Five Way Too Early Favorites in Class 4A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>August is by far the quietest month on the basketball calendar, but there still isn't a ton going on in September either. We have a few events that Prep Hoops Indiana will be hosting and high school teams begin their fall open gym schedules, but otherwise it is still the calm before the storm. Therefore, we have decided to take a “way too early” look at some of the favorites in each class. These lists will be fluid over the next couple of months, but we wanted to take an early September look at where the landscape of Indiana High School Basketball stands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>***Teams Listed Alphabetically***</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ben Davis</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Ben Davis deserves to be mentioned as a favorite every year until the prove otherwise at this point. The 2023 Class 4A State Champions returned to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in 2024 finishing as runner-up. [player_tooltip player_id='1373105' first='Mark' last='Zackery'] is back to man the point guard duties as a likely Indiana All-Star while the Giants will feature a front court duo that will compete with any front line in the state. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1749499' first='Tavion' last='Williams'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2050030' first='Kaleb' last='Milan'] are going to be tough for opponents to handle inside. Then, you add up-and-coming talent in the junior class with guards like [player_tooltip player_id='2471408' first='Sherman' last='Moss-Wright'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2625235' first='JaShawn' last='Ladd'] that will pack an additional scoring punch for Coach Don Carlisle and the Giants. As usual, it is reload and not rebuild for Ben Davis.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fishers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite losing the best player in the state prior to the season, Fishers went 29-1 and won the Class 4A State Championship. Now, they will replace Indiana All-Star Keenan Garner and look to repeat. If the summer is any indication, Coach Winegar's group does not planning on taking any steps back. Sophomore guard duo [player_tooltip player_id='2267046' first='Jason' last='Gardner Jr.'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140345' first='Cooper' last='Zachary'] return and are more than ready to fully take over the reigns of the offense. Then, on the wing, you have one of the better two-way prospects in the state in [player_tooltip player_id='1297069' first='Justin' last='Kirby']. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1297097' first='Nathan' last='Baker'], a Taylor commit, and [player_tooltip player_id='1525682' first='Millen' last='McCartney'] are more than capable of stepping into larger roles as well. Indiana Junior All-Star [player_tooltip player_id='1525664' first='JonAnthony' last='Hall'], a Stanford football recruit, is actually the Tigers top returner and we hadn't even mentioned him yet. One of the top defenders in the state, Hall averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Scoring on this Fishers team will not be easy.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Greenfield-Central</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars went undefeated, 24-0, last season before superstar [player_tooltip player_id='1296984' first='Braylon' last='Mullins'] was limited in the Sectional championship game with a back injury as they fell 60-48 to New Palestine. Now, Greenfield-Central will once again be the favorites in Sectional 9 as they look to finally break through and cut down the nets. Having Mullins back for his senior season is obviously a great place to start. The four-star shooting guard with suitors including Duke, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and UConn brings back 25.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.2 steals per game. [player_tooltip player_id='2485685' first='Boston' last='Willard'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2485696' first='Dallas' last='Freeman'] return 10.8 and 8.4 points per game respectively to give Coach Meredith his top three scorers from a year ago. Additionally, Greenfield-Central adds senior transfer guard [player_tooltip player_id='1306153' first='Michael' last='Johnson'] who led Southport in scoring last season. There is enough help around Mullins this season to make the Cougars a preseason favorite to win the state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jeffersonville</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If you were solely basing the Class 4A preseason favorite on the month of June, then the Jeffersonville Red Devils would be your pick. Their run at the Charlie Hughes Showcase, and throughout the summer, was incredibly impressive. The superstar trio of [player_tooltip player_id='1388408' first='Tre' last='Singleton'], [player_tooltip player_id='1297093' first='Michael' last='Cooper'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1373104' first='P.J.' last='Douglas'] all experienced recruiting blow-ups with the latter two committing to Wright State while the former has a list of eight high-majors to choose from. Few, if any, in the state can compete with the top end talent of the Red Devils. Guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2079227' first='Shawn' last='Boyd'], [player_tooltip player_id='1297104' first='Raijon' last='Laird'], and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2141037' first='Caleb' last='Jones'] will be relied upon to take some pressure off of the "big three."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lawrence North</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lawrence North spent a lot of time ranked #1 in the Prep Hoops Indiana Class 4A Poll last season. However, they fell by two points to Jeffersonville in the Semi-State finishing the season 25-4. There is plenty of reason for optimism heading into this season though. Butler commit [player_tooltip player_id='1296979' first='Azavier' last='Robinson'] is back as an Indiana Mr. Basketball candidate. The four-star point guard averaged 19.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.3 steals per game last year. Lawrence North will also feature the best front court in the state of Indiana with juniors [player_tooltip player_id='1509229' first='Kai' last='McGrew'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1729136' first='Brennan' last='Miller']. The 6'8" McGrew averaged 10.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game as a sophomore while the 6'6" Miller added 9.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id='1561031' first='Cameron' last='Webster'], [player_tooltip player_id='1561109' first='Jamar' last='Thomas'], and homeschool transfer Duke Karnes will add some depth and additional perimeter scoring for the Wildcats.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others:</strong> Carmel, Crown Point, Fort Wayne Wayne, Noblesville, Plainfield</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->