Five Way Too Early Favorites in Class 2A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>August is by far the quietest month on the basketball calendar, but there still isn't a ton going on in September either. We have a few events that Prep Hoops Indiana will be hosting and high school teams begin their fall open gym schedules, but otherwise it is still the calm before the storm. Therefore, we have decided to take a “way too early” look at some of the favorites in each class. These lists will be fluid over the next couple of months, but we wanted to take an early September look at where the landscape of Indiana High School Basketball stands.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>***Teams Listed Alphabetically***</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bishop Luers</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After starting the season 13-1, Bishop Luers finished 20-6 losing in the Sectional championship game to Blackhawk Christian. They will be led by the Truesdale twins who are committed to play at Central Michigan. [player_tooltip player_id='1749047' first='Dereon' last='Truesdale'] averaged 17.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game while [player_tooltip player_id='1749046' first='Drelyn' last='Truesdale'] put up 15.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. Those two will create as good of a one-two punch as there is in the state of Indiana. 6'6" senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1297012' first='Danny' last='Kelly'] is a potential breakout star this season while junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2381412' first='Carmani' last='Davis'] will provide some backcourt depth. Returning your top four scorers from a 20-win team is a really good place to start the 2024-2025 season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Gary 21st Century</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you bring back nearly everything from a 20-win team that won a Sectional it will set preseason expectations high. That is the situation Gary 21st Century is in as they bring back all six of their top rotation players and scorers. Junior guard Terrance Hayes is the star of the show having averaged 19.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. He will be an Indiana Junior All-Star candidate this year. Ron Mosley played a big role in the backcourt as well averaging 14.7 points as a sophomore. Those two will create as dynamic of a backcourt as you'll find in the state. Senior wing Lemetrius Williams adds some additional athleticism, length, and strength to the Cougars lineup. He averaged 12.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game last year. This team will be a tough out come tournament time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lapel</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Going into the state tournament last season there were very few, if any, teams in the state of Indiana as hot as Lapel. They had rattled off 13 straight wins, but then drew Wapahani in the first round of Sectional and fell to the eventual Class 2A state runner-up. The Bulldogs bring back their top three scorers and four of seven primary rotation players. [player_tooltip player_id='1381459' first='Brode' last='Judge'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1530978' first='Bode' last='Judge'] are the two primary names to know that provide Lapel with a really tough one-two punch. Brode averaged 16.4 points per game last season while Bode put up 15.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. The twin brothers compliment each other very well with their perimeter and interior skill sets. [player_tooltip player_id='1139937' first='Devin' last='Craig'], a junior point guard, will be back as well to help run the show. He averaged 7.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. That talented trio will give Lapel a shot to win Sectional 39 this year. Last season, four of their six losses came to Class 4A Anderson and 2A state runner-up Wapahani.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Park Tudor</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Park Tudor won 20 games last season and reached the Semi-State before losing by one point to eventual Class 2A State Champion Brownstown Central. They will bring back a lot of talent from that team including star guard [player_tooltip player_id='1297034' first='Hudson' last='Horvath']. He averaged 19.7 points per game as a junior. [player_tooltip player_id='1525681' first='Eli' last='Bennett'], Montell Johnson, [player_tooltip player_id='1297074' first='KJ' last='Mark'], [player_tooltip player_id='2140369' first='Griffyn' last='Robisch'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2400045' first='Keylan' last='Smith'] will be other names to know this season. The Panthers are a perennial powerhouse in Class 2A and should have the firepower to be among the best in the state once again in 2024-2025.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Parke Heritage</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In 2022-2023, [player_tooltip player_id='1560965' first='Treigh' last='Schelsky']'s freshman season, Parke Heritage won the Regional before falling to Linton-Stockton in the Semi-State semifinal. Then, last season, they rattled off 24 wins on their way to reaching the Semi-State championship game where they lost to eventual 2A champ Brownstown Central. Now, Schelsky is back for his junior year and will look to lead the Wolves one step further to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. He averaged 15.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last season and will be an Indiana Junior All-Star candidate this time around. Parke Heritage also returns the vast majority of their primary rotation including [player_tooltip player_id='1297106' first='Renn' last='Harper'], BT Luce, and [player_tooltip player_id='2140339' first='Carter' last='Crum']. Those four, along with a few others that will step into larger roles, makeup as good of a core as you'll find in Class 2A.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Others:</strong> Jimtown, Linton, Manchester, South Ripley, Tipton, Wapahani</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->