New 2012 Rankings This Week

1. AJ Hammons 6’10 Carmel H Love his touch and footwork around the basket also passes well against double teams. I wish Carmel would give him more touches because he makes so many good things happen.
2. Jeremy Hollowell 6’7 Lawrence Central H Extremely long, good shooter from distance, drives the ball well. Lots of upside but inconsistent. He should be a pro one day if he hits the weight room hard and continues to develop his game extremely hard. All the natural ability anyone could ever ask for.
3. Gary Harris 6’4 Hamilton Southeastern H Good length, good set shooter, solid with the ball. Harris and Hollowell have the most upside in the class. Both are nowhere near their potential yet. Harris seems like a kid who wants to become better and might have a slight chip on his shoulder because he didn’t get the early attention that other 2012’s got from schools. Might be more of a 2 right now, but can also play point…I would like him to be more aggressive with the ball
4. Ron Patterson 6’3 Broad Ripple H Athletic as you can get for this age, good shooter…set and off the dribble, solid defender. Weakness-would like him to tighten up his handles. Probably is going to be a SG in college as I don’t see him making the switch to PG. His athleticism will allow him to guard most HM guards.
5. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera 6’3 North Central H- Crafty, strong as a bull, smart with the ball. He is a great defender because of his strength and great will to win. If you haven’t seen him play, think Byron Eaton the former Oklahoma State PG.
6. Yogi Ferrell 5’11 Park Tudor H- Quick, very good with the ball i.e. change of pace, decision making. Outside shot has improved greatly but still inconsistent. When he has the outside shot going he is unstoppable.
7. Austin Burgett 6’8 Avon M+ Can shoot, can put the ball on the floor, passes well, also rebounds. Added strength and aggressiveness could take his game to the next level, which is a very elite level. Burgett did not have the high school season most expected. He will have to be more assertive in the spring to keep his stock this high.

8. Glenn Robinson, Jr. 6’5 Lake Central M+ Slasher that doesn’t force things, solid athlete, decent handles, good shooting form although he doesn’t look for his shot much. He would rather drive. Finished well at the rim against good size.
9. Dejuan Marrero 6’5 Bowman M+ Solid athlete but not a freak, good rebounder, good motor. I definitely like his toughness and how he gets after on the court.I’m unsure what position he will play at the next level. It looks like he could end up being an undersized PF. He has a lot of work to do to become a perimeter player. Improving shooter, but still a lot to work on and I don’t think he has any ball handling skills whatsoever.
10. Rhett Smith 6’6 Sullivan M True inside/outside player, good post moves, drives the ball well. Rhett has added some weight over the last year. I don’t know if it is mostly muscle or what but he is noticeably bigger than last summer. Weakness-not super athletic although he has a good first step.
11. Rafeal Davis 6’5 Fort Wayne South M Shooter, good length, strong for age. Not a great athlete, he is long so he can dunk but he isn’t jumping out of the gym by any stretch. Weakness-early maturation and could be done growing.
12. Nick Osborne 6’7 Muncie Central M Moves well, strong body for a sophomore. Rebounds out of his area. Right now, he gets most of his baskets off rebounds and when penetrators draw people and he is left with an easy lay-up. He has shown some post moves, but you aren’t going to throw it to him in the post and let him go to work.Decent leaper although he isn’t going to have many highlight dunks..
13. Edward Seay 6’8 Merrillville M+ Long, active in the post. A high potential guy. Needs a lot of refinement, but could definitely get there in two years.
14. Kellen Dunham 6’3 Pendleton Heights M Shooter, can create off the bounce, takes care of the ball. Is not very explosive. Lateral quickness worries me.
15. Ronnie Johnson 5’10 North Central M Very quick, good lefty shooter, small right now. Brother is Terone Johnson.
16. D.J. Ballentine 5’11 Kokomo M Crafty with the ball, good shooter but would like him to look to get to the rim more often.
17. Dylan Langkabel 6’3 Morristown M Very good shooter, good elevation on his jumper, uses screens well, not going to go 1 on 1 to get his shot very often, competitor, decent handles. Athleticism/who he can guard will determine how high he can play at the next level.
18. Brent Calhoun 6’8 Warren Central M Lefty (I love lefty post players), good shot blocker, developing jump hook. Slimmer than last summer. Improving athleticism. Potential is much higher than his current skill level.
19. Tyler Corley 5’10 Lawrence Central M Quick, good handles, good shooter from the outside
20. Kellon Thomas 5’10 Southport M- Leader, good decision maker, improving shooter, strong, finishes well in the lane. Weakness- shooting ability
21. Patrick Ingram 6’3 North Central M Strong body, more of a mid-range shooter than 3pt shooter, likes to get to the rim.
22. Mike Ramey 6’5 Southport M Quick, solid strength for his age, good with the ball, very good shooter.
23. Harry Willis 6’1 Ben Davis M- Quick first step, great defender, will create easy baskets for other with his quickness, can finish inside against bigger players.
24. Kendall Waters 5’11 Pendelton Heights M- Solid shooter, quick, good defensively, looks to make plays for teammates more than himself, very hard-nosed
25. Tyler Alderman 6’9 Fishers M+ Probably will be moved to the Power Forward section. When I saw him, he was facing a zone defense that featured 2 6'10 players. He did show great athleticism...jumps really well, moves well, and can run
26. Jared Drew 6’6 Lawrence Central M- Solid athlete, long, gets to the rim easily. Weakness-shot selection
27. Jordan Burton 6’7 Edinburgh M Posts well, good post moves, good rotation on shot although flat, runs well, not explosive off the floor.
28. Logan Irwin 5’11 L Whitko L+ Strong, leader, slasher, creator. Needs to improve shooting.
29. R.J. Hunter 6’2 Pike M- Shooter, long, smart. Weakness-rail thin
30. Brad Hartman 6’5 Union County L+ Good shooting form, gets after the boards, good basketball IQ
31. Daniel Purvlicis 6’6 Noblesville M- Good looking shot, solid footwork in the lane, wingspan looks much bigger than his 6’6 height, needs strength work. Has to be more aggressive to make that next step in his development.
32. Aaron Payne 6’2 Broad Ripple L Plays more of a pg position but struggles with decision making at times.
33. Adam Botts 6’0 Muncie Central M- Good shooter, steady with the ball, leader
34. Travis Britt 6’3 Culver Academy M- Strong, gets to the rim very well (Old for his grade I believe)
35. Jodan Price 6’6 Lawrence Central L+ A true 6’6, potential guy right now, tentative at times
36. Joel Smith 6’5 Heritage Christian L+ Strong, smart, good motor, solid mid-range set jumper. Might be done growing.
37. Rashad Richardson 6’4 Lafayette Jeff L+ Long, handles the ball but is loose with it right now, unusual shoot from the outside but is consistent with it. Length is his major strength to his game.
38. Da Veon Balls 6’0 Lawrence North L+ Quick, good handles, solid outside shot
39. Kyle Wuest 6’2 Edinburgh L Athletic slasher with a good mid-range pull-up game.
40. D.J. Neal 5’11 Fort Wayne North L+
41. Riley Rapp 6’0 Guerin Catholic L+ Mostly a shooter right now, but has the ability and quickness to get to the rim off the dribble.
42. Ben Gardner 5’11 Carmel L+ Lefty, great with the ball, quick enough to penetrate and finishes well at the rim. Looks to pass more than to shoot
43. Jordan VanTreese 6’8 Lawrence North L+ Stephen’s brother, developing, plays hard, rebounds well
44. Keith Cochran 6’9 Bluffton L+ Good touch, still catching up to his body.
45. Nathan Cox 6’7 Morristown L- Solid post moves, good motor, unathletic, doesn’t move too well.
46. Aloyis Gray 6’5 Brebeuf L+ Extremely long, active rebounder
47. Mitch Yeagy 5’10 L Alexandria L Smart player, good shooter
48. Shawn Heffern 6’5 Carmel L Strong with solid post moves
49. Thomas Treadway 6’4 Zionsville Lanky, good set shooter
50. Mike Lenz 6’1 Brebeuf Slasher, tough, good mid-range game

IPSAC Midwest Basketball Challenge-Bowman/Broad Ripple

The Bowman Academy/Broad Ripple game was fast paced from the start. Both teams were pushing the ball, creating turnovers, forcing passes, and looking to attack the rim. Bowman led 27-19 after one period to give you an idea of the pace.

In the second quarter, Bowman increased the gap. Cyllk Joesph had a big first half. Joesph had a couple of 3's and a couple of dunks. Not to be out done, Chris Bond also had great success around the rim including a monster dunk. Bowman was up 14 at the halftime break.

The second half was mainly the Tyrae Robinson show. Robinson got to the rim nearly anytime he wanted. Most of the time he would finish the basket and the rest of the time he found open teammates for easy baskets. Robinson ended with 18 points on 6-10 shooting from 2point range and 2-4 from 3.

The game became a true blow out in the third. DeJuan Marrero dominated the paint getting multiple blocks and clearing every rebound. Marrero ended the night with 15 points and 14 rebounds. I did not keep track of his blocks.

In the fourth quarter, Broad Ripple made the game respectable. Steven Jamison started to be really aggressive and capitalized on it. He ended the night with 27 points. Ron Patterson was quiet for most of the night other than 2 big first half dunks. Patterson finished with 16 points.

Tyrae Robinson 6'1 point guard might have turned the most heads of college recruiters. Robinson did a little bit of everything. He showed his quickness and explosiveness getting to the basket. He consistently made the correct play while leading his team. Robinson also displayed a smooth jumper. Robinson looks like a solid mid-major point guard.

DeJuan Marreo 6'6 small forward is the most hyped player for Bowman. He is and will be a very good high school player. I'm not sure how that will translate to the next level for him. At the high major level, he will have to be a 3 and I'm not sure he has those skills in order to handle the ball, shoot from the perimeter, or the quickness to guard a small forward in the Big Ten for instance. He's not big enough to be a power forward unless he grows which I think is unlikely. I think he projects to be a very good mid-major player, but would struggle in the major conferences.

Cyllk Joesph 5'11 shooting guard was 3-6 from 3 and 2-2 from 2 including a dunk off a nice alley-opp. His shooting form looked really good...smooth and quick. He didn't handle the ball very much because Robinson handled those duties. He might be an undersized shooting guard but he can make up for that with his athleticism.

Christopher Bond 6'4 forward showed great atleticism and ability to finish in the paint. He has great springs and very good lateral quickness. He is more of a power forward, but he can handle the ball a little bit and is quick enough to guard a small forward at the mid-major level. He would be really good at the low-major level.

Steven Jamison 6'7 small forward was the main bright spot for Broad Ripple. He is a legit 6'5 and maybe 6'6. He is a streaky outside shooter and he will take some shots that leave a lot to be desired. He is long and is a good finisher especially above the rim. I see Jamison as a solid mid-major prospect. I think he would be really good in a style like IUPUI's.

Ron Patterson 6'3 shooting guard is a big time player. Today was not his best game though. In the first half, he wasn't real aggressive looking for his shot although he had 2 dunks including 1 over the top of a Bowman player. He is explosive off the floor while also being a good shooter from the outside. I saw him play in a D1 open gym this year that featured NBA players and he fit right in.

Aaron Payne 6'1 point guard is a promising young player for Broad Ripple. He struggled with decision making against the Bowman pressure but a lot of good senior guards would struggle too. He did have 6 points on 3-6 shooting. He got to the rim a few times and had shots rim out.

2012 Shooting Guard Rankings

The guards in the 2012 class look like they could be really special. They have multiple high-major guys...Rafael Davis has already committed to Purdue.

Shooting Guards

1. Ron Patterson 6’3 Broad Ripple H Explosive, good shooter, can be a great defender when he wants to. Weakest part of his game is his ball handling although it is not bad…it needs to be tightened up a little bit.
2. Gary Harris 6’3 Hamilton Southeastern H Didn’t play in July when I saw his team playing. He is a long, solid shooting guard that can play the point.
3. Rafael Davis 6’5 Fort Wayne South M+ I’m not as high on Davis as others just because I think he is physically matured and he isn’t very explosive to me. If he grows a little bit more than he doesn’t need to be very explosive because he will be so big.
4. Patrick Ingram 6’0 North Central M Quick, water bug type with a good outside stroke.
5. Travis Britt 6’3 Culver Academy M Power guard that can really get up and down the floor.
6. Mike Ramey 6’3 Southport M-
7. R.J. Hunter 6’2 Pike M- Rail thin but can really shoot the ball also very long wingspan.

Hoosier Shootout Notes Day 2

I have something to admit...I did not stay for the whole day of games today. I don't like to say it, but I left in the early evening. Weak on my part, but I did have a few things I wanted to get done tonight.

Indy Heat-Felder

Alexander Huston 6'1 PG Tipton showed that he can defend. He still gambles and gets out of position a lot which can lead to a lot of scrambling situations for the defense. He is a shooter first and everything else second.

Chandler Thomas 6'5 PF TBA has had a lot of questions asked about him, his attitude, and his game among other things. He has the talent to play D-1, if he continues to expand his offensive game. He has the quickness, the strength, the motor to play at that level.

Brian Stolarz 6'5 SF Munster looks like his release has quickened a little bit...still needs work on becoming a perimeter player. I think he will end up being a low-major player when it is all said and done.

Brandon Muncie 6'4 SG Lawrence North is athletic and long. Other parts of his game need work, but with those two things he can get it done if he really wants to.

Spiece Indy Stars

Ron Patterson 6'4 SG Broad Ripple is really good. I saw him play in an open gym at Cincinnati last week and it looked like he could play in college right now. Not bad for a kid going into his sophomore year of high school. He is athletic and skilled...that is a tough combo.

Jeremy Hollowell 6'6 SF Lawrence Central is growing in height and in his game daily it seems. He might have the most upside in the 2012 class. He can really shoot it and is becoming more active rebounding.

Austin Burgett 6'7 SF Avon is still underrated and under appreciated in his recruitment so far. He is extremely skilled for a young big man. Burgett can shoot it and put it on the floor.

Spiece Select 2011

Zac VanDeWater 6'4 SG Whitko is a player to get to know. He can really shoot it, pretty quick laterally, good with the ball, and has been rebounding great lately. He is a mid-major type of player.

Tony Springmann 6'8 C Fort Wayne Dwenger is a beast. He is so strong and aggressive in the paint that he over powers most everyone right now. If he adds some range to his game and a couple post moves, he could be very much like Luke Harangody.

Kendal Griffin 6'4 SG Avon has had a good start to July and I heard he played well in June for his high school team. He is strong, a good defender, rebounds really well, and can also drive the ball. His shooting has been streaky lately because of injuries keeping him from getting as many shooting work-outs in as he would like.

Chrishawn Hopkins News

In the latest edition of the Chrishawn Hopkins news, he is the real deal. Quick laterally, jumps out of the gym, unselfish...maybe too unselfish at this point. He is constantly screening for teammates and directing them where to go. He gets to the rim at will and is also a very good shooter. Grades are a question...he might have to go to junior college, but if he qualifies he is a mid-major or higher recruit.

2012 Rankings

By no means have I seen enough of the 2012 class to be extremely confident in my rankings. I've tried to stick with guys I have seen at least 4 or 5 times against good competition. I did add Gary Harris because everyone I respect raves about him although I have not seen him myself. Most of the guys I have seen from the class are from the top AAU teams.

2012 Overall Rankings

1. A.J. Hammons 6’10 C Carmel H Runs well, rebounds aggressively, slight mean streak with is very good for big men. Weakness- conditioning right now.
2. Ron Patterson 6’4 SG Broad Ripple H Athletic as you can get for this age, good shooter…set and off the dribble, solid defender. Weakness-would like him to tighten up his handles.
3. Gary Harris 6’2 PG Hamilton Southeastern H Haven’t seen, but everyone I talk to that I respect say he is very, very good.
4. Austin Burgett 6’7 SF Avon H- Good shooter, ample ball handling skills, solid athlete. Weakness-Assertiveness…he is aggressive when he gets the ball but doesn’t demand the ball when he needs to sometimes.
5. Jeremy Hollowell 6’7 SF Lawrence Central H- Extremely long, good shooter from distance, drives the ball well. Weakness-struggles to finish at the rim at times…strength could fix that.
6. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera 6’2 PG North Central M+ Crafty, strong as a bull, smart with the ball. Weakness-Needs to work on range and has been improving that.
7. Edward Seay 6’8 C Merrillville M+ Long, active in the post. Weakness-raw post skills
8. Yogi Ferrell 5’11 PG Park Tudor M+ Quick, very good with the ball i.e. change of pace, decision making. Weakness- outside shooting, but improving of late.
9. Rafael Davis 6’5 SF Fort Wayne South M Shooter, good length, strong for age. Weakness-early maturer
10. Kellon Thomas 5’11 PG Southport M Leader, good decision maker, solid shooter, strong, finishes well in the lane. Weakness- height.
11. Dejuan Marrero 6’6 SF Bowman M Solid athlete but not a freak, good rebounder. Weakness-perimeter skills if he is done growing.
12. Brent Calhoun 6’7 C Warren Central M Lefty (I love lefty post players), good shot blocker, developing jump hook. Weakness- very raw.
13. Rhett Smith 6’5 SF Sullivan M True inside/outside player, good post moves, drives the ball well. Weakness-no true college position yet.
14. Jared Drew 6’4 SF Lawrence Central L+ Solid athlete, long, gets to the rim easily. Weakness-shot selection
15. Nick Osborne 6’6 PF Muncie Central Haven't seen him because injuries early in the spring held him out of games, but hear good things about him.

AMC-Report 2

This AMC report is from observations that I saw on Saturday mainly. I watched games from 8am to 11pm with only a break to drive from game site to game site. It was a very good day of basketball.

Kyrie Irving NJ Roadrunners-Irving did not have the explosion that I saw in Pittsburgh. It was like he was sick, injured or just really tired. He was still pretty good but he wasn't crazy impressive. It was more flashes of brilliance instead of the constant wow plays he made in Pitt.

Cody Zeller Indiana Elite One-Zeller just like his brothers runs the floor really well. He also made some very good passes. He is still a work in-progress but that progress is being made very quickly. I expect that at this time next year he is going to be a great player.

Marshall Plumlee Indiana Elite One-Plumlee might be more raw than Zeller. Plumlee had an impressive rip and drive to the baseline that was a flash into what he could possibly develop into. Right now, he dominates the boards and blocks shots for IE One. He is hyped as the best Plumlee unfortunately I did not see his brothers when they were his age.

Spencer Turner IE ONE-Spencer shot it really well from 3 in the game that I saw. He is smart with the ball although he is definitely looking to shoot the ball any time he touches, but that's not too much of a problem with his shooting ability. He is a decent defender because he understands the game and anticipates things well right now. His strength is also a plus for him. Quickness is the question to decide what level he can defend at in college.

One correction from my Run N Slam report. Alex Gauna was not at the game when we played him therefore he could not have dominated us. The guy that I thought was Gauna was actually Matt Kamienicki.

Keith Appling Michigan Mustangs-Appling dominated the game by constantly breaking his man down 1 on 1 and getting to the rim then finishing every time he got into the lane. He also showed he was fantastic from the mid-range. He isn't very tall but he is so explosive laterally and vertically he makes up for it easily.

Alex Gauna Michigan Mustangs-The Michigan State commit is a beast in the lane. Strong and a legit 6'9 with good touch around the basket. He also looks like he has a solid face-up game up to 16 feet. He should be a good one for Coach Izzo.

Matt Kamienicki Michigan Mustangs-I really like Kamienicki's game. He plays mostly on the perimeter and can shoot it very well. He also can post up and dominate smaller defends depending on the match-up. I think he is a great mid-major player and possibly higher.

Griffin Mckenzie Eric Gordon All-Stars- Great game vs. SoCal All-Stars. He is decently athletic for a big guy and also has range to the 3point range. He should be a perfect fit for a good mid-major program.

Ron Patterson Spiece Indy Stars-Patterson continues to impress as he dominated the game that I saw. He had a stretch where he scored 13 straight points in the second half by scoring from all over the court and showing his complete game. Explosive off the dribble and great range...tough to defend.

Jordan Manual Eric Gordon-Manual shot the ball well this weekend. Does he have any post game? I didn't see it. Is he a true 3 at the next level especially at the high major level? I do not think so but he could develop into it. He is so long that he could definitely bother wings when he guards them just with his length alone. He talks way too much on the court to opponents.

P.J. Hubertz Indiana Elite (Fox)-Hubertz can flat out shoot it from 3. One of the best in the class of 2010 for the state of Indiana. He is ok handling the ball but not great and he rarely looks to get to the rim.

Ronald Ross Indiana Elite (Fox)-Ross is a strong wing. He is explosive off the dribble and can score with ease at the rim. I want to see more of Ross to see what exactly he can and can't do.

This is about the half way point for Saturday. I need a break so this will be continued later today.

Take Your Pick

I decided to do some comparisons of players "PTI" style with a little take your pick.

First up...Michael Chandler or A.J. Hammons?

I'll take A.J. Hammons as I like his post game at this point and I believe he has a bit more potential than Chandler. Chandler is no slouch and this is a tough choice but I also think Hammons runs a bit better which will improve if he drops some weight.

Better 2012 Point Guard right now...Yogi Ferrell or Kellon Thomas?

I'm going with Kellon Thomas right now, but Yogi Ferrell might have a little more upside with his height advantage. Right now, Thomas is the better shooter and makes decisions with the ball better. Therefore, I like him better as of now.

Better 2012 Prospect...D'vauntes Smith-Rivera or Ron Patterson?

I have to go with Patterson based on athleticism mainly. DSR is physically matured right now although I'm not sure if Patterson will grow anymore either. Patterson has better range and both drive and finish well in the lane.

Better 2011 Point Guard...Jeremiah Davis or P.J. Boutee?

At this moment, I would say they are very similar in the fact they are creators first and scorers second and then shooters third. Davis is bigger and stronger. Boutee has the quickness advantage. Both will make mistakes trying to do too much at times. I will take Jeremiah Davis in this match-up.

More to come later...