Friday Top Performers: Indiana Natives

<p>Instead of going out on the road, I spent nearly all day Friday parked in front of my laptop watching live streams from the Peach Jam, UA Rise, and Adidas 3SSB Championships to check in on the Indiana AAU teams that were further from home. Let’s dive right in to the players that stood out over the course of the day.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="868240" first="Joey" last="Hart"] (Grand Park Premier 16u)- </strong>I touched on it in Friday night’s notebook, but I am reserving a seat at the very front of the [player_tooltip player_id="868240" first="Joey" last="Hart"] hype train. The 6’5" guard is one of the smoothest shooters in the state, has an outstanding feel for the game, and is athletic enough to get by his defender and finish above the rim. High-major Division I coaches are circling and I suspect they will pounce sooner rather than later. Hart is going to become a 4-star, Top 100 player before all is said and done.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="870212" first="Tayshawn" last="Comer"] (Indy Heat EYBL)- </strong>Comer led a furious <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Tayshawn-Comer.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-1210841" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Tayshawn-Comer-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>fourth quarter comeback for Indy Heat Friday morning as they roared back to beat Phenom University 73-70. Comer scored a game-high 21 points to go with 4 rebounds and 2 assists to just 1 turnover. The Cathedral H.S. point guard backed that performance up by posting 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists in the evening win over UPlay Canada. Comer’s strong play has led Indy Heat to a 4-1 record at the Peach Jam. He is a high-major point guard.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1168145" first="A.J." last="Dixon"] (Indiana Elite Team Indiana 2022)- </strong>Dixon is an elite athlete with all of the physical tools you would want from a big guard. At 6’5" and 200 pounds, Dixon physically punishes defenders on his way to the basket. He has enough ball skill to beat his man off the dribble and then is really hard to stop going downhill on his way to the rim. The versatility on both ends of the floor makes him a very intriguing prospect.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="769682" first="Connor" last="Essegian"] (Indiana Elite 2022)- </strong>Another day, another big time shooting performance from Central Noble’s [player_tooltip player_id="769682" first="Connor" last="Essegian"]. The sharp-shooter has excellent footwork playing off of screening action which leads to a repeatable shooting stroke after every catch. He has also been showcasing improved ability to attack closeouts and finish inside recently. That added dimension to his game is what earned him his first high-major offer from Creighton just a couple days ago. There are some guys who shoot it as well as Essegian, but I’m not sure there are any that actually shoot it better.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Fletcher-Loyer-1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1210144 alignleft" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Fletcher-Loyer-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="1063961" first="Fletcher" last="Loyer"] (Indy Heat EYBL)- </strong>The Purdue commit poured in 21 points in Indy Heat’s evening win over UPlay Canada. Loyer went 4/6 from three-point range to help keep pace with national Top 10 prospect Shaedon Sharpe who went for 30 points and five triples for UPlay. While leading Indy Heat to a 4-1 record, Loyer has proven himself to be arguably the best scorer in the state of Indiana.</p> <p><strong>Kamari Lands (Team Why Not)- </strong>Don’t forget about Indianapolis native Kamari Lands. He hasn’t been on the Indiana scene in a couple of seasons, but he is still a Hoosier. The Syracuse commit went off for 24 points today in a 70-59 win over Mac Irvin Fire. Ben Davis graduate [player_tooltip player_id="529593" first="Jayden" last="Brewer"], playing for Mac Irvin Fire, also had a nice game contributing 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="868231" first="Caleb" last="Washington"] (Grand Park Premier 16u)- </strong>The Floyd Central rising junior was very impressive this morning down in Frisco, Texas. Washington showcased excellent offensively versatility doing it all from knocking down a three to finishing with his back to the basket. At a solid 6’4" and 205 pounds he has the physicality to finish inside paired with the perimeter skill of a guard. He is the total package offensively. I came away very impressed with his game.</p>