Open Gym Report: Zionsville High School

<p>I was up and at it early on Thursday morning for a 6:30 a.m. workout at Zionsville High School. It is no secret that the Eagles have a lot of talent this season. They have a balanced mixture of backcourt talent and size on the interior. Zionsville is probably the preseason favorite to win the HCC, but until somebody proves differently, Sectional 8 still runs through Carmel.</p> <p>Coach J.R. Howell is entering his second season at Zionsville after a 14-8 first year. He will have plenty of talent at his disposal beginning with junior point guard [player_tooltip player_id="868255" first="Logan" last="Imes"]. The Junior All-Star candidate (lock) brings back a team-leading 13.5 points per game to go along with 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists. The 6’4" guard, ranked #8 in the Class of 2023 by Prep Hoops Indiana, currently holds 10 Division I offers and had a Big East assistant in to see him this morning. As the guy who does the rankings here at Prep Hoops I will go ahead and say that Imes will be moved up in our next update. He is better than #8.</p> <p>While Imes runs the show in the backcourt, he has two great pick-and-roll partners in the front court. 6’9" junior [player_tooltip player_id="868244" first="Nick" last="Richart"] is healthy now and poised for a big season. He averaged 10.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as a sophomore and is looking like a Junior All-Star candidate now. Prep Hoops Indiana has him ranked #14 in the Class of 2023 currently. Division I programs need to get to Zionsville and start recruiting him. Very strong, elite hands, and can finish with both hands around the basket. Alongside Richart, the Eagles feature another 6’9" senior big man in [player_tooltip player_id="774740" first="Isaiah" last="Davis"]. The Huntington commit transferred in from Greenwood Christian and will make for a lethal one-two punch inside. Davis can stretch the floor out to the perimeter as well.</p> <p>A pair of senior guards and a junior wing will provide some depth and round out a solid rotation for the Eagles. 6’1" senior John Macabee averaged 7.2 points per game last season and shot 42% from beyond the arc. He will be a primary beneficiary off all the attention paid to Imes, Richart, and Davis. Additionally on the perimeter, junior [player_tooltip player_id="1140525" first="Edward" last="Thomas"] is expect to take a leap this season. The 6’3" guard appeared in all of the games last season but wasn’t called upon to do a whole lot. He averaged 1.3 points per game. That will not be the case this year. The development of Thomas will be an X-factor in terms of just how good Zionsville will be this season. Lastly, senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="870271" first="Brendan" last="Wood"] will provide some depth off the bench.</p> <p>Junior wing Matthew Wleklinski will be another important rotation piece for the Eagles. He is a tough, physical player that can mix it up inside along with having guard skill on the perimeter. Very good rebounder from the guard position. His role will be very important as Zionsville competes for a HCC title.</p> <p>Senior point guard Donovan Visor and classmate Preston Gadd will also be in the rotation as well. I thought Visor played well this morning and could spell Imes at times to allow him to play off of the ball.</p> <p><strong>Final Thought: </strong>Zionsville is a sure-fire Top 10 team in Class 4A this season. They might be Top 5. [player_tooltip player_id="868255" first="Logan" last="Imes"] is one of the best players in the state of Indiana and will give the Eagles a chance in every game they play. His classmate [player_tooltip player_id="868244" first="Nick" last="Richart"] gives them one of the best inside-outside duos in the state. There are some questions of how deep the rotation can go and that may keep them from truly competing with the Cathedral’s and the Carmel’s. Regardless, a Hoosiers Crossroads championship is the goal for the Zionsville Eagles this season.</p>