UAA/UA Rise Circuit – Ramsey’s Sunday Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Just like that the first live evaluation period of the spring is officially in the books. Prep Hoops Indiana had boots on the ground coverage from Spooky Nook in Hamilton, Ohio all weekend long at UAA Session II/UA Rise Session I. Play concluded on Sunday afternoon and we enjoyed our third consecutive day in the gym taking in all of the action including a strong emphasis on the four programs based in Indiana: [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'], Indiana Jammers, [program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last=''], and Progeny. Let's once again empty out the notebook and discuss watch we watched on the final day of the live period event.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Indiana Jammers 16u Run Into Tough Opponent</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Typically we are in the gym at 8:00 a.m. every morning, but no Indiana teams played until 9:15 a.m. on Sunday so we did enjoy a little bit of a slower start to the day. The first game we took in was this Indiana Jammers 16u matchup which ended up getting away from them in a l[program_tooltip program_id='2228160' first='OPS' last='']ided second half. However, there were still some bright spots despite the defeat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2622251' first='Caden' last='Jones'] (Edgewood H.S. 2027) is a really intriguing prospect that caught our attention throughout the weekend. The 6'6" wing moves very well on the perimeter and has some serious upside as a shooter. When the shots are falling, like they were in this one, he can be very impressive. Jones finished with a team-high 14 points including four three-point shots. [player_tooltip player_id='2622247' first='Trayven' last='Buis'] (Northview H.S. 2027) added 12 points in the loss for the Jammers. Both [player_tooltip player_id='2882548' first='Gavin' last='Deighton'] (West Vigo H.S. 2027) and [player_tooltip player_id='2622079' first='Jacob' last='Parham'] (Franklin Central H.S. 2027) had strong stretches in the game as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Progeny 15u Finishes the Weekend Strong</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This Progeny 15u is the one Indiana-based team that competes on the UAA Circuit and they finished the weekend off with a 3-1 record after defeating P7 Elite 71-52 on Sunday morning. [player_tooltip player_id='2538843' first='Braxton' last='Bowman'] (Crawford County H.S. 2028) was the leader in the scoring column finishing with 18 points. The well-rounded guard had a stretch of transition/fast break layups early in the second half, hit a couple of pull-up jumps shots, and nailed a couple of three-point attempts. His ability to score from all levels against high-level competition really stood out. Meanwhile, [player_tooltip player_id='2617866' first='Jaylin' last='Foster'] (Scecina Memorial 2028) and [player_tooltip player_id='2297505' first='Jaece' last='Vogt'] (West Lafayette H.S. 2028) finished with 14 points each. 6'5" forward [player_tooltip player_id='2539953' first='Jarrett' last='Harris'] had back-to-back alley-oop dunks at one point as well showcasing his highlight-reel ability.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 15u Pulls Away in Final Game</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is no denying the supreme talent on this [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 15u team. Typically, it is [player_tooltip player_id='2565742' first='Charles' last='Hardiman'] (Merrillville H.S. 2028) who stands out on the offensive end, but in this one [player_tooltip player_id='2409540' first='Michael' last='Wilson'] (Crown Point H.S. 2028) poured in 25 points in the 67-54 victory. MJ Wilson has had a spectacular spring proving himself as one of the best long-term prospects in Indiana's Class of 2028. He will certainly be a major stock-riser when our rankings are expanded and updated. [player_tooltip player_id='2553675' first='Parker' last='Smith'] (Fairfield H.S. 2028) chipped in 11 points while connecting on three three-point shots for [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 15u as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The [player_tooltip player_id='2470670' first='Maddux' last='Wagner'] Breakout Continues For [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 16u</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Get to know the name. [player_tooltip player_id='2470670' first='Maddux' last='Wagner'] (Valparaiso H.S. 2027) had a big-time weekend for [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 16u as they played three UAA opponents in Hamilton. The 6'7" left-handed forward went off for 14 points in the first as [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] 16u took an excellent Middlesex Magic team down to the wire. His offensive versatility between scoring with his left hand over his right shoulder in the post, running the floor, and stretching the defense out to beyond the three-point arc is very impressive. Wagner proved to be a capable rebounder and interior defender as well. [player_tooltip player_id='2140448' first='Tobias' last='Ray'] (Chesterton H.S. 2027) played well in this one for [program_tooltip program_id='2075551' first='Indiana' last='Game'] as well finishing with a team-high 16 points in the 66-57 loss.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">The [player_tooltip player_id='2617833' first='Ishmael' last='Kiteka'] Show</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is still lot of growth to be a had in the coming years in terms of fine tuning this young prospects game. He will get stronger, more physical inside, quicken his feet, and polish the edges around his offensive game. However, as a freshman, what he brings to the table is already pretty darn good. [player_tooltip player_id='2617833' first='Ishmael' last='Kiteka'] finished the weekend with 18 points in a loss for Indiana Jammers 15u but continues to impress with the way he scores around the basket. He has such a soft touch inside, does an excellent job of keeping the ball high, and is extremely active on the offensive glass. You can tell he is a very coachable prospect as well. Clearly one of the top prospects in Indiana's Class of 2028.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->