Open Gym Report: Greenfield-Central Cougars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Getting to cover Indiana High School Basketball is an honor. There is no better feeling than walking into a packed gym, that often seats thousands of fans, in the middle of winter. Attending some of the biggest, most prestigious grassroots events throughout the summer is a perk of the job as well. However, there is nothing I enjoy as much as going to high school open gyms in the fall. By attending these preseason workouts I not only get a more intimate, behind-the-scenes look at the team, but it also provides a chance to spend time with our state's many great coaching staffs. In the month of September alone I attended 17 Indiana High School open gyms and am quickly approaching the same number now in October. Let's go over some thoughts and notes from each of my stops this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:separator --> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <!-- /wp:separator --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everything will be different for Greenfield-Central this season. For all intents and purposes they don't return anything from last season's 23-4. There are a few pieces that played varsity minutes and had small contributions, but the primary rotation players are all gone. The most important graduate is obviously Indiana Mr. Basketball award winner Braylon Mullins who was recently named Big East Freshman of the Year at UConn. Additionally, the Cougars will be lead by a new head coach. Coach Miles Wayer comes over from Fishers High School were he spent four seasons as an assistant and became very accustomed to winning. It might be an entirely new group at Greenfield-Central High School this season, but there are some cautiously optimistic expectations that this team can surprise some people.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The return of twin senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='1561010' first='Clay' last='Mullins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1560991' first='Cole' last='Mullins'] give the Cougars some potential firepower in the backcourt. They have gotten noticeably bigger and stronger which has led to more aggressiveness and confidence on the floor. Their ability to shoot the basketball will be valuable as Coach Wayer rebuilds the rotation this season. Isaac Roberts and Cooper Hinton are two more senior guards who at least got their feet wet at the varsity level last season. Then, there is Isaiah Humes who moved in from Tennessee for his senior season. The 6'3" athletic guard will be a difference-maker for Greenfield-Central and gives them a true playmaker with the ball in his hands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the front court, the Cougars feature senior [player_tooltip player_id='2622035' first='Blake' last='Evans'] and a pair of juniors in [player_tooltip player_id='2470643' first='Wyatt' last='Freeman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2831503' first='Malachi' last='Van']. At 6'5" with impressive athleticism and length, Van probably offers the most upside. He could be a big time rebounder this season and making a living on the offensive glass alone. Freeman offers a bit more inside-outside versatility while Evans, a lefty, is the most physical of the bunch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There are some players worth being excited about, but right now a lot of that excitement is admittedly theoretical. Nobody has seen any of these guys make major contributions at the varsity level. Learning to live in a world without Braylon Mullins, who averaged 32.9 points per game last season, won't be easy. However, there is a nice mixture of skill, athleticism, and size that could allow the Cougars to sneak up on some people this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->