Preseason Sleeper Teams in Class 3A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There will be Indiana High School Basketball games played exactly four weeks from today. These next couple of weeks are were the preseason starts to get a little long and monotonous. Open gyms and fall workouts have been going on for over a month now, but the season itself is still a month away. To try and break up this portion of the fall we at Prep Hoops Indiana will turn back to previewing the upcoming season. A few weeks ago we went class-by-class highlighting who we believed to be the state championship favorites. Now, we will turn our attention to some potential sleepers in each class. We started&nbsp;<a href="https://prephoops.com/2022/10/preseason-sleeper-teams-in-class-1a/">with the small schools in 1A</a>&nbsp;and then highlighted the Class 2A sleepers. Now, we move on to Class 3A. These teams could turn some heads this winter. ***I would have included New Castle in this article, but since I am attending their open gym the same day this article is going live I decided to save all of my thoughts on the Trojans for my open gym report.***</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Concordia Lutheran</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Concordia Lutheran returns their entire rotation from last year's group that finished 13-12 and lost a close one to Leo in the sectional championship game. In terms of raw talent, the Cadets will have plenty of it this season. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1158179' first='Ajani' last='Washington'] is ranked #7 in the class by Prep Hoops Indiana and should be a lock for the Indiana Junior All-Star. Last season, Washington averaged 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. 6'5" junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1158230' first='Cole' last='Hayworth'] was the next leading scorer at 10.8 points per game. In the sophomore class, guards [player_tooltip player_id='1296978' first='Avery' last='Cook'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1297075' first='Khalyn' last='Williams-Thomas'] are two names to keep in mind. Both are dynamic with the ball and were great on the AAU circuit over the summer. You can go down the entire list of names from last season's rotation and find the rest of your primary contributors for Lutheran. David Speckhard, [player_tooltip player_id='1557197' first='Alan' last='Ter Molen'], Joe Tapp, and [player_tooltip player_id='1272959' first='Grant' last='Hayworth'] are all back to try and push the Cadets over the top in Sectional 21.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Evansville Memorial</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The future is bright for head coach Heath Howington at Evansville Memorial. Whether it all clicks this season or not, the Tigers will be a force in Sectional 32 over the next few seasons. Coming off of a breakout summer, 6'6" forward [player_tooltip player_id='1578479' first='Tucker' last='Tornatta'] will be an Indiana Junior All-Star candidate this season. The skilled left-hander averaged 9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last year as a sophomore. His game continues to expand and he should be one of the top players in the Pocket City this season. [player_tooltip player_id='1539999' first='Luke' last='Ellspermann'] (6.6 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id='1159224' first='Luke' last='Lawrence'] (3.2 ppg) both gained valuable experience as freshmen and appear ready to take on expanded roles in their sophomore campaign. Also returning from last year's squad are seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1557196' first='Blake' last='Anderson'] (8.6 ppg) and Leo Collins (6.3 ppg) will add some veteran leadership to the otherwise younger team. Memorial has a great mix of size and perimeter skill that should make them one of the best teams coming out of Evansville and the southwestern Indiana region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Oak Hill</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There aren't many teams in the state who can say they are bringing back everyone from last season's team. Even fewer can say that after an 18-6 season. However, that is the situation Oak Hill finds themselves in. After a narrow 62-61 loss to Norwell in the sectional, the Golden Eagles are back looking to advance further in the tournament. Leading the way is 6'4" senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1273049' first='Landon' last='Biegel'] and his 22.3 points per game. One of the elite pure shooters in the state of Indiana, Biegel is ranked #41 in the Class of 2023 by Prep Hoops Indiana and holds offers from Grace, Huntington, and Indiana Wesleyan. His classmate Caleb Kroll is a talented scorer in his own right bringing back 14.3 points per game to create a potent one-two punch for the Golden Eagles. A balanced rotation of five additional varsity contributors all return as well to create a veteran roster that will try and lead Oak Hill to postseason success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>Scottsburg</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The loss of do-it-all forward Hayden Cutter, who scored nearly 1500 career points, while obviously sting for Coach Eric Richardson and the Warriors. However, there is plenty to still be excited about if you are a Scottsburg fan. An extremely talented junior class is ready to take over the program this season and compete for a Sectional 30 championship. A year ago, Scottsburg went 16-9 and fell to North Harrison in the sectional final. That junior class consists of 6'8" [player_tooltip player_id='1578484' first='Wyatt' last='Zellers'], 6'4" [player_tooltip player_id='1276470' first='Jack' last='Miller'], 6'3" [player_tooltip player_id='1401893' first='Kody' last='Clancy'], and 6'2" [player_tooltip player_id='1295314' first='Caden' last='Richardson']. All of these guys were primary rotation pieces a year ago and coming off of very strong summers. Zellers, with his ability to stretch the floor at his size, could be a real breakout player in southern Indiana this season. Look for this group to spend a lot of time in the Class 3A Top 10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2>South Bend Washington</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After going 15-10 last season the Panthers return their best player and add potentially the best freshman in the state of Indiana. Having to go against defending state runner-up Mishawaka Marian now in Sectional 19 will make the path harder, but South Bend Washington will have the talent to stack up with anyone. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='868232' first='Marcus' last='Northern'] returns to lead the charge after averaging 15.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game last season. His playmaking ability offensively, and on-ball defensive ability, will make him one of the best players in the South Bend area this year. Fellow senior guard Terrence Reid averaged 9.2 points per game a year ago while Ty'Shaun Gundy is another senior guard with experience in the Panthers rotation. However, it is incoming freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1561598' first='Steven' last='Reynolds III'] who really raises the level of what this team can be. The 6'4" wing is incredibly skilled with the ball and is as fluid of an athlete as you will find in the class. He will make an instant impact to winning for South Bend Washington.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->