3 For 3: Week 4 Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2022-23 high school boys' basketball season is underway and we at Prep Hoops 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> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Players</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1049169"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6397804fd8064"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the point in the season, the Penn and future Notre Dame guard has carved out a nice path for him to become this year's Indiana Mr. Basketball. He has lead Penn to a 5-0 record to start the season and just came off a 38 point performance vs Zionsville this past weekend. He is arguably the best overall scorer in the state and pairs it so well with his elite athletic ability. He is also, in my opinion, one of the most improved players in the 2023 class. He and Penn will look to stay undefeated when they go 3A Bremen on 12/16. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1547883"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6397804fd80c5"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 2024 class, Murans has slowly become of the most impressive stock-risers we have here in Indiana. A transfer from Carmel, Murans is a 6'6 wing that is a Fluid athlete that score the ball at all three levels. He is starting to pick up some steam with smaller schools looking into him and rightfully so because this guy is one of the more versatile forwards in that in-state class. Although Guerin Catholic has had a rocky start to the year (2-3), Murans has been a stud for them. Watch Murans this week as he and the Golden Eagles host Pendleton Heights (12/13) and then travel to Heritage Christian (12/16). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1297113"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6397804fd810e"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There might not be a better scorer in the southern Indiana area than Sims because this young shooting guard has been lighting it up for Evansville Harrison. He has elite scoring ability and is someone that shoots the ball with extreme confidence. He gets to his spot well as well as a physical guard that has excellent body control and strength which allows him to play and score around the basket. Evansville Harrison has caught a little bit of a host streak winning their last two and will look to continue to improve as they travel to at Owensboro (KY) (12/13) and then face a tough Linton-Stockton team at Grace College on 12/17. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Teams</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Beech Grove (3A):</strong>&nbsp;Th reigning 3A State champs are doing much better this season than most, including myself, thought they would so far. They are 3-2 on the year and for the major of their games, they have been competitive. They are lead by the dynamic backcourt 2023 duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1530699' first='Jeremiah' last='Alexander'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1556397' first='Jeremiah' last='Tate'], both who have played very well this season. They lost a lot from last year, including their head coach, but have managed to bounce back from those odds. They have a chance for 2 big wins this week hosting Franklin (12/16) and then traveling to Indianapolis Roncalli (12/17). </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Gary 21st Century (2A):</strong>&nbsp;Since making the jump from 1A to 2A, the Cougars have proved thus far that they belonged at that next level. Lead by 2023 stud guard [player_tooltip player_id='868220' first='Ashton' last='Williamson'], Gary 21st is 3-1 on the year with their only loss coming from Zionsville a couple of weeks ago. However, they have a challenging week ahead with three games with two of them being on the road. Gary 21 travel to Valparaiso (12/13), host Hammond Central (12/16), then have a neutral site meeting with Proviso East (IL) (12/17). Cougars will need a big week from their star guard as well guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1042493' first='D.J.' last='Moss'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1160677' first='Quintin' last='Floyd'] to bring it as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bloomfield (1A):</strong>&nbsp;At this point, it is hard to argue that any team is better than Bloomfield at the 1A level. The Cardinals, lead by 6'6 PF [player_tooltip player_id='1557223' first='Peter' last='Combs'] are 5-1 on the season and have only loss to 4A North Central, which was a complete mismatch on paper. In their 5 wins, they have handled pretty much every team winning by at least 10+ points. This week, Bloomfield has a meeting with White river Valley on 12/17. Bloomfield is going to be a tough team to beat come Sectional time. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3 Matchups&nbsp;</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Blackhawk Christian (2A) vs Chesterton (4A) – Dec. 17th, 7:30 pm:</strong>&nbsp;This is a very fun matchup on paper in northern Indiana this week. At this point, both the Braves and Trojans are up to three wins on the year and both are lead by stud forwards in [player_tooltip player_id='1042499' first='Josh' last='Furst'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1158231' first='Justin' last='Sims']. Historically, both of these teams are used to deep runs in the post season and usually filled with talented players and that is and should be the case this year. When I compare these two on paper, Chesterton just has the more talent with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1391867' first='Owen' last='Guest'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1275807' first='Tyler' last='Parrish'] to go along with Sims. If Chesterton can slow down [player_tooltip player_id='1042496' first='Gage' last='Sefton'] from going off, the Trojans should pick up the win here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brebeuf Jesuit (3A) at University (2A) – Dec. 16th, 7:30 pm:&nbsp;</strong>In central Indiana, this should be a pretty fun one. [player_tooltip player_id='1275802' first='Reis' last='Butcher'] and the Braves will make a short trip down the road to face [player_tooltip player_id='1578464' first='Sabien' last='Cain'] and the Trailblazers. The idea of a Butcher vs. Cain show down is what excites me the most here as both are extremely talented guards. Besides those two, there are still plenty of solid players in this one including [player_tooltip player_id='1556354' first='Andre' last='Ozlowski'], [player_tooltip player_id='1556382' first='Cam' last='Freeman'], [player_tooltip player_id='935746' first='Merrick' last='Macaluso'], and others in this one. Could this one being a high scoring contest with Brebeuf Jesuit getting the road win here.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Carmel (4A) at Kokomo (4A) – Dec. 17th, 7:30 pm:</strong>&nbsp;The biggest game of the week and there is no question about. [player_tooltip player_id='1042491' first='Sam' last='Orme'] and Carmel make the trip up to meet [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga'] and Kokomo, it just does not get much bigger than that. While the best payer on the floor will be Bidunga, you could argue that Carmel just has the better team overall with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='868225' first='Spencer' last='White'] and [player_tooltip player_id='935725' first='Jared' last='Bonds'] complementing Orme well. Speaking of Orme, the Belmont commit has been playing phenomenal and is making a run for Mr. Basketball at this time. With Bidunga, he is playing as great as you would expect. Carmel will have to worry about Bidunga and if they can pressure him a little bit, they will get the road win here. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->