Indy EYBL: Friday Night Lights

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a brief hiatus the prestigious EYBL returned to Hoosier state for third session of the grassroots season. It was also the first session held during the live period. Which essentially means the stars came out on Friday night. With LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyler Herro in the attendance there was definitely a palpable buzz in the gym. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So where to start? I'll stick close to my home state and region. Within that scope the performances that caught my eye ranged from established elite national stars. To players that are beginning to attract some serious attention with their play in the spring. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Established Elite Stars </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Jerry Easter 6-3 2025 La Lumiere (IN) </strong>At an elite national event. You can quibble about who had the best performance. However I'm not sure anyone can claim a better run of play than Easter had in the second half of his opening contest. No other way to say it. Team Final's game with Nightrydas was basically over. Then in the late third quarter. The Toledo area guard who preps in Indiana, went on a personal 8-0 run. Did it by scoring at all three levels. Started with a reverse layup that showed his strength and creativity finishing at the rim. Followed it up with a deep three on a pull up in transition. Kept the run going by using his strong upper body to get to the foul line multiple times. Balanced the scoring with playmaking. Found open teammates with live dribble passing when double teams came at him. Finishing with six assists. Impressive stat line across the board. Nearly had a double double with 25 points and nine rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1385293' first='Bryce' last='Heard'] 6-6 2025 Homewood Flossmoor (IL)</strong> <strong>(pictured) </strong>I chose the picture at the top of this article intentionally. One— I took it. Because I took it, I know it was taken two years ago. Heard has been on quite a circuitous route since that photo was taken. From Chicago to Florida and his participation on the prestigious NIBC. Now Heard has come full circle is back as the top player in the Windy City. Through all the movement, Heard has kept developing and growing as a player. He is a strong wing who absorbs and finishes through contact easily. Has the ability to shake defenders with a slight Kawhi-esque shoulder dip that does not look like push off. Is a good enough ball handler to get to his spots and even play the point in a pinch. At 6-6 explodes to rim easily and is a good finisher. Kept competing despite a large margin in the Friday night contest. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Names on the Rise </h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1112302' first='Xander' last='Wedlow'] 6-9 2024 Detroit University Prep (MI) </strong>Wedlow had his work cut out for him on Friday night. As he was the only true post going up against a stout Oakland Soldiers frontline. Held up pretty well for about three quarters. Also dealt with foul trouble. Despite the foul trouble. The long term upside play is in his potential as a defender. Has a thick and wide frame that is difficult to move. However also has very long arms. Good timing makes him an excellent shot blocker. Had two big blocks on Friday. Increased lateral quickness could allow him to take a next step. There is still time to take that next step. As it appears Wedlow will be reclassifying. Bigs typically develop later than guards and wings. Wedlow could be a late blooming steal whenever his recruiting cycle ends.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1437985' first='Geon' last='Hutchins'] 6-4 2025 Oak Park (MI) </strong>Hutchins could be considered under the radar for a variety of reasons. His is very thin and still growing into his lanky frame. Additionally his regular season team had a rough campaign that might have tempered a bit of his early attention. However Hutchins appears to be rising above that this spring. Often when a player endures a lot of losses and carries a heavy offensive load, they can develop bad habits. Not in this case. Hutchins appears to have smoothed out the release on his jump shot. Gets it up quickly and with little wasted motion. Also played with patience and pace. Showed a nice pump fake that he used to get to the basket after defenses began close out on him. Made plays while showing good hang time on the corresponding drives. If he continues to add strength, could have a big senior season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1468662' first='Leroy' last='Blyden Jr.'] <strong>5-9 2025 UD-Jesuit (MI) </strong>Don't read this as a criticism of [program_tooltip program_id='2077030' first='The' last='Family']'s backcourt. Just a reality playing with elite prospects like <strong>Darius Acuff </strong>and [player_tooltip player_id='1437536' first='Trey' last='McKenney']. Simply put there are not a lot of touches and shots available for Blyden. He more than makes the most of them. Consequently he is a highly efficient player who knows how to pick his spots. Gets around the perimeter easily with a tight handle. Once again though, the handle with little wasted movement or empty dribbling. Always going somewhere and moving with purpose. Not very big. However makes up for the lack of size with a lethal floater. Gets it off quickly and from different angles. Finished with 10 points in 15 minutes of play. I would say that qualifies as pretty efficient. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->