Landon’s Week 5 Player Evaluations: Wabash Valley Classic

<p>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. </p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Bloomington South @ Kouts - 12/26/2020</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963914" first="Cole" last="Wireman"] (Kouts) (2021) - 5’11" PG:</strong> Cole struggled mightily from the field in this one as he can came in averaging 35 points per game, but his shots just weren’t falling for him in this one. He has a good shot stroke and has confidence shooting, it was just an off day. On the defensive end, however, he did make an impact. He played great on-ball defense and sat at the top of the 1-3-1 zone that they played. He read the passing lanes well, getting a couple of deflections, and he showed that he is not afraid to put his body on the line, taking 3 charges. Wireman can do a lot of things well for Kouts, and I am looking forward to seeing him again later in the year.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="963930" first="Cale" last="Wireman"] (Kouts) (2021) - 5’11" PG: </strong>Cale, as well as Cole, struggled from the floor, but he made it for it by making some plays for himself. He drove to the rim, got inside, and sought out contact to get to the free-throw line eleven times. He made 10 of his 11 free-throws to keep Kouts in the basketball game, but it just wasn’t enough. Cale also showed tremendous ball-handling ability, and his cross-over dribble move is one of the better ones that I have seen. Cale has a lot of talent scoring the ball, and he should make some plays for Kouts this season and for a Division 3 school next season.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Greencastle @ Linton-Stockton - 12/26/2020</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="874123" first="Brody" last="Whitaker"] (Greencastle) (2021) - 6’2" SG: </strong>Whitaker is an outstanding scorer that makes plays all over the court. He was being face guarded early in the game, but he still hit shots from all over. He has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble, and he doesn’t miss on the catch and shoot. Brody can also get to the rim and he uses his outstanding body control to finish over and around the inside defenders. He tallied 28 points on 10-17 from the floor and 4-7 from the outside in this one. He will be playing at Marian University next season, and his scoring ability will be an immediate impact next year. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="874197" first="Benton" last="Parmley"] (Greencastle) (2021) - 5’9" PG: </strong>Parmley is a very small guard, but he plays with more hustle and heart than anybody. He crashes the glass with the best of them, and he makes some nice passes to set up the teammates. He can hit shots, but it is not going to be a major part of his game. I would like to see him score the ball some more to give the Tiger Cubs a reliable second option behind Whitaker, but he is a player who knows what he excels at and he sticks to that. Parmley definitely needs to be playing ball somewhere next season, so Division 3 coaches should check him out.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="783147" first="Lincoln" last="Hale"] (Linton-Stockton) (2021) - 6’4" SG: </strong>Hale is an Indiana State commit who has tons of potential for the Sycamores. He has led the Miners to an outstanding past couple of seasons, and he is continuing it this year. Hale is never going to hesitate to shoot the ball, and he always has the mindset to score the basketball. His shots weren’t falling at the rate they usually do, but he stuck through it and still ended up with a 22 point performance. He showed great leadership with his team down the stretch, and that is something you love to see from a star player. He should be in line for a good career with the Sycamores starting next season.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="868240" first="Joey" last="Hart"] (Linton-Stockton) (2023) - 6’3" SG: </strong>Hart is a younger player with a lot of potential for Linton. He likes to push the ball up and down the floor off of rebounds, and he is always looking to make plays. On the offensive end, he likes to make plays with the ball in his hands, but he can also knock down shots from all over the court. He will be the star for Linton starting next season, and he already holds an offer for Indiana State. He will be getting a lot more offers to come his way in the years to come.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="935736" first="Logan" last="Webb"] (Linton-Stockton) (2023) - 6’2" SG: </strong>Webb made a couple of big plays down low to keep Linton in this game. He got into good post position on nearly every possession and finished inside. He was also very aggressive on the glass. He didn’t show much in terms of his shooting, but he brought the ball up the floor and made some nice plays. Once Hale leaves for Indiana State, Webb will be in line for a much bigger role for the Miners and it will be interesting to see how he grows into that new role.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Cloverdale @ Sullivan - 12/26/2020</strong></p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="874220" first="Nolan" last="Kelley"] (Cloverdale) (2021) - 6’0" SG: </strong>Kelley was the main contributor to the offense in this one for the Clovers. He can knock down the three-ball, and he did twice in this one. Both of these were on the catch and shoot which is what he prefers. He also set up his teammates nicely with a couple of assists. Kelley also has the ability to get to the rim and make plays. He should be playing next year at a Division 3 school.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="796015" first="Kyle" last="Thomas"] (Cloverdale) (2022) - 6’1" SG: </strong>Thomas struggled mightily in this one, but he showed signs of being a very good offensive player. Thomas was 0-5 from three and 5-13 from the floor, but his shot looked good and his confidence never wavered. He still found ways to make plays for his team by getting to the rim and getting easier shots inside. Thomas is going to continue to improve, and I know that this shooting performance was definitely an anomaly rather than normalcy. He is going to be an interesting player to watch over the next two years.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="870312" first="Randy" last="Kelley"] (Sullivan) (2022) - 5’9" PG: </strong>Kelley was outstanding for the Golden Arrows, and his stock is definitely on the rise. He totalled 17 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals in his stat-stuffing day on only 6-9 from the field. He is a pass-first player that likes to create for his teammates, but he can also make plenty of plays on his own. He is undersized, but that does not stop him as he uses his quickness to beat people down the floor. Kelley is going to continue to improve, and he will be receiving plenty of attention from coaches who ignore his size and watch the skill he brings to the court.</p>