3 For 3: Week 13 Preview

The high school boys’ basketball season is underway and even though we could face some challenges throughout the year, we at PrepHoops Indiana want to give you the absolute best coverage in the whole state. Indiana is full of great teams and talented players thus giving the fans incredible matchups every week. Join me, Kyler Staley, every Monday during the season as I preview the 3 Players, 3 Teams, and 3 Matchups to watch for that coming week. Are you ready? Let’s get started! 3 Players Kooper Staley – 6’2 2021 SG – Bedford North Lawrence: Staley is a taller shooting guard that has a great feel for the game. He has a had a little bit of roller coaster of a season but this last half he has really started to be huge for the Stars (9-9). Currently averaging 11.3 ppg, he has been the perimeter sniper that he was expected to be and is doing a real good job having a quick trigger on his shot. He has always been one of the more overlooked shooters in the state but has been in talks with a few schools ranging from D3, NAIA, and JUCO. Also worth noting that his defense has always been a question mark but this season it seems like he has really stepped up on that end and has been super aggressive all over. Big week ahead for him and the Stars with the potential of 3 games, hopefully with no cancellations due to snow, with at Loogootee 2/16, vs New Albany 2/19, and vs Evansville North 2/20. Keep an eye on Staley and the Stars because there is a ton of opportunity this week. [player_tooltip player_id="647205" first="Naylon" last="Thompson"] – 6’5 2021 PG – Bishop Luers: Thompson is a tall guard who has a good amount of skill and talent. Real shifty player that can get to the basket fairly easily. Even though Luers (6-11) has not had the best of season, Thompson has been the most consistent piece for the Knights. He is coming off a huge game vs Winchester where he dropped 25 and was the leading scorer. He is arguably the best player still on the board and he has a few low major D1 offers to choose from. He has a huge week ahead as he and the Knights play 4 games that include at Antwerp (Ohio) 2/15, vs Huntington North 2/16, vs Fort Wayne North 2/19, and finishing the week with hosting Bellmont 2/20. Expect Thompson to have a big week and be the elite player he is capable of. [player_tooltip player_id="874153" first="Camden" last="Brown"] – 6’7 2021 PF – University: Brown is a real long, athletic power forward with a ton of skill. He is one of the more impressive bigs I have seen as he is just so skilled and can score all over. He just came off a great weekend as he dropped 19 points and led University to winning the Pioneer Conference for the 4th year in a row. Just a little undersized but he makes up for it with how hard he plays and his ability to do whatever on the defense end. Few offers on the table right now and is easily one of the best remaining stretch 4s on the recruiting board. He and University host Brebeuf Jesuit 2/16 and Indianapolis Scecina 2/20 this week. 3 Teams Chesterton (4A): The Trojans have quietly been having a fantastic season. 16-3 so far and all of their wins have been basically blowouts. They are coming off a huge win beating Munster where their stud senior PF [player_tooltip player_id="1077024" first="Tyler" last="Vanderwoude"] dropped 16 points. The remaining part of the scheduled is going to be a tough stretch with them traveling to Hammond 2/16, Valparaiso 2/20, and Gary West 2/26. They are not currently ranked but if they can pile up some wins during that stretch, they most certainly will be. With a stacked team that also features [player_tooltip player_id="870243" first="Travis" last="Grayson"], Charlie Eaton, Chris Mullen, and others, it should not be a surprise if they are able to have an above .500 record these last three games. Guerin Catholic (3A): Guerin Catholic has been one of the better teams in all of 3A all season long. 15-3 record and are currently ranked #11 in the 3A rankings. They are being led this season by a real solid core of talent that incudes seniors [player_tooltip player_id="1077027" first="Kaleb" last="Edwards"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1077028" first="Joseph" last="Bobilya"]. This week that have two fairly winnable games against Indianapolis Roncalli 2/19 and Indianapolis Chatard 2/20. Honestly, I think by the time the state tourney begins, this team is going to be sneaky threat. Bloomfield (1A): A team that is often overlooked in the Bloomngton area, the Cardinals have been on a roll this year so far. They have a current record of 11-6 and have been ranked in 1A for the majority of the season. They have relied heavily on juniors [player_tooltip player_id="870307" first="Baylin" last="Graf"] and [player_tooltip player_id="870288" first="Chris" last="Royal"], both whom have had solid seasons. This week will provide a challenge to them as they travel to 3A Sullivan on Tuesday and 2A North Knox on Friday. Tough ending stretch in the regular season but they should be the favorite to come out of their Sectional. 3 Matchups Linton-Stockton (2A) at North Daviess (1A) – Feb. 16th, 7:30 pm: In a battle between 2 teams that are in the top 5 in both of their respective classes, the Miners will travel to face the Cougars on Tuesday. Both squads have only lost 3 games this season and are both playing at such a high level. Linton, of course, is being led by the stud duo of [player_tooltip player_id="783147" first="Lincoln" last="Hale"] and [player_tooltip player_id="868240" first="Joey" last="Hart"] while North Daviess is being led by 2023 stud PG [player_tooltip player_id="935727" first="Jaylen" last="Mullen"]. This game really comes down to which team is going to show up and bring the toughness. I think North Daviess is going to keep it close throughout but Linton should be the one going home with the win. Mishawaka Marian (3A) at Warren Central (4A) – Feb. 20th, 7:30 pm: I think this game is a little underrated on paper. [player_tooltip player_id="870217" first="Kaleo" last="Kakalia"] and Mishawaka Marian are easily on the best teams in the 3A class but [player_tooltip player_id="874117" first="Malik" last="Stanley"] and Warren Central are not a team that one can easily go through. Even though Warren Central is not currently ranked in 4A, they are 16-5 and are currently on a 9 game winning streak. Mishawaka Marian, on the other hand, is on an 8 game winning streak so one streak is going to come to end this Saturday. I think Warren Central gets the big win here and extends their winning streak to 10 and continue their momentum into Sectionals. Homestead (4A) at Fort Wayne Carroll (4A) – Feb.19th, 7:30 pm: This game is all about Homestead. With a win from the Spartans, they will complete the regular season sweep and conclude the regular season with a outstanding 22-0 record. However, I do not think Carroll really cares about all of that. Carroll is tough team in their own right and have the home court advantage here. In order for the Chargers to get the upset win here, players like [player_tooltip player_id="870219" first="Jalen" last="Jackson"], [player_tooltip player_id="769698" first="Logan" last="Lankenau"], [player_tooltip player_id="1077019" first="Ryan" last="Preston"], and pretty all of their key players are going to have to play nearly perfect. I think Carroll keeps this game close for 3 quarters before Homestead takes off and finishes strong. Give me [player_tooltip player_id="529568" first="Luke" last="Goode"] and Homestead to win their 22nd game in a row.