UAA/UA Rise Circuit- Ramsey's Friday Notebook

<p>The first live evaluation period of the spring is officially underway. Technically beginning at 8:00 a.m., play tipped off in Hamilton, Ohio at 3:30 p.m. where Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage from UAA Session II/UA Rise Session I. After watching a handful of games on Friday evening let's empty out the notebook and discuss what we saw.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Three-Point Shoot Leads Indiana Jammers 17u</h2>   <p>First, it was [player_tooltip player_id='1561113' first='Cameron' last='Fennell'] (Terre Haute North H.S. 2026) who got hot from three-point range. The 6'2" guard knocked in an early three-point shot and then hit a tough one on a flare showcasing impressive footwork on the perimeter. Then, [player_tooltip player_id='1561022' first='Brayden' last='Goff'] (Northview H.S. 2026) knocked in a couple from beyond there. Typically thought of as more of a driver and playmaker, Goff shot the ball well on Friday night. Finally, [player_tooltip player_id='1561105' first='Brady' last='Klopfenstein'] (Terre Haute North H.S. 2026) put the final nails in the proverbial coffin for the Indiana Jammers 17u squad. That trio combined for double-digit three-point shots on the night as the Jammers started the weekend off with a 71-59 win. </p>   <p>Goff and Fennell each scored 19 points while Klopfenstein scored 15 points on five three-point shots. [player_tooltip player_id='1561438' first='Cooper' last='Bock'] (Sullivan H.S. 2026) was also very effective defensively and had a huge alley-oop slam dunk while cutting along the baseline late in the game.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Younger Jammers Run Into Tough Opponents</h2>   <p>Both of these games were competitive early on, but both the Indiana Jammers 15u and 16u squads fell by relatively sizable margins on Friday night at Spooky Nook. First, it was the 16u squad. [player_tooltip player_id='2622251' first='Caden' last='Jones'] (Edgewood H.S. 2027) played well showcasing his fluidity on the perimeter at 6'6" while also finishing several cuts to the basket with tough catches and finishes. That was actually the part of his game that stood out the most in this content. Jones finished with 14 points in the 70-52 loss, but [player_tooltip player_id='2470620' first='Klinton' last='South'] (Center Grove H.S. 2027) ended up leading the way with 19 points after a big second half. South's strength and physicality as a driver proved effective and he hit a couple of late three-point shots as well.</p>   <p>Meanwhile, it was the [player_tooltip player_id='2617833' first='Ishmael' last='Kiteka'] (Cloverdale H.S. 2028) show early in the game for the Indiana Jammers 15u. Getting our first real sit down evaluation of the 6'9" freshman big man live, Kiteka mostly lived up to the hype created by his huge high school stat line of 13.2 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 4.3 blocked shots per game. The young big man does a great job of rebounding with two hands, keeping the ball high, and finishes with a soft touch. He had 18 points, likely over 10 rebounds, and a handful of blocked shots in the Jammers' 63-41 defeat.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last=''] 16u Continues Their Impressive Spring</h2>   <p>We at Prep Hoops Indiana have really enjoyed watching this group play of late. They were very impressive at the Bill Hensley Memorial Run N Slam a couple of weekends ago and picked up a win to start of the weekend at UA Rise Session I on Friday night.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2054869' first='Jake' last='Coolman'] (Homestead H.S. 2027) got the party started for [program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last=''] as the left-handed guard buried a couple of early three-point attempts. [player_tooltip player_id='2837252' first='Lavell' last='Ledbetter'] (New Haven H.S. 2027) set the tone early on as well with his physicality around the basket. However, it was 6'8" center [player_tooltip player_id='2140456' first='Uriah' last='Williams'] (Fort Wayne Wayne H.S. 2027) and Tarvar Baskerville (New Haven H.S. 2027) who ended up leading the way for [program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last=''].</p>   <p>Williams played as well as we have seen him play finishing with a game-high 19 points. He was very effective finishing offensive rebound putbacks, had a couple of strong finishes out of the dunker's spot, and had a big one-handed slam on the rim run. The 6'8" athletic big man has a ton of upside. Meanwhile, Baskerville added 15 points after a couple of fourth quarter three-point shots really solidified their 72-60 victory.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 16u Notches Another Win</h2>   <p>It was a balanced team effort for [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 16u as they placed six scorers in double-figures in their 79-74 overtime victory over Factory United 16u. 6'5" Illinois-based wing Dshaun Bolden (Oswego East H.S. 2027) scored 16 points as did [player_tooltip player_id='2140448' first='Tobias' last='Ray'] (Chesterton H.S. 2027) who also chipped in 7 assists to lead the charge for [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game']. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='2140449' first='Trell' last='Hogue'] (Fort Wayne Snider H.S. 2027) added 13 points and 6 rebounds in an impressive individual performance.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2470670' first='Maddux' last='Wagner'] (Valparaiso H.S. 2027) finished with 12 points while [player_tooltip player_id='2140346' first='Dakori' last='Parker'] (South Bend Washington H.S. 2027) and [player_tooltip player_id='2140409' first='Ketron' last='Paschall'] (Fort Wayne Snider H.S. 2027) each scored 11 points to round out those in double-figures.</p>   <p>[program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 16u will face UAA competition the rest of the weekend.</p>

The first live evaluation period of the spring is officially underway. Technically beginning at 8:00 a.m., play tipped off in Hamilton, Ohio at 3:30 p.m. where Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage from UAA Session II/UA Rise Session I. After watching a handful of games on Friday evening let's empty out the notebook and discuss what we saw.