Havoc in the Heartland: Top 2021’s

Havoc in the Heartland: Top 2021&#8217;s

Landon Bundy

July 21, 2020 @ 05:29 PM

We had lots of top prospects in the Havoc in the Heartland. Today, we will highlight some of the event’s top performers in the 2021 class.   <ul> <li>Noah Pendleton - Perry Meridian - Indiana Red Storm 17U</li> </ul> Pendleton played pretty well in the post to give the Red Storm a little bit of an inside presence this weekend. He showed off a plethora of different post moves including a little baby hook and finishing with either hand inside. He had great touch around the rim and finished a couple of fastbreaks with layups.   <ul> <li>Kobe Ward - Danville - Men Of The Family 17U</li> </ul> Ward is a smaller guard who loves to get out and run. He had active hands on defense and he was strong on the defensive glass which allowed him to get out and run. He showed off a nice little pull-up jumper, and he was very strong and aggressive to the rim. He had a couple of nice finishes inside, and he had some offensive rebounds and putbacks to put his whole offensive game together.   <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="874202" first="Caleb" last="Applegate"] - Penn - Indiana Game Select 17U</li> </ul> Applegate was a lights out shooter from the outside this weekend. He uses his length and height to have a high release on his shot which makes it nearly impossible to defend or affect his shot. He also had great court vision to know when to make the extra pass versus taking the shot. He was nearly perfect off of the catch and shoot and was probably one of the best true shooters that I saw this weekend.   <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="874184" first="Caleb" last="Swearingen"] - Northview - Men Of The Family 17U</li> </ul> Swearingen used his size to his advantage this weekend to allow him to excel on the offensive end of the floor. He showed off his good handles to allow him to get to the rim consistently throughout the game. At the rim, he sought contact and either completed the tough finish inside or got to the rim. When he was shooting the ball, he was very efficient overall. He did not force anything, and he was a perfect 3-3 from the outside including the game-winner with 3 seconds remaining. His jumper had a high release, and he even showed off a nice little mid-range jumper.   <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="874117" first="Malik" last="Stanley"] - Warren Central - EG10 17U</li> </ul> Stanley was one of the major catalysts of the EG10 offense. He was shifty inside and was able to create to set up both he and his teammates. He created his own shot multiple times, and it seemed like he was always able to find his own space inside. He was incredibly unselfish and had some beautiful assists that left everyone wondering how he got the pass through the defense.   <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="963222" first="Jesse" last="Hall"] - Crawfordsville - Indiana Red Storm 17U</li> </ul> Hall was the star for the Red Storm this weekend. He used his size and length to disrupt the opponent’s offense while sitting on top of the 1-3-1. He got out and led quite a few fast breaks while finishing over bigger defenders and through traffic. Not only was he able to finish inside, but he used his great court vision to find the open man. He also showed off another aspect of his game by knocking down multiple threes to keep the defense guessing. With his wide range of skills, he is always going to be a tough matchup for any opponent.   <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="783160" first="Blake" last="Barker"] - Columbus North - EG10 17U</li> </ul> Barker was a tough guard who was able to out physical and overpower everyone he was matched up with. He seemed to always get to the rim with ease, and he had great touch around the rim to finish through traffic. He did struggle shooting from the outside in this one, but he did knock down a couple to keep the defense honest. He was a big player for EG10 this weekend, and he is going to have a chance to have a big season over the course of the summer and the high school season.   <ul> <li>[player_tooltip player_id="783145" first="Gus" last="Etchison"] - Hamilton Heights - EG10 17U</li> </ul> Etchison was off the charts this weekend. In the game that I saw, Etchison scored the first ten points of the game with a pull-up three and a deep three. He has no range when he steps into the building, and he is a next-level scorer. To go along with his shooting, he also was an outstanding creator. He got to the rim consistently and either finished inside or kicked to the open man. He was a big reason why EG10 was able to make it to the semifinals of the championship round, and he has a big chance to dominate over the course of the next year.