Ramsey’s Open Gym Notes – Part Three

<!-- 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">Crispus Attucks Tigers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>On paper this could be a bit of a rebuilding season for Crispus Attucks. They reached the Class 3A State Finals last season but were hit hard by graduation. Junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2622052' first='AJ' last='Jones'], who averaged 5.7 points per game last season, is the only returning contributor from last seasons's team. However, fellow junior guard Octavious Comer and junior transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2140324' first='Bles'sed' last='Thomas'] will join Jones in what should be an explosive backcourt. There are pieces in place to make this more of a reload than a rebuild and we could see the Tigers winning plenty of games this season once again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Fishers Tigers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>You can't have much more success than Fishers has had over the last two seasons. Two years ago they won the Class 4A State Championship and last year they were undefeated until losing in the Class 4A State Finals. Their two returning guards, [player_tooltip player_id='2267046' first='Jason' last='Gardner Jr.'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2140345' first='Cooper' last='Zachary'], are an incredible 59-2 in their two seasons running the Tigers' backcourt. 6'8" senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1509229' first='Kai' last='McGrew'], a transfer from Lawrence North, will help provide an interior presence along with what will be the best backcourt in the state. The Tigers have an incredibly high floor and should once again have a ceiling that includes competing for a Class 4A State Championships.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hamilton Southeastern Royals</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the season that the Royals have been building towards. They graduated their leading scorer from last season, but return every other roster member including double-figure scorers [player_tooltip player_id='2398989' first='Maverick' last='Young'] (11.8 points per game) and [player_tooltip player_id='1561009' first='Luke' last='Weemer'] (10.9 points per game). There will be a ton of seniors on this roster plus sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='2559521' first='Varschon' last='Clark'] who could be as talented as anyone on the team. The 6'3" guard averaged 4.9 points per game as a freshman and played his way into the starting lineup by the end of the year. Don't sleep on Hamilton Southeastern as a legitimate contender in Sectional 8 and the Hoosier Crossroads Conference.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Pike Red Devils</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There isn't a team in the state of Indiana this season that has the top end talent of Pike. They feature three nationally ranked prospects in 6'11" junior [player_tooltip player_id='2266896' first='Isaiah' last='Hill'], 6'2" junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2194328' first='Jahari' last='Miller'], and 6'5" sophomore wing [player_tooltip player_id='2538892' first='Landon' last='Lampley']. 6'6" junior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2266897' first='Kenneth' last='Lampley'] is a Division I prospect as well and the Red Devils have several small college prospects to round out their rotation. As long as Coach Jeff Teague can get everyone to come together as a cohesive unit this Pike squad will have a chance to compete for a State Championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->