Kyler's Player Notebook (12/29-1/2)

The Holiday Tournament slate of the Indiana High School Boys basketball season has all but wrapped up, and it has been a busy final week for the Prep Hoops Indiana staff. Capping off this week for me, I was able to catch the Kokomo and Fishers Tournaments, which featured some very good competition from our in-state prospects. While we have had many top performer lists and other evaluations posted here on the website, there are still a few player notes that I have to share. Here is my player notebook from the games I watched on 12/29/2025–1/2/2026.    I got a chance to see [player_tooltip player_id='1561089' first='Hayden' last='Johnson'] in the first round of the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament at Kokomo HS last Tuesday, and he was by far one of the best shot-makers in the gym that entire day. He hit multiple threes in Northridge's win over Merrillville, finishing the game with 14 points. Johnson is a long, lanky wing who has an aggressive outside jumper while also using his frame to make plays inside. The duo of him and [player_tooltip player_id='2398995' first='Brady' last='Scholl'] makes Northridge such a tough team to play against.     One of the highest-rated prospects who participated in the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament at Kokomo HS last Tuesday was [player_tooltip player_id='2565742' first='Charles' last='Hardiman'] of Merrillville HS. While it took him a little bit to get going and he struggled to get his shot to fall, Hardiman eventually caught his stride and finished with 17 points in the loss to Northridge. Hardiman has so much length, making him such a tough matchup for any perimeter defender with his ability to take you off the dribble and score above the rim. Tons of potential in his game.     One of the players I thought really stepped up for their team on Tuesday during the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament at Kokomo HS was senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='2880789' first='Josiah' last='Jones']. Jones is a long, versatile forward listed at about 6'6 who can score both inside and out at a pretty high level. Last Tuesday, he finished with 14 points, making a lot of tough shots off cuts as well as open looks. One of the better under-the-radar prospects I have watched this season.     This was my second chance getting to watch Bishop Chatard this season, and on this team, it was 2028 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2882514' first='Ari' last='Sahm'] who impressed me. He had a team-high 10 points for the Trojans in their loss to Kokomo last week in the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament and showed flashes of the player he could develop into. He is a long prospect who knows how to use his length to make tough shots over defenders right now, with the potential to add more athleticism and bounce to his game. I expect him to get better as the season progresses.     Lawrence North picked up an impressive win on Tuesday over Charlestown in the first round of the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament, and part of that was due to the play of senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1989373' first='Britton' last='Thomas']. A 6'5 wing with a lot of bounce to his game, Thomas was a mismatch at times for Charlestown, and he took advantage of that, ending up scoring in double figures. He rebounds his area well, and when it comes to his scoring, he is always going to try and finish above the rim. An underrated piece to this Wildcat team.     A player who had a great shooting night for the Lawrence North Wildcats on Tuesday in the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament was senior shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id='2252744' first='Duke' last='Karnes']. Karnes did what he does best, hitting outside jumpers off the catch and making shots that consistently kept the momentum on the Lawrence North side. He also had a couple of dribble pull-up jumpers, continuing to show that he is not just a spot-up shooter. A high-IQ shooting guard who is always so consistent.     In one of the most competitive games of the day at the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament, New Haven junior combo guard showed why he is the Bulldogs' leading man this year. While he started off a little slow, Baskerville hit some really big shots that almost led to New Haven knocking off South Bend Riley. This combo guard is not afraid of the moment and does a great job of creating offense for himself at a high level. He had 10 points in the game I watched of his.     You always know that South Bend Riley senior wing [player_tooltip player_id='1561093' first='Isaiah' last='Packer'] is a player you can't leave alone on the wing, and while that was true during the first round of the Phil Cox Memorial Tournament on Tuesday, I felt like he showed a little bit more of his game. The big thing I saw out of Packer was not only his high-level shot-making but also what he was doing on the defensive end. I thought he played some sticky defense as well as being super aggressive on the defensive glass. He added 10 points to go along with the great defense he showed last Tuesday.     The purest three-point shooter that I saw during the Fishers Holiday Hoops Classic was easily [player_tooltip player_id='2766818' first='Dontae' last='Barnes'] of Evansville Bosse. The thing is, Barnes has a shooting stroke that looks like it is going to go in every time he releases it, and it won't be touching any part of the rim. He is at his best as a spot-up shooter off the catch but has some speed to him when he can mix it up in the lane a bit. The sophomore guard finished with 14 points for Bosse.     A very under-the-radar guard that I thought played super well off the bench was junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2408663' first='Elijah' last='Chinn']. A shorter guard, Chinn is a tough and physical player who loves to go at the defense. He hit a few tough shots in the early part of the game vs. Columbus North and was super active on the defensive side. He always plays with a high motor every time I see him.

The Holiday Tournament slate of the Indiana High School Boys basketball season has all but wrapped up, and it has been a busy final week for the Prep Hoops Indiana staff. Capping off this week for me, I was able to catch the Kokomo and Fishers Tournaments, which featured some very good competition from our in-state prospects. While we have had many top performer lists and other evaluations posted here on the website, there are still a few player notes that I have to share. Here is my player notebook from the games I watched on 12/29/2025–1/2/2026.