Top Transfers – Fort Wayne Area
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Talking about transfers at the high school level can be a touchy, even sometimes taboo, subject. There is a segment of Indiana High School Basketball purists that simply will never approve of kids and their families seeking different opportunities. While…
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Continue ReadingTalking about transfers at the high school level can be a touchy, even sometimes taboo, subject. There is a segment of Indiana High School Basketball purists that simply will never approve of kids and their families seeking different opportunities. While recruiting and influencing high school student-athletes to change schools for basketball-specific reasons is thought of as “not good” by a consensus of fans, there are always unique circumstances to each transfer that most will never know. More times than not, there are not the nefarious reasons behind a transfer that many people seem to want to believe. Sometimes it truly can be as simply as a family moving to a new place. In Indiana, with open enrollment, that also means that when entering a new area student-athletes have the right to choose the situation they deem to be the best fit. There are enough basketball powerhouses in every major metropolitan area that “recruiting” in the traditional sense doesn’t even come into play. The schools and programs simply recruit themselves based on the banners on the wall and the alumni playing in college and beyond. With all that being said, let’s take a look at some of the top transfers throughout the state of Indiana entering the 2023-2024 high school basketball season. Let’s take a look at the greater Fort Wayne area.
One of the top post players in Indiana’s Class of 2024 is making the move to Canterbury from Homestead. Day had a strong, and healthy, summer with Ohio Buckets which lead to several college offers from a variety of levels including Lake Erie, Pikeville, Saint Francis, Indiana Tech, Goshen, and DePauw. He is a smooth finisher with a soft touch around the basket, rebounds his area very well, and has the size and strength to more than hold his own on the block defensively. Look for a big senior year out of him at Canterbury.
Highlights
Essegian is a really intriguing wing prospect that brings excellent physical tools and a hard-nosed attitude on the defensive end of the floor. He is disruptive on the ball and has the length at 6’6″ to play in the passing lanes or even switch onto bigger defenders in ballscreen action. After playing three seasons at Central Noble he will finish his high school career at Whitko. Essegian currently holds offers from Bluffton, New College of Florida, Wabash, Trine, and Heidelberg.
The Truesdale twins are two of the more athletic prospects in the state of Indiana. Dereon is long, explosive, and displays some real two-way ability on the perimeter. His ability to attack the rim off of the dribble and take over a game in transition were on full display throughout the summer with OPS Black 2025 and should flow right into a great junior year. He will now suit up for Bishop Luers after beginning his career at Carroll (Fort Wayne).
The Truesdale twins are two of the more athletic prospects in the state of Indiana. Both are Top 50 prospects, and will continue to rise, with plenty of college attention coming in after excellent summers with OPS Black 2025 on the Prep Ho OPS Circuit. Dreyln is really effective with the ball in his hands as an aggressive driver. The 6’3″ two-way wing can get downhill to the rim as good as anyone in the state and is a massive threat in transition at all times. Bishop Luers adding Dereon and Dreyln will make the Knights an under-the-radar team in Class 2A.
A smaller, left-handed point guard, Wallace will take his talents across town from Bishop Luers to Fort Wayne Southside High School for his senior season. He is very quick with the ball in his hands, shifty on the perimeter, and does a good job of finishing in a variety of ways when he gets into the paint. At Luers he was a three-year varsity contributor including averaging 15.2 points as a sophomore and 14.3 points as a junior. Currently holds Division III offers from Bluffton and Manchester.
Washington has done a ton of scoring in his high school career. His offensive production through three seasons at Concordia Lutheran was excellent with averages of 16.2 point, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game across 70 games. Now, as a senior, the 6’2″ athletic guard will play at New Haven High School. He is a relentless driver that does a great job of finishing up around the rim. Washington is also a very good wide receiver on the gridiron.
Fort Wayne Wayne added yet another talented guard to their team coming off of a Class 4A Semi-State appearance as Williams-Thomas comes over from Concordia Lutheran. This 6’0″ guard will help to add some depth in a very good backcourt for what should be a preseason Top 5 team in Class 4A this season.