Recruiting Report: Ben Lyon (2018)
An on-the-verge prospect in Iowa’s 2018 class, Ankeny’s lengthy guard Ben Lyon is due for a breakout senior season next winter.
The 6-foot-4 junior was a role player last season on a Hawks squad that featured one of the state’s best players, Drew Maschoff. Still, Lyon has been able to pick up some initial college interest.
“I’ve been starting to hear from some colleges, and I’ve been pretty proactive with my recruitment; I’ve been emailing some coaches myself,” said Lyon.
“I had a pretty good April, so I think I’m starting to get on some radars. And I really just want to see how good I can get over the next 90 days.”
He added: “Upper Iowa just started sending me some stuff, a handful of colleges in Nebraska, some D2s and D3s. As of right now I just need to put on some weight — which I have been doing, I’m on a pretty strict diet and I lift five days a week.”
With some nice height and a very lengthy wing-span, Lyon excels defensively, and he defined his skill-set in detail to PHIA.
“I’ve always been able to get to the rim off the dribble, but one thing I’ve been working on a lot lately is my shot. I’ve been getting in the school gym, getting on the gun and getting a lot of shots up every day,” said Lyon, who reflected on his junior season. ’
“Obviously, Drew Maschoff was our guy, so my job was to just get to the rim, rebound well and be a presence in the lane. And I’m only 6’4 but I led my team in blocks by a lot.”
“I don’t think people realize how long I am; I’m 6’4 but I think 6’9 is what we measured my wing-span at — just basically length is what it comes to.”
This spring and summer, Lyon is playing on Kingdom Hoops Elite II, a decision he and program director Vance Mosley decided would be best for him.
“Me and Vance talked about it and we feel like that’s the best opportunity for me to showcase what I can do,” said Lyon.
“We’ve got a lot of pieces and it’s a lot of fun playing on that team, I really enjoy it.”