Spring Preview: 2019 Top Centers
The spring is now just about here and we are spending time over the next month preparing and previewing all you need to know about the 2019 class as AAU gets ready to get going. We will breakdown many areas with not only position breakdowns but the best of the best. Today, we are looking at those top centers in the 2019 class.
# | Prospect | HT | POS | High School |
1 | Mawich Kachjaani | 6’10 | C | International |
2 | Logan Carter | 6’9 | C | Evansville Mater Dei |
3 | Dawand Jones | 6’7 | C | Ben Davis |
4 | Ryan Segall | 6’10 | C | Indiana Homeschool Warriors |
5 | Chaz Hinds | 6’7 | C | Southport |
6 | Hogan Orbaugh | 6’8 | C | Zionsville |
7 | Alan Cox | 6’6 | C | Franklin Central |
8 | Zach Dove | 6’5 | C | Princeton |
9 | Brock Bizeau | 6’6 | C | Plainfield |
10 | Tyler Stead | 6’7 | C | Martinsville |
11 | Keyon Sholty | 6’6 | C | Terre Haute South |
12 | Damieon Warrum | 6’7 | C | Pendleton Heights |
13 | Ryan Wiggins | 6’6 | C | Brownsburg |
14 | Alex Mossey | 6’10 | C | South Bend St. Joseph |
15 | Braeden Beard | 6’6 | C | Tell City |
16 | Jaden Hayes | 6’5 | C | Southridge |
17 | Travis Strum | 6’5 | C | Avon |
18 | Isaac Chastain | 6’5 | C | Sullivan |
19 | Cole Brady | 6’8 | C | Carmel |
20 | Will Whatley | 6’5 | C | Frankton |
21 | Richard Lang IV | 6’9 | C | Brownsburg |
22 | Lucas Doyle | 6’5 | C | Center Grove |
23 | Dane Simatovich | 6’4 | C | Wheeler |
24 | Nolan Smith | 6’5 | C | Franklin Community |
Breakdown: The class of 2019 has the size you want to see every year but you don’t. So, with this group, the Power Forwards take a lot of the higher level talent but the Center position has quite a bit of talent as well. From Mawich Kachjaani down to Keyon Sholty, there are plenty of options for DII and I programs.
As for the breakdowns we did with other classes, here is out look at this moment: Tier 1 (HM-MM): #1-1, Tier 2 (LM-DII): #2-4, Tier 3 (DII-NAIA): #5-11, Tier 4 (NAIA-DIII): #11-24.
Looking at those middle tiers, I think you can find some legit size and there are a ton of guys overall. Usually you are lucky to get 10-15 players at the Center spot. We have 24 and they can all play at the next level with some development this summer. I love that the 3rd Tier has a variety of options. Sholty and Dove are a little undersized but powerful and more athletic than they look. Cox and Hinds can step out and shoot and Orbaugh and Bizeau are more traditional post players.
What we are looking forward this summer is looking at a few guys we didn’t get to see much of this year. Guys like Braeden Beard, Dane Simatovich, Ryan Wiggins, and Logan Carter. Beard and Carter both have a chance to move up the overall rankings, just need a set of eyes. Wiggins sat out this year due to transfer so just to see what he looks like from a year on JV. And Simatovich is a guy we liked towards the end of the summer last year, just didn’t get a chance to see him.