Final Thoughts From All-Star Week
The last 7-10 days has been all about the Indiana All-Stars, both the Juniors and Seniors. Now, with the games over and most of the seniors heading off to college for summer school, it is time to sit back and…
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Continue ReadingThe last 7-10 days has been all about the Indiana All-Stars, both the Juniors and Seniors. Now, with the games over and most of the seniors heading off to college for summer school, it is time to sit back and reflect on the last week's worth of action.
Ryan Cline Might Be A Bigger Impact In College Than I Thought
Heading into the All-Star week, I had seen Cline as much as anyone has over the last few years. He's always been impressive but just started taking his game to another level at this time last summer when he bumped up to the top Indiana Elite team. It was in his first weekend with that team that I saw him play against Atlanta Celtics and was wondering how he would do against their length and athleticism. Well, he didn't do very good. However, it didn't take long before he adjusted to that level of play and then started to be an impact guy against them.
Now, I walked into the gym at Columbus North thinking that he would be one of the guys on this team, not the guy. But, that was the exact opposite of what happened. He was the guy who was the best player on the floor and made play after play. His shooting is a little reminiscent of Stephen Curry's how he can take such difficult shots and make them consistently. They both ignite a crowd that way. Cline's play this week just proves that he can play at Purdue and very likely make an impact this year.
Purdue's biggest letdown last season was that their shooters couldn't make shots. I would guess that if you throw Cline in that mix, he's the best shooter on the Boilers next year and in a season where they are going all in, he's about to get some run on the floor. It might take a game or two to adjust, but he has proven he can do it.
Sean McDermott Becoming More Than A Shooter
For the longest time, McDermott has known mostly as a shooter. It was really due to his lack of strength. He's grown to 6'6 or so but last year when he got sick and missed a bunch of time, that pushed him back on his timeline. This past week, you have seen Sean look a little stronger and more filled out on that lanky frame and in turn it looks like he's ready to take that next step in his game.
He's always shown signs of being able to drive with the ball and he did that a handful of times this week and against solid talent. His handles look good and he's using his length to his advantage to finish at the rim. As he continues to add more strength, I believe he'll continue adding more elements to his game. His shooting will always be solid but you could see glimpses of it this past high school season as he was asked to be the main guy and he would have to go out and make plays in order for his team to win games against tougher competition. I think his ability to shoot will be as good as it ever was but he will be known as something different than that at Butler the next four years.
Devin Cannady Is Still Underrated
How is it that a guy this solid can go overlooked for this long? I mean, he doesn't cost you anything. He's good on offense, good on the ball, good on defense, and can make plays that win games. Princeton is getting a good one.
Some high major programs watched from a distance his last two years in high school but none really made the move. Princeton sold it's academics and won the rights to have Cannady be their lead guard for the next few years. Some will regret their decision to not recruit him harder because all I have seen from Devin the past few years is a guy who wins games.
I remember a game when he was on MBA Select where he went off for a 41-point game to beat a stacked Indiana Elite team at the Fieldhouse here in Fishers. He can play against elite competition and showed that again this week as he was voted MVP of the Indiana All-Stars win over Kentucky in Indianapolis. Remember to turn on some Ivy League games over the next four years.
Derrik Smits Is Ready For Valparaiso
Of all the prospects in the 2015 class, I've seen Smits probably the most over their careers. He's taken some time to put all the pieces in place but so did his dad when he was that age and it is pretty typical for big men to take a little longer than guards and wings. Derrik showed this week that he should be a difference-maker for Valpo, even if he hasn't scratched the surface yet.
The matchup between him and Joey Brunk was an interesting one. Brunk is a very good big man with legit size and strength and Smits was very good defensively against him. He's so mobile at times that he can come out and play on the wing against bigs that want to stretch the floor. Brunk tried to do that a few times in the games I watched and Smits was able to defend it perfectly. That is the style of play he is most likely going to have to defend against at Valparaiso. He'll have the size advantage but being able to be a perimeter defender is something he should be able to bring to the table early on.
This Week Was About Josh Speidel
Everyone in the state knows the story about Josh Speidel. It was extremely unfortunate that he was not able to participate in the playing of the game but this was the only time I can remember when the actual game took a backseat during this week. The only think on my mind and most people's mind was Josh. Just getting to see him out and about was the real reason this week was so great.
My colleague Kyle Neddenriep posted a tweet late this week that summed it all up perfectly:
“Josh Speidel said he was happy to be there but wished he could have been part of All-Stars. You were man, you definitely were. #JoshStrong“
He looked great and a lot further along than I thought he would have been. During a week where beating Kentucky and winning games was so important, nothing was more important than seeing Josh walk out on that floor.