Forum Credit Union Tip-Off Classic: 2019 Prospects
Following up on a tremendous event at Southport High School, the Forum Credit Union Tip-Off Classic gave us plenty to talk about. We begin today by looking into some of the top talent from the event, class by class. Here…
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Continue ReadingFollowing up on a tremendous event at Southport High School, the Forum Credit Union Tip-Off Classic gave us plenty to talk about. We begin today by looking into some of the top talent from the event, class by class. Here is a look at some of the top 2019 prospects from the day.
Alex Hemenway – 6’3/SG/2019 – Castle – Hemenway showed some really solid handles and continues to stay in the hunt to be a point guard. He was guarded by Ertel most of the game and really did well, not turning over the ball a ton. His shot, though, wasn’t great today missing quite a few jumpers early on. He did get hot in the fourth quarter hitting a tough, contested layup and then a triple the next time down. He’s so creative off the dribble and when he has a head of steam and space, he can make a really good play.
Isiah Moore – 5’10/PG/2019 – Park Tudor – This was a little bit of an out-of-body experience for Moore although, anyone that has scouted him knew this could be possible. He dropped 41 points on 11/13 shooting from three. He only missed 3 shots the entire game. He can get hot and rip off as many as allowed but did more than just shoot threes. He was showing that he could get into the lane and finish at the rim or pull-up mid-range for a jumper. This isn’t a thing to expect every game but want to see if he can build upon this for the rest of the season.
Aaron Etherington – 6’6/SF/2019 – Hamilton Southeastern – Etherington is a really athletic wing that has grown quite a bit in the last year. He’s started to round out his game a bit more and is doing better off the bounce, although, you didn’t see that too much against Snider as it was much more of a Gunn and the guards game. However, you have to be impressed with his ability to still impact the game even when the offense isn’t coming. He was held to just 3 points but chipped in 3 assists and 7 rebounds. He’s got a chance to be better than his older brothers and that could really start proving true sooner rather than later.
Noah Smith – 6’1/PG/2019 – Hamilton Southeastern – To this point, Noah Smith hasn’t been very impactful on offense. He’s been a role player that came with defense first. After this game, you could see what he could become. Smith was excellent scoring 18 points on 6/9 shooting with 4 assists and 6 rebounds. He had it all working and was scoring at the rim and with a floater and some jumpers mixed in there. You could see the confidence building in him as the game got going and he went with it. Now, I don’t expect this every game because it would be a complete 180 to what he has done so far but that game is the goal of where you want to see him within the next year.
Keion Brooks – 6’7/SF/2019 – Fort Wayne North – For those that weren’t on the Brooks bandwagon before this game, you should be now. Not talking about the best player in the state, he’s one of the best in the class nationally. His athleticism and scoring ability have taken jumps forward this year and he’s just much more fluid which is helping his increase in production. The sky’s the limit for him and he’s done a good job. The ability to pull off the moves that he wants has made him even more aggressive, much more so than he was this time last year. This was a great game for him scoring 33 points on 12/19 shooting.
Dexter Shouse – 6’2/SG/2019 – Lawrence North – This was the second straight game where we saw Dexter start to come out of his shell a bit. He’s not bashful but being able to produce was tough in his first season at LN. Now, though, he’s seeing some of those stat lines starting to fill out. His three-point shot wasn’t doing well (1/5 3FG) but he was doing well scoring from 15’ and in. He filled up for 10 points and 3 rebounds. He’s due for a breakout game when his jumpshot starts falling.
Jared Hankins – 6’3/SF/2019 – Lawrence North – The surprise of the year for Lawrence North has to be the play of Hankins. You go into the season thinking he could be a nice bench option and all he does is score 10 points on 4/5 shooting, 3/5 from three against one of the best teams in the state. He was good early on the defensive end, playing the FW North guards tough. He’s got a chance to be really good and he’s done nothing but raise our expectations this year.