3 For 3: Week 5 Preview

<p>The high school boys’ basketball season is officially underway and 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! </p> <p><strong>3 Players</strong></p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1267685" first="Nick" last="Mundy"] – 6’0 2022 PG – Mitchell: </b>Mundy is a bigger lead guard with athleticism and grit. His motor is one the best I have seen out of any player and is always willing to do what it takes to help his team win. This season, his defense has been a bright spot for the Bluejackets and he has been that leader that they wanted him to be which is why they have a winning record right now at 4-3. Overall, Mundy is just a warrior and small colleges out there are always looking for guys like him. He and Mitchell will host Orleans on 12/21.  </p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1049176" first="Devon" last="Woods"] – 5’10 2023 PG –</b><strong> Pike:</strong> Woods is one of the best ball-handling guards in the 2023 class. So quick and shifty and sees the floor extremely well which allows him to make sharp passes consistently. He is the type of lead guard that you can easily plug into any system. He just knows how to run offense and be that floor general and provide scoring at the same time. The skilled lead guard and Pike will host Franklin Central on 12/21. </p> <p><b>[player_tooltip player_id="1158178" first="Brauntae" last="Johnson"] – 6’3 2024 SG – Fort Wayne North:</b> After a 4 full weeks into the season, our #1 player in the 2024 class finally makes an appearance here. Brauntae is having a stellar sophomore year and before the Champions of Character Classic event this past Saturday, he was averaging 19.2 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. He is just one of those players that can just do it all at a high level. Currently only holds an offer from Purdue Fort Wayne for basketball, but that will change sooner than later as more will be on their way. He and Fort Wayne North will host Liberty Christian on 12/21.   </p> <p><strong>3 Teams</strong></p> <p><strong>Connersville (3A): </strong>The Spartans are one of the hottest teams in all of 3A. Currently with a 7-0 record and have pretty much dominated every team that they have played so far this year. They are not the most stacked team in the state but they are one of the best well-coached teams and are being led by 2022 PG [player_tooltip player_id="1063975" first="Tobey" last="Billups"]. Others guys like <strong>Kaleb Sparks</strong>, <strong>Gage Brown</strong>, and [player_tooltip player_id="1295356" first="Lucas" last="Barron"] have stepped up this year as well. Two big games for Connersville this week as they host both Greenfield-Central (12/21) and Monroe Central (12/23). </p> <p><b></b><strong>Clinton Prairie (2A): </strong>The Gophers have been on a dominant role this season and are currently undefeated winning their first seven games. They are a well-built team all around and are being led this season by <strong>Trevor Funk</strong> and <strong>Garrett McGraw</strong>. Right now they are in the top 16 in 2A but if they keep this role up they will likely crack the top 10 within the next few weeks. This week, they host Taylor on 12/22.   </p> <p><b>Gary 21st Century (1A): </b>Even though they lost to Valpo last week, Gary 21st is still one of the best teams in all of 1A. They are coming off a big win in a neutral site game vs Hazelwood Central (Mo.) where the final score was 55-51. 2023 SG [player_tooltip player_id="868220" first="Ashton" last="Williamson"] has been playing so good this year and as long as the Cougars have him, they are always going to be one of the teams to beat in 1A. They will host Indianapolis Riverside on 12/22. </p> <p><strong>3 Matchups </strong></p> <p><strong>Fishers (4A) at Homestead (4A) – Dec. 21st, 12:00 pm: </strong>This without question is the biggest possible game in the entire state this week as Fishers will travel up north to face Homestead in the Carroll-Homestead Classic on Tuesday. This game we feature two of the absolute best teams in 4A  two of the most high-profile players we in the state with [player_tooltip player_id="1063961" first="Fletcher" last="Loyer"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1297052" first="Jalen" last="Haralson"]. And then if that is not enough, this game will also feature [player_tooltip player_id="870214" first="Andrew" last="Leeper"], [player_tooltip player_id="769666" first="Jeffrey" last="Simmons"], [player_tooltip player_id="958398" first="Charlie" last="Smith"], [player_tooltip player_id="870272" first="Bryce" last="Williams"], [player_tooltip player_id="868246" first="Grant" last="Leeper"], and [player_tooltip player_id="868270" first="Kyron" last="Kaopuiki"]. This will likely be game that will come down to a last shot. I like Homestead to get a big win here.  </p> <p><b></b><b>Beech Grove (3A) vs Brebeuf Jesuit (3A) – Dec. 23rd, 7:30 pm: </b>This game will take place at the historic Hoosier Gym and will feature two 3A teams that are both 5-1. The Hornets have been a nice surprise at the 3A level and are being led by dominant power forward [player_tooltip player_id="868242" first="Anthony" last="Ball"] whereas the Braves have been one the best squads in the state and are being led by SF [player_tooltip player_id="870225" first="Billy" last="Smith"]. When it comes down to it however, Brebeuf Jesuit has lot more talent than Beech Grove has. Beech Grove will have to rely on Ball a ton here in order to keep this close. The Braves are my pick to win here.   </p> <p><strong>Bishop Chatard (3A) vs Northeastern (2A) – Dec. 23rd, 11:45 am:</strong> This one should be a fun, fast-paced game. Both teams feature a few really good seniors with Bishop Chatard having [player_tooltip player_id="1143910" first="A.J." last="Roseman"] and [player_tooltip player_id="870309" first="Carter" last="St. John"] and Northeastern having [player_tooltip player_id="1063964" first="Raedhyn" last="Foust"]. Both teams have won 4 games this year with Bishop Chatard currently undefeated. This will be round one of the Delta Tournament and my pick is for Bishop Chartard to advance.   </p>