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

IndyBall.com Impressions (2012)

2012 is a loaded class in Indiana. There is enough talent in the 2011, 2012, and 2013 classes in Indiana for college coaches across the nation to all get a piece of the action.

The Eric Gordon All-Stars 2012 team is just absolutely loaded. All the next players are on the EG10 team.

Jeremy Hollowell 6'6 Lawrence Central has added some muscle since last summer. Hollowell didn't have the high school season most people thought he would. It wasn't a bad year, but he was inconsistent and people questioned his motor. Today, he was back in his AAU form. He buried a couple of 3's sandwiched together with a couple of powerful dunks. His length, athleticism, and skill set is unmatched in the 2012 class.

Rhett Smith 6'6 Sullivan has also added some weight to his frame. I'm not sure if that has affected his quickness. His pump fake and drive game was very good last year. His 3pt form looks more smooth than it did last year.

Nick Osborne 6'7 Muncie Central is really strong for his age. Osborne dominated the glass in the game I saw. He is really active and tough inside. He even showed some lateral quickness by containing a guard on the perimeter.

Brent Calhoun 6'8 Warren Central has improved around the basket. He is finishing much more consistently now. He has always been able to block shots and rebound, but now he is a threat on the offensive end.

Dylan Langkabel 6'4 Morristown was not as athletic as he looked when I saw him during the high school year. He did knock down a couple of 3's though. His skill set will not be questioned when determining what level he can play in college. The deciding factor will be his athleticism and who he can guard.

There are other very good players that I have not listed. Ronnie Johnson (North Central), Kendall Waters (Pendleton Heights), Patrick Ingram (North Central).

Grant Meyer 5'11 Silver Creek (Team Southern Indiana) impressed me with his shooting ability. Quick release and always in control, I will be watching him this spring.

Sam Hunt 6'7 Jennings County (Team Southern Indiana) is a big man prospect I haven't seen before today. He did some good things and moved pretty well. I will be keeping an eye on him this spring.

I didn't get a chance to see the Indiana Elite One team featuring Ron Patteron, Kellen Dunham, and Kellon Thomas. I should get a chance to see them Sunday.

Gary Harris vs. Jeremy Hollowell

The game pitted Hamilton Southeastern against Lawrence Central in Hinkle Fieldhouse. Most were there to see the two super sophomores (channeling my inner Dick Vitale)Gary Harris and Jeremy Hollowell. Both have question marks about their games, but both have amazingly high potential.

Gary Harris, the 6'4 point guard, has had questions posed about his intensity, his competitiveness, and his overall aggressiveness. Against Lawrence Central, Harris showed how good he could be one day. He was aggressive looking to drive especially in the first half. He was looking to be a scoring threat everytime he touched the ball (something that he doesn't always do). He showed his 3point range, he showed his anticipation skills on defense, he showed his athleticism. He looked great but now he has to do it every time he steps onto the court!

Jeremy Hollowell, the 6'6 wing from Lawrence Central,has been inconsistent this season just like Harris. Hollowell is long, athletic, a good but streaky outside shooter. In the first half, Hollowell was missing in action. He had 2 points on 3 shot attempts. Showing all the flaws that have been plaguing him all season. In the third quarter, Hollowell seemed to have a light click on. He was more aggressive, hit some outside shots, and was more active defensively. The fourth quarter was more of the old Hollowell. If he becomes as strong as his older brother James than his upside is the largest in the class for 2012 in Indiana. He has a lot of work to do to fulfill his potential though.

2012 Small Forward Rankings

The small forward position in 2012 could also be loaded depending on who you classify as a 3. You could make a case for Ron Patterson, Rafael Davis, Austin Burgett, Dejuan Marrero, and Travis Britt all being called a small forward. I decided to rank those guys in different positions for now.

Again, I only rank players that I have watched. That is why the list is relatively small.

Small Forwards

1. Jeremy Hollowell 6’6 Lawrence Central H Huge upside, extremely long, good outside shooter, gets to the rim from the perimeter at will. Struggles at time finishing at the rim, but strength should take care of that.
2. Rhett Smith 6’6 Sullivan M Most complete inside/outside player in the 2012 class that I’ve seen. Great post moves, very good pump fake and drive from the perimeter. A legit 6’5 if not taller, if he can get a couple more inches than his stock could really jump.
3. Mo Cross 6’3 Indianapolis Tech M
4. Jared Drew 6’4 Lawrence Central M- Good athleticism, gets to the rim at will right now, but can get out of control while driving.
5. Aloyis Gray 6’5 Brebeuf M- Extremely long, active rebounder.