Havoc in the Heartland: 2023 Evaluations
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PrepHoops presented Havoc in the Heartland this past weekend and what an event it was! Talent from all over came into the state of Indiana and put on a show on the big stage. Today, we are going to recap…
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Continue ReadingPrepHoops presented Havoc in the Heartland this past weekend and what an event it was! Talent from all over came into the state of Indiana and put on a show on the big stage. Today, we are going to recap what we saw from a few of our 2023’s that stood out and provide our evaluations.
Indiana Game 2023-Premier
A.J. Lux A.J. Lux 6'3" | SG Crown Point | 2023 State IN 2023 6’3″ SG Crown Point – Lux is a taller shooting guard that just has a natural feel for the game. Has grown a few inches since the last time I had seen him play is still playing with that aggressiveness he brings. Other than a smooth baseline jumper, he was relatively quiet in the first half before he started to get going in the second half. I think his defense gets a little overlooked at times because of slim frame but his defense looked really good here as he was forcing turnovers and blocked a couple shots. Lux was without a doubt one of the better guards this weekend.
Marcus Northern Marcus Northern 6'2" | PG South Bend Washington | 2023 State IN 2023 6’2″ PG South Bend Washington – Northern is a quick lead guard that has grown in size. Sees the floor real well and can provide some elite level scoring at times. Indiana Game started to lose control of the game at one point before they made a big comeback and Northern was a big part of that. He was hitting some huge outside shots and made some tough plays at the rim. Needs to clean up a little on his turnovers but Northern is one of the best guards in his class.
Keaton Buuck Keaton Buuck 6'6" | PF Crown Point | 2023 IN 2023 6’5″ PF Crown Point – Buuck is a big forward that plays like a true 4. Great on the pick and roll and utilizes his solid footwork well. Has a real nice right handed hook shot and defends well consistently. Boxes out his man and goes up strong for rebounds on both ends. Had a couple of questionable fouls in this one so needs to clean that up a little bit. Overall, Buuck has a ton of skill and if he can get a pick and pop game going he could have the total package a true 4 needs.
Isaiah Akinyele Isaiah Akinyele 6'5" | C Merrillville | 2023 IN 2023 6’5″ SF Merrillville – Akinyele is a taller wing that was arguably the most athletic player on the court in the game I saw. Played strong defense and one point his defense resulted in a steal and a thunderous fastbreak, one-handed slam. Also has a really pretty left-handed drive where he utilized a spin move for the easy layup. Still a very raw talent that doesn’t make the best decision making at times. Overall, Akinyele plays super hard when he is on the floor and it is hard to top his elite athleticism.
Indiana Red Storm 2023
Ephraim Johnson 2023 6’4″ SF Central Christian – Johnson is slim wing but has that natural athleticism. Works well off the ball and knows when to cut hard to the rim. Best play was when he set a pick and backed-up outside the arc before blowing past his defender and scoring the easy layup. Needs a little bit more fine-tuning but Johnson has some upside.
Malik Davis 2023 6’1″ PG Whiteland – Davis is a taller lead guard that is pretty well balanced overall. Pretty shifty and has the ability to get his defender off balance with his handles. Has a nice floater as well. Great perimeter defender and even has the ability to block shots in the post.
Dominique Cooper 2023 6’5″ PF Whiteland – Cooper is an undersized power forward with slight strength. Smooth around the rim and has a soft touch. Rebounds well and plays solid post defense. Sees the floor well for a post and has the ability to make some sharp passes. Post moves are a little slow right now so adding speed should be the next step in his development. Solid showing for Cooper.
Southern Indiana Blaze 2023
Jakob Arthur 2023 6’3″ SF Brownstown Central – Arthur is a smaller wing with a big frame and natural strength. Aggressive at crashing the glass and fighting for the rebound. Plays a little bit of bully ball inside but showed the ability to step out and knock down the outside jumper. Not the most athletic but knows how to uses his strength and did not hardly make any mistakes.
Keegan Manowitz 2023 PG 5’10″ Jennings County – Manowitz is a smaller lead guard that has the skill and talent to play. Some of the better handles I have seen from a guard and does not shy away from making big plays. Defends well for a smaller guard with the ability to poke the ball out if the offense is not careful. Still needs a little bit more consistency with his outside jumper. Manowitiz is one of my favorite players to watch because he may be shorter but he plays tough basketball. Extremely underrated lead guard.
Jacob Martin 2023 SG/SF 6’3″ Scottsburg – Martin is a taller guard with a very high vertical. Plays with great athleticism and can really make plays at the rim. Drives the ball a ton and had a huge one-handed dunk off of one. Skilled defender that has the strength and skill to guard multiple positions.
Jaleb Treat 2023 6’7″ C Rock Creek – Treat is a left-handed post defender with a lot of size. Surprisingly pretty quick and was real impressed with his ability to switch off and guard the smaller guards. Runs the floor real well and can make plays around the rim on the offense. Showed smart footwork as well. Treat plays within himself and had some of the best fundamentals out of most of the bigs I saw.
Indiana Attack 2023
Brady Yoder 2023 5’9 PG Westview – Yoder is a smaller lead guard with a strong frame. Driving lead guard and has nice up and under move. True lead guard in the sense that he looks to for his teammates first before he makes a move. Makes very few mistakes and can turn around be a lockup defender at times. Solid showing from Yoder.