Charlie Hughes Showcase - Friday's Under-the-Radar Standouts

198 teams. 342 games. Four venues. Three days, from Noon on Friday until about 6:00 p.m. on Sunday filled with Indiana High School Basketball. The annual IBCA/IHSAA Charlie Hughes Showcase is the single best evaluation and recruiting event of the calendar year. As always, Prep Hoops Indiana will have boots on the ground coverage from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer of this great event. With day one now in the books let's highlight some of the less-heralded stars from Friday's action at Carmel High School.    Linton was rolling with just six guys on Friday, and was missing one of their best players, but Daily's production remained consistent. The big, physical guard dropped 27 points in a tough loss to Columbus North. Daily presents a difficult matchup on the perimeter due to his ability to physically dominant any smaller guards on his way to the basket while also being a high-percentage shot-maker from the perimeter.     It appears that New Palestine has found some pieces to step up and fill some very big shoes left by graduation. Darrah, a sharp-shooting left-handed guard, is one of those pieces who will seamlessly step into a larger role. He helped the Dragons go 2-0 on Friday night scoring 25 points in a win over South Ripley and then 19 points in a win over Evansville Bosse.     There likely wasn't a player at the entire Charlie Hughes Showcase who had a better day shooting the basketball than [player_tooltip player_id='2892568' first='Dane' last='Kunz'] from Whiteland High School. The 6'2" rising senior guard poured in 40 points while connecting on 8-10 shots from beyond the arc in a blowout win over Andrean. Then, Kunz backed up that performance with six more three-point shots and 20 points in a hard-fought win against Anderson.     Scholarship schools that won't get to a jump start on the Class of 2027 should probably get eyes on Forest Park High School and this standout 6'7"-6'8" forward. Partenheimer is very skilled for his size showcasing the ability to stretch the floor out beyond the three-point arc with a smooth catch-and-shoot game. He also looked comfortable in the post with many set plays being ran for him to catch the ball inside. Partenheimer put up 30 points in an evening win over Eastern Hancock.     Perry impressed us on Friday evening with a 22-point performance in Columbus North's win over Linton. The rising junior guard looked bigger than we remembered both height wise and strength wise. Alongside the possible physical growth, Perry remains highly skilled with the ball in his hands. He can really shoot it from the perimeter, is crafty playing off of ballscreens, and has a sneaky explosive pop when going to finish at the rim which he did well with both hands.     There is obviously not shortage of talent at Crown Point High School, but this 5'9" guard had some small college coaches talking on Friday. Rhodes was excellent scoring in transition and was comfortable finishing with both hands at the end of his drives. He has some explosiveness and a strong upper body which allows him to finish against size. Rhodes was consistently disruptive as an on-ball defender too. Very, very quick.     Gibson Southern went 2-0 on the day with impressive wins over East Chicago Central and Munster. Schmitt, who looks to have grown to more 6'5"-6'6" now, was a big reason for their success. The versatile wing scored 24 points against Munster with buckets coming from all over the court. He was making catch-and-shoot three-point shots, using his size to score in the post, and flashed the ball skill to create his own shot off of the bouncing going to the rim. Under-the-radar Class of 2027 prospect to watch.     Playing alongside three teammates with multiple Division I offers, it can be hard to remember that Sprigler was the second leading scorer on last season's Silver Creek team. The 5'11" guard is a big-time shot-maker and that was on display Friday morning against Lawrence North. He was not sped up by the size, length, and athleticism of the Wildcats and calmly knocked down several three-point shots in the game. Sprigler should be one of the top small college guard prospects in the Class of 2026.     Taylor is the definition of a super productive undersized post guy. It is easy to see why he is an All-State football player because he brings that same physicality, strength, and toughness to the hardwood. The 6'3" forward was very effective for the Knights on the low block and on the glass against Westview on Friday night in a game they went on to win 61-54.     We have seen Zapata's versatility shine in some games over the course of the spring, but it was good to see it translate to his play with Decatur Central as well. The 6'4" forward came up big in a Friday night win over Bloomfield finishing with 26 points to lead all scorers. Zapata got going from three-point range late in the game to seal the deal, but also is very comfortable using his size to score around the basket when given a mismatch. Intriguing under-the-radar prospect to watch.

198 teams. 342 games. Four venues. Three days, from Noon on Friday until about 6:00 p.m. on Sunday filled with Indiana High School Basketball. The annual IBCA/IHSAA Charlie Hughes Showcase is the single best evaluation and recruiting event of the calendar year. As always, Prep Hoops Indiana will have boots on the ground coverage from the opening tip-off until the final buzzer of this great event. With day one now in the books let's highlight some of the less-heralded stars from Friday's action at Carmel High School.