Preseason Workout Report: Lawrence North and Westfield

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Covering Indiana High School Basketball has become a nearly 365 day a year job. The season obviously starts up around Thanksgiving and runs until the beginning of spring. Then, the grassroots schedule picks up almost immediately and runs through the end of July. August is a bit of a quieter month, but once school gets back in session there will be fall leagues and preseason workouts all across the state. Getting out and spending time with our state's great coaching staffs and getting a more intimate, behind-the-scenes look at specific programs is one of our favorite parts of the coverage calendar. Our travels across the state started as the calendar turned to September. Here are some notes on a couple schools we hit to cap off a busy week of travels.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lawrence North Wildcats</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There never seems to be a shortage of talent running through the program at Lawrence North High School. They are absolutely a "blue blood" of Indiana High School Basketball. Coach Chris Giffin, who took over for legendary head coach Jack Keefer, has won 18 or more games in each of his first four seasons. The Wildcats will certainly have a chance to reach that level of success again this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'5" junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2560351' first='Chandon' last='Gilbert'] will be their featured offensive player in 2026-2027. The super talented shot-maker averaged over 10 points per game as a sophomore earning a spot on the Indiana Futures All-Star team. Lawrence North's junior class features a couple of more guards who will create some additional explosiveness and playmaking ability in the backcourt. [player_tooltip player_id='2617826' first='Davis' last='Baker'] and [player_tooltip player_id='3579629' first='Kamran' last='Bell'] are coming off of excellent summers and should be ready to step into larger roles this season. Baker is a very talented scoring guard who creates his own shot off of the dribble as well as anyone in the class. Bell is super explosive with the ball in his hands and can attack the paint consistently. Those two, when paired with Gilbert, will create one of the more talented backcourts in the state of Indiana.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Then, there is Lawrence North's freshman class. 6'7" forward [player_tooltip player_id='2886513' first='Levin' last='Robinson'] is the top prospect in Indiana's freshman class and will be one of the top Class of 2030 prospects nationally. His combination of size, strength, athleticism, and skill is very unique for a player of his age. He will step in right away and play a major role for the Wildcats. 5'11" guard [player_tooltip player_id='3725891' first='Dominique' last='Hollowell'] will factor into the equation right away as well. He will provide backcourt depth and give Lawrence North yet another talented creator off of the bounce. Look for senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2470653' first='Trey' last='Cunningham'], junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2797619' first='Trey' last='Harper'], and junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2797618' first='Darian' last='Prather'] to get primary rotation minutes as well. This group might fly a bit under-the-radar in the preseason, but look for them to ultimately be a Top 10 team in Class 4A once again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Westfield Shamrocks</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Westfield has been built into a consistent force on the north side of Indianapolis under head coach Shane Sumpter. The Shamrocks lost a lot of scoring to graduation, but there are plenty of reasons for optimism once again heading into 2026-2027. This team will once again feature Division I talent and will be led by a backcourt that could remain intact for years to come. Don't be surprised if this group overachieves some of their preseason expectations.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'10" center [player_tooltip player_id='2414955' first='Luke' last='Vandegriff'] is the top returning player for Westfield. The massive interior presence has an offer from SIU-Edwardsville and has garnered a good deal of other Division I interest. Not only is he big inside, but Vandegriff also has a soft finishing touch over either shoulder and flashes some passing ability out of the post. He has consistently gotten better throughout his career and is starting to produce at the level you would expect from a potentially dominant big man. Vandegriff, alongside 6'6" senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='2622086' first='Ian' last='Muntel'] will give Westifeld a veteran, and talented, interior duo to build around.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Meanwhile, out on the perimeter, senior guards [player_tooltip player_id='2470679' first='Logan' last='Sumpter'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2850210' first='Bryce' last='Bigsbee'] provide additional veteran leadership and should be ready to step into larger roles this season. Sumpter is a left-handed sharpshooter with a high basketball IQ. Bigsbee is a long and athletic two-way threat that should return around Christmas time from a knee injury. However, despite the veteran talent of Sumpter and Bigsbee, it is sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='3033341' first='Graham' last='Wilson'] and freshman point guard [player_tooltip player_id='3605201' first='Maddox' last='Smith'] who will ultimately decide the ceiling of this team. Wilson averaged 4.8 points per game last season as a freshman while Smith will be one of the best freshmen in the state and could be the Shamrocks go-to player from day one. If Wilson and Smith are truly ready to run a team it would go a long way towards making Westfield very competitive at the top of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference and Sectional 8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->