Prep Hoops The Stage - Ramsey's Saturday Notebook

<p>Saturday's can be long days on the grassroots grind. The 8:00 a.m. crew had boots on the ground bright and early and we generally put in at least a 12-hour day. That was certainly the case today at the Pacers Athletic Center covering Prep Ho[program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last=''] The Stage. There is plenty to talk about from today's action so let's dive right in and empty out the notebook from what we saw on Saturday at The Stage.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">8:00 a.m. Crew - [program_tooltip program_id='2471005' first='Legacy' last='Ice Elite'] Shined in a Win</h2>   <p>It takes a little bit of toughness to show up at 8:00 a.m. for an April, non-live period game and really bring it. [program_tooltip program_id='2471005' first='Legacy' last='Ice Elite'] did just that on Saturday morning while playing in front of a couple of college coaches who also made the early trip to the Pacers Athletic Center.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2622069' first='Joban' last='Kalkat'] (Whiteland H.S. 2027) was the first standout of the morning knocking down a couple of mid-range jump shots and finishing at the rim at the end of his drives. He has an impressive burst of athleticism that allows him to elevate to finish over the defense despite an otherwise pretty lean 6'1" frame. Kalkat had an excellent junior season at Whiteland and should get a good deal of small college interest this spring and summer.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2414954' first='Chase' last='Devine'] (Bremen H.S. 2027) is probably the biggest name for [program_tooltip program_id='2471005' first='Legacy' last='Ice Elite'] and he knocked down some early shots as well to back up his reputation. However, it was 6'5" forward [player_tooltip player_id='2532420' first='Preston' last='Johnson'] (Zionsville H.S. 2027) who ultimately led the way in scoring with 15 points. Johnson made strong post moves inside, converted a couple of tough putbacks, and was active on the defensive glass as well. Kalkat was next in line with 12 points as [program_tooltip program_id='2471005' first='Legacy' last='Ice Elite'] defeated 502 Elite 17u 62-42.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Indiana Basketball Club Gets a Win</h2>   <p>This team lost a heartbreaker on Friday night against [program_tooltip program_id='2076451' first='D1' last='Indiana'] 17u. Indiana Basketball Club 17u made a strong comeback and eventually had two free throws to win it at the end of regulation, but missed both and lost in overtime. However, they bounced back early Saturday morning and rolled comfortably against [program_tooltip program_id='2076924' first='EG10' last=''] 17.</p>   <p>6'6" wing Levin Lindeman (Bloomington H.S. North 2027) was a dominant force from start to finish in this matchup. His size and length allowed him to control the paint scoring it in a variety of ways for IBC. He knocked in an impressive fallaway jump shot in the post, finished post moves and up-and-unders, and was the beneficiary of some dump off passes on drives. [player_tooltip player_id='2470635' first='Levi' last='Walker'] (Fishers H.S. 2027) played well for the second straight game too. The athletic 6'4" wing shot it in from three-point range and found some success in transition. He is going to blossom into a very intriguing prospect for college programs, including scholarship schools, to take a look at this spring and summer.</p>   <p>Lindeman finished with 22 points and Walker added 15 points in the 70-44 win for Indiana Basketball Club 17u. [player_tooltip player_id='2477597' first='Jeremiah' last='Murphy'] (Ben Davis H.S. 2027) was the bright spot for [program_tooltip program_id='2076924' first='EG10' last=''] 17u. The athletic 6'0" guard led the way with 12 points in the loss.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Shoe Circuits Teams Square Off at The Stage</h2>   <p>Prep Ho[program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last=''] has built a brand on covering independent teams, small college prospects, and simply going deeper and wider than the competition. However, we still understand that it is fun to have the big dogs come through from time to time. At The Stage we have several shoe circuit teams, nationally ranked prospects, and future high-level college players in the gym. This matchup between [program_tooltip program_id='2317250' first='Indiana' last='Elite 3SSB'] 17u and Griffin Elite UA Rise 17u brought a ton of talent to the Pacers Athletic Center.</p>   <p>Indiana Elite was able to lean on their size and athleticism to pick up a 77-53 victory. 6'4" guard Isaiah Mack Russell (Winton Woods H.S. 2027) was dominant in the backcourt making defender bounce off of him on his drives, but also making six three-point shots, on his way to an impressive 30 points to lead all scorers in the game.</p>   <p>Kamari Roberts (Fairdale H.S. 2027) led Griffin Elite UA Rise 17u with 18 points in the loss.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Checking in on the Younger Age Groups</h2>   <p>I've been focusing on checking off as many in-state 17u teams as possible this weekend, but a couple of early afternoon time slots allowed the opportunity to see some of the top younger teams here at The Stage.</p>   <p>We have to begin with [program_tooltip program_id='2559412' first='Marlin' last='Academy'] P32 16u pulling off the upset of the weekend defeating [program_tooltip program_id='2317250' first='Indiana' last='Elite 3SSB'] 16u 66-64. Not only did [player_tooltip player_id='2560369' first='Grayson' last='Alvey'] (Center Grove H.S. 2028) hit the game-winning layup just before time expired, but the 6'1" guard also knocked in some big three-pointers late in the game to help secure the victory. He was excellent all game long while playing against a few of the best guards in the state of Indiana. Alvey's ackcourt mates [player_tooltip player_id='2538005' first='Teagan' last='Leonard'] (North Vermillion H.S. 2028) and [player_tooltip player_id='2560382' first='Johnovan' last='Smith'] (Crawfordsville H.S. 2028) were a big part of the win as well.</p>   <p>Indiana Elite 15u was impressive in their victory over MAC Elite 15u. The explosive backcourt duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2860080' first='Tristan' last='Breland'] (Fishers H.S. 2029) and [player_tooltip player_id='2888227' first='Karson' last='Stoudemire'] (New Albany H.S. 2029) combined with the elite skill level of [player_tooltip player_id='2956681' first='Will' last='Tonagel'] (Oak Hill H.S. 2029) is incredibly hard for opponents at the 15u level to deal with. Then, you mix in 6'8" forward [player_tooltip player_id='2963352' first='Bob' last='Da Silva'] (Andrews Osborne Academy 15u) and it is easy to see why this [program_tooltip program_id='2317250' first='Indiana' last='Elite 3SSB'] 15u team could be one of the best in the country.</p>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2636078' first='Micah' last='Mohler'] (Austin H.S. 2029) continues to put himself in contention for the top spot in the Prep Ho[program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last=''] Indiana Class of 2029 prospect rankings. The 6'4" guard has such a unique blend of size, strength, skill, and athleticism at a young age. He was excellent for [program_tooltip program_id='2076317' first='Midwest' last='Basketball Club 3SSB'] 15u in a blowout victory.</p>   <p>Despite the upset loss, [player_tooltip player_id='2539991' first='Amarian' last='Leggett'] (Blackford H.S. 2029), [player_tooltip player_id='2878216' first='Bradley' last='Basila'] (Chesterton H.S. 2029), and [player_tooltip player_id='2560400' first='Mark' last='Shostak'] (Carmel H.S. 2029) all did good things for [program_tooltip program_id='2317250' first='Indiana' last='Elite 3SSB'] 16u.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Leftover Notes</h2>   <p>Marqua Curtis (Indianapolis Metropolitan H.S. 2027) is a new name big man to watch out for this spring and summer. The 6'8" big man for [program_tooltip program_id='2076924' first='EG10' last=''] 17u was impressive around the rim on Saturday. He had a big two-hand dunk, an athletic tip in, and could go high-point rebounds outside of his area. Intriguing big man that is raw, but has clear upside.</p>   <p>Speaking of new names, 6'6" wing [player_tooltip player_id='3539462' first='Lucas' last='Hooley'] is another one for small college coaches to add to their respective lists. The homeschool product out of Fort Wayne was very impressive on Saturday for [program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last=''] 17u. He plays as a true wing or face-up 4-man displaying some ball handling ability when driving it right, some passing ability, and the ability to stretch the floor as a shooter beyond the arc. Remember the name.</p>   <p>He didn't get mentioned earlier so I wanted to make sure and bring up [player_tooltip player_id='2614836' first='Victor' last='Aborowa'] (Andrews Osborne Academy 2027). The 6'8" Top 150 prospect for [program_tooltip program_id='2317250' first='Indiana' last='Elite 3SSB'] 17u really impressed with his elite athleticism and physical tools. He was effective as a cutter, right hand driver, and when running ahead in transition. Aborowa has a really high defensive upside as well with the ability to switch essentially 1-5. There is a lot to like about his upside.</p>

Saturday's can be long days on the grassroots grind. The 8:00 a.m. crew had boots on the ground bright and early and we generally put in at least a 12-hour day. That was certainly the case today at the Pacers Athletic Center covering Prep Ho OPS The Stage. There is plenty to talk about from today's action so let's dive right in and empty out the notebook from what we saw on Saturday at The Stage.