Ramsey’s Open Gym Notes – Part Eight

<!-- 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 16 Indiana High School open gyms and have hit the ground running in October as well. Let's take a look back and go over some thoughts and notes from each of my stops this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">New Albany Bulldogs</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We made a trip down to southern Indiana this week and stopped in at New Albany High School to check out the Bulldogs. This group features some incredible young talent in sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2382148' first='Noah' last='Washington'] and freshman [player_tooltip player_id='2888227' first='Karson' last='Stoudemire']. Washington, who was fresh off of a trip to USA Basketball Mini-Camp, led New Albany in scoring as a freshman at 14.5 points per game and is ranked as the top prospect in the state according to Prep Hoops Indiana. Meanwhile, Stoudemire has a case to make as the top incoming freshman in Indiana. The 6'0" guard is physical beyond his years, is an outstanding playmaker, and will be a big time rebounder from the perimeter. Those two give New Albany a very bright future. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1563826' first='TJ' last='Washington'] along with talented juniors such as [player_tooltip player_id='2125694' first='Ashton' last='Mckee'], Reece McKee, [player_tooltip player_id='2873152' first='Greyson' last='Grubbs'], [player_tooltip player_id='2871340' first='Xavier' last='Harvey'], and Seth Winslow will provide a good stable of depth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Silver Creek Dragons</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On paper there is nobody in Class 3A built like Silver Creek this season. The Dragons went 22-5 last year, but fell to Brownstown Central in the Sectional Championship. Coach Hoffman won State Championships in 2019 and 2021 and will look to return to the pinnacle this season. University of Richmond commit [player_tooltip player_id='2476482' first='Dane' last='Caldwell'], a 6'8" forward, along with sharpshooter [player_tooltip player_id='1385611' first='Kasen' last='Daeger'] give the Dragons a pair of Division I prospects in the senior class. Meanwhile, junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id='2140328' first='Brandon' last='Hunter'] has a growing list of mid-major offers and high-major interest. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561483' first='Dane' last='Sprigler'] may not receive the statewide fanfare, but he was the second-leading scorer on last season's team averaging 15.4 points and shooting an incredible 70-132 (52.0%) from three-point range. There are a handful of talented juniors to watch on this team as well that will provide important depth, but the top four of Caldwell, Daeger, Hunter, and Sprigler will give Silver Creek a chance to win every night out.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->