Indiana Kids

Here is a list of Indiana kids in the NCAA tournament playing on non-Indiana teams.

Todd Hanni G 6-4 215 Sophomore Danville, IN UNLV
Armon Bassett G 6-2 180 Junior Terre Haute, IN Ohio
Tommy Freeman F 6-5 190 Junior Muncie, IN Ohio
Mark Titus G 6-4 215 Senior Brownsburg, IN Ohio State
Gary McGhee C 6-10 250 Junior Anderson, IN Pittsburgh
Jeff Robinson F 6-9 200 Freshman Indianapolis, IN Xavier
Joe Hughes F 6-6 205 Junior Indianapolis, IN Xavier
Dallas Green F 6-8 210 Senior Indianapolis, IN Robert Morris
Zak Estes G-F 6-4 200 Sophomore Indianapolis, IN Richmond
Kyle Kuric G 6-4 190 Sophomore Evansville, IN Louisville
Stephan Van Treese F 6-9 230 Freshman Indianapolis, IN Lousivlle
Dominic Moore F 6-10 195 Junior Fort Wayne, IN Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Mason Plumlee F 6-10 230 Freshman Warsaw, IN Duke
Miles Plumlee F 6-10 240 Sophomore Warsaw, IN Duke
Jonah Baize F 6-6 205 Junior Evansville, IN Clemson
Dairese Gary G 6-1 205 Junior Elkhart, IN New Mexico
Errick Peck F 6-6 215 Freshman Indianapolis, IN Cornell

I believe that is the complete list. If I missed someone, please let me know!

Next Level Translation

One thing that most parents, fans, and players themselves struggle with, at the high school level, is how a player's game will translate to the college level. Most fans seen a kid who scores 20 points per game and automatically think he will be a good college player. That player might very well be a good collegiate player, but some characteristics make it more or less likely. Most casual fans can tell how skilled a certain player is, but will he be able to do those skills at a faster pace against smarter, quicker, stronger opponents?

One example of being a great player at one level and not having it translate to the next level is former Oklahoma All-American Hollis Price. Price was generously listed at 6'1". He was probably closer to 5'10" than he was to 6'1". So, his height would be a major factor in the NBA. Height alone won't disqualify you from playing at any level (middle school all the way to the NBA). A player will have to be able to offset the disadvantage with a great strength though. Usually if a player is shorter than the average he will have to be unbelievably quick in order to create separation. Hollis was very quick for the college game, but probably average or slightly below average for an NBA point guard.

The next level is always made up of better athletes and more skilled players. The NBA is disliked by many people because of the lack of effort. That is true, but they are the best in the world. NBA benches are filled with college All-Americans. Guys that might have been the best player their college ever produced might struggle to get off the bench in the NBA. Hollis Price was a consensus second team All-American and never even made an NBA roster.

Every college team is made up of guys who led their team in scoring in high school. That is true for every college level as well D2, D3, NAIA...not just D1. That is hard for most people to understand. People see someone struggle to play well in the Big Ten and assume he isn't very good. If he was in a smaller conference though, he would probably be the leading scorer for a lot of teams. It can be very deceiving to the eye at times.

One player that has started a lot of arguments between fans of Indiana high school basketball is Nic Moore. The junior point guard from Warsaw is a great high school player. Not good, he's been great since he stepped on the floor as a freshmen. There is no doubt he is very skilled, hard nosed, and a smart player. He has a few things that will likely hold him back from playing in a major conference (Big Ten, ACC, Big East, etc.)and those things include his height and his lack of ultra quickness. He is very quick for the high school game, but he has average or below average quickness for those major conferences.

A lot of people think I'm just "hating" on Nic Moore. For one, I hate the phrase "hating on" someone. I respect his game very much. I just think he has some things that would make it very hard for him to play well in a major conference. He could even play for some of the weaker teams in the major conferences, but he would likely struggle against the good teams. His toughness and competitiveness definitely help offset his height disadvantage. I don't believe it is quite enough though.

I hope this helps parents, fans, and players to be more realistic about what level they think someone can play.

Road Trip: Eastern Illinois

My first trip to Eastern Illinois was a success. EIU ended up winning by 10, I believe. They were down most of the first half but closed it out on a nice little run. The officiating was not very good but it was half way consistent for how bad it was. EIU battled in the second half and started getting to the rim more for easy looks. The "bigs" for EIU played well especially in the second half. Indianapolis native James Hollowell had a very good game and hit some big shots down the stretch.

Overall, I liked the gym although it probably only seats 5,000 (pure guess)but has a good atmosphere. The band was rocking all night and the crowd was into the game which isn't always the guess at smaller conference schools. The only thing missing was a few more Indiana kids on the Eastern Illinois roster.

All Rankings Updated

All rankings have been completely updated at inbasketballsource.com and all you have to do is sign-up for a free account.

Rankings will be kept up to date at that site. I will try to change the rankings anytime I change my database rankings.

Winter Plans Revisited

Before the high school season started I listed the high school teams I wanted to see. I will put an "X" by the teams I have seen.

Avon
Ben Davis
Bishop Chatard
Bloomington North
Bloomington South [x]
Bowman Academy [x]
Broad Ripple [x]
Carmel [x]
Centerville [x]
Chesterton [x]
Danville [x]
Hamilton Southeastern [x]
Howe [x]
Lake Central
Lawrence Central [x]
Lawrence North [x]
Luers [x]
Merrillville [x]
Michigan City
Muncie Central [x]
Munster [x]
New Castle [x]
North Central [x]
Park Tudor
Rushville
Southport [x]
Tech [x]
Valparaiso [x]
Warsaw
Winchester [x]
Whitko
Zionsville [x]

Not too bad plus I still have a couple weeks left and the postseason to see more teams. I think I am on a good pace though.

Danville at North Central

This game featured two Purdue commits (North Central’s Terone Johnson and Danville’s Travis Carroll) and two highly ranked teams (North Central #2 in 4A and Danville #1 in 3A). It did lose a little bit of its hype with North Central losing to Center Grove last night. Danville entered the game a perfect 17-0.

The first quarter was up and down just like North Central likes to play. Terone Johnson got off to a fast start. Johnson had 10 points in the quarter. Travis Carroll had a couple of impressive post moves to start the game. Carroll had 6 points and 5 boards in the quarter. North Central substituted very liberally early in an obvious attempt to wear down Danville with their superior depth. Danville held a slim 18-17 lead after the first.

North Central picked up the pace even more in the second quarter if that is possible. They extended their pressure up the court more into a full-court press and it started to wear down Danville. Aaron Bluitt had a strong second quarter…busting out for 7 points. Carroll had to help alleviate the North Central full-court pressure. He used up a lot of energy doing that. North Central did a great job of pushing Carroll away from the block. Carroll did a good job of facing up and making big time moves against the physical play of North Central. Carroll had 16 points and 8 rebounds in the first half on 8-10 shooting. Not to be out done, Johnson had 16 points himself.

Read the rest of the article at Danville at North Central

Feb. 19th and 20th

It looks like I am going to go to the Indianapolis Tech/Broad Ripple game tonight (Feb. 19th) and the Danville/North Central game tomorrow night (Feb. 20th).

I haven't seen Danville play yet this year. I would like to see how Tyler Hall can handle the pressure the North Central guards will apply. Danville's big man Travis Carroll should be able to have a good game as North Central lacks size down low. Fellow Purdue commit Terone Johnson will probably get his usual 30.

I've only seen Tech once this year and they didn't play well. Mo Cross was in foul trouble the whole game...I think he ended up fouling out in the 3rd quarter if I remember correctly. So, I would like to get a better look at Tech against the athletes that Broad Ripple has. We all know what the Broad Ripple guys can do...Ron Patterson, Steven Jamison, and Aaron Payne.

If anyone has suggestions for upcoming games I should go to please let me know. They have to feature really good teams or kids that have D1 potential for me to go in all likelihood.