2011 Rankings

The NFL draft is tomorrow and Mel Kiper being on TV all the time has made me come up with some rankings for the class of 2011 in Indiana. I have seen all the players on the list multiple times if a name is not on the list like Branden Dawson it is because I have not seen him in person. I'm going to do the rankings based off of skills now and college potential. Some players are ranked above their current skills because of their ceiling.

2011 Overall

1. Marquis Teague
2. Michael Chandler
3. Cody Zeller
4. Zac VanDeWater
5. Mitch McGary
6. Justin Gant
7. Jeremiah Davis
8. Ryan Taylor
9. Austin Etherington
10. Tony Springmann

Point Guards

1. Marquis Teague
2. Jeremiah Davis
3. Nic Moore
4. Jalen Packer
5. Jordan Hahn
6. Dee Davis
7. Torrey Nibbs
8. P.J. Boutee
9. Christian Ford
10. Johnny Marlin

Shooting Guards

1. Zac VanDeWater
2. Spencer Turner
3. Kendal Griffin
4. Kenny Enoch
5. Spencer Comer
6. Evan Blackmon
7. Colin Lynch
8. Jackson Renshaw
9. Tyler Hall
10. Trent Lancaster

Small Forwards

1. Ryan Taylor
2. Austin Etherington
3. Rontray Chavis
4. Stevie Jamison
5. Chandler Thomas
6. Brian Stolarz
7. Jon Trawick
8. Trevor Arnett
9. Dwight Cliff
10. Evan Dodd

Power Forwards

1. Mitch McGary
2. Justin Gant
3. Alex Prichett
4. Tyler Greathouse
5. Kevin Fisher
6. Colin Bowles
7. Matt Howard
8. Tim Simmons

Centers

1. Michael Chandler
2. Cody Zeller
3. Tony Springmann
4. Isiah Hill
5. Wade Thomas
6. Andrew Rice

I will be at the Top 100 Work Out this weekend at Ben Davis so these might change by Sunday but it is a decent list of players for 2011.

Are You Improving?

"You are either getting better or you are getting worse there is no such thing as staying the same." I heard this quote a few years ago and I have believed in it ever since. I think it can be applied to any part of life but I think it is especially in true. Players are either working on their game and improving or they are going through the motions and getting worse. It might be a tiny, immeasurable amount that you do not even notice but it is happening.

Think of an individual work out for a basketball player. If that player is focused and doing all the drills with great intensity then that player is going improving his game. If a player is unfocused and going half speed through the drills then that player is probably hurting himself. That is why individual work outs should not be measured in time spent in the gym. It should be measured on what was accomplished and worked out with the most effort. A lot of players are willing to spend a lot of time on their games but few go about it in a good way. Intensity and a mindset to make themselves better is the key to a good work out.

Don't just put time in...put effort and work in then improvement will come. It seems elementary to say, but it is easy to lose focus on what is necessary.

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.

Pitt Jamfest

Just got back from Pittsburgh a few moments ago. It was a pretty easy and fairly quick drive from Indianapolis. Pitt is a confusing place though I will say that. I liked their campus though. Here are some player reports.

Kyrie Irving NJ Road Runners- I heard he was good and that I needed to watch him...something I hear kind of often and rarely does the player live up to the hype. Kyree did and was even better. Lightning quick, great handles, range to 25 feet or farther, great hops. Truly impressive to watch. If he isn't an all-american I don't know who is.

Justin Coleman Petersburg Elite (VA)- Diamond in the rough here. 6'6" SF that is athletic as you can get. Finished really well in traffic against much larger players. He isn't on the scene right now, but I expect that to change very quickly.

Jack Isenbarger Spiece Indy Heat- He has been pegged as a shooting guard, but he played mostly point this weekend and played it well and defended it well against tough competition. He is a steal for mid-majors. A quick, solid point guard with size and he can shoot...sounds decent to me.

Travis Carroll Spiece Indy Heat- Purdue might have the next Tim Duncan. Just kidding Boilermakers. He is very fundamental though and it will be interesting how he develops. Purdue liked that he was a true post when they offered him so I'm not sure they want him to become much of a face-up threat other than the occasional jumper.

Ron Patterson Spiece Indy Stars- Scary describes it pretty well. Great athlete that is developing great range. Tough to compete with him.

Kellon Thomas Spiece Indy Stars- A little undersized but quick and strong. Great basketball IQ. I don't think his lack of height will hurt his recruiting.

I'll post more later just wanted to get some quick notes down.

Isiah Thomas

Is there any way that Isiah Thomas will build Florida International into a decent program? His interview after the press conference was unbelievably bad and awkward. He didn't answer any of the questions directly. It basically seemed like he was lying throughout the whole interview.

He obviously will not be getting the blue chip players to come to FIU so he is going to have to do a great job of spotting potential and recruiting the second tier players. I'm not sure how he will do that with his reputation. I would think a lot of players would stay away from the situation if they have other offers.

Another bad sign was when he was introduced as "Isiah Thompson" at his press conference. How do you mess up the name "Thomas" as if it is a difficult name? Did FIU interview him? I'll be shocked if this turns into a good situation.

Best of luck to him though!