Stock Risers: 2022
The class of 2022 is one of the best we have seen and there is so much talent to keep an eye on. This season we have seen plenty step up and today we are here to breakdown a guy…
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Continue ReadingThe class of 2022 is one of the best we have seen and there is so much talent to keep an eye on. This season we have seen plenty step up and today we are here to breakdown a guy at each position that has moved up in our mind within their respective position.
Alex Covey Alex Covey 6'6" | C Tri-West | 2022 State IN – 6’6 C 2022 – Tri-West (IN)
Alex is a guy we have gotten to see a couple times already this year and he has really shown improvement to this point. He’s only a sophomore but his frame is looking great and the amount of strength he not only has but plays with is great. Add in that he has shown aggressiveness and touch in the paint to the tune of 67% from the field and 12.0 ppg. He’s not a guy that is too big, just really well filled out and agile. That has allowed him to be really good as a rebounder, specifically on the offensive boards where he is averaging 2.0 per game. As he continues to develop, it will be interesting to see if he is able to stretch the floor down the road, something he doesn’t do at all right now, or if he will be a low post monster he looks like he is turning into.
Caedmon Bontrager Caedmon Bontrager 6'8" | PF Leo | 2022 State IN – 6’7 PF 2022 – Lakewood Park (IN)
Bontrager was a guy that we saw during the summer and saw some potential but wanted to wait and see how he translated knowing he was going to a small high school where he was likely going to get a lot of room to develop. Well, so far he is averaging 19.4 ppg and shooting 41% from three. For a guy that is 6’7, he has the perfect build and skill set to be a stretch forward that is going to develop well. Part of that confidence from me is that we are still seeing his rebounding numbers stay high at 8.7 per game which means he’s not only playing his role but being effective in it. A lot of times stretch forwards will stay on the perimeter too much because of the comfort or want to be a wing but inherently lose value because of diminishing rebounding numbers and rim protection. That isn’t a problem here.
Baylin Graf Baylin Graf 6'4" | SF Bloomfield | 2022 State IN – 6’3 SF 2022 – Bloomfield (IN)
Graf was a guy that we had just not seen play his best game until recently. It happens as we just catch bad luck but when the underlying numbers say he should be better than what you see, you hope things change with your luck. Well, we finally got to see one of his better games and we saw how he can be effective as a scorer. He’s big but not quite tall enough for any one position as a fit so that will be something to watch over the next year or two. However, he can shoot it well from deep and the middle of the floor. But, he’s best when he’s looking to drive and play around the rim because he has so much strength that not many are going to get to be up in his face like they would want defensively. When he has it all working, he’s a really tough out because there doesn’t seem like a perfect defensive matchup that is going to hurt him. He’s agile and quick enough to play on the wing while still be physically imposing in the paint.
Chris Gunn Chris Gunn 6'5" | SG Lawrence North | 2022 State #114 Nation IN – 6’4 SG 2022 – Lawrence North (IN)
While he didn’t improve his ranking much, mainly because we were already high on him, he has really shown another level to his game. He had no problem getting in with Lawrence North and quickly becoming a starter and high-level producer as just a sophomore. His ball handling has always impressed because at his size he can be difficult to defend. A lot more of what we have seen from him is his driving ability. Liked his jumper but he did find a really good amount of drives in the games we have watched which helps us to see a possibly more balanced game moving forward. He just has the confidence we love to see from a young player on a high profile team who is having some serious success this year.
Branden Northern Branden Northern 5'11" | PG Silver Creek | 2022 State IN – 5’11 PG 2022 – Silver Creek (IN)
Northern is a guy who we have known about for a bit now but were not sure of a year ago as we wanted to see more. Each time we watch him whether in AAU or HS, he’s gotten better and better. He’s not the biggest guard or a guy that is going to blow you away with his elevation but he is really quick, really strong, and has had stretches on a loaded team where he can take over the game with his scoring. Now, he’s gotten that confidence and he is really putting Silver Creek in better positions as the season wears on. Jumper has taken a step forward as well and he mixes it in well as he is shooting 46% from three and 58% from the field overall this year. Oh ya, and he is averaging 5.8 assists per game.