There was hoops played all around the country this past weekend. From Memphis, to Cincinnati, to Mishawaka, and more the 1st Live event of the spring took place. There were some major winners from this past weekend that really boosted their stock in front of college coaches and some that were exposed rather than gaining exposure. The AAU schedules I put out last week was a good way to check who’s playing who but even I couldn’t fit all the Indiana teams in. I got to watch as many games + players as one could because the truth is, nobody (especially not just 1 person) can see everyone @ every game. I feel pretty good about the stock risers I’ve got for this month and the power rankings for each class (2027s- 2030s). AAU ball gives me a good indication of what players do against other competitors with close to the same skill level as each other and will help with player rankings in the summer. With June ball just around the corner let’s go ahead and take a look at some teams I got to catch this past weekend.
Indy Heat 16U- Got to catch 3/4 EYBL games for the weekend. The team went 2-2 defeating Howard Pulley by nearly 30 but taking a 35 pt. loss to AB Elite. The win shows you what this group is capable of but the loss also tells you how up and down this team is. The offensive engines on this team are 6’3 guard Jordan Mitchell from Louisville Male who I thought had some very good games when I watched him. They played their game Saturday morning with Coach Cal from Arkansas (and many more) front row watching and I thought Mitchell really helped his case. He recently got an Oklahoma State offer and there will be plenty more for the junior-to be. He’s got some Tyrese Maxey to his game. The other bucket getter on this team is 6’5 Noah Washington from New Albany. Most everyone in the state already knows about Noah and has for a couple years now. His sweet spot is that corner 3 in transition. He’s averaging around 13 ppg for this weekend and if he could get stronger by the time next season comes around, it would really help him finishing on his drives.
Meanstreets 15u- I got to watch all of Meanstreets games this weekend. The team went 2-2 Even though this is a Chicago based team I wanted to get a good eval. of the Gary Westside duo of 6’8 Gary West freshman Prentiss Gates and 6’3 Deshawn Clay. At the UNRNKD event a few weeks ago I got to see Gates and came away with some Isaiah Hill comps on defense. That’s pretty big words and shoes to fill for a young Gates. Everything you can’t teach is there; the height, the length, the athleticism, the vision on his passes, the defensive instincts, and the fundamentals that he’s working with at 15 years old. I had him for 7 blocks in one of the games this weekend. Some things I’d really like to see him work on is obviously his shot, which hopefully he will develop in the next few years. And at times this weekend smaller defenders would push him out of the post, either on the offensive end or going for defensive rebounds. So he needs to get his bottom half and core stronger. If he reaches 6’10- 7’0 he likely will end up a top 25-30 player in the nation. The foundation is there to be a top kid in ’29. He may have the highest ceiling of anyone in Indiana for that class and in the last game of the weekend, Meanstreets made it a point to get him the ball alot more and it resulted in a 17 pt, 12 rebounds, and 6 block game. I would have liked to seen Clay play a little more than he did. Clay is a hard worker, especially on defense. He may have a good outside shot, but I just didn’t see him take many (if any) this weekend. Gary West lost alot of talent from last year’s class but have one of the best young duo’s in the state to reload with.
UNRNKD 17u- What a fun group made up of all Indiana kids. I watched them in their game on Saturday night v. Howard Pulley and it was a very good and balanced team W. Bryce Bigsbee from Westfield is a crazy athlete that seems to just now becoming a basketball player. He showed some ‘wow’ flashes getting to the basket and finishing. Snider’s Trell Hogue is looking for a big senior year. His 3 pt. shot has been falling whenever I’ve watched him this spring and he finished this one with 15 pts. Guerin’s Jake Grissom joined Hogue in the backcourt as he looks to be a key part of a top 2 or 3 Golden Eagles team this winter. At stretches during the game Howard Pulley’s full court press bothered their guards without Cash Daniels on the floor for Unranked (just in the game I watched). Braylon Pippins (Cathedral), Isaiah King (Garrett), and Makale Price (Penn) are a strong combo on the inside and any one of them can lead the team in scoring in a given game. Some teams like UNRNKD 17s have done very well for themselves in the EYCL with Indiana guys while some other programs have struggled without the Indiana kids.
Midwest Basketball Club 15u- Midwest 15s went 4-0 this weekend on the 3ssb circuit. There were questions coming into the AAU season about Austin’s Micah Mohler going from playing 2A ball in high school to the 3ssb circuit against the nation’s best but the convos have done a 180. Is Mohler one of the best freshman on the entire 15u circuit? He had himself a weekend putting in games of 22 pts and 7 rbs, 26 pts and 7 rbs, 11 pts and 13 rbs, and 26 pts and 13 rbs. He’s currently averaging 19.4 ppg and 9.1 rbs per game in comparison to Louisville’s Mason Grivna, who’s widely considered the best center in the nation for 2029, is averaging 20.1 ppg and 8 rbs. He’s really making it hard to not think of him as the best Indiana kid for the c/o ’29. It’s only a matter of time before the offers start to come in for Mohler.
Indy Heat 17u- The defending 16u champs from last season returned just about everyone from last year’s group. Everyone is gunning for them this spring and it’s resulted in a 4-3 record on the EYBL circuit. Pike 7 foot Isaiah Hill just committed to Purdue this weekend and is obviously a game changer with his defense and rebounding. He’s wanting to step outside more and show his 3 pt. shot, it just has to now become more consistent. Speaking of 3 point shooting in one of the games this weekend Plainfield’s Harper Baker Lands put on a Klay Thompson- like performance going 9-9 on 3s and all 27 pts. Pike’s Jahari Miller is still leading the team in ppg with 16.3 while putting in games this past weekend of 19, 18, and 14. The featured game against top recruit in ’27 Marcus Spears Jr. and Drive Nation lived up to the hype with Spears hitting a layup in the final seconds to give them the win. The matchup between Hill and Spears was fun to watch.
Stock Risers in May
Micah Mohler- Midwest BBall Club 15u (Austin)
Ryan Gold Jr- Indy Heat 15u (Cathedral)
Corey Brown Jr.- Progeny 15u (Gary Lighthouse)
MJ Wilson- GPP 16u (Crown Point)
Chase Devine- Legacy Ice (Bremen)
AAU Under the Radar Players
Drew Dixon- The Family 17u (SB St. Joe’s)
Levi Walker- IBC 17u (Fishers)
Isaiah King- UNRNKD 17u (Garrett)
Reed Daugherty- Indiana Jammers 17u (West Vigo)
Braylon Pippins- UNRNKD (Cathedral)
May AAU Power Rankings Top 5 17u
- Indy Heat EYBL
- UNRNKD EYCL
- Indiana Elite 3SSB
- Indiana Elite Team Indiana
- Legacy Ice
May AAU Power Rankings Top 5 16u
- Indiana Elite 3SSB
- Indy Heat EYBL
- Grand Park Premier UAA
- UNRNKD EYCL
- Indiana Jammers UA Rise
May AAU Power Rankings Top 5 15u
- Indiana Elite 3SSB
- Indy Heat EYBL
- Progeny UAA
- Indiana Elite Team Indiana
- DG Elite NB
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