Way Too Early Class 4A State Title Favorites

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This week we will continue on with our early preview of the upcoming Indiana High School Basketball season. Last week we broke down the new IHSAA Sectional alignments and highlighted the top players in each class. Now, today, we will dive into the state title favorites in each class beginning with Class 4A. These are the five teams we believe have the best chance to cut down the nets at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Teams are listed in alphabetical order.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Class 4A</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><li><strong>Ben Davis</strong>: There is a ton of hype surrounding the Giants entering this season and rightfully so. A loaded Class of 2023 has now reached their senior season and have state championship expectations. Last season, Ben Davis went 22-7 and lost to state champion Cathedral in the regional final. The overwhelming majority of their scoring and minutes played return from last year's team led by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1158204' first='K.J.' last='Windham'], senior center [player_tooltip player_id='1042497' first='Zane' last='Doughty'], and senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1273713' first='Sheridan' last='Sharp']. Windham was the leading scorer a year ago averaging 12.7 points per game while Doughty was named to the Indiana Junior All-Star Core team after averaging 11.3 points, 11 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. This is an incredibly deep team that has every piece you need for a well-rounded basketball team.</li><li><strong>Cathedral</strong>: The defending champs absolutely deserve to be a state title favorite. In fact, they will almost assuredly be my preseason #1 team when the polls come out. 6'11" Michigan State commit [player_tooltip player_id='868219' first='Xavier' last='Booker'] is back as a dominant two-way force that played his best basketball during the state tournament last season. 6'6" sharp-shooter [player_tooltip player_id='868251' first='Jake' last='Davis'] and 6'4" Purdue Football commit [player_tooltip player_id='868252' first='Jaron' last='Tibbs'] is also back after starting for last season's state championship team. The addition of a couple talented move-ins, 6'2" guard [player_tooltip player_id='868227' first='Kamari' last='Slaughter'] from Portage and 6'7" forward [player_tooltip player_id='1761728' first='Zach' last='Meeks'] from New Jersey, will certainly help as well. This Cathedral team has the top-end talent and depth to repeat as state champions.</li><li><strong>Fishers:</strong> Don't become too afraid of the youth and lack of experience. In the end, talent generally wins out and the Tigers have plenty of it. 6'7" point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1297052' first='Jalen' last='Haralson'] is the name everyone knows and will be good enough as a sophomore to give Fishers a chance every time they take the court. However, he is joined in the backcourt by two other very talented guards in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1525664' first='Jonanthony' last='Hall'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1578471' first='Taden' last='Metzger'] who transferred from Marion. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1578361' first='Carter' last='Jones'] will likely contribute as well. In the front court, 6'9" center [player_tooltip player_id='935744' first='James' last='Stasey'] had a great summer and 6'5" sophomore brings some floor spacing ability. This team features some new faces, but the talent is undeniable and they will be a tough out come tournament time.</li><li><strong>Penn</strong>: Notre Dame commit, and Mr. Basketball candidate, [player_tooltip player_id='1049169' first='Markus' last='Burton'] would be enough by himself to make Penn a leading candidate out of northern Indiana to make a run to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The 5'10" guard averaged 26.9 points per game as a junior on his way to being named to the Indiana Junior All-Star Core team. However, he has some help around him that will make the Kingsmen a top team throughout the year. In the backcourt, look for [player_tooltip player_id='1272962' first='Joe' last='Smith'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1391326' first='Joey' last='Garwood'] to have strong senior seasons next to Burton. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='1547389' first='Dominic' last='Bonner'] will provide additional depth at the guard position. In terms of size, the Kingsmen have a pair of 6'7"-6'8" forwards in [player_tooltip player_id='1272951' first='Josh' last='Gatete'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1049172' first='Dylan' last='Derda'] who have been varsity contributors. That group of five seniors will be tough to beat in March.</li><li><strong>Zionsville</strong>: There may not be a better pure inside-outside threat in the state than Logan Imes and Nick Richart. Imes, a 6'4" point guard committed to Penn State, averaged 17.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game as a junior. He will be among the leading candidates for Mr. Basketball this season. The 6'9" Richart is a sought after mid-major recruit that is now playing fully healthy and ready for a big senior season. Veterans Edward Thomas and Matthew Wlekinski provide some additional depth for the eagles along with a good sophomore class that will contribute some this season. Sectional 8 is loaded and it is hard to consider BOTH Fishers and Zionsville a state title favorite when one won't even survive the first weekend, but the Eagles deserve to be mentioned here. </li></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other Early Potential Contender</strong>: Kokomo</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->