Way Too Early Class 4A Rankings – Version 2.0

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We first took a stab at this <a href="https://prephoops.com/2023/06/way-too-early-class-4a-rankings/">exercise back in the middle of June</a> heading into the Top 100 and Charlie Hughes Showcase. However, at lot has changed since that time. Fishers, who was the #1 team in that ranking, lost their star player as [player_tooltip player_id='1297052' first='Jalen' last='Haralson'] announced his decision to transfer to La Lumiere. Similarly, Purdue commit Kanon Catchings announced he would forgo his senior season at Brownsburg and attend Overtime Elite. The Bulldogs were #3 in that poll. With so much shakeup at the top it felt right to take another look as the school year begins at the top five teams in Class 4A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#1 Kokomo Wildkats</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we said back in June, nobody else in the state has [player_tooltip player_id='1363488' first='Flory' last='Bidunga']. His presence alone will make the Wildkats one of the best teams in the state of Indiana once again. The generational talent led Kokomo to the Semi-State in his first season as a sophomore and then took them to the state finals as a junior. Bidunga, a 6'9" five-star center, averaged 20.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting an incredible 81% from the field. However, the team's next three leading scorers are all gone due to graduation. Junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='1381461' first='Zion' last='Bellamy'] will be relied on to take a leap while [player_tooltip player_id='2282348' first='Reis' last='Beard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2282357' first='Karson' last='Rogers'] are other rotation players who return. Adding sophomore transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1561074' first='Baris' last='Moore'] from Taylor High School was a massive offseason addition for the Wildkats. He will provide some much needed help in the backcourt to take some of the pressure off of their big man. Bidunga has proven he can put the team on his back the last two seasons and that shouldn't be any different this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#2 Lawrence North Wildcats</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aside from Fishers, Lawrence North was the most impressive team at the Charlie Hughes Showcase in June. The Wildcats ran through the competition defeating Mt. Vernon (Fortville), Kokomo, Fort Wayne Wayne, and Portage by an average of 25.8 points per game. To address the elephant in the room, yes LN defeated Kokomo 95-68. Yes, Kokomo is #1 and Lawrence North is #2 in this poll. There is a difference in summer basketball and winter basketball and until someone defeats Bidunga and the 'Kats in the an "actual" game it is hard to go against them. That will likely just be fuel to the fire though for the dynamic backcourt of junior [player_tooltip player_id='1296979' first='Azavier' last='Robinson'] and senior [player_tooltip player_id='1158213' first='Kobi' last='Bowles']. Those two are incredibly athletic, explosive guards that will give opponents fits. [player_tooltip player_id='1275769' first='Myles' last='Baker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1158217' first='Miles' last='Good'] will help to stretch the floor as shooters on the perimeter as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#3 Ben Davis Giants</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Do not sleep on the undefeated defending champions. Ben Davis rattled off one of the best seasons we've seen in decades last year going 33-0 led by a pair of Indiana All-Stars and a handful of other seniors that are now off to play college basketball. However, this will be more of a reload than a rebuild. [player_tooltip player_id='1158204' first='K.J.' last='Windham'], [player_tooltip player_id='1373105' first='Mark' last='Zackery'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1295351' first='Mark' last='White'] are all back after playing significant roles a year ago. [player_tooltip player_id='2050030' first='Kaleb' last='Milan'] transferred in from Scecina and [player_tooltip player_id='1749499' first='Tavion' last='Williams'] is up from the junior varsity to provide a talent, long one-two punch in the front court. There are several more names that will emerge this season for the Giants as they look to get right back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. They deserve to be mentioned among the best once again after an impressive summer.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#4 Crispus Attucks Tigers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Indianapolis City Champions are going to look very similar to last season, but they will have the benefit of being a year older. Additionally, they added rising senior point guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1158227' first='Mason' last='Lewis']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/mason-lewis/"></a> from North Central to add even more talent to their backcourt. Rising junior forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1297019' first='Dezmon' last='Briscoe']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dezmon-briscoe/"></a> has been bringing in high-major offers after averaging 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game as a sophomore. Meanwhile, rising senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1275771' first='Ron' last='Rutland III']</strong>, a recent UIndy commit, led the Tigers with 18.0 points per game while making 75 three-point shots. Deandre Lott and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1297004' first='Chris' last='Hurt']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chris-hurt/"></a> are back as veteran contributors as well. Rising senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1275781' first='Demetrius' last='Jenkins']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/demetrius-jenkins/"></a> is another name to keep an eye on.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">#5 Fort Wayne Wayne Generals</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fort Wayne Wayne went from 4-18 to 22-5 with a trip to Semi-State in just one year's time. Now, they will look to break through and go even further while bringing back a large portion of their production. The Generals top two scorers, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1578417' first='Jevon' last='Lewis']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jevon-lewis-2/"></a> (16.6 points, 6.4 assists) and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1297001' first='Chase' last='Barnes']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/chase-barnes/"></a> (13.9 points) are both back. 6'5″ forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1297032' first='Trey' last='Dillard']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trey-dillard/"></a> returns 9.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as well. Elsewhere, look for <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1297102' first='Preston' last='Comer']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/preston-comer/"></a> to make a leap going into his junior season. This is an athletic team with a lot of talent that is now familiar with winning basketball games. They will likely be the best team outside of the greater Indianapolis area this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->