Sunday, January 31, 2010

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.

Friday, January 29, 2010

Edinburgh @ Morristown

I ventured away from the Indianapolis area for this one. Well, it isn't that far but still. This game was filled with underclassmen. Morristown starts two sophomores and a freshmen. Edinburgh started two impressive sophomores themselves.

It was a close game throughout until Morristown pulled away in the fourth quarter. Morristown led by 2 at the half behind a three from Dylan Langkabel with 5 seconds left. Morristown increased the lead to 3 going to the fourth. Morristown ended up beating Edinburgh 72-61.

The trip's objective was to see how good Dylan Langkabel is and he did not disappoint. He uses screens well and is unselfish enough to set a lot of screens for his teammates. I like how he elevates on his jump shot as it allows him to shoot over people. He isn't going to kill people off the dribble too much, but he will drive if people try to pressure him too much. Langkabel posted up a few times and showed some nice post moves for a guard. I was impressed with his game. He rebounded pretty well although he was always one of the biggest people on the court. Langkabel finished with 34 points and 10 rebounds by my unofficial scoring. My first impression is that he is a solid M (mid-major) prospect.

The second most impressive player in the game to me was Jordan Burton, the 6'6" sophomore from Edinburgh. He is listed at 6'8" but I think he is more like 6'6 and possibly 6'7. Burton showed some good post moves and he seals pretty well although he bends over a little too much while trying to get position. He has good rotation on his shot, but he doesn't have much arc on it. I had him 3-9 from the line and most were on target just rimmed out due to no arc. Burton runs the floor well and is an okay overall athlete. He doesn't jump out of the gym by any stretch though. My first impression is that he is a M to M- prospect.

Kyle Wuest 6'2 sophomore from Edinburgh impressed me with his athleticism...mainly his lateral quickness, but also is a good jumper. He is a slasher with a good looking mid-range jumper. Wuest seems like he is in-between being a point guard and a shooting guard right now. He needs to improve his ball handling to be a D1 point guard prospect or improve his shooting to be a D1 shooting guard prospect. Off of my first impression, I would grade him as a L+ prospect at this point.

Nathan Cox 6'7 sophomore from Morristown was plaqued by foul trouble all game. While he was in he showed some solid post moves and rebounded aggressively. He is not athletic, but he does run the floor and puts in a great amount of effort. He is probably a D2/NAIA prospect unless he grows or really works on his shooting.

Kyler Brewer 6'1 freshmen from Morristown showed a good amount of athleticism for a freshmen. He has a good looking shot although he took a few unwarranted shots especially late in the game, but a lot of freshmen do. He showed okay handles at times, but will need to improve them greatly to be a college point guard.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Warren Central @ Southport

This was not a pretty game to watch. Southport really struggled to get good shots and to get them to fall. Warren Central didn't light it up either. WC doesn't shoot it well from distance and they weren't finishing inside consistently.

That being said, it was a close game throughout. Warren Central led the whole way but could never blow it open. WC ended up winning 60-51.

Devin Davis 6'6 freshmen Warren Central was the main reason why I went to the game. Davis has been starting from day one for Warren Central. He is a long 6'6. He looks like he might have a couple more inches in him as well. I had him for 10 points and 7 rebounds. He was 4-4 from the line showing nice form. I assume he will be mostly a post player in high school, but I believe he will develop into a small forward at the next level.

Brent Calhoun 6'8 sophomore Warren Central didn't play a ton of minutes, but he has really slimmed down. He has a great ability to block shots. His athleticism has increased and is a true 6'8 now.

Wille Rhodes 6'3 senior Warren Central is a really good defender, rebounds well for his height, can attack the rim off the dribble, and can handle the ball a little bit. He really struggled from the line going 3-10.

Nickalus Turner 6'3 senior Warren Central started the game off quickly by getting to the rim often. He didn't do much in the second half. He is an athletic slasher though.

Michael Ramey 6'4 sophomore Southport struggled shooting in the first half, but rebounded in the second half. He ended the game with 15 points on 4-9 shooting from 2pt shots and 2-5 from 3. He is a shooter with good size. Decent quickness and can handle the ball alright.

Kellon Thomas 5'11 sophomore Southport struggled the whole game. Warren Central really pressured him and double teamed him then denied him the ball when he gave it up. I had him as 2-12 from 2 and 1-3 from 3pt range.

Shane Young 6'5 sophomore Southport really battled on the boards and down low. He was really active and had some nice finishes inside. Young is not super athletic, but he is strong.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Muncie Central @ Noblesville

I went to this game to see Muncie Central. I have already seen Noblesville twice this year so I knew what to expect from them. I have only seen Munice Central sophomore Nick Osborne once and I wanted to see him play in a full game. I wanted to see how Jeremiah Davis was doing as well.

Noblesville played zone pretty much the whole game and Muncie Central just could never get anything going. They had to work very hard to get anything to fall and couldn't string consecutive possessions together.

Noblesville ended up winning in a low scoring affair 49-41. Muncie Central was always in the game, but could never make a run to take the lead.

Jeremiah Davis 6'3 junior Muncie Central did not start the game and played limited minutes throughout. He is up to 195 pounds and looks good physically. He didn't do much of the ball handling for MC as Adam Botts handled that. Overall, not much to report because he didn't play many minutes.

Nick Osborne 6'8 sophomore Muncie Central struggled to get open shots inside against Noblesville's zone defense. I liked how he moved offensively and he is strong for a 6'8 (probably closer to 6'7) sophomore. He didn't have many one on one opportunities in the post to show his post moves. I'm not sure how good of jumper he is. He never skyed well above the rim at any point. Osborne did go down with an injury in the 3rd quarter and didn't return so I got a limited viewing of him as well. Definitely D1 potential...how high is the question.

Adam Botts 6'0 sophomore Muncie Central is a solid point guard that is going to take care of the ball, lead his team, and hit open shots from the outside. He is quick, but not lightning quick. Probably a low D1 prospect, but I will need to see him more.

North Montgomery @ Westfield

North Montgomery dominated the whole game. They played a 2-3 zone to collapse on Westfield big man Jeff Howard. North Montgomery looked very good offensively but that is easy to do when you make shots. They had a lot of ball movement and set a lot of flare screens. Westfield struggled to get around screens.

Westfield made it a game late by picking up the defensive pressure. North Montgomery did not handle it well. Freshman Ajay Lawton keyed the defensive pressure while Austin Brengle hit some big 3's in the fourth quarter.

In the end, Westfield's run came up just short and they lost by 3 points.

Colin Maltsberger 6'3 senior North Montgomery hit 6 3's on the night. He has good elevation on his jumper. He's strong with the ball...looking to drive when defenders close-out too aggressively. He was very active defensively helping to double team Jeff Howard most of the game. He looks like a very good D2/NAIA player and possibly a low D1 prospect.

Jeff Howard 6'8 senior Westfield was the main reason I went to watch this game. He struggled with North Montgomery collapsing on him and even double teaming him away from the ball. He does post aggressively and really gets after rebounds. He is also pretty good laterally for a 6'8 kid, but he does not jump very well. His shooting form was pretty good except he didn't have any arc on his shot. He ended up going 4-12 from the line and 4-11 from the field. I think he would be a stretch for a low D1 to take him, but I think he could be very valuable for a D2/NAIA school.

Maurice Fuller 6'3 junior Westfield showed a solid knack of getting to the basket. Decent athlete, good first step. Shot seemed above average although he struggled from the outside.

Ajay Lawton 5'10 freshmen Westfield showed great quickness and was very good defensively. He got after the North Montgomery guards pressuring them full court one on one. He missed all of his 3pt. shots, but was able to get to the basket a few times. It seems like he has some potential with his quickness.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

2012 Overall Rankings (TOP 39)

The class of 2012 is loaded in Indiana. Lots of guys are old news to the people following high school basketball in Indiana although they are only sophomores. Multiple guys have offers from a bunch of Big Ten schools. Rafeal Davis has already committed to Purdue.

The class is loaded with potential, but it is not a given that all of them will develop properly. I have not seen a ton of 2012 class outside of the top 20 or 30 guys. This spring/summer I will get a chance to see a wider range of players.

Most of the rankings are based off of potential (indicated by the H,M,L) but some have been ranked because of their current skill level. That is why some of the projected level ratings don't go in order (H then H- the M+ etc).

1. AJ Hammons 6’10 Carmel H Love his touch and footwork around the basket also passes well against double teams.
2. Austin Burgett 6’7 Avon H Good shooter, ample ball handling skills, solid athlete, good basketball IQ. Weakness-Assertiveness…he is aggressive when he gets the ball but doesn’t demand the ball when he needs to sometimes.
3. Jeremy Hollowell 6’6 Lawrence Central H Extremely long, good shooter from distance, drives the ball well. Lots of upside...possibly the most potential in the class.
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.
5. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera 6’3 North Central H- Crafty, strong as a bull, smart with the ball. Weakness-used to be perimeter shooting, but that has improved greatly over this offseason. I think it is a question of lateral quickness if he is done growing for what level he will end up at. He seems like a great competitor that will work on any weakness. If you haven’t seen him play, think Byron Eaton the former Oklahoma State PG.
6. Yogi Ferrell 5’11 Park Tudor M+ 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. Gary Harris 6’4 Hamilton Southeastern H Good length, good set shooter, solid with the ball. Might be more of a 2 right now, but can also play point…I would like him to be more aggressive with the ball
8. Dejuan Marrero 6’5 Bowman M+ Solid athlete but not a freak, good rebounder, good motor. I’m unsure what position he will play at the next level. He has a lot of work to do to become a perimeter player. Improving shooter, but still a lot to work on.
9. Rafeal Davis 6’5 Fort Wayne South M Shooter, good length, strong for age. Weakness-early maturation and could be done growing.
10. Nick Osborne 6’6 Muncie Central M
11. Rhett Smith 6’6 Sullivan M True inside/outside player, good post moves, drives the ball well. Weakness-not super athletic although he has a good first step.
12. Harry Willis 6’1 Ben Davis M Quick first step, good defender. Unsure of his outside shooting.
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. Kellon Thomas 5’10 Southport M- Leader, good decision maker, improving shooter, strong, finishes well in the lane. Weakness- height and could be done growing.
15. Brent Calhoun 6’7 Warren Central M Lefty (I love lefty post players), good shot blocker, developing jump hook. Weakness- very raw.
16. Jared Drew 6’4 Lawrence Central M- Solid athlete, long, gets to the rim easily. Weakness-shot selection
17. Logan Irwin 5’11 Whitko L+ Strong, leader, slasher, creator. Needs to improve shooting.
18. R.J. Hunter 6’2 Pike M- Shooter, long, smart. Weakness-rail thin
19. Mike Ramey 6’2 Southport M- Quick, solid strength for his age, good with the ball, very good shooter.
20. D.J. Ballentine 5’10 M- Kokomo Crafty with the ball, good shooter. Baby faced…could still grow which would help his game.
21. Brad Hartman 6’5 Union County M Good shooting form, gets after the boards, good basketball IQ
22. Tyler Corley 5’10 Lawrence Central M Quick, good handles, good shooter from the outside
23. 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.
24. Patrick Ingram 6’2 North Central M- Strong body, more of a mid-range shooter than 3pt shooter, likes to get to the rim.
25. Ronnie Johnson 5’10 North Central L+ Very quick, good lefty shooter, small right now. Brother is Terone Johnson.
26. Travis Britt 6’3 Culver Academy M- Strong, gets to the rim very well (Old for his grade I believe)
27. Joel Smith 6’5 Heritage Christian L+ Strong, smart, good motor, solid mid-range set jumper. Might be done growing.
28. 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.
29. D.J. Neal 5’11 Fort Wayne North L+
30. 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.
31. 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
32. Jordan VanTreese 6’7 Lawrence North L+ Stephen’s brother, developing, plays hard, rebounds well
33. Keith Cochran 6’9 Bluffton L+ Good touch, still catching up to his body.
34. Aloyis Gray 6’5 Brebeuf L+ Extremely long, active rebounder
35. Aaron Payne 6’2 Broad Ripple L
36. Mitch Yeagy 5’10 L Alexandria L Smart player, good shooter
37. Shawn Heffern 6’5 Carmel L Strong with solid post moves
38. Thomas Treadway 6’4 Zionsville Lanky, good set shooter
39. Isaac Mack 6’1 Indianapolis Tech L Lefty shooter

Sunday, January 10, 2010

2011 Overall Rankings (TOP 43)

I would like to start off by saying I hate overall rankings. They are rarely relevant. I prefer to compare players of the same position or at least guards vs. guards and post guys vs. post guys.

I would also like to remind people my rankings are mainly based on college potential and not current skill level. They are connected in some situations, but college potential is my main objective.

H=High major H- = High major Stretch
M+ = Mid-major, higher possibly, M=Mid-major, M- =Mid-major stretch
L+ = Low major, higher possibly, L= Low-major, L- = Low-major stretch/D2/NAIA
D3=D3

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. Branden Dawson 6’7 Gary Wallace H Athletic, good motor, okay shooter. Would like him to improve shooting
3. Cody Zeller 6’9 Washington H A Zeller nuff said. Runs well, shoots well, passes well. If he adds a dribble game to his offense he will go high major
4. Michael Chandler 6’11 Lawrence North H Big man with solid hands, runs pretty well, aggressive for a young big man. Will he continue to work on his game or be happy for what he has got?
5. Mitch McGary 6’9 Chesterton H Great touch around the basket, good shooting form to 18 feet, quick/good feet. Decent handles for 6’9.
6. Jeremiah Davis 6’3 Muncie Central H Power guard, athletic, solid set shot from the perimeter. Needs to improve his decision making.
7. 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 for the high majors.
8. 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.
9. 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. Committed to IU
10. Ryan Taylor 6’5 Lawrence North H- Strong and athletic right now. Needs to be more consistent from the outside.
11. Justin Gant 6’8 Terre Haute North M+ Solid set shooter from outside, good length, skilled. Needs to be more aggressive and improve handles.
12. Steven 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 prospect.
13. Spencer Turner 6’2 Bloomington South M Best shooter in the class, strong, smart player. Would like him to develop into more of a PG unless he grows.
14. Zac VanDeWater 6’5 Whitko M Good shooter, solid handles, good defender although not super quick. Some muscle might improve his game greatly.
15. Rontray Chavis 6’4 Princeton M Skilled tweener, quick, athletic, solid body. Gets a bit out of control at times.
16. 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.
17. 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.
18. Kendal Griffin 6’4 Avon M Good shooter, rebounds well from a SG/SF. Would like him to handle it better and make better decisions at times.
19. Isiah Hill 6’10 Howe M- Huge kid, doesn’t run too well. Has been out most of the spring
20. Tyler Greathouse 6’8 Columbus North M- Good outside shooter, good post moves. Needs to be more aggressive offensively and rebounding.
21. Greg Dickey 5’11 Tipton M- Feisty, good worker, solid with the ball. Good spot up shooter with great range.
22. Alexander Hutson 6’1 Tipton M- Shooter, deceptively athletic, solid vision. Would like better ball handling and better defense without so much unwarranted gambling
23. Demtrius Lawson 6’1 Zionsville M- Strong, athletic, good looking jumper to 20 feet, solid handles, unselfish. Very similar body to Jeremiah Davis.
24. 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.
25. Tyler Hall 6’2 Danville M- Smart, pass first, good defender. More consistency from the outside is needed.
26. Chandler Thomas 6’5 Cathedral L+ Very good post player, good athlete, strong. Needs to become a wing.
27. Ken Mullen 5'11 Fort Wayne Luers L+ Strong, good defender. Can get to the rim on most guards and finishes well when he does. Outside shot is questionable
28. P.J. Boutte 5’10 Howe L+ Quick, flashy, decent shooter. Needs to make better decisions
29. Brian Stolarz 6’4 Munster L+ Strong, good jumper, good set shooter, good rebounder. Not great with the ball…needs to improve ball-handling and overall perimeter skills.
30. Joe Crisman 6’4 Munster L+ Shooter, strong, tough, good defender. Needs to tighten up handles
31. 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
32. 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.
33. Chandler Guion 6’1 Lapel L+
34. 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.
35. Jon Trawick 6’2 Richmond L Strong, athletic, good set shooter. Needs to improve ball handling and defense
36. Kenny Enoch 6’3 Howe M- Solid athlete, pretty long, good motor.
37. Alex Prichett 6’6 Bedford North L Finishes well, solid body. Needs to improve post moves and expand range. He recently picked up an offer from Wright State
38. Austin Richie 6’2 Lowell L+ Shooter, skinny as a rail, decent handles but more of an undersized shooting guard right now. Reportedly offered by Valpo recently…also scored 50 points against Hammond recently.
39. 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.
40. Andy Smeathers 6’5 Center Grove L+ Shooter with good length
41. Conner Rich 6’3 Tipton L+ Pure shooter with legit range to 24 feet. Lacks great lateral quickness, but has good length. I’d put him as the 2nd best shooter behind Spencer Turner.
42. Robbie Howell 6’5 Tri-Central L Versatile small forward that has a very good mid-range game although with good strength
43. Brandon Ledford 5'11 Decatur Central L- Slashing pass first point guard or looking to finish in the lane.