Landon’s Week 3 Player Evaluations: 2022s

This week was full of great games that had lots of great players in them. I saw some exciting prospects and look forward to giving you my evaluations each and every Sunday throughout the season. It is time to recap this week and look at what our exciting prospects did. Fort Wayne South @ Fort Wayne North - 12/11/2020 [player_tooltip player_id="769718" first="Jaylen" last="Lattimore"] (Fort Wayne South) – 6’4" SF: Lattimore was a big body inside that delivered some big plays for South. He was all over the court on the offensive end from posting up, to driving, to knocking down a step-back three as he added 13 points. He was his best self when getting to the rim and finishing or getting an offensive rebound and putback. He was aggressive on the offensive rebound, adding 7 rebounds overall, and he exhibited great touch around the rim. He is going to have to step up as the season continues if South is going to succeed down the stretch. [player_tooltip player_id="870302" first="Ashton" last="Johnson"] (Fort Wayne South) – 6’2" SF: Johnson’s playing style is eerily similar to that of Lattimore, but Johnson is much more of an outside threat. He took four threes, and despite the fact that he did not hit one, it caused the defense to step out on him. This allowed him to get to the rim with ease and use his big body and wide frame to finish through contact. He also was aggressive on the glass on both ends, blocking out on nearly every shot, and he added 9 boards because of this. When he had the ball inside, he also wasn’t afraid to kick out to the open man. [player_tooltip player_id="874122" first="Austin" last="Jordan"] hit two of his threes on catch and shoot passes from Johnson when the defender kicked out. He seems to have most of the skills to succeed at the next level, and he should have a solid junior year for South. [player_tooltip player_id="870247" first="Ryan" last="Collins"] (Fort Wayne North) – 6’0" PG: Collins struggled from the field in this one going 1-7 from the outside, but he hit a couple of shots when he needed to. He was one of the stronger players, but he seemed to only camp around the three-point line. I know he can shoot the ball much better than he did in this one, but there wasn’t much of note for him during this game. Rodney Woods (Fort Wayne North) – 6’2" SG: Woods hit a couple of big triples to help North take the lead late and had an and-one layup inside to ice the game with just 6 seconds remaining. Woods ended with 14 points and 3 assists. He was a major catalyst for the offense by breaking the press nearly every time for North. They would simply give him the ball and he just beat his defender up the floor. He is a solid role player who will probably grow into a bigger role as the year progresses.   Franklin Central vs. North Central - 12/12/2020 [player_tooltip player_id="870235" first="Bryan" last="Marshall"] (Franklin Central) – 6’2" SG: Marshall was very quiet in this game. He got his first shot of the game, a mid-range jumper from the wing, to fall, but then finished the game 0-3 from the floor. He was defended by [player_tooltip player_id="868259" first="Joey" last="Brown"], a player with incredible length, and that seemed to disrupt his game. When I have seen him in the past, he has been able to create for both himself and others, but we didn’t see that o Saturday. I am hoping to see him again soon because this was not his best showing. [player_tooltip player_id="769659" first="Leland" last="Walker"] (North Central) – 5’11" PG: Walker is going to be a Division 1 player in two years as he currently holds 11 offers, and he showed us why on Saturday. His shots weren’t falling in this one, but he showed that he has many more aspects to his game than his shot. He was able to take the ball strong to the hole and finish over anybody. I think he is the quickest high school player that I have ever seen, and he uses this quickness perfectly by finding the smallest gap in the defense to slip through. To go along with his scoring and driving ability, he sees the court very well. Off of rebounds, he beats the other team down the floor, and he can run a fast break with the best of them. He is the motor for North Central this season, and in a gauntlet Sectional 10, he will need to be great for a postseason run for North Central.   Gary West @ Southport - 12/12/2020 [player_tooltip player_id="769653" first="Jalen" last="Washington"] (Gary West) – 6’7" PF: Washington missed all of last season with an injury, but he has made a big impact in his return to the lineup this year. Although it seems that he may still be on a little bit of a minutes restriction, he was outstanding for Gary West. He put up 23 points in the win while shooting 4-5 from the 3 point line. When he is left open, you might as well give him 3 points because he is lights out from the outside, and with his 6’7 frame and his release on his shot, not many players will be able to impact his shot. Inside, he hasn’t quite mastered the touch around the rim, but he is able to go up strong and draw contact. He is one of the best players in the country, so when he gets fully healthy, he is going to be very tough to stop. He currently holds 11 high major offers at the next level.   Barr-Reeve vs. North Harrison - 12/12/2020 [player_tooltip player_id="958397" first="Hagen" last="Knepp"] (Barr-Reeve) – 6’4" SF: Knepp is a wing with good size for the best 1A team in the state. Knepp had a strong offensive performance on Saturday’s blowout win with 14 points on 6-8 from the field. The lefty showed off a very good shot stroke from the mid-range and the three-point line. He is a very athletic player with speed and quickness, and he is always going to hustle when on the court. He is also a very scrappy player. He crashes the glass on both ends of the floor, and he isn’t afraid to do the dirty work to help the team. He has yet to receive an offer, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the junior playing NAIA or better in a couple of years. [player_tooltip player_id="870242" first="Ethan" last="Oakley"] (North Harrison) – 6’7" PF: Oakley has a lot of size for the forward, but he still is very mobile and agile to go along with his size. He didn’t show much in terms of shooting the ball, but he made a couple nice post moves down low. You can tell he is still establishing his skills in the post, but he made a nice little baby hook after spinning baseline. He is a strong body that sees the game well, and he isn’t going to force anything. He had three assists on some nice inside-out play from the block. He needs to continue polishing his skills, but he definitely has the potential to be a solid player for North Harrison in the future. [player_tooltip player_id="870295" first="Logan" last="McIntire"] (North Harrison) – 6’0" SG: McIntire was one of the only outside scoring options for North Harrison in the loss, but even his shots weren’t falling at a great rate. He had 8 points on 3-10 from the floor, but he hit 2 triples. He has a good shot stroke, but he rushes his shot a little too much. On the two shots that he made, he took his time and set his feet. If he can get the feel for his shot and make sure to take his time, he will knock down shots like I know he can. North Harrison needs to add another scoring threat if they’re going to succeed this season, and I believe McIntire has the potential to be that next reliable option.   Fort Wayne Blackhawk vs. Silver Creek - 12/12/2020 [player_tooltip player_id="769684" first="Branden" last="Northern"] (Silver Creek) – 5’10" PG: Northern has improved so much over the last calendar year that I almost didn’t recognize him. When watching him last season, he was a good point guard that didn’t need to score in a big way because he had [player_tooltip player_id="569321" first="Kooper" last="Jacobi"] and [player_tooltip player_id="529572" first="Trey" last="Kaufman"] around him. Without Kaufman out due to injury, he has stepped up and shown that he can score with the best of them. He started the game by forcing the issue inside against the bigger Blackhawk team, but once he started letting the game come to him, he lit up the scoreboard. His first step is so quick that he can beat almost anyone on a drive, and he has many different moves in his arsenal to get inside. Also, as a point guard, he sees the court very well, and he isn’t afraid to pass it to the open man. He scored 32 points in this one with 3 triples, and he was a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line thanks to his aggressive play style. Northern very well could be playing Division 1 basketball in two years, and if he can play as he did on Saturday, it is hard to imagine a team that could beat Silver Creek with those three guys.   Lawrence North vs. Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller - 12/12/2020 [player_tooltip player_id="870213" first="Chris" last="Gunn"] (Lawrence North) – 6’4" SG: C.J. is one of the most athletic players in the state, and he will be playing at the highest college level because of it. On Saturday, Gunn had an around good performance with 15 points and 6 boards. His shots weren’t really falling in this one, but we know that he can hit them. He also uses his outstanding athleticism to get to the rim. He can flat out jump, and the finger roll that he pulled out was just dirty. On the defensive end, he uses his length to make plays. He reads passing lanes well and came up with 2 steals and more deflections during the game. He is an all-around good player, and he is only going to improve over the coming year. Lawrence North is a threat to win the state title with Hughes, Avance, and Gunn leading the way. [player_tooltip player_id="921744" first="Evan" last="Mahaffey"] (Moeller) – 6’5" SG: Mahaffey gave Gunn a run for his money for being the most athletic player on the court. He can jump out of the building, and he showed that with a chase-down block that he pinned to the backboard. He is also a very diligent player with the ball. He isn’t going to force something around the rim unless he has a clean chance. He is unselfish and a good distributor. He tied the game with 1 second to go to send it to overtime with a drive to his right and a finish around the taller defender with his left. He will be playing top-level D1 basketball, and his 5 offers is surely going to multiply over the coming year.