skilled on the perimeter at the same stage than Gant. Burgett is confident putting the ball on the floor and taking someone off the dribble and showed a good outside stroke. Very hight ceiling.

More From Pitt

More thoughts on some players I watched this weekend in the Pittsburgh Jam Fest on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.

Donnie Hale Spiece Indy Heat (2010)- Highly-rated player early in his high school career. Athletic post at a legit 6'7. I believe he is listed taller. I do not believe he is taller than 6'8. If he had more of a right hand I think he could be a high major. Could be a star at the mid-major level.

Neal Beshears Indiana Select 2010- The junior all-star had a pretty good weekend offensively. Good first step and rebounds well for a small forward/wing type of player. I would like him to be better defensively, but I think it is more technique and mindset than lack of ability to play defense.

Patrick Cutter Indiana Select 2010- Patrick is a big potential player. A legit 6'6 SF that is still very raw. Still might grow and showed some flashes of what could be ahead of him if he works very hard this summer.

Michael Chandler Spiece Indy Fast Break (2011)- The Louisville commit played pretty well against some tough competition Sunday. Still pretty raw, but a 7 footer that works hard and is relatively athletic is tough to find.

Ryan Taylor Spiece Indy Fast Break (2011)- Fast Break utilized Taylor in a strange way by using him to set high ball screens well the guards weaved off him so he was never rolling or popping out for a shot. Strange to use one of the top players in the nation as a screener and a screener only.

P.J. Boutte Spiece Indy Fast Break (2011)- I have always thought of Boutte as being overrated and I still believe that. I would like to say that you can still be a very good player and be overrated. He is not a top 20 point guard in the nation, but he is good. He makes some questionable plays sometimes and most coaches do not like that coming from an undersized guard.

No Indiana Elite teams were in Pittsburgh. Eric Gordon All-Stars were but I would like to see them again to make sure I have the names and faces matched correctly before I say something about them. So I am not just being ridiculously biased to Spiece teams. :)

2009 Indiana All-Star Team

I wanted to post the 2009 Indiana All-Star team since I posted the Junior teams. Most be a senior to be eligible but that is the only requirement.

Player High school Ht. College
Patrick Bade Franklin Central 6-8 Purdue
Kendal Brown Evansville Harrison 5-9 Southern Illinois
D.J. Byrd North Montgomery 6-5 Purdue
Derek Elston Tipton 6-9 Indiana
Bruce Grimm Jr. Rochester 6-0 East Tennessee
Jordan Hulls Bloomington South 6-0 Indiana
Justin Jordan Fort Wayne North 5-11 undecided
Matt Kenney Mooresville 6-3 Valparaiso
Jake Odum Terre Haute South 6-2 Indiana State
Errick Peck Cathedral 6-6 Cornell
Colt Ryan Batesville 6-5 Evansville
Stephan Van Treese Lawrence North 6-9 Louisville
Scott Wood Marion 6-6 North Carolina St.

Jordan Hulls was named Mr. Basketball. He led Bloomington South to an undefeated state championship.

Justin Jordan is the only uncommitted player on the roster. Many schools have questioned if he is big enough to play on the high levels.

Matt Kenney is a steal for Valpo and I expect him to do really well for them. He is a high major talent.