Indiana High School Preview: Class 3A South

In 49 states it is just basketball, but this is Indiana. There is no better time of year than high school basketball season in the Hoosier state. Here at Prep Hoops Indiana, our staff will set out to bring the very best coverage from throughout the state. Evansville, Gary, South Bend, Terre Haute, we will leave no corner of Indiana unturned.

Now that official practices are quickly approaching and we are just weeks away from tipping off the first game, it is time to dive head first into previewing the upcoming season. Over the coming weeks you can expect breakdowns of each class along with teams and players to watch, a look at the top Mr. Basketball and Indiana All-Star candidates, preseason team rankings, and much, much more. For even more coverage, make sure to follow our staff on Twitter: @BRamseyKSR, @kylerstaley, @HSIndianaBball, and @KrisMills37.

We began our preseason coverage in Class 1A with a look at a few of the best teams coming out of the north and south brackets. Then, we did the same with the Class 2A North and South. Be sure to check out those previews if you haven’t already. Now, let’s turn our attention to Class 3A. Earlier we broke down the 3A North and now we go south. We will highlight the preseason favorite, a traditional power to keep an eye on, a sleeper team, and then name an honorable mention that we will look forward to watching this year.

Favorite: Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School

A 16-9 season ended with a loss in the sectional championship game to Guerin Catholic a year ago. The Braves won the sectional in 2020 only to have the state tournament cancelled due to Coronavirus concerns. Coach Todd Howard and company are hungry for more this season.

Led by Indiana All-Star candidate Billy Smith Billy Smith 6'7" | SF Brebeuf Jesuit | 2022 State IN , Brebeuf Jesuit enters the season as the favorite to come out of the Class 3A South bracket. The 6’7″ forward recently committed to Miami Ohio and brings back a team-leading 18.3 points per game. He is one of the best pure shooters in the state of Indiana and will be a steadying force as other contributors settle into larger varsity roles.

6’7″ forward Marial Puou Marial Puou 6'7" | PF Brebeuf Jesuit | 2022 State IN is a transfer from Illinois that will make an instant impact for Brebeuf. He is extremely long and athletic giving the Braves a solid force around the basket that is a matchup problem on the offensive end as well. Along with Smith and Puou, the Braves have five more seniors returning after playing significant roles in the rotation a year ago.

Zach Reed Zach Reed 6'3" | PG Brebeuf Jesuit | 2022 IN , Paul Stubblefield Paul Stubblefield 6'3" | SG Brebeuf Jesuit | 2022 State IN , Dirin Birhiray Dirin Birhiray 6'5" | SF Brebeuf Jesuit | 2022 State IN , and Michael Irk Michael Irk 6'2" | SG Brebeuf Jesuit | 2022 IN all averaged around three points per game as juniors and will be ready to take on larger scoring roles as seniors. They create a lot of depth in the backcourt alongside senior shooter Alex Gothard who averaged 4.7 points a year ago.

Overall, this is a very veteran and talented team that will be a real force come March in Class 3A.

Don’t Count Out: Silver Creek Dragons

Graduating four-year star players like Trey Kaufmann-Renn (Purdue) and Kooper Jacobi (Toledo) is bound to leave a void for any team. For a public school at the Class 3A level, that type of talent would usually be once in a generation. However, while two Indiana All-Stars may not be walking through the door, Silver Creek still has enough firepower to be a force once the state tournament roles around.

A Division I caliber point guard is a great place to start. Silver Creek has just that in senior point guard Branden Northern Branden Northern 5'11" | PG Silver Creek | 2022 State IN . Northern is ranked as the #21 prospect in the Class of 2022 by Prep Hoops Indiana. He averaged 14.9 points and 6.8 assists per game this season and should be ready to up his scoring average without Kaufmann-Renn and Jacobi.

Two other quality rotation pieces are back for the Dragons as well in senior Trey Schoen and sophomore Hayden Garten. Schoen scored 5.1 points per game while Garten contributed 2.0 a game as a freshman. Both will grow into larger roles this season. Sophomore guard Kyle Roberts Kyle Roberts 6'1" | SG Silver Creek | 2024 IN should really make a name for himself as well.

The only thing keeping the Dragons from coming off of a three-peat as state champions is the 2020 state tournament being cancelled. Still, winning two state rings in three seasons and returning your star point guard makes for a dangerous team. Do not count out Silver Creek this season.

Sleeper: George Washington High School

Nothing makes for a better sleeper pick than the unknown. That is essentially what we have at George Washington this season. They were just 10-13 last season, but the reason for optimism lies primarily in a high profile transfer entering the mix this year.

6’4″ junior wing Qushawn Ware Qushawn Ware 6'4" | SF Indianapolis Metropolitan | 2023 State IN made the move over from Crispus Attucks and will be one of the more talented players in the city. He was a significant varsity contributor as a freshman and sophomore at Attucks but will be called upon to be “the man” now for the Continentals. Ware is ranked as the #12 prospect in the Class of 2023 by Prep Hoops Indiana. If he is able to live up to that ranking, then George Washington is going to have a chance to make some series noise in Indianapolis.

Alongside Ware will be returning star Antoine Hurns Antoine Hurns 6'7" | PF George Washington | 2022 IN . The 6’7″ senior forward had a big summer season and is poised to really breakout as a senior. He is incredibly athletic and should be a destructive force around the basket. Hurns can be a double-double machine this season.

With Ware and Hurns as the building blocks, Coach Aaron Hogg has some talent at his disposal and should have the Continentals playing as one of the better teams in the area by March.

Honorable Mention: Connersville High School

The Spartans came really, really close to slaying the dragon (pun intended) in the regional final last season, but ultimately fell to Silver Creek 31-30. One thing we do know about Connersville is how they are going to play. It will be a slow, methodical pace and they will be one of the best defensive teams in the state. That always gives them a chance in March. They have a nice mixture of depth and talent this season as well that will make them a tough out in the tournament.

Senior point guard Tobey Billups Tobey Billups 6'0" | PG Connersville | 2022 State IN is back after averaging a team-leading 8.8 points and 5.1 assists per game. He will be one of the better players in east central Indiana. 6’3″ senior Kaleb Sparks and 6’6″ senior forward Gage Brown have a lot of varsity experience as well having averaged 6.6 and 4.1 points per game respectively. Juniors Josh Williams and Lucas Barron Lucas Barron 6'4" Connersville | 2023 IN are both going to be relied upon to make big steps forward as varsity contributors this season as well.

Coach Kerry Brown always gets the most out of his teams. This season, the Spartans have the talent and experience to achieve a lot of post season success so it stands to reason that they will probably reach that level. Expect to see them inside of the Class 3A top 10 for most of the year.