Ramsey’s Week 5 Player Evaluations

<p>Another week of Indiana High School Basketball is in the books which means it is time to empty the notebook with some player evaluations. This week I watched live streams of Homestead vs. Fishers, Carmel vs. Valparaiso, and Zionsville vs. Kokomo while out of town. Then, I was able to get to Connersville for the evening games featuring Connersville vs. South Decatur and Monroe Central vs. Bloomington North. Here are some of the evaluations from Week 5.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1295356" first="Lucas" last="Barron"] (Connersville H.S. 2023): </strong>This 6’4" forward broke out for 26 points Thursday night as Connersville cruised to beat South Decatur. Barron is a physical 3/4 man with excellent finishing ability around the basket. He made 3’s in this game and definitely can make the open catch-and-shoot ones. Good right hand driver attacking closeouts with the strength and athleticism to get up and finish around the rim.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1297052" first="Jalen" last="Haralson"] (Fishers H.S. 2025): </strong>I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Haralson is one of the best freshman I’ve ever evaluated in over a decade of scouting the state of Indiana. At 6’6" with the skills of a point guard he is extremely hard to stop on the offensive end. That was proven this week as he scored a Fishers-record 43 points in Tuesday evening’s win over Fort Wayne Carroll. Elite passer, great finisher inside, and continues to get better as an outside shooter. </p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="868255" first="Logan" last="Imes"] (Zionsville H.S. 2023): </strong>Imes is the best point guard in Indiana’s Class of 2023. He is impossible to get sped up with a smooth handle and the size to fend off pressure defense. Everything about his game is just so smooth. The 6’4" guard is a quiet scorer that will get his 20 in efficient fashion from all three levels of the floor. He has solidified himself this season as the best player on the best team and is a sure fire high-major prospect.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="1168149" first="Hunter" last="Johnson"] (South Decatur H.S. 2022): </strong>Despite being the focus of every opponent’s scouting report, Johnson continues to lead the state in scoring. He put up 23 points against Connersville on Thursday evening showing his physicality and ability to consistently score from the mid-range. Smooth shooting stroke from the perimeter. Gets to the foul line well when attacking the basket. Nice backcourt prospect for small colleges to recruit heading into the new year.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="870215" first="Nick" last="Klaiber"] (Bloomington H.S. North 2022): </strong>Excellent athlete with explosiveness off of the dribble getting to the basket. The 6’2" Klaiber is very strong which allows him to take contact on his way to the basket and then finish through contact at the rim. Gets to the foul line and is a high level finisher inside. Will make some tough pull-up jumpers as well. Scored 25 points in their loss to Monroe Central Thursday night. One of the better backcourt prospects still on the board in Indiana.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="868246" first="Grant" last="Leeper"] (Homestead H.S. 2023): </strong>Leeper is a 6’6"-6’7" forward with good strength and two-way ability around the basket. He is a solid rim protector with his ability to get vertical and challenge opponents in the paint. Offensively, he has good hands as the roll man and can finish with either hand at the basket. Love his athleticism end-to-end as a rim runner. High upside prospect that has stepped up while brother Andrew has missed a couple of games. Very good rebounder.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="958398" first="Charlie" last="Smith"] (Fishers H.S. 2022): </strong>Smith is starting to settle in and play really well over the last couple of weeks for Fishers. Serving as the Tigers point guard, Smith is playing without turning it over while creating plays for himself and his teammates. The 6’1" Smith is averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and just 2 turnovers per game. Pretty good for someone that handles the ball as much as he does. He is a good shooter with a nice mid-range game as well.</p> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="870304" first="Jackson" last="Ullom"] (Monroe Central H.S. 2022): </strong>A 5’11" lead guard, Ullom played like the best on the floor in two big wins at the Connersville Tournament. He led the Golden Bears to upset victories over Connersville and Bloomington North to bring home the championship. Very good ball handler that doesn’t get sped up, shoots it well from beyond the arc, and plays with a high basketball IQ. Just a tough all-around player that will contribute to winning in a variety of ways.</p>