Charlie Hughes Showcase – Sunday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024 IBCA/IHSAA Boys Team Showcase in Memory of Charlie Hughes is officially in the books. Three days. 169 teams. 311 games. Well over 100 college coaches in attendance. This event was bigger and better than ever and Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer. We will have some recap content over the next few days, but for now let's empty out the notebook and take a look at the action from Sunday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Anderson Beings Morning With Impressive Performance</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Anderson's final game of the Charlie Hughes Showcase wasn't pretty, but the Indians came to play on Sunday morning against Center Grove rolling to a 63-44 victory. Rising senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1297010' first='Damien' last='King'] dominated finishing with a double-double in front of several college coaches. The 6'4" King is such a force off of the dribble and finishes so well around the basket. 6'5" rising senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1539290' first='Titus' last='Hunter'] showed some real flashes for the Indians as well. The transfer from Pike will be a real difference-maker in the front court as a rim-runner, rebounder, and shot blocker. 6'5" incoming freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2538870' first='Don' last='Bowling'] is an intriguing Class of 2028 prospect to remember as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Warren Central Narrowly Defeats Westfield</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Played on Westfield's home floor, Warren Central outlast the Shamrocks by a final score of 55-54. The backcourt trio of rising seniors [player_tooltip player_id='2053677' first='Ezekiel' last='Kirby'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1540391' first='Keshaun' last='Harlan'], along with rising sophomore J.J. Craig, carried the Warriors. However, despite the loss, the performance of [player_tooltip player_id='1988138' first='Drew' last='Haffner'] might have been the most impressive takeaway from this contest. The 6'3" rising junior guard was absolutely on fire from beyond the arc and solidified himself as one of the best pure shooters in Indiana's Class of 2026. He has an incredibly quick and smooth release.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Carmel Responds With a Pair of Wins</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The host Greyhounds went 0-2 on Saturday with losses to Jeffersonville and Fort Wayne Wayne. However, they bounced back in a major way on Sunday defeating New Palestine and Richmond on their home floor. Rising senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1296972' first='Alex' last='Couto'] is a consistent steadying force in their backcourt and puts so much pressure on opposing defenses as an outside shooting threat. Then, on the wing, [player_tooltip player_id='1560952' first='Evan' last='Harrell'] continues to get better and better. The 6'8" rising junior is tough to handle off of the dribble and is an excellent finisher with his back to the basket inside. He had a stretch on Sunday afternoon against Richmond that included a pick-and-pop three, an And-1 that he finished with his left hand on a baseline drive, and a strong drive from the top of the key off of two feet. High upside prospect in the Class of 2026 for college coaches to watch throughout the month of July.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">New Palestine Outlasts Zionsville</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a gauntlet of a schedule for the Dragons of New Palestine at the Charlie Hughes Showcase on Saturday and Sunday. However, despite taking three losses to begin the weekend, those came by only 10 combined points. Then, on Sunday afternoon, they got on the board with a 69-62 win over Zionsville. Rising senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1297068' first='Julius' last='Gizzi'], who was one of the top scorers in the state of Indiana as a junior, had to have gone for over 30 points in the contest to lead the Dragons to victory. His consistent shot-making and production regardless of the competition or setting continues to turn the heads of college coaches at various levels. They are going to be an absolute force at the Class 3A level next season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Avon Finishes the Day With Some Serious Buzz</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is a lot of be excited about if you are an Avon Basketball fan. The Orioles return a lot of production from last season's Sectional championship team and also have added a rising junior in Keriawn Berry from Louisville Trinity who is a Division I prospect. Berry, a 6'5" strong, athletic wing was incredibly impressive in Avon's 71-55 win over Pike as they finished the Charlie Hughes Showcase 3-1. Fellow rising junior guard Jedidah Minnett was excellent as well as both Class of 2026 prospects finished with 20 points. Meanwhile, rising seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1539455' first='DeAndre' last='Lott']-Hancock and [player_tooltip player_id='2485622' first='Rohan' last='Pearson'] were both very good in the game. This is going to be and under-the-radar team to not take lightly going into the 2024-2025 season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Quick Hitters</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1561002' first='Jarvis' last='Tolbert Jr'] (South Bend Adams H.S. 2026) was excellent despite losing to Lutheran 75-60 on Sunday morning. The 6'1" guard is a relentless right hand driver showcasing his ability to get into the paint consistently. He also shot the ball well from beyond the arc in the contest. Look for Tolbert Jr. to be one of the top scorers in northern Indiana as a junior.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Columbia City held on for a close 64-62 win, but [player_tooltip player_id='1278896' first='Anthony' last='DeFur'] (Mooresville H.S. 2025) caught fire from beyond the arc late in the game to nearly pull it out for the Pioneers. The 6'5" wing is a big-time three-point shooting threat with impressive size and length on the perimeter. Intriguing prospect for small college programs to keep an eye on throughout the month of July.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>It continues to be puzzling as to why [player_tooltip player_id='1525678' first='Maguire' last='Mitchell'] (Zionsville H.S. 2025) has yet to receive a Division I offer. Maybe that will have already changed by the time this posts, but the 6'6" guard is absolutely playing at a Division I level. He is a high percentage shooting threat, he has the size, strength, and athleticism to finish at the rim, and he handles the ball well enough to serve as a secondary playmaker in the half court. At some point, his recruitment will blow up, but until it does it remains a mystery.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Right as the event was wrapping up, I was able to stop by and catch some of the Roncalli versus Jennings County game. Even in the small one quarter or so window that I watched, [player_tooltip player_id='1296996' first='Carter' last='Kent'] (Jennings County H.S. 2025) absolutely went off from three-point range. The 6'0" shot-maker was already one of the top scorers in the state as a junior, but he looks poised to take it to yet another level going into his senior season. He is another that should see his recruitment spike in the month of July.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->