Week 4: 2024 Top Performers
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Week 4 featured an action-packed weekend of basketball across the state of Indiana. For me, I saw Terre Haute North take down Bloomington South on Friday night. Then, on Saturday, I was in attendance for the final four games of…
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Continue ReadingWeek 4 featured an action-packed weekend of basketball across the state of Indiana. For me, I saw Terre Haute North take down Bloomington South on Friday night. Then, on Saturday, I was in attendance for the final four games of the 2022 Champions of Character Classic at Grace College. This showcase featured Concord taking down East Noble, Center Grove remaining unbeaten against Fort Wayne Snider, Warsaw holding off South Bend St. Joseph, and Fort Wayne Blackhawk outlasting Chesterton in a great final game of the night. Now, let’s take a look at the top 2024 perfrmers from these five games this week.
Van Gessel is a nice scoring guard who can score it on all three levels. Despite the big loss for East Noble, Van Gessel showed he could shoot it from the outside as well as attack the rim. He did well at drawing fouls when on the attack and knocked down all six of his free throws. Van Gessel has room to grow, but he has potential with his scoring ability. Van Gessel scored 9 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in the loss.
Braeden Messenger
Braeden Messenger
Messenger is a good scoring wing who did it all for Concord. He struggled from the perimeter at just 1-7, but his shooting stroke looks pure. Seemed to just be an off game from the outside. However, when his outside shots weren’t falling, Messenger went on the attack. He is a strong finisher and has good touch on the inside. He also used his size well on the inside to pull down 6 rebounds. Messenger ended with 14 points in the win.
Billingsley is a smaller point guard who relies on his quickness and his maneuverability to make plays on the offensive end. He looks to run as soon as he gets the ball in his hand, and he gets into the lane with his shiftiness. His two buckets in the lane were circus finishes that showed off his touch on the inside. It was not the best game from Billingsley with just 4 points and 2 assists, but he could be a player to watch next year for Snider.
Bundy is a tough point guard who doesn’t shy away from anyone on the court. He can knock shots down from the outside while also driving into the lane and finishing amongst the trees. Bundy has been the point guard for unbeaten Center Grove all season, and his consistent play is a big reason why they have made their way into the 4A top-10 rankings. Bundy ended with 11 points and 3 assists in the win.
Schmitz is another Center Grove guard with a high basketball IQ. He sees the floor well, uses his patience, and seems to always make the right decision about where the ball needs to go. He can also shoot it well and score it at all three levels for the Trojans. In addition, he excels on the defensive end of the floor as he takes pride in playing tough defense. Schmitz is a very good collegiate prospect who should be seeing some NAIA offers roll in this summer. He ended with 14 points in the win.
Highlights
Yeager is a big post player who uses his physicality to make his plays inside. He was incredibly aggressive on the glass on both ends of the floor with 9 rebounds and 4 offensive rebounds. However, when he got the ball in the post, he was able to show off some good footwork on post moves, good touch around the rim, and even some nice passes out of the post to the open man. Yeager finished with 10 points and 9 rebounds in the win.
Highlights
Parrish is a highly-skilled shooting guard who will be receiving Division I interest very soon. He has a great shooting stroke and showed that with a pair of triples. He is also a great playmaker and can get to the hole and finish with the best of them. On the defensive end of the floor, Parrish plays aggressive defense and does not take time off. Parrish scored 25 points on an efficient 11-17 shooting night in this one. Despite losing an Indiana All-Star to graduation last year, Parrish has Chesterton back in the top-10 conversation in 4A.
Sims is a big, powerful post player who can be a monster in the paint. He is an aggressive and powerful rebounder, and he knows how to get himself into the right post position to score the basketball. Sims was in foul trouble for most of the game, but he still added 11 points. He was also able to keep the Blackhawk posts relatively in check when he was on the floor. He is going to get some Division I attention come this summer.