The Race For Mr. Basketball Is Coming Down The Stretch
The end of the season is near and the conversations for who should be the 2016 Mr. Basketball are only heating up. Only one week left until the draw for Sectionals which means this is a good time to take…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe end of the season is near and the conversations for who should be the 2016 Mr. Basketball are only heating up. Only one week left until the draw for Sectionals which means this is a good time to take a look at who are some of the top candidates.
The “Guy” Trying To Hold Onto The Top Spot
As it stands, you would have to consider Lawrence Central’s Kyle Guy the frontrunner. He’s averaging 22.8 points per game and has Lawrence Central rolling here at the end of the season. They do play in the toughest Sectional so a quick exit could hurt a bit, especially with a few other candidates also in the Sectional, but he has had such a great season that someone should have to make a big run in the State Tournament to take him down.
Nipping At His Heels
If you break down the levels of the candidates, Guy is really on his own level and so is C.J. Walker. C.J. had a solid start to the year but his run the last few weeks has made him look a little more appealing. Dropping 53 points against Indianapolis Pike has to be the most impressive individual performance of the season. Like I said with Guy, whoever looks to overtake him will have to do so in the postseason. Walker will get that opportunity directly as they matchup in Sectional 10.
Doing Better Than Expected
One of the guys that might not get the recognition he deserves is Eron Gordon. Not sure his numbers are any better than they have been but his play has gotten better this season and he’s become more of a teammate which should be noted. He’ll have an opportunity but Gordon would have to overcome a lot of things to get him firmly back into the conversation but of all the guys on this list, Gordon is probably exceeding my expectations the most.
New Name To The List
I’ll have to add Desmond Bane to the list for a few different reasons. He’s probably last on the list and a lot of that has to do with the other guys having more of a past record outside of just this season. What Bane has done at Seton Catholic this year has been impressive but the quality of opponent and level of play will hold him back. Has firmly added himself to the Indiana All-Stars list with his play this season in my opinion.
A Trio Outside Looking In
There are still three more guys that should be considered although there are more than a few reasons why it will be a tough road down the stretch for them. Dru Smith has done a little more than most expected with his team’s play this year. Not many thought Evansville Reitz would be able to even come close to repeating last season and while they are certainly not as good, they are definitely a good possibility to make a deep run again this year.
Damien Jefferson has been pretty good this season but the thing that made East Chicago Central better in the past is their willingness to travel all over the state to play and be seen by so many different people. They didn’t do that as much this year although it is really difficult to do it as well as they had been. Jefferson deserves to get into the conversation.
If Southport had contended for a better record and a State Title run, which still could happen, Joey Brunk would have been higher up on the list. However, Southport has dropped a few too many games and Brunk missed some time with an injury. He’s still one of the more popular names and if somehow Southport makes a deep run he could hear his name talked about a little more but not sure how close he could come at the end.
Outlook For The Rest Of The Year
There are only two guys on this list that are the true leaders but all mentioned should be in the discussion. Kyle Guy and C.J. Walker lead way pretty handily at this stage of the season. The way things worked out, Sectional 10 has lived up to the billing as being the best sectional in the state this year and the likely winner of Mr. Basketball will come out of there. Over the next few weeks, there are very few impact games left. Watch closely to see how this shakes itself out.