Charlie Hughes Showcase - Weekend Notebook + Recap

<p>There is no other event quite like the Charlie Hughes Showcase. Three days. 169 teams. 311 games. Well over 100 college coaches in attendance. There isn't a better recruiting event in Indiana, or the Midwest in general, than this annual team showcase put on by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. It is incredibly well run, organized, and respected across the country as the premier event of the year for those interested in recruiting the always talent-rich Hoosier state. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer with write-ups coming every evening throughout the weekend. Now, as we begin to decompress, let's empty out the notebook one final time with some of the big picture takeaways and top storylines from the 2024 Charlie Hughes Showcase.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Summer of [player_tooltip player_id='1296984' first='Braylon' last='Mullins']</h2>   <p>Back on May 20th, I dubbed this "the summer of [player_tooltip player_id='1296984' first='Braylon' last='Mullins']" on Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/BRamseyKSR">@BRamseyKSR</a>). Kansas, North Carolina, and UConn all offered the 6'5' rising senior shooting guard from Greenfield-Central High School after an outstanding spring with Indiana Elite on the 3SSB Circuit. In the span of just a few weeks, Mullins went from likely deciding between Indiana and Notre Dame to having his recruitment essentially reset as the bluest of blue bloods came calling. After scoring 34 points in a win over Ben Davis in front of Kentucky head coach Mark Pope on Saturday, the four-star guard added an offer from the Wildcats on Monday while on his unofficial visit. There are certainly no shortage of suitors at this point.</p>   <p>Mullins averaged 24.5 points per game over the weekend while the Cougars of Greenfield-Central went 1-3 against some of the top competition in the state. Their losses came to Cathedral, Jeffersonville, and Lawrence North.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Who Will be Preseason #1?</h2>   <p>Last year, eventual Class 4A state champion Fishers put Indiana on notice at the Charlie Hughes Showcase going 4-0 and absolutely dominating their competition to the tune of nearly 30 points per game. State runner-up Ben Davis and Lawrence North, who spent much of the season at the top of the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A rankings, also were undefeated at the 2023 Charlie Hughes Showcase. So, this summer, who was it that put the state on notice?</p>   <p>The most obvious answer to that question would be the Jeffersonville Red Devils. They played arguably the toughest schedule of the weekend, but came away 4-0 defeating Greenfield-Central 71-60, Fishers 71-66, Lawrence North 79-61, and Carmel 53-48. Their three-headed rising senior monster of [player_tooltip player_id='1297093' first='Michael' last='Cooper'], [player_tooltip player_id='1373104' first='P.J.' last='Douglas'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1388408' first='Tre' last='Singleton'] all received Division I offers over the weekend as well. Singleton, an incredibly physical 6'8" forward, already held several but added offers from Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, and Western Kentucky. Meanwhile, 6'3" guard [player_tooltip player_id='1297093' first='Michael' last='Cooper'], experienced a breakout weekend which began with a 34-point performance against Greenfield-Central. As a result, his first Division I offers came from Bellarmine, Eastern Illinois, and Le Moyne. Bellarmine also offered Douglas, a versatile 6'4" wing, while he and Cooper visited campus together on Monday.</p>   <p>To answer the original question, Fishers has been good enough this summer that it will be hard to not put the defending state champions at the top of the preseason polls. However, before the Charlie Hughes Showcase, I probably would have told you that I thought Lawrence North was, on paper, the best team in the state heading into 2024-2025. Then, Jeffersonville did what they did over the weekend. What I do think we know now is that, in some order, those are your three teams to beat coming out of the month of June.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Breakout Stars From the Weekend</h2>   <p>Keriawn Berry (Avon H.S. 2026) - A new face to the Indiana High School Basketball scene, Berry moved into Avon after playing at Trinity High School in Louisville. The 6'5" guard already earned an offer from IU-Indianapolis this summer and put the state on notice at the Charlie Hughes Showcase that he is one of the top prospects in the Class of 2026. There were several colleges in attendance as he scored 20 points in a dominant win over Pike on Sunday afternoon. Expect to see more offers come his way during the month of July playing with [program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat'] on the EYBL Circuit.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2053658' first='Bryson' last='Cardinal'] (Guerin Catholic 2025) - The versatile 6'7" forward helped lead the Golden Eagles to a 3-1 weekend with their lone loss coming to the defending Class 2A state champion Brownstown Central. Cardinal received his first Division I offers during and after the event from Eastern Illinois, Missouri State, and SIU-Edwardsville.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1534942' first='Melakih' last='Cunningham'] (Crispus Attucks H.S. 2025) - Consider me officially all-in on the [player_tooltip player_id='1534942' first='Melakih' last='Cunningham'] hype train. The super athletic, long wing averaged over 20 points per game to help lead Attucks to a 3-1 weekend despite playing without their star big man [player_tooltip player_id='1297019' first='Dezmon' last='Briscoe']. Cunningham added scholarship offers from IU-Indianapolis, Kent State, Le Moyne, Miami (OH), and SIU-Edwardsville.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1907680' first='Cole' last='Henry'] (South Ripley H.S. 2025) - 6'6" forwards who can really shooting the basketball will always be in style. Henry was able to put his skill on display at the Charlie Hughes Showcase as he put up some monster numbers throughout the weekend for South Ripley. He averaged 26.8 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. Then, on Monday, he received an offer from IU-East while visiting their campus.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Don't Sleep On...</h2>   <p>Crown Point - A friend of mine asked me on Sunday evening who, after watching three days of Basketball at the Charlie Hughes Showcase, was my dark horse candidate to win the Class 4A state championship. My short answer was that it was hard to imagine it coming from outside of Fishers, Jeffersonville, and Lawrence North. However, to answer the question, I said Crown Point. The Bulldogs went 3-1 on the weekend including a win over Lawrence North on Friday afternoon. Rising junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1561617' first='Dikembe' last='Shaw'] continues to blossom into a star, while [player_tooltip player_id='1561063' first='Kingston' last='Rhodes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561445' first='Mason' last='Darrell'] are excellent backcourt pieces alongside a lot of depth. This team might still be a year away, but don't be surprised to see them make some noise this season.</p>   <p>Noblesville - Replacing an Indiana All-Star point guard is never easy, but the Millers seem to have reloaded and were able to go 4-0 at the Charlie Hughes Showcase with impressive wins over Ben Davis, Evansville Harrison, North Central, and Warsaw. Rising junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1534261' first='Justin' last='Curry II'] was excellent all weekend long while [player_tooltip player_id='1428862' first='TJ' last='Davidson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1561054' first='Baron' last='Walker'] stepped into the primary ball handling and playmaking role left behind by Aaron Fine. Noblesville is going to be a force once again.</p>   <p>Warren Central - Never count out a team coached by Criss Beyers. The Warriors went 4-0 on the weekend led by rising senior [player_tooltip player_id='1297060' first='Jevon' last='Guess'] in the front court and [player_tooltip player_id='2053677' first='Ezekiel' last='Kirby'], [player_tooltip player_id='1540391' first='Keshaun' last='Harlan'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2140392' first='JJ' last='Craig'] in the backcourt. Look for Lawrence North transfers [player_tooltip player_id='1381525' first='Davion' last='Hampton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2267044' first='Kaleb' last='Elkins'] to provide a nice influx of talent to their roster as well.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shoutout to the Undefeated Teams</h2>   <p>There were 16 teams that went 4-0 at the 2024 Charlie Hughes Showcase: Bloomington South, Cathedral, Columbia City, Culver Military Academy, Evansville North, Indianapolis Metropolitan, Jeffersonville, Noblesville, Pendleton Heights, Penn, Princeton, Purdue Poly Englewood, Silver Creek, South Bend St. Joseph, Terre Haute North, and Warren Central.</p>   <p>The Will Cramer Show (<a href="https://twitter.com/WillCramerShow">@WillCramerShow</a>) on Twitter did a lot of interesting research based on last year's Charlie Hughes Showcase. Of the 18 teams that went 4-0 a year ago, they combined for an 157-92 record with a pair of state championships, a state runner-up, and two regional titles. So, while going undefeated isn't an automatic ticket to success, it was a pretty strong indicator of future success.</p>

There is no other event quite like the Charlie Hughes Showcase. Three days. 169 teams. 311 games. Well over 100 college coaches in attendance. There isn't a better recruiting event in Indiana, or the Midwest in general, than this annual team showcase put on by the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association. It is incredibly well run, organized, and respected across the country as the premier event of the year for those interested in recruiting the always talent-rich Hoosier state. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer with write-ups coming every evening throughout the weekend. Now, as we begin to decompress, let's empty out the notebook one final time with some of the big picture takeaways and top storylines from the 2024 Charlie Hughes Showcase.