It was a long and busy June full of basketball. Last month I introduced a 6 Pack of Questions Edition of the site. Some of the questions were answered and some are still yet to be. It does look like MJ Wilson of Crown Point will be just fine leading his Bulldogs squad after massive graduation last spring. CP went 0-4 @ the Charlie Hughes with a tough schedule but Wilson looked the part and will be hard to leave out of the Top 5 players in the c/o ’28. It feels to me like it’s a 3 player race for Mr. Basketball after seeing them both this past week. Cooper Zachary and Jason Gardner of Fishers and Isaiah Hill of Pike being a Purdue- signee helps his case. There were 5 freshmen that really stood out to me @ the Charlie Hughes last week and keep in mind I didn’t get to see everyone. It will be hard to break through the 5 of Lev Robinson of LN, Nasir Faniel of Merrillville, Tomarri Patterson @ Attucks, Maddox Smith of Westfield, and Jase Brooks @ FW North. And finally was there a game that felt a little bigger than most @ the Charlie Hughes? Possibly the Homestead v. Fishers matchup had some real intensity to it and has a shot @ being a semi state final.
Was there a player/ team that really helped themselves @ the Charlie Hughes?
The cop out answer is there were alot of impressive performances both team-wise and individually. But I’m not too worried about making everyone happy so I’ll name what I saw from the event. Right out of the gate on Friday @ 10 am the Scecina Crusaders made a real statement to me defeating Blackford easily. They put pressure on Blackford, they rebounded well, and were quick running the break. I thought going in they could be a Top 5 team but left thinking they’re probably Top 3. Scecina Jr. Jaylin Foster may find his way into an eventual Top 5 spot in his class. New Albany going 4-0 without potentially the top player in ’28 was impressive. They went 10-11 deep and just wore teams down with their pace and intensity. Maybe it was good timing but I caught Nasir Faniel of Merrillville put in 20 pts in a W v. Harrison (W. Lafayette); Good size, athletic, ran the floor, had a good looking shot. The ceiling is very high for Faniel. Homestead beating Pike and taking Fishers to OT was a real statement. Sr. Mack Welker has made a jump in his game and Blackhawk transfer Bryce Lacross gave them another big time offensive threat. Westview and Oak Hill went a combined 7-0 on the weekend. Both 2A schools earned impressive W’s over bigger schools.
Will Indy Heat make another run @ winning Peach Jam this month?
They’re currently 5-6 which sounds like the answer is No, but the talent is there. Everyone all season has circled this Heat team on their schedule so there’s been a target on them. AAU- Jahari is a real thing and can put a team on his back. He’s leading the team in ppg @ 15.5 ppg and has games where he gets super hot. Mack Welker has had a great June and looks to have taken his game to another level. If he can carry that over and get that player in July then they’ve got a real shot. Harper Baker Lands does alot of little things for this team but is capable of scoring big and getting his own. And the big guy down low, Isaiah Hill can be the best post defender and shot blocker in the entire EYBL. They obviously can win it because they’re the defending champs from 16u last year, but things have to break their way and some things have to change from spring for them to go out on top again.
Who is the AAU team most likely to win a title this month?
Like I’ve just discussed, you can’t count out the defending 16u EYBL champs, Indy Heat with Miller, Hill, Baker Lands, and Welker. But from what I’ve seen earlier in the summer, I’m going to go with Indiana Elite 15U. So far in the 3ssb circuit IE ’29s are 8-0 featuring a team with New Albany’s Karson Stoudemire, Oak Hill’s Will Tonagel, Fisher’s Tristan Breland, Jayden Bogan, and Max Hopkins. With Louisville Ballard’s Mason Grivna now playing up in the 17u division for Wildcat Select, it clears a path for IE 15u to bring home the championship. If you want to look at another possibility it’s Indy Heat’s Jr. EYBL team that is known for being one of the best in the country. Attucks Tomarri Patterson, FW North’s Jase Brooks and Landon Woodson, and New Haven’s Cam Ruch and Braylon McKinney along with top ranked 2031 in the nation, Indy’s Amos Littles. If this group can stay together and maybe add a piece or 2 where needed, they’ll do alot of winning in the coming years.
What did the incoming freshmen class of 2030 show during the month of June?
It showed it has the potential to be one of the better classes, especially at the top in a few years. There’s already some kids getting national attention, and from what I saw those high rankings are justified. The class of ’25 was very strong at the top with Trent Sisley, Jalen Haralson, and Braylon Mullins as the consensus top 3. Levin Robinson (Lawrence North), Tomarri Patterson (Attucks), Peyton Thomas (Merrillville), and Jase Brooks (FW North) were invited to the prestigious Jr. EYBL Top 100 camp last month. From what I saw Nasir Faniel @ Merrillville and Maddox Smith @ Westfield will have a good shot at jumping into that top 100 when it’s all said and done also. The 6’7 Robinson looks to have the edge right now long term with his potential. You have to be really special to start Day 1 @ LN and stand out. You also can’t ignore Patterson averaging 27 ppg during his 4 games @ the Charlie Hughes. Tomarri hasn’t even stepped into high school yet and he was already the leading scorers @ the CH event. Nasir is a 6’5 fluid athlete can hit the open 3 or finish dunking in transition. He opened alot of eyes @ the CH event. If you were @ the Westfield v. Cathedral game, the confidence Maddox Smith played with on top of the shot making for Westfield was special. The coaching staff has full confidence in giving him the keys to the car already. There were a few more that had an impressive June for their first varsity experience that could eventually climb up the rankings. The class of 2030 seems like one to watch for the next 4 years.
Who’s the best overall PROSPECT for the next level currently in H.S. basketball?
So first off, when sites have rankings, this is usually the #1 thing ‘scouts’ are looking at. Who has the best potential combined with production. It’s a part of what I also look at, a big part because the ultimate goal is to get to the next level, but to me when dealing with just high school basketball, it’s not the be- all/ end-all. With that being said and for the purpose of this question, there are some very good next level prospects in our state coming through the scene right now. Sr. Landon Lampley @ Pike initially jumps to mind (pun intended) because of his athleticism is just on another level than other good high school athletes right now. Another candidate is 6’8 soph. Prentiss Gates @ Gary West. He’s long, athletic, runs the floor, and has next level-like defensive instincts. You have to mention Lampley’s teammate @ Pike, 6’10 Purdue-signee Isaiah Hill. He’s listed by many as a top 15-20 kid in the nation. 6’5 Micah Mohler from Austin is coming off a recent IU offer after just finishing his freshman year. An offer like that catches your attention and immediately makes him one of the most popular/ Must- see players in the state. Out of all those I’m not sure 6’7 incoming freshman Levin Robinson from LN wouldn’t be the answer. He’s got the shot, the athleticism, the length, and rebounding already at an early age. He’s mentioned in that 10-15 range nationally and still may be underrated. If I’m a college coach I’m jumping the gun and offering him first. Other potential big time prospect from what I’ve seen are Noah Washington @ New Albany, MJ Wilson @ Crown Point, Kaleb Anderson @ Elkhart, Nasir Faniel @ Merrillville, and Brad Basila @ Chesterton. Maddox Smith from Westfield has the potential to work his way into that group as well.
Is it Liberty Christian, Barr Reeve, and then everyone else in 1A?
It certainly looks that way from the outside. Talk about a contrast of styles. LC is up and down, fast paced, athletic, and all gas/ no breaks. Barr Reeve plays a slower, methodical offense that often frustrates teams; especially ones like LC. They met up last year in the semi state where Barr Reeve got past them in the morning session on their way to a state title. BR returns most everyone while LC lost some, but added Antonio Baymon, originally from Anderson but went 3 years of high school in Florida. After watching the Lions @ the Charlie Hughes it’s hard to imagine a 1A team beating them but you have to give respect to BR for beating them last year. It does seem like they’re on a collision course again @ semi state. There are some teams ready and waiting to play spoiler like West Washington, Trinity Lutheran, Marquette Catholic, Tindley, Cloverdale, Rossville, and North Vermillion. Let me throw out 2 sleepers in 1A that could become real players in 1A, Waldron and Tri.
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