Eight Under-the-Radar Names to Know at Semi-State

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 114th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament is moving right along. This past weekend we went from 64 Sectional champions to 32 Regional champions. Now, the four teams remaining in the north and south brackets of each respective class will meet for a two-game Semi-State held on Saturday, March 16th. The winners at each site will then advance to Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the 2024 IHSAA State Finals held on Saturday, March 30th. Despite making it this far in the state tournament, there are some prospects who continue to fly under-the-radar. Today, we will highlight eight such players who could have a breakout performance on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2053658"],"_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":"Surrounded by a talented group of seniors that are pushing for a second straight appearance at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, this 6'7u0022 junior forward quietly averages 12.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game for the Golden Eagles. Cardinal is a skilled post player who can score with his back to the basket and rebounds his area at a high level. Look for his interior presence to the be the X-Factor if Guerin is able to get a pair of wins on Saturday and return to the state finals.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1158215"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Day has been a highly sought after Division II/Division III/NAIA prospect for a while, but may have flown under-the-radar a bit this season due to transferring from Homestead to Canterbury and missing some time at the beginning on the season. However, his return to the floor almost perfectly coincided with the Cavaliers winning 14 of their last 16 games. The 6'7u0022 senior center averages 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Tyson Frey","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2024","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"6'3u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"77247","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Fairfield","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Frey is a physical wing that has led Fairfield past traditional 3A powerhouse NorthWood in Sectional 20 and then to a 41-39 upset win in the Regional over Bishop Noll. His strength both on the perimeter and around the basket creates a difficult matchup for opposing defenses to deal with. He and the Falcons will look to pull another upset on Saturday against Delta.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1297069"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Coming off of the bench for a loaded Fishers team, this 6'4u0022 junior guard doesn't garner as many press clippings as some of his teammates. However, the explosive athlete is a great player in his own right that is capable of a big game. Kirby has become a catch-and-shoot threat over the past year while still being at his best attacking closeouts, playing in transition, and finishing well above the rim. He is always one of, if not the, most athletic player on the floor.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["2053657"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Scrafton possesses excellent physical and athletic tools for a well-balanced Danville team that has won 22 games on their way to the Class 3A South Semi-State. He averages 11.2 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Warriors and will be a big part of what they on Saturday as they try to knock off the defending Class 3A state runner-up Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles. The junior wing is definitely one to pay attention to in that matchup.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["1561617"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"By nature of playing in The Region, Shaw may still be a bit of an unknown to basketball fans in the greater Indianapolis area and to the south. However, that should change in the coming years as the 6'6u0022 wing is one of the top prospects in Indiana's Class of 2026. Shaw led a talented trio of Bulldogs' sophomores in scoring in their Regional win over Warsaw with 16 points. His combination of skill, length, and athleticism make him a difficult matchup.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_6_player":["1749499"],"_player_evaluations_6_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_6_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_6_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"A lot of attention gets paid to Ben Davis' backcourt, and rightfully so, but this 6'7u0022 junior forward is an important piece in the front court for the defending Class 4A state champion Giants. Williams leads the team in rebounding and blocked shots while providing additional rim protection defensively and a lob threat offensively. He is very bouncy around the basket and has length that you can't teach. Look for Williams to be a defensive difference-maker for Ben Davis on Saturday.","_player_evaluations_6_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_7_player":["1158201"],"_player_evaluations_7_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_7_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_7_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"Wright certainly isn't under-the-radar for fans of the Apaches, but the senior wing might be a relative unknown for casual fans around the state that descend on the Class 2A North Semi-State at Lafayette Jeff High School on Saturday. He leads a trio of talented seniors averaging a team-high 15.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for 21-5 Wabash. They've won 13 straight games going into their Semi-State matchup with Blackhawk Christian.","_player_evaluations_7_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":8,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65f1dd8e55e90"} /-->