Saturday, July 18, 2009

2011 Small Forward Rankings

Continuing my update of 2011 rankings, this time I have the small forward position.

2011 Small Forwards

1. Branden Dawson 6’5 Gary Wallace H Athletic, good motor, finishes well in traffic against contact, okay shooter. Would like him to improve shooting.
2. Ryan Taylor 6’5 Lawrence North H- Strong and athletic right now. Needs to be more consistent from the outside and has been so far this summer.
3. Austin Etherington 6’6 Hamilton Heights M+ Shooter, long wingspan, still trying to get back to where he was before surgery. Lateral quickness is a question but has picked up offers from Indiana, Xavier, and Oklahoma State.
4. Dontray Chavis 6’4 Princeton M+ Skilled tweener(small forwad and power forward), quick, athletic, solid body, has some range to his jumper. Gets a bit out of control at times.
5. Stevie Jamison 6’4 Broad Ripple M+ Long, streaky shooter, okay handles, good motor. More consistency from perimeter shooting would make him a great mid-major or higher prospect.
6. Chandler Thomas 6’5 Howe L+ Very good post player, good athlete, strong. Needs to become a wing.
7. Brian Stolarz 6’4 Munster L+ Strong, good jumper, okay set shooter, good rebounder. Not great with the ball…needs to improve ball-handling and overall perimeter skills.
8. Brandon Muncie 6'4 Lawrence North L+ Athletic, long windspan. If he can build his game around his great athleticism he could be very good.
9. Jackson Renshaw 6'4 Columbus East L+ Strong, solid athlete, decent ball-handling skills. Needs to improve consistency on jumper and decision making.
10. Levi Garner 6'4 Edgewood L Strong, good penetrating skills. Lacks a consistent jumper.
11. Jon Trawick 6’2 Richmond L Strong, athletic, good set shooter. Needs to improve ball handling and defense.
12. Dwight Cliff 6’3 Ben Davis L Strong, good set shooter, solid rebounder. Needs to improve ball handling on drives and shooting off the dribble.

Friday, July 17, 2009

2011 Combo Guard Rankings

I have never been a big fan of the term "combo guard" because usually it is just a scoring point guard or a shooting guard that can't shoot. 2010 has a ton of combo guard types and I decided to put everyone in that category together and rank them.

2011 Combo Guards

1. Jeremiah Davis 6’3 Muncie Central H Power guard, athletic,can get to the rim at will right now, solid set shot from the perimeter. Needs to improve his decision making.
2. Alexander Hutson 6’1 Tipton M- Shooter, deceptively athletic, solid vision. Would like better ball handling and better defense without so much unwarranted gambling.
3. Matt Schauss 6’2 Centerville L+ Lights out shooter, long, okay handles. Probably not big enough to be a pure shooting guard at the D-1 level and probably not quick enough to be a pure point guard. Lacks great intensity at most times.
4. Spencer Comer 6’3 Rushville L+ Great lateral quickness, strong, good motor, works very hard, good leader. Needs better handles and consistency from the outside.
5. Torrey Nibbs 6’1 Brownsburg L+ Athlete, great first step, strong. Needs to improve handles, decision making and shooting.
6. Eric Harris 6’2 Lawrence North L+ Long, crafty, good rebounder. Needs to improve handles and more consistent shooting.
7. Max Landis 6’0 Perry Meridian L Good shooter, finishes well in the lane, decent handles. Not a great defender, would like him to add some muscle.
8. Tyler Hall 6’2 Danville L Smart, pass first, good defender. More consistency from the outside is needed.

2011 Point Guard Rankings

Updated rankings after the first evaluation period. Although, how well a guy is playing is an indication of where they will be ranked, I'm still trying to keep it to who will be the best long-term. I'm still trying to combine current skill set and potential for the rankings.

2011 Point Guards

1. Marquis Teague 6’2 Pike H One of the top players in the country for his class. Explosive, solid shooter, good handles. Can question his focus at times.
2. Dee Davis 5’10 Bloomington South M+ Great decision maker, good handles, good outside shooter, quick but not lightning quick. Height might hold him back from being an elite PG.
3. Matt Carlino 6’2 Bloomington South H- quick, smart, strong, slasher that is looking to pass first. Not a great shooter, but has time to improve that.
4. Jalen Packer 6’2 Princeton M Slashing point guard, long, leads well. Needs to get a little tighter with the ball and add a mid-range to long-range shooting game.
5. Nic Moore 5’10 Warsaw M Solid shooter, strong although small, finishes well in the lane. Needs to be a knock down shooter so he can run an offense and knock down 3’s if he is left open
6. P.J. Boutee 5’10 Howe L+ Quick, flashy, decent shooter. Needs to make better decisions at times.
7. Ken Mullens 5'11 Fort Wayne Luers L+ strong, good defender. Needs some work on the offensive end.
8. Jordan Hahn 5’10 New Castle L+ Leader, good decision maker,good defender at this level, improving shooter. Needs to handle intense ball pressure better
9. Jonny Marlin 5’11 Center Grove L+ Smart, solid shooter, good ball handler. Would like him to be more aggressive offensively but he runs a team well,would like him to add some muscle.
10. Greg Dickey 5’11 Tipton L Feisty, good worker, solid with the ball. Downside is height and not a lights out shooter
11. Brandon Ledford 5'11 Decatur Central L slashing pass first point guard or looking to finish in the lane.
12. Christian Ford 5’10 Pike L Score first PG, very good penetrator. Will get out of control and force bad shots

Update

I have been gone for the last week or so with AAU tournaments and I worked another Xavier basketball camp.

I plan on finishing my Kentucky Hoopfest recap and updating my rankings. I know I have changed my 2011 rankings and my 2012 rankings. I will get these things finalized and posted later this afternoon/tonight.

Hope everyone is enjoying their July. I know I am!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Kentucky Hoop Fest Recap 2011

I'm going to break my recap into classes and then by team for easier navigating and comprehension of teams and players.

Spiece Select 2011

Tony Springmann 6'8 Fort Wayne Dwenger showed numerous moves and finishes with his left hand this week. It is a given that he is going to rebound and play strong inside. Needs to continue to develop offensive game.

Zac VanDeWater 6'4 Whitko is a legit 6'4 wing that can shoot, move laterally well, very good rebounder from a guard spot. I put him as a mid-major plus right now.

Kendal Griffin 6'4 Avon
is very similar to VanDeWater but faster north and south although probably slower laterally on the defensive end. Also, a good rebounder and a competitor.

Torrey Nibbs 6'1 Brownsburg
had a solid weekend. Nibbs has a great body/athleticism, good defender when he doesn't reach or gamble, terrific rebounder when playing the PG spot. He must improve handles, decision making, and consistently finish in the lane to be a D-1 player.

Tyler Greathouse 6'8 Columbus North is a flat out shooter who is adding a driving game. He has good post moves, but rarely posts. Aggressiveness, rebounding, and defense is holding him from being a mid-major prospect right now.

Indiana Elite-Team Indiana


Jeremiah Davis 6'3 Muncie Central is a strong, athletic combo guard who has been consistent from 3 this spring although it is a little slow. He does have a high release on it that helps when he shoots over people. Needs to improve decision making and handles against pressure.

Austin Etherington 6'6 Hamilton Heights is a long wing that can shoot it. He has had zero impact in two games against Spiece Select now. I'm not sure if they are in his head or if it is because he is being guarded by 6'4 quick wings that are good defensively. He is a match-up problem for nearly every team.

Dee Davis 5'10 Bloomington South is borderline unguardable at this level. The Xavier commit is quick, smart, can shoot, finds people well. Only negative that I can find is his height.

Deng Leek 7'0 is big and that is basically it. He has offers from Maryland, Syracuse, and NC State I believe. He is not very skilled or aggressive.

Vinny Zollo 6'8 Lexington (KY)hasn't gotten much love after his UK commitment fell through with the coaching change. He flat out gets after on the boards and is a solid defender. Right now, he is a solid mid-major to low-major prospect.

Indiana Elite One

Jalen Packer 6'1 Princeton is not the 6'4 I have seen him listed at by other sites. At most, he is 6'2 in shoes. Packer is what he is right now...he is a slasher that is looking to get to the rim to score, but he is a little too loose with the ball.

Matt Carlino 6'2 Bloomington South have been knocked by some because he is not a great shooter or a great athlete like Marquis Teague, but he is a solid athlete, slasher, creator for others, strong, and smart. Not a sexy recruit for the IU base, but he is solid.

Marshall Plumlee 6'11 NC Prep School via Warsaw
plays extremely hard and posts agressively. He appears to be a leader and that is rare from a big man. His upside is as big as his 6'11 frame.

Spencer Turner 6'2 Bloomington South is a shooter and not much else. Although, there are many guys in the NBA earning a lot of money that can only shoot. It is a matter of a right fit and right timing for what level he can play at. I think he is still a mid-major type of kid.

Johnny Marlin 5'10 Center Grove
is heady, quick, good competitor, solid shooter if left open. His height and weight is what might decide if he is a D2/NAIA player instead of a D-1 player.

Cody Zeller 6'9 Washington didn't play a lot when I saw him although he had 25 in a tournament bracket game. I would like him to really play inside and outside instead of just outside.

Justin Gant 6'8 Terre Haute North is a shooter and has decent handles. His stock has dropped a lot due to lack of aggressiveness, toughness, willingness to battle down low. If he does those types of things then he is a high-major player instead of a borderline mid-major to low-major player.

Indiana Select 2011

Spencer Comer 6'3 Rushville
is a D-1 athlete...explosive, good lateral movement. Needs to improve handles and shooting consistency.

Matt Schauss 6'3 Centerville is a shooter with good length to him. He can handle it a little bit, but can be shaky against pressure. Needs to pick up his intensity on the defensive end.

Jackson Renshaw 6'4 Columbus East is a combo guard with an "NBA body." That is an inside joke. He is a decent athlete, but not a great shooter or decision maker. If he improves those two areas then he is a D-1 player.

More to come soon!

Kentucky Hoop Fest Recap Coming!

Recap later tonight!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Hoosier Shootout Notes Day 3

The third day of the Hoosier Shootout brought some impressive performances to the table.

Spiece Indy Heat-Betts/Quarrels

Yogi Ferrell 5'11 PG Park Tudor has separated himself from the rest of the 2012 Indiana point guards and is rising in the overall rankings. He is shooting the ball consistently, getting into the lane at will, finishing with floaters and reverse lay-ups. He might be a high-major prospect.

Ethan Jacobs 7'0 C Tipton was impressive in the first half of their semi-final victory. He was really active rebounding, hedging screens, blocking shots. He also had a good finish where he cut from the 3pt. line on the baseline to the rim and caught the ball outside the lane. He then did a slide by move around a help side defender and finished off the glass. He is a great pickup for Ohio.

Khristian Smith 6'4 SF Pike played with a lot of energy and looked very good on defense. He is a low to mid-major prospect...mid-major when he defends like he did today.

Spiece Fastbreak


Kenny Enoch 6'3 SG Howe shot the ball very well today. He gets overshadowed at times, but he is a very solid player. Probably a low to mid-major prospect right now.

Ryan Taylor 6'5 SF Lawrence North showed more perimeter skills today than I thought he had. He handled it against pressure a little and hit a couple shots from 3. It looks like he will make the transition from power forward to small forward in the Big East.

P.J. Boutee 5'9 PG Howe
leads the nation in spin dribbles per game. It is amazing how many times he spins during a game...it makes me dizzy just watching. Overall, he is quick and usually pretty good with the ball but will try to do too much at times.

Colin Lynch 6'3 SG Roncali can flat out shoot the ball. Quick release and can put it on the floor a little bit. He doesn't get many minutes because of a wing loaded roster.

Indiana Select Blue


Conner Rich 6'3 SF Tipton is a great shooter. He might have the purest stroke in the 2011 class. He struggles moving laterally against quick players and doesn't handle the ball particularly well. He needs to improve those areas to be a D-1 player.

Mark Fennerty 6'0 PG Carmel needs to get playing time at Carmel. He is heady, surprisingly quick, great shooter. He is a little undersized, but he makes up for it in toughness. He is a small school prospect right now. I could see him being great at an NAIA program.