PHI Top-250 Observations: Class of 2020

Last Saturday was the annual Prep Hoops Indiana Top-250 Expo at Fishers High School.  The event saw close to 150 prospects participate throughout the day, with most of them being non-Seniors, but there were a handful of Seniors who did stand out.  It was filled with several talented individuals, as well as many under-the-radar kids who showed their mettle against good competition.  Below is a look at seven members of the 2020 class who I thought stood out when I was able to see them.

Davion Bailey, 2020, 6-3 W, Pike H.S.

Davion really put himself on the map recruiting-wise during the Summer of 2018, and he has done nothing but continue to improve since then.  He is a long, wiry strong, wing guard/forward with really good all-around athleticism and some bounce.  Davion plays with a good motor, he is an aggressive attacker to the basket, and he has really worked on his handle and his mid-range game.  His perimeter shot could still use more consistency, but he’s at least somewhat of a threat outside now.  I think one area he is talented enough to become elite is at the defensive end of the floor.  His combination of length, quickness, and athleticism make him perfect to defend both on and off the ball, plus he could defend multiple positions.

Jake Friel, 2020, 6-0 G, Hebron H.S.

I thought Jake had a good all-around day Saturday at Fishers, and he has the chance to be a really nice small college guard.  He has always been well-rounded skillfully, he plays with a nice feel and a good basketball IQ, plus he looks much stronger and is absorbing contact as well as he ever has.  He’s a solid athlete, but he could definitely stand to get quicker laterally, especially at the defensive end of the floor.  But, offensively, he’s a solid ball-handler, he finds teammates on-time/on-target, and he can knock down an open rhythm jumper consistently.  He’s just a solid basketball player, and he’s one of those recruits who you know what you’re getting, so he should enter college and be able to give minutes early in his career.

Julien Hunter, 2020, 6-4 F, New Albany H.S.

This was my first chance to see Julien play since he injured his knee during the high school season, and it was nice to see him on a basketball court once again.  Julien has always been a talented above-the-rim type of athlete, and while he showed some of that explosiveness Saturday, you could tell he was still getting back to form athletically.  He had some moments, though, where he turned it up and attacked the rim hard or attempted to block shots, so it was nice to see he wasn’t fearful out there.  Offensively, he is really productive in the mid-post, he has gotten noticeably stronger and more physical, and I thought he played with a great motor throughout the event.  I’d look for him to continue returning to himself over the course of the high school season.

Jalen Love, 2020, 6-0 G, Pike H.S.

I have really come to enjoy Jalen’s game over the past couple of years, as he has always been a tough-nosed, strong, physical combo guard who does a little of everything well.  He’s a really nice on-the-floor athlete, kind of like a running back, he powers his way to the basket, and he can score it some at all levels.  His perimeter shot is more consistent but could still use some work, however I was most impressed with how much steadier he was with the basketball in his hands running offense, plus his decision-making has probably improved the most.  I think in the right system, he could legitimately be a full-time point guard for the right program.  Lastly, I have always loved how he competes and how hard he defends the ball.

Cleveland Neal Jr., 2020, 6-3 W, Thea Bowman Leadership Academy

This event was huge for Cleveland, because he doesn’t get enough publicity, and he’s likely heavily under-recruited.  I first saw him as a Freshman playing Varsity for Bowman’s team, but since then I haven’t seen him play major grassroots basketball.  He grew earlier than most of his peers, so now he is an extremely strong and powerful kid.  He’s a nice on-the-floor athlete with toughness, a veteran savvy, and he plays with a great deal of versatility.  Saturday, he showed stretches where he attacked the basket straight-line, then he put on a shooting show, knocking down multiple jumpers consecutively, a couple with deep range.  Offensively, he’s skilled like a ‘2’, but defensively he’s probably more of a ‘3’.  Either way, he is a really nice “sleeper” in this 2020 class who schools are missing out on.

Dillon Ware, 2020, 6-6 F, Danville Community H.S.

I’ll say this about Dillon…for whatever shortcomings colleges might see in Dillon as a prospect, he more than makes up for it in effort and fearlessness.  I can’t recall a time I saw him take the floor and not play hard.  He is very long, wiry, and fluid, he has some bounce, and he plays with a good toughness and some physicality, despite being somewhat slender.  At the small college level, he’ll likely be used as a face-up ‘4’ who plays almost exclusively around the perimeter and some in the mid-post.  But he has ball skills and can handle in transition, he’s a solid jump-shooter, and he can create scores for himself or others.  I really like his complete package as an offensive threat, but he will need to continue adding strength for the next level.

Jordan Watson, 2020, 6-6 F/C, Indian Creek H.S.

Jordan was a new name to me at this event, and I think he’s a really nice, versatile, small college frontline prospect who can fulfill a number of roles.  He’s a solid athlete with good length, he has a wiry strength to him, and he plays with a really good motor.  He isn’t necessarily fast, but he was oftentimes beating other players to loose balls and rebounds.  He plays with some physicality, though he can definitely stand to get stronger, and he did some nice things at the defensive end of the floor rotating from help-side.  Offensively, he’ll need some work extending his face-up game, but he was solid facing the basket at about 12-feet, plus he was fairly comfortable establishing position, catching it, and looking to score it on the block.