Preseason Team Rankings: #16

<p>It’s now creeping up on the start of the high school season and we are looking to start our series of previews on some of the best teams in the state. Today, Eric Gardner and Kyler Staley join up to start our deep dive into some of these teams.</p> <p>Our series will take a look at the best teams in the state for each class with our rankings. Starting at #50 and going to #1, we will look at each class ranking across all classes starting now with #16</p> <p><b>1A #16: Hauser</b><br /> Hauser had a little bit of a down year last year going 12-14 but has been generally one of the better 1A teams consistently over the last 6 years. Now, with another new head coach in Joe Sibbitt, they will try and get things back to rocking and rolling again. They do lose a couple key pieces but return a ton of depth and size. They have a pair of 6-6 forwards in Trey Johnson and Parker Eickbush. At the 1A level, that will already be among the tallest teams in the state. With the depth returning, expectations are to have a moderately successfull season with some upside to go well beyond.</p> <p><strong>2A #16: Lapel</strong><br /> Lapel has been a staple of consistency over the last decade plus. Head coach Jimmie Howell has a pair of state championships since 2004-05 and he has a roster that returns quite a bit. They lose their best player in Luke Richardson but there is plenty to work with here. They return 5 of their top 6 scorers from last year including Carson Huber, Cole Alexander, and Noah Frazier. They have an absolute tons of size as well. Don't be shocked if they end up a Top 5 team in 2A before the Christmas break.</p> <p><strong>3A #16: Hamilton Heights</strong><br /> Last year, Hamilton Heights went 15-9 and made a little run in the postseason before losing to a very talented New Castle team. But, now they are going to be the more talented team as they return nearly all of their roster backed by Gus Etchison, Camron Knott, Hudson Hochstedler, and Issiac Hickok. This is a team that is going to run and gun a bit. They don't have a team that is loaded in their Sectional or even Regional. Tough teams for sure but no one that is considered a Top 10 team. If Etchison gets going at the top of his game, this team could really make a run.</p> <p><b>4A #16: Ben Davis<br /> </b>In the last 3 years, Ben Davis has won a State Championship, lost in Regionals, and lost in the State Finals. All under 2 different head coaches. Now, they will be a completely different team but the expectations might not change much. Losing a core of Jeff Clayton, Dawand Jones, Jalen Windham, Cam Maul, and Jaylen Jennings among others is tough. But, Kai Steinman looks like he could be the next stellar talent to step up and he isn't alone. Jackson Gowdy has transferred in as has Bobby Fry from Carmel. They will give them a talented forward to utilize as well as a veteran guard in the backcourt. Jamari London is a returner to really watch as he could be set to break out as a scorer. They have reloaded at a time when a good chunk of the Indy 4A teams are doing the same but Ben Davis might be the best of them.<b><br /> </b></p>