Prep Hoops Indiana High School Preview – Class 4A (South)
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The Indiana High School Basketball season is just around the corner and we at Prep Hoops Indiana will be pumping out a ton of previews right up until the opening tip. We have individually spotlighted 100+ schools across the state,…
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Continue ReadingThe Indiana High School Basketball season is just around the corner and we at Prep Hoops Indiana will be pumping out a ton of previews right up until the opening tip. We have individually spotlighted 100+ schools across the state, gave out watch lists for each class, and will have several other previews in the coming days. This week, while Brandon Ramsey will be will be handling the big picture previews, I will be breaking down each class in both the north and south regions by highlighting the best Sectional, top players in the area, state title contenders, and other quick hitters you need to know within the class. For this one, we will breaking down the Class 4A (South).
Best Sectional: Sectional 10
Teams: Arsenal Tech, Cathedral, Crispus Attucks, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North, North Central, Warren Central
Reason: There is hardly any debate as to why this is the best 4A South Sectional and probably the best overall Sectional in the entire state. Yeah you have your top dogs in this group, but you could honestly make an argument for any team here to make it to Regional weekend. Lawrence North and Crispus Attucks are two of the teams that most are high on this year but you can never count out Cathedral, who won the entire Class 4A state championship just two seasons ago. Warren Central and North Central have some of the top talent in the state to make a strong push and Arsenal Tech and Lawrence Central may be streaky but are plenty capable of providing upsets. Just the talent alone in this Sectional make it one of the top in the state as that talent includes guys like Dezmon Briscoe Dezmon Briscoe 6'9" | PF Crispus Attucks | 2025 State #107 Nation IN (Crispus Attucks), Kobi Bowles Kobi Bowles 6'2" | PG Lawrence North | 2024 State IN (Lawrence North), Brady Koehler Brady Koehler 6'9" | SF Cathedral | 2025 State #199 Nation IN (Cathedral), Brennan Miller Brennan Miller 6'7" | PF Lawrence North | 2026 State IN (Lawrence North), Azavier Robinson Azavier Robinson 6'1" | PG Lawrence North | 2025 State #88 Nation IN (Lawrence North), Papi Rivera Papi Rivera 6'1" | PG North Central | 2025 State IN (North Central), Ron Rutland III Ron Rutland III 6'1" | SG Crispus Attucks | 2024 State IN (Crispus Attucks), Jevon Guess Jevon Guess 6'6" | PF Warren Central | 2025 State IN (Warren Central), Nick Glover (Warren Central), Elexander Harris Elexander Harris 5'11" | PG Arsenal Tech | 2026 State IN (Arsenal Tech), and many others. Like it is every season, Sectional 10 is going to be a battle to get out of.
State Contenders
Ben Davis – Until beaten, the reigning Class 4A State Champions remain undefeated heading into this season. People across the state have said that this is a reload, not a rebuild for the Giants and that is accurate for the most part. Ben Davis returns arguably the best backcourt duo in the state in Northwestern commit K.J. Windham K.J. Windham 6'3" | PG Ben Davis | 2024 State #137 Nation IN and super athlete Mark Zackery Mark Zackery 6'0" | PG Ben Davis | 2025 State #398 Nation IN and have guys like Mark White, Dhani Flannigan Dhani Flannigan 5'10" | PG Ben Davis | 2024 State IN and Kaleb Milan Kaleb Milan 6'8" | C Ben Davis | 2025 State IN that will be major factors as well. They won’t be as dominant as they were last year, it’s just impossible, but they will be one of the better teams across the state.
Brownsburg – Unfortunately, the Bulldogs will be without their borderline five-star prospect Kanon Catchings this season due to him transferring out of the state, but luckily brought in many new impactful pieces that still give them a chance to be a contender. Senior guard Jordan Lomax Jordan Lomax 6'3" | SG Brownsburg | 2024 State IN brings over 17.3 points per game from Avon High School. Additionally, versatile 6’5″ wing Jesiah Sloss transferred in from Evansville Harrison where he averaged 7.4 points per game as a sophomore. They also bring back double-figure scorer Grant Porath Grant Porath 6'1" | SG Brownsburg | 2024 State IN as well as Kayden English Kayden English 6'4" | SF Brownsbrug | 2025 State IN and Brendan Lattimer Brendan Lattimer 6'7" | C Brownsburg | 2024 State IN that will play key minutes for the cCoach Lynch.
Cathedral – This one might be a bit more of a rebuild than most but Cathedral is still one of the top dogs in Class 4A South. It all starts with 6’8 junior forward Brady Koehler Brady Koehler 6'9" | SF Cathedral | 2025 State #199 Nation IN who is coming in as the top dog for the Irish without even being a factor in at the varsity level in his first two seasons. 2025 lead guard LeBron Gough and 2026 forward Keaton Aldridge Jr Keaton Aldridge Jr 6'4" | SF Cathedral | 2026 State IN . are going to be other breakout players, as well. Other guys such as Deric Cannady Deric Cannady 5'11" | PG Cathedral | 2025 State IN , Zach Meeks Zach Meeks 6'7" | C Cathedral | 2024 IN , and Anthony Fields Anthony Fields 6'2" | SG Cathedral | 2024 State IN return varsity experience as well. It may take them some time throughout the year, but come time for the postseason, Cathedral will be a player in Class 4A.
Center Grove – There may not be a more experienced, deep team in all of Class 4A than the Center Grove Trojans. For a team that won 22 games last season, they return nearly every player from that run last year and will be looking to make a deep push at the 4A State Championship. The top guys that will be returning include Joey Schmitz Joey Schmitz 6'2" | PG Center Grove | 2024 State IN , Will Spellman Will Spellman 6'6" | PF Center Grove | 2024 State IN , Peyton Byrd Peyton Byrd 6'7" | PF Center Grove | 2024 State IN , Jalen Bundy Jalen Bundy 5'11" | PG Center Grove | 2024 State IN , Dylan Meador Dylan Meador 5'11" | PG Center Grove | 2024 State IN , Ben Chestnut. If that is not enough, they also added a 6’10” move-in from Miami, Florida in Michael Ephraim Michael Ephraim 6'10" | C Center Grove | 2025 State IN , who will immediately make an impact in the post ends of the floor. Center Grove are a serious threat this season to win it all.
Crispus Attucks – The Tigers have the talent across the board here to be one of the favorites in all of Class 4A. University of Indianapolis commit Ron Rutland III Ron Rutland III 6'1" | SG Crispus Attucks | 2024 State IN is back for his senior season after averaging 18.0 points per game and making 75 three-pointers on the season. 6’8″ junior forward Dezmon Briscoe Dezmon Briscoe 6'9" | PF Crispus Attucks | 2025 State #107 Nation IN returns as well after putting up 15.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game as a sophomore. the supporting cast of North Central transfer Mason Lewis Mason Lewis 5'9" | PG Crispus Attucks | 2024 State IN and junior guard Chris Hurt Chris Hurt 5'11" | PG Crispus Attucks | 2025 State IN are also key factors this season as well. Its all about consistency with this team but if they are clicking, there may not be a team than can stop them in the south.
Jeffersonville – In the way down south, the Red Devils are likely the top team to have chance to come out of there. They bring back their elite junior trio of Tre Singleton Tre Singleton 6'7" | PF Jeffersonville | 2025 State #225 Nation IN , Michael Cooper Michael Cooper 6'2" | PG Jeffersonville | 2025 State IN , and P.J. Douglas P.J. Douglas 6'4" | SF Jeffersonville | 2025 State IN who averaged 13.5, 13.1, and 12.8 points per game respectively as sophomores. That group is a year older and much more experienced and have the talent to be a real contender.
Lawrence North – The Wildcats may come into this season as the without question No. 1 team in the state. From top to bottom, this group just has it all. The backcourt of Azavier Robinson Azavier Robinson 6'1" | PG Lawrence North | 2025 State #88 Nation IN and Kobi Bowles Kobi Bowles 6'2" | PG Lawrence North | 2024 State IN is proabably the most dynamic playmaking duo you’ll see on any team and and sophomore forwards Brennan Miller Brennan Miller 6'7" | PF Lawrence North | 2026 State IN and 6’8″ move-in Kai McGrew round out the front court. Around all of those guys are players such as sharpshooters Miles Good Miles Good 5'10" | PG Lawrence North | 2024 State IN and Myles Baker Myles Baker 5'11" | PG Lawrence North | 2024 State IN along with breakout candidates such as Davion Hampton Davion Hampton 6'1" | SG Lawrence North | 2025 State IN , Jamar Thomas Jamar Thomas 6'4" | SG Lawrence North | 2026 State IN , and Cameron Webster Cameron Webster 5'11" | PG Lawrence North | 2026 State IN . As it stands right now, here is your favorite to cut down the nets in March.
Plainfield – As far as under-the-radar teams in the Class 4A state contenders, let’s take a look at the Plainfield Quakers. They may not get the attention that other duos get in the Indianapolis area, but returning senior duo of Eli Ellis Eli Ellis 5'11" | SG Plainfield | 2024 State IN and Collin Schmidt Collin Schmidt 6'7" | PF Plainfield | 2024 State IN is about as good as you can get due to what they bring on the floor. Ellis averaged 14.1 points per game last season while Schmidt, a 6’6″ forward who is committed to IU-South Bend, added 11.0 points per game. Noah Smith Noah Smith 6'7" | SF Plainfield | 2026 State IN will be a major threat for them once he returns from injury, but Landon Gilliatt Landon Gilliatt 6'0" | PG Plainfield | 2026 State IN , Trey Barton Trey Barton 5'7" | PG Plainfield | 2026 State IN , and incoming freshman Harper Baker-Lands Harper Baker-Lands 6'2" | SG Plainfield | 2027 State IN will be serviceable all season. Sneaky threat to make a deep run in March.
Honorable Mention Teams To Watch
Anderson
Arsenal Tech
Bloomington North
Evansville Harrison
Evansville Reitz
Greenfield-Central
Lawrence Central
Mout Vernon (Fortville)
North Central
Pendleton Heights
Pike
Richmond
Terre Haute North
Warren Central
Top Players
Dezmon Briscoe Dezmon Briscoe 6'9" | PF Crispus Attucks | 2025 State #107 Nation IN (Crispus Attucks)
Kobi Bowles Kobi Bowles 6'2" | PG Lawrence North | 2024 State IN (Lawrence North)
David Cundiff David Cundiff 6'0" | PG Munster | 2024 State IN (Munster)
Micah Davis Micah Davis 6'0" | PG Franklin | 2024 State #184 Nation IN (Franklin)
Eli Ellis Eli Ellis 5'11" | SG Plainfield | 2024 State IN (Plainfield)
Luke Ertel Luke Ertel 6'1" | PG Mount Vernon (Fortville) | 2026 State IN (Mount Vernon Fortville)
Nick Glover (Warren Central)
Jevon Guess Jevon Guess 6'6" | PF Warren Central | 2025 State IN (Warren Central)
Josiah Gustin Josiah Gustin 6'7" | PF Pendleton Heights | 2024 State IN (Pendleton Heights)
Dezhon Hall Dezhon Hall 6'3" | PG Pike | 2026 State IN (Pike)
Elexander Harris Elexander Harris 5'11" | PG Arsenal Tech | 2026 State IN (Arsenal Tech)
E.J. Hazelett E.J. Hazelett 6'7" | SF Franklin Central | 2026 State IN (Franklin Central)
Cedric Horton Cedric Horton 6'4" | SG Richmond | 2025 State #321 Nation IN (Richmond)
Jaelyn Johnson Jaelyn Johnson 6'5" | PF Portage | 2024 State IN (Portage)
Damien King Damien King 6'4" | SF Anderson | 2025 State IN (Anderson)
Brady Koehler Brady Koehler 6'9" | SF Cathedral | 2025 State #199 Nation IN (Cathedral)
Braylen Langley Braylen Langley 6'9" | SG Evansville Reitz | 2026 State IN (Evansville Reitz)
Luke Lindeman Luke Lindeman 6'6" | SF Bloomington North | 2025 State IN (Bloomington North)
Brennan Miller Brennan Miller 6'7" | PF Lawrence North | 2026 State IN (Lawrence North)
Braylon Mullins Braylon Mullins 6'6" | SG Greenfield-Central | 2025 State #123 Nation IN (Greenfield-Central)
Azavier Robinson Azavier Robinson 6'1" | PG Lawrence North | 2025 State #88 Nation IN (Lawrence North)
Papi Rivera Papi Rivera 6'1" | PG North Central | 2025 State IN (North Central)
Ron Rutland III Ron Rutland III 6'1" | SG Crispus Attucks | 2024 State IN (Crispus Attucks)
Tre Singleton Tre Singleton 6'7" | PF Jeffersonville | 2025 State #225 Nation IN (Jeffersonville)
Noah Smith Noah Smith 6'7" | SF Plainfield | 2026 State IN (Plainfield)
Jaymen Townsend Jaymen Townsend 6'6" | SF Marion | 2025 State #248 Nation IN (Marion)
Braden Walters Braden Walters 6'6" | PF Terre Haute North | 2024 State IN (Terre Haute North)
K.J. Windham K.J. Windham 6'3" | PG Ben Davis | 2024 State #137 Nation IN (Ben Davis)
Mark Zackery Mark Zackery 6'0" | PG Ben Davis | 2025 State #398 Nation IN (Ben Davis)
Quick Hitters:
- Ben Davis represented 4A south and completed the the undefeated season to win the Class 4A State Championship over Kokomo.