High School Spotlight: Merrillville Pirates

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The High School Spotlight Series is back and we are excited to feature multiple teams throughout the state once again! The season is still a few months away, but it is never too early to look ahead at the high school season. We will be taking a look at some quick hitters, the top player(s), a potential breakout player, other roster members, and more for the upcoming season. For today's spotlight, we take a look at the Merrillville Pirates. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Quick Hitters</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Went 7-19 last season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>&nbsp;Lost to Portage in Sectionals.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Head Coach Bo Patton returns for his 7th year as head coach. He is 62-80<strong>&nbsp;</strong>as a head coach.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Intriguing team to watch in Sectional 2</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Player: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2565742' first='Charles' last='Hardiman']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jahari-miller/"></a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Merrillville Pirates are one of the more intriguing teams&nbsp;in the northern part&nbsp;of the state and happen to have one of the best 2028 prospects in Indiana. Like&nbsp;in&nbsp;his freshman season, [player_tooltip player_id='2565742' first='Charles' last='Hardiman'] comes in as&nbsp;the go-to guy&nbsp;for the Pirates, bringing back 15.5 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. At 6'3, Hardiman is one of the best pure scorers in the state with&nbsp;great&nbsp;length in the backcourt. He plays with an elite combination of speed and athleticism and is overall just a tough player to&nbsp;match up against.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Potential Breakout Player: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2880789' first='Josiah' last='Jones']</strong><a href="https://prephoops.com/player/damauri-crosby/"></a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the senior leaders of this team&nbsp;could also be in line for a breakout season.&nbsp;[player_tooltip player_id='2880789' first='Josiah' last='Jones'] was the third-leading scorer from a year ago with 6.8 points&nbsp;per game&nbsp;but will be tasked with increasing his production as a senior. At 6'6, Jones&nbsp;is an incredibly bouncy forward, a consistent above-the-rim finisher,&nbsp;and a capable catch-and-shoot threat from beyond the arc. Any small college should take a look at Jones this season.<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ronald-mosley/"></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Key Roster Members</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Rodrick Durant-Hicks</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Cam Jones</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2441719' first='Cayden' last='Thompson']</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Jeremiah Cunningham</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->