Hoop Hype Nationals Top Performers

<p>It may be August with the live evaluation periods behind us, but that doesn't mean there isn't basketball to found here in Indiana. On Saturday I made the trip over to Lafayette for Hoop Hype Nationals at Legacy Courts to check out a handful of talent from around the state. It was a great opportunity to get deeper evaluations on some guys that were playing with different teams than they had in July. Thanks to Dustin Harvey with Indiana Ice for having me out to cover the event!</p> <p>Marcus Ankney (Center Grove H.S. 2023)</p> <p>Ankney is a 6’3" athletic guard that played at a high level all evening for Indiana Ice Gold 2023. He is a very good shooter from the perimeter and showed off the ability to be an athletic finisher inside when attacking closeouts. Handles the ball well enough to act as a secondary ball handler when necessary. Really like his all-around game as a guy who can score it in bunches.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="806797" first="Matthew" last="Brown"] (Homeschool 2022)</p> <p>It was a breakout night for the homeschool product. Brown went for 29 points in a win over a talented team from California. The 6’5" athletic wing can score it in a variety of ways as he showcased Saturday night. He hit five threes in the game while also getting to the rim where he finished with a couple of dunks in traffic. Brown is a prospect that college coaches need to make a point to see this winter with his homeschool team.</p> <p>Javan Buchanan (Lafayette Jefferson H.S. 2022)</p> <p>The 6’6" forward recently earned an offer from the University of Indianapolis and continued his strong summer on Saturday night. Buchanan is very offensively skilled for a guy with his physical size. He isn’t afraid to mix it up around the basket and is an excellent defensive rebounder. On the perimeter, Buchanan is a consistent three-pointer shooter and can get up to finish above the rim when he drives it. I’d expect more and more Division II interest to come his way.</p> <p><a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Caden-Harker-1.jpg"><img class="alignright wp-image-1212151 size-medium" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2021/06/Caden-Harker-1-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a>[player_tooltip player_id="870292" first="Caden" last="Harker"] (Twin Lakes H.S. 2022)</p> <p>Going into Hoop Hype Nationals on Saturday I really didn’t know a whole lot about the 6’3" guard from Twin Lakes, but he played really well in both games for Indiana Elite Legacy. Harker led the way with 17 points in their first game of the day while connecting on five three-pointers in the second half. Along with his hot shooting from beyond the arc, Harker showed the ability to get to the rim where he uses his strong frame and athleticism to finish. Under-the-radar name for small colleges to evaluate.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="1049173" first="Ben" last="Henderson"] (Harrison H.S. 2023)</p> <p>Henderson is a 6’2" wing that can really score the basketball. He is strong and athletic which helps him finish around the basket against size. He is quick with the ball in his hands and does a great job of beating his man and getting downhill to the rim in a hurry. The strength and athleticism allows him to be a really good rebounder from the guard spot as well. Henderson averaged 13.3 points and 6.5 rebounds as a sophomore at Harrison and will be a dynamic backcourt mate with [player_tooltip player_id="870258" first="Jonah" last="Lucas"] this year.</p> <p>[player_tooltip player_id="870258" first="Jonah" last="Lucas"] (Harrison H.S. 2022)</p> <p>Speaking of Lucas, he was excellent in his own right on Saturday. The aggressive lefty combo guard consistently hit pull-up jumpers and showed the ability to explode to the rim off of the bounce as well. He is very athletic and quick with the ball which allows him to get to his spot whenever he wants. Pesky on-ball defender too. I’d expect to see Lucas be one of the leading scorers in Lafayette this high school season.</p> <p>Eddie Reese (Lafayette Jefferson H.S. 2022)</p> <p>Reese played some of the best basketball that I have seen him play Saturday night. He has all the physical tools as a 6’6" forward with enough ball skill to function out on the perimeter. Reese drove it consistently from the wings, was aggressive attacking closeouts, and finished well inside. Has the potential to have positional versatility defensively and be a high-level rebounder. Intriguing prospect.</p> <p>Jadon Riley (Faith Christian H.S. 2022)</p> <p>Riley broke out for a 28 point performance in his first game Saturday night and really caught my attention with his skill development. The 6’2" guard has always been a very, very good shooter but he has really developed his game off of the dribble now. He still is at his best as a catch-and-shoot guy, but the ability to create his own shot driving it in a straight line makes him much more dynamic on the offensive end.</p>