3 For 3: Week 7 Preview

The high school boys’ basketball season is underway and even though we could face some challenges throughout the year, we at PrepHoops Indiana want to give you the absolute best coverage in the whole state. Indiana is full of great teams and talented players thus giving the fans incredible matchups every week. Join me, Kyler Staley, every Monday during the season as I preview the 3 Players, 3 Teams, and 3 Matchups to watch for that coming week. Are you ready? Let’s get started! 3 Players [player_tooltip player_id="963222" first="Jesse" last="Hall"] – 6’7 2021 PF – Crawfordsville: I like to consider Hall as one of the best kept secrets in the whole state. He is a true stretch power forward that has a ton of athletic ability and runs the floor so well. For his size, he has some of the best ball handles and can really get to the rim anytime he wants to. Really just love the motor he has and the amount for energy he plays with. Any team at the next level that is able to snag this guy, is going to get a steal of a player. He and Crawfordsville will compete in the Sugar Creek Tournament this weekend when they take on North Montgomery on Friday. [player_tooltip player_id="963905" first="Mason" last="Nicholson"] – 6’9 2021 C – Gary West: Nicholson is a big, bruising post player who has great size and enough strength to play with anyone. He is the top center that has yet to commit to a college but that should not last much longer. Ever since the Senior Showcase, that took place all the way back in September, Nicholson has been one of the most talked about 2021 prospects in the state. He has consistently improved his game throughout his high school career is one of the main reason that Gary West has a 5-2 record and is one of the better teams in 4A. He is just one of those bigs that has the legit size and enough skill that can be molded into a great, all-around player at the next level. He and the Cougars will take on Calumet (1/5) and Bowman Academy (1/8). [player_tooltip player_id="870213" first="Chris" last="Gunn"] – 6’4 2022 SG – Lawrence North: Gunn is a bigger shooting guard that has a ton of upside. Arguably the best guard in the whole 2022 class, he is one of the many reasons that Lawrence North is 8-0 and currently the best team in 4A. Pretty much the type of player that can do it all like you want with an elite shooting guard like shoot, drive, pass, defend, and whatever more you want from him. Just so quick, athletic, and skilled that once he is gets in rhythm, he is nearly impossible to stop. Not much else to say here other than this 2022 prospect can play basketball at a high level is going to be a force at the D1 level. Lawrence North will host Warren Central on Friday (1/8). 3 Teams Indianapolis Cathedral (4A): Cathedral is having a real good season so far. Currently 8-1 and their only loss came at the hands of Homestead in double OT. Their success that they are having can be a sum of multiple things but one of the main reasons is the senior leadership of Air Force commit [player_tooltip player_id="783162" first="Vincent" last="Brady"] and his fellow senior teammate [player_tooltip player_id="963220" first="Jalen" last="Johnson"]. If that is not enough, they also have probably the best class of 2022 prospects with elite studs like [player_tooltip player_id="870212" first="Tayshawn" last="Comer"], [player_tooltip player_id="769665" first="Peter" last="Moe"], and 3 others playing a huge part of why they are dominating. Also don’t forget they have one of the best 2023 prospects [player_tooltip player_id="868219" first="Xavier" last="Booker"] controlling the paint as well. So with all that said, it should be no confusion as to why this team is on another level at moment. They travel to Indianapolis Roncalli on Friday (1/8) and with that win it should get them in the top five for 4A. This team is not only built for success this week, but for the rest of the year and years to come. Madison-Grant (2A): The Argylles have played really good basketball this season. 7-1 one right now and have been slowly climbing the ranks of 2A since the start of the season. They are my team to watch this week, not only because they are good and fun team to watch, but they also have their biggest test of the season when they host Blackford, who is the top team in 2A right now, on Friday. With a good supporting cast around him and the homecourt advantage, it is a real possibility that [player_tooltip player_id="963931" first="Kaden" last="Howell"] can lead the fight against [player_tooltip player_id="647199" first="Luke" last="Brown"] and the Bruins. Once the dust is settled, Madison-Grant will have an easier test when they travel to Northfield on Saturday. Edinburgh (1A): We recently talked about the Lancers in one of our Stock Market articles so I think it is appropriate that we circle back to them and talk about how good of season they are having. They are 8-2 right now and they are coming off a huge Tournament win that they hosted around the holidays. They are an older team but are led by a 2023 stud in [player_tooltip player_id="935747" first="Caleb" last="Dewey"], who is scoring in double figures this season. Just a team that has improved drastically last season (6-18 record) and has looked to have finally put it all together. Interesting week ahead as they take on both Crosspointe Christian (1/5) and West Washington (1/9). Look for them to come out of this week with a 2-0 record. 3 Matchups South Bend Adams (4A) at Mishawaka Marian (3A) – Jan. 8th, 7:30 pm: This will be a fun game. You have one of the best teams in all of 4A (SBA) going up against one of the best teams in all of 3A (MM). South Bend Adams is currently 9-0 and this is arguably their toughest game they have played yet this season. Mishawaka Marian on the other hand has only lost one game this season but has beaten multiple 4A teams already. Add in players like [player_tooltip player_id="1077020" first="Sidney" last="Jefferies"], [player_tooltip player_id="1077025" first="Quentez" last="Columbus"], [player_tooltip player_id="870217" first="Kaleo" last="Kakalia"], [player_tooltip player_id="769703" first="Richard" last="Brooks"], and others, this is a star-studded matchup. Expect this one to be back-and-forth and close throughout the entire game. Gonna go with Mishawaka Marian to pick up a close win here. Westfield (4A) at Carmel (4A) – Jan. 9th, 7:30 pm: This is the top 4A matchup of the week and it is not even close. A battle of two of the top five teams in 4A is an automatic must-watch game for me, especially with the highly anticipated 2022 battle between [player_tooltip player_id="769662" first="Peter" last="Suder"] and [player_tooltip player_id="870222" first="Braden" last="Smith"]. Other than that, it really comes down to which strength of a team is going to show it’s face this game. Will Westfield’s elite guard play be the deciding factor with [player_tooltip player_id="870245" first="Cameron" last="Haffner"] helping on that end? Will Carmel’s [player_tooltip player_id="769678" first="Charlie" last="Williams"] be too much of a problem in the post for Westfield to contain? These are just a few things that make this game such a toss-up. Gonna have to give Carmel a slight advantage to win this one but man this one really is too close to call. North Daviess (1A) at Evansville Christian (1A) – Jan. 9th, 8:00 pm: This game is probably the best match featuring 1A teams. Both are in the top ten and actually both have a good squad overall. It is interesting for Evansville Christian because they have lost their last three games so I am interested to see if they can snap their losing streak here. It will be tough though because [player_tooltip player_id="935727" first="Jaylen" last="Mullen"] and the Cougars have won 8 games and have only been defeated once so far. With that said, I do not think Evansville Christian will have enough to stop North Daviess this time around. Give me North Daviess picking up the road win.