Live Period Recap - Eight Indiana Under-the-Radar Performers

Prep Hoops Indiana moved headquarters to South Carolina for the last two weeks. We hit the road on Monday, July 8th and just returned back to the Hoosier state on Monday, July 22nd. After two weeks on the road, 12 days spent in the gym, 8-12 hours of basketball a day, and over 80 games covered it is time to look back and recap what we saw. We've already <a href="https://prephoops.com/2024/07/3ssb-championships-nike-eybl-peach-jam-indiana-recap/">highlighted some of the big picture thoughts and takeaways</a>, with a strictly Indiana focus, from the past two weeks covering the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships and Nike EYBL Peach Jam. Now, let's take a look at eight more standouts from the last two weeks that maybe didn't garner as much attention in the moment.    Much of the national attention on the week from the Indiana Elite 15u squad went to Craig's backcourt mate [player_tooltip player_id='2267046' first='Jason' last='Gardner Jr.'] However, this 6'2" guard from Warren Central H.S. was excellent in his own right. His physicality at the guard spot consistently gave him an advantage as he dominated a lot of his peers off of the dribble and finished through contact around the basket. Craig is also a high percentage catch-and-shoot threat with his feet set from beyond the arc. He projects as a really intriguing two-way guard.     [program_tooltip program_id='2400093' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Tradition'] 16u qualified for the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships in Rock Hill, South Carolina after a great spring on the Adidas Gold Circuit. They definitely proved they belong on the big stage and this 6'2" guard from Crown Point High School was a big part of that. Darrell is a talented pure scorer with some sneaky athleticism that allows him to elevate into his jump shot or explode to the rim and finish. He creates his own shot at every level, is a capable passer, and has some disruptive on-ball defensive traits. Definitely one for college coaches to continue evaluating heading into his junior season.     Deatmore's breakout performance in Rock Hill came in [program_tooltip program_id='2400000' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Indiana']'s 74-71 win over the NY Wiz Kids as the Westfield High School guard went off for 29 points. He was consistently shooting it at a high percentage from three-point range throughout the week and also got downhill against closeouts as teams adjusted to his shooting proficiency. The skilled guard had a couple of other big scoring performances for Team Indiana 16u as well while playing at the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships after qualify with a successful run through Adidas Gold play in the spring.     Playing for an out-of-state AAU team can sometimes lead to good players flying a bit under-the-radar. However, we here at Prep Hoops Indiana make it our mission to cover everyone no matter where they are playing. We had the opportunity to see Konieczny playing with his Meanstreets 17u team a few times while out in North Augusta for the Peach Jam. The 6'4" wing finished the week averaging 7.5 points per game while shooting 11-31 (35.5%) from three-point range. Meanstreets went 6-2 competing in the Peach Invitational Tournament.     I had the opportunity to sit with some national media folks at [program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat'] 16's contest with Brad Beal Elite, the eventual 16u Peach Jam champions, on Thursday. Obviously there was a lot of talent on the floor for them to watch, but there were a couple of specific comments and questions to me regarding this 6'8" big man from Lawrence North High School. McGrew consistently plays with a great motor and is such an impressive vertical threat at both ends of the floor. He finishes above the rim offensively and protects the rim defensively. We at Prep Hoops Indiana continue to be big believers in his upside.     [program_tooltip program_id='2076927' first='Indy' last='Heat'] 17u went 2-3 during pool play at the Peach Jam missing out on the weekend tournament portion. However, Smiley played well enough through the week to add an offer from Utah Tech. The 6'2" left-handed guard shot 8-21 from three-point range across five games while averaging 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Look for Smiley to continue to be highly sought after at the low and mid-major levels through his senior season at Valparaiso High School.     The Jeffersonville trio commanded a lot of the headlines and attention while [program_tooltip program_id='2400000' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Indiana'] was in Rock Hill. However, there are some impressive small college prospects on this team as well. Totton consistently held his own physically and athletically at the guard position slicing his way into the paint off of the dribble and finishing with a variety of layups and floaters. Look for him to take on a go-to scoring role at Hamilton Southeastern this upcoming season. Definitely one for small college coaches to follow closely.     Yoder is at his best as pick-and-pop threat and he had that working in a couple of games for [program_tooltip program_id='2400000' first='Indiana' last='Elite Team Indiana'] who put together a very impressive 6-1 week at the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships. The 6'6" left-handed forward displayed a little bit of ball handling with Woodlan in June, but his shooting ability at his size is what is most intriguing at the small college level. He currently holds an offer from Indiana Tech and should see his recruitment continue to expand going into his senior season. Yoder also is a very effective area rebounder.

Prep Hoops Indiana moved headquarters to South Carolina for the last two weeks. We hit the road on Monday, July 8th and just returned back to the Hoosier state on Monday, July 22nd. After two weeks on the road, 12 days spent in the gym, 8-12 hours of basketball a day, and over 80 games covered it is time to look back and recap what we saw. We've already highlighted some of the big picture thoughts and takeaways, with a strictly Indiana focus, from the past two weeks covering the 3SSB Palmetto Road Championships and Nike EYBL Peach Jam. Now, let's take a look at eight more standouts from the last two weeks that maybe didn't garner as much attention in the moment.