Kyler’s Mid-Week Player Evaluations: Westfield/Pendleton Heights

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Nothing wrong with some mid-week player evaluations here at Prep Hoops Indiana! With the Prep Hoops IN crew scheduled to be at Sneakers For Santa this Saturday, I wanted to give some spotlight to the players that won't be there this weekend. I went to Westfield vs Pendleton Heights on Tuesday which saw the Shamrocks beat the Arabians 64-39. I also saw some top tier talent in the state as well. Here are five players that stood out to me and an evaluation of what I saw. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1457477"],"_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":"Laraiva made a little bit of a homecoming in this game having played at Westfield last season before transferring to Pendleton Heights for his senior year. The return was not the best for Laravia as he struggled to really get any true offense going. The times I have seen Laravia, he is usually as his best when he can bang down low and use his size to score through contact. As the season goes on, he will be a solid post option for Pendleton Heights.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6567a8c0ebdd5"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1275772"],"_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":"u003cp style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eGustin was the best player for Heights in this game and currently is one of the top forwards we have in the in-state 2024 class. In this game, thought he did really well coming off of screens creating space to get his silky smooth jumper to fall. What I like about Gustin is how good he flows up and down the floor. Thought he showed that he can be an overlooked rim protector at times because he had multiple blocks last night. Only issue I have is that he forces and rushes contested shots a little often. With his skill and athletic ability, there is without question D1 potential there.u003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6567a8c0ebe37"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1761729"],"_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":"Farrell is a senior guard that brings a lot of swagger and athletic ability to the Shamrocks team. He is real shifty with the ball and creates in the lane and around the basket. Couple of issues I had was that he got a little too wild with the ball at times and on-court attitude, which eventually got him T'd up. With the ability to get downhill to the rim offensively and defend his position, Farrall can be a great piece to Westfield all season.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6567a8c0ebe84"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1275749"],"_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":"u003cp style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eEven though he started off a little slow this game, Buchanan became the best player on the floor before it was all said and done. His elite court vision and natural on-ball ability was on full display and he did such a great job dribbling through traffic. He struggled knocking down the outside jumper before he nailed back-to-back threes which really got his offense going. He is in for such a big senior season and will be one of the best guards all season. He finished with 21 points, which was a game-high.u003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6567a8c0ebed0"} /--> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2079499"],"_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":"u003cp style=u0022font-weight: 400u0022u003eTalk about making an immediate impact in the state. The New Zealand native has become an instant impact player for Westfield thus far this season and I was extremely impressed with how physical he was on both ends of the floor. He is a rebounding nut that will do whatever it takes to get the ball and that is also because of how high is motor is. He is a lefty big man too that knows how to get shot attempts with his left hand around the basket. Excited to see him go at other top bigs in the state all season.u003c/pu003e","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6567a8c0ebf37"} /-->