The Stage: Ramsey’s Friday Notebook
The first live recruiting period tipped off at 6:00 p.m. Friday evening as college coaches descended upon Indianapolis for several great events. The Stage, hosted at the Indianapolis Convention Center downtown, was were our Prep Hoops Indiana staff spent time…
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Continue ReadingThe first live recruiting period tipped off at 6:00 p.m. Friday evening as college coaches descended upon Indianapolis for several great events. The Stage, hosted at the Indianapolis Convention Center downtown, was were our Prep Hoops Indiana staff spent time watching some of the top talent from around the country. As we get started with another day full of hoops, let’s quickly empty out the notebook from Friday night’s action.
Prospects from Northern Indiana Show Out
The first round of games that I watched on Friday evening were mostly dominated by prospects coming from the northern part of Indiana. Along with a few Division I programs, my evening began with Team GRIII 2023 Elite vs. Fifa Elite 2023 out Louisiana. Almost immediately, 6’5″ guard A.J. Lux (Crown Point H.S. 2023) got it going from beyond the arc giving the coaches there to see him quite the show. The long, mobile sharpshooter hit three triples in a row at one point and would go on to hit six for a game-high 20 points. GRIII Elite cruised to a 63-33 victory.
Brandon Trilli (Munster H.S. 2023) was another prospect that played well in the big win for Team GRIII 2023 Elite. After just being named to the Indiana Junior All-Star team, the 6’5″ forward once again showed his offensive skill set with some great finishes around the basket, rim runs, and crafty moves off of the dribble.
Sticking with Team GRIII Elite, but moving to the Class of 2024 team, David Cundiff (Munster H.S. 2024) played well in the few minutes of action that I caught. He made a nice three off of an OB Under play where he showcased great footwork and a quick release. The 6’1″ point guard also had a tough left-handed finish in transition.
To finish out the 6:00 session of games I caught the second half of 5Star 2023 versus Blacktop Basketball 2023 out of Florida. From the moment I sat down at the court it was clear that two of the best players on the floor were 6’1″ guard Joey Garwood (Penn H.S. 2023) and 6’3″ guard Austin Cripe (West Noble H.S. 2023) for 5Star. Garwood hit four three-pointers on his way to a team-high 18 points while Cripe chipped in an additional 15 with consistent drives to the basket. Both guards had a strong start to the spring live period.
Illinois TWolves Roll Against Michigan Goonies
The Illinois TWolves 2023 group was loaded with small college talent as a number of prospects showcased their skills on Friday evening. First, it was 6’5″ wing/forward Kyle Olagbeji (Lincoln Way East H.S. 2023) impressing with his strength and physicality on the way to the rim. He consistently got to the basket off of the bounce, whether it be from transition or in the half-court, and finished through contact. Olagbegi is a guy I liked last summer as well for the TWolves and he has only gotten better.
In the backcourt, 6’3″ guard Adam Labuda (Lockport Township H.S. 2023) showed off elite shooting ability coming off of screens with consistent footwork and a quick release. Big time shot-maker!
The Michigan Goonies 2023 fell 81-56 in the game, but 6’0″ guard Matthew Ritter (Lakeview H.S. 2023) was solid from start-to-finish. He made some tough pull-up jumpers off of the dribble and looked to be a three-level scorer. One to keep an eye on up in Michigan.
Ohio, Kentucky Prospects Flash Potential
Moving on to later in the evening, I caught a some of the Midwest Basketball Club 2023 Silver game against Indiana Faith 2023. While Indiana Faith twins Jacob Spaulding (Eastern Hancock H.S. 2023) & Silas Spaulding (Eastern Hancock H.S. 2023) showed off their shot-making ability, it was all Midwest Basketball Club in this one. 6’4″ wing Jason Lavender (Lakota West H.S. 2023) stood out with his length and athletic driving ability. Rebounds his position very well too.
Down across the river in Kentucky, a pair of prospects from Griffin Elite 2023 Bordas played well in an easy win over Team GRIII 2023 Black. 6’4″ forward Cayden Lancaster (Pulaski County H.S. 2023) finished very well up around the rim with some bounciness inside. Good athlete. Also, 6’4″ wing James Rose (Madison Southern H.S. 2024) more than held his own while playing up a year. The bigger guard was a consistent playmaker with the ball and showed a nice shooting stroke from the mid-range. Definitely a prospect worth following.