Homestead Tournament – A.M. Session News & Notes

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I'm up in Fort Wayne today taking in the day two action of the Homestead Tournament. I watched Mishawaka Marian vs. Valparaiso in the 10:00 a.m. game followed by Homestead and Hamilton Southeastern at 11:30 a.m. This evening's matchup are South Bend St. Joseph vs. Bishop Dwenger, Fishers vs. Munster, Hamilton Southeastern vs. Valparaiso, and Homestead vs. Mishawaka Marian for the championship. Here are some thoughts from the first two games I watched this morning.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>I was very impressed with Mishawaka Marian in their 48-46 win over Valparaiso to start the day off. With wins over Warren Central and Fishers already this season we were beyond the point of questioning how "real" the Knights might be this season. However, after seeing them live, they are without a doubt a Top 15 in the state regardless of class. The Class 3A #1 ranked Knights are now 10-0 and will play Homestead in the championship game this evening.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Unsigned senior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1049162' first='Deaglan' last='Sullivan'] hit a runner in the lane as time expired to win the game for Marian. He finished with 16 points on the game to lead the Knights. He is an excellent intermediate range scorer for someone his size. There are definitely NAIA programs that could use his playmaking ability. He should be one of the most sought after guards in the state heading into the new year.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='935722' first='Mason' last='Jones'] played a very good game in front of his future head coach at Ball State Michael Lewis. The versatile 6'7" forward scored a game-high 19 points in the loss and showed off his ability to score it from all three levels. I also came away very impressed with sophomore point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1297042' first='Jack' last='Smiley']. The left-hander can flat out stroke it from beyond the arc and handled the length of Mishawka Marian very well. He finished with 16 points.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='868270' first='Kyron' last='Kaopuiki'] is a stud. He is one of the most highly sought after small college prospects in the state of Indiana and rightfully so. Whatever program lands him will be getting an instant-impact sort of player. The 6'3" guard scored 27 points in Homestead's 67-45 win over Hamilton Southeastern. He is so smooth offensively, is incredibly efficient, and will also come in and guard right away for you. Future All-Conference type of player at the DIII/NAIA level.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Homestead's junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1547390' first='Will' last='Jamison'] was excellent as well scoring 21 points to help lead the Spartans into the championship game. Jamison is a dynamic playmaker with great change of direction speed when handling the basket. He does a great job of creating his own shot and showed off a consistent mid-range jump shot.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>For Hamilton Southeastern, 6'7" forward [player_tooltip player_id='1273712' first='Reph' last='Stevenson'] battled all game long around the basket. He has gotten noticeably strong and more physical even from just this summer. Stevenson finishes well at the rim, is bouncy getting up to finish and rebound, and can go get the ball outside of his area. Another guy who has a ton of small college interest and will become a great player at the next level wherever he ends up.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->