Grassroots Preview: The Ville 16u
With the end of the high school season, we began our AAU previews in the middle of March. Rosters and teams are starting to take shape and we are getting more and more information from programs everyday. The Ville has risen from the ashes after a sabbatical from summer 2014 to now. The first year back, they are on the Adidas Silver Gauntlet as well as playing the Gatorade circuit in their non-certified weekends.
This past weekend, The Ville started their season 3-1 in the Gatorade Association. Their only loss was a narrow one and their wins were all big margins. There are some very good pieces on the team and Coach Wiley Brown is also the head coach at IU-Southeast so they will be well coached.
Roster:
Lewis Richards, Ballard
Trey Hourigan, New Albany (IN)
Jacob Jones, Jeffersonville (IN)
Darin Starks, New Albany (IN)
Caleb Brown, New Albany (IN)
Jared Courtney, Franklin County
JJ Traynor, Bardstown
Jake Heidbreder, Floyd Central (IN)
Ginika Ojako
Emmanuel Balogun
Guy You Have To Watch: TBD. To be frank, this team is loaded with kids I haven’t seen play much. There are multiple members of the roster from Indiana so I’ve not seen them at all.
Best Bet To End Up Breaking Out: JJ Traynor or Emmanuel Balogun. Both are big forwards but Balogun is massive. JJ is long and athletic but still a little raw. If his motor gets revving and he starts making a difference on both ends, JJ can be really good.
Who Should Be Watching: D2 all the way up to mid D1. The size and ability of Traynor and Balogun will draw mid major coaches eyes. The skills of Courtney, Jones and Richards will likely impress coaches as well.