Only Justin Johnson Shows Up For Merrillville !!

The 6-8 High Major Junior scored 12 and tried his best to hold off 4A (9-0) Pike but the houdini act from his 'mates was too much too overcome..
(7-3) Merrillville waved the white flag in losing 74-54 to Pike in the widely watched Indiana Basketball Hall Of Fame Classic Tourney Championship.. Senior Cousins 5-8 Jay Borom and 6-1 Lonnie Randolph scored only 15 points combined vs. Pike and were AWOL for the second time this season vs. a very good 4A team..
Region Roundball Rumblers remember the 33 point debacle loss that Merillville suffered earlier this season to Warren Central ...
Winning 28-25 vs. Pike at halftime, Merrillville basically fell apart as they embarrassed North West Indiana Basketball for the second time this season..
How do good basketball players (and coaches at any level) lead by three at halftime and end up losing a game by 20 ??
A twenty three point turn a round when you have supposedly D-1 PLAYERS , Indiana All Star Candidates and a Hall Of Fame Coach ??
Merrillville should be as ashamed of blowing their Title win as The Highland High School Girls Should Be Proud Of Winning The Hall Of Fame Title..
With only a handfull of Merrillville fans in attendance at New Castle, do not expect a Region Boys team being invited back anytime soon..
The Classic Committee should however strongly consider the entertaining Gary Westside or Gary Roosevelt..
Versus Merrillville , Pike was led by Chris Thomas 21 points , David Teague's 14 , 5-8 Keith Borgan's 10 and 6-5 Sophomore Parnell Smith's 10 points..
Pike Head Coach Alan Darner won his second Hall Of Classic (The first while Coaching at Anderson Highland)..
He is the only Coach in the history of the Classic to have won The Title at two different schools..
Huntington North won the consolation game 66-60 over Maconaquah..
Indiana Recruit 6-7 Sean Kline scored 27 for HN while 6-7 240 lb. Buddy Richardson put back 17 for the overrated Maconaquah..

(8-1) Gary Westside 72 (7-2) Gary Roosevelt 61

The Cougars are The 2000 Gary Holiday Classic Champions and they are slowly achieving The # 4 Preseason Statewide Ranking that Indiana Basketball News prognosticated in October ..
Slam dunking , treyball shooting Donald Richards led his Cougars with 23 points
Richards and South Bend Riley's Martell Taylor are the state's Top Junior College High Major Prospects..
Junior 6-11 Chris Hunter scored 14 points while fellow Junior 6-0 Brandon Cameron and Junior 6-2 200 lb. Wing Dennis Gates both chipped in 9 points..
Gary Roosevelt "see sawed " with Westside in the first half due largely to poor 'Velt shooting..
Their entire game plan went south when Senior Ken Lampley (Youngstown State Signee) began arguing with 6-4 'mate Sophomore Jamal Nash..
The Senior leader was benched for his actions as was 'Velts chances for the tourney title..
Steady 6-4 Senior Danny Smith scored 17 points while 6-2 Damien Guider added 18 markers for 'Velt..
The talented and high strung Lampley finished with 12 points before his benching !!
City Of Gary bragging rights temporarily belong to GARY WESTSIDE !!
January 9th, the two hugely talented teams meet once again for the third time this season !!
This is due to the fact that few Indiana teams will schedule Gary teams..
Few coaches want to expose the weaknesses of their Hometown Heros to the incredible athleticism that Gary Teams will embarrass them with !!
The two Gary teams will also probably meet for the fourth time this season in The Gary 4A Sectional ..

Hammond native 6-0 Batiste Haywood at Nebraska's Northeast Junior College
The playmaking scorer is like most Indiana Preps in that he would prefer to pursue his NCAA D-1 career at a program near his Indiana home..
Yet, the NCAA D-1 route remains his goal so he is open to all offers..
Interest thus far is from Lamar , USC , Creighton and Bradley..
High School attendance was not 'Tiste's forte but he does have a 1200 Documented SAT including a 700 Math Score..
Suitors should contact Head Coach Dan Anderson or asst. Adam Wilson..

6-7 225 Prentiss Gates / Gary Wirt / Chattanooga State
The Sophomore Guard /forward who never played High School Varsity Basketball is currently leading his JUCO to a 14-2 record.
Equally effective at both the shooting guard and small forward positions, Prentiss averages 20 ppg. , 8rpg. and 8 apg.
He continues to be recruited by Mississippi , Middle Tennessee State , Tennessee , Georgia State , Appalachain State , Kentucky State and Lee University..

East Chicago's Willie Puckett (1994)
The 6-3 210 lb. Guard/Forward took the Cardinals to 2OT in the Lafayette Semi-State before falling to eventual State Runnerup (Bryce Drew led ) Valparaiso...
Our most vivid memory of Puckett was the summer before his Senior season when he played against Kevin Garnett in The Kentucky Prep Festival (Eddie Ford's).
At that time , Garnett was still a resident of Maudlin, South Carolina.
His awesome summer resulted in his move to Chicago's Farragut High School.
Anyway , in the game vs. Garnett's Carolina entry, Puckett's team was getting frustrated with Garnett blocking virtually every Jumper in the lane area.
Late in the third quarter, Puckett called for the ball on the wing from Gary Westside's Darius Styles..
Throwing a shot fake on a Carolina defender, Puckett whirled to the rack sideways and tomahawked dunked in Garnett's face..
His manchild move changed the game's momentum and Carolina needed a last second trey to win the game..
Puckett attended South Suburban College after his days at East Chicago.. He played at SSC for former UCLA and East Chicago Washington Star Pete Trgovich (current asst. at Loyola-Chicago)..
Puckett did not graduate from SSC but he did accumulate transferable credits..
The past four years he has played in Lake County Industrial Leagues while also working various jobs..
His mother became seriously ill and Willie also attended to her until she got her health back..
The amiable Puckett at age 25 now seeks to finish his education at a NAIA institution that can use his strength , experience and perimeter scoring abilities ..
IBN interested college clients in Puckett should call our office..
Puckett's 6-3 EC 'mate Rashid Woods is slated for graduation this spring from NAIA power Huron College..

Former Gary Westside's 6-7 Vincent Hart
We caught up with the former Cougar at the Gary Holiday Classic.
The slender lefty Small Forward Prospect reports that he will be Graduating this summer from California JUCO Chaffey College..
Averaging 19 ppg. , 5 rpg. and 3apg - Vinny says he is being recruited by Illinois , Pacific , and Boston College..
We expect Ball State and Bowling Green to also become involved..
Vincent was adamant that all recruiters and inbnews.com should seek more information through Cougar Coach John Boyd..

East Chicago Wins Elkhart Central Tourney On Joe Brand's 50 Footer !!

The 6-5 Junior's career to this point has been marred with injury and academic woes..
Extremely explosive and rangy , Brand has been working to extend his game from the post to the perimeter..
Never has his jumper looked better than Friday evening when he took a last second inbounds pass and swished a 50 footer..
Brand's "hail mary" sealed the (5-4) Cardinals 48-45 Tourney Championship over previously undefeated (7-1) Penn..
All State football player Keon Jackson is currently deciding between Northwestern , Ball State and Northern Illinois for football..
In this game , Jackson led the Cards with 17 points and the most rugged defense played in Northern Indiana...
Sophomore 6-2 Dante Edwards seems to be actualizing some of his huge potential..
He contributed 12 in the win..
Penn continues to be led by their talented trio of Seniors..
6-0 Jim Modlin hit 5 treys and 15 points.
6-6 Andrew Laird and 6-2 Marcus Husband both contributed 13..

Saturday December 30 , 2000

Gary Roosevelt defeated Gary Horace Mann 75-64 to qualify for the Championship game vs. Gary Westside in the City Holiday Championship
'Velts manchild 6-5 Ken "Skooch" Lampley scored 18 points and snatched 20 rebounds to lead 'Velt.
"Skooch's" Senior Buddies Akeem Clark (21 points) , Danny Smith (15 points) and Chad Knight (13 points) proved too much for The Horseman..
Mann's 6-2 Senior David "Juice" Gullet scored 19 points before fouling (with 7 minutes remaining)out on many questionable calls..
Mann Freshman Phenom 5-10 Marcus White also delivered 16 points.
Gary West defeated Gary Wirt 79- 67 for their chance to once again dethrone Gary Roosevelt in tonite's Championship game ...
The two hugely talented teams previously met in the East Chicago Thanksgiving Classic where 'Velt pummelled The Cougars 77-68..
Versus Wirt , Westside never trailed in spite of fierce play from Wirt Juniors 6-0 Marcus Ford ( 11 points , 10 assists , 4 steals) and 6-5 Brandon Lee ( 20 points , 7 rebounds)..
Second shot opportunities were many for The Cougars and 6-11 Jr. Chris Hunter (20 points , 10 rebounds , 4 block shots) had 5 of those putbacks.
6-0 Jr. Brandon Cameron finished with only 6 points but his 12 assists and 5 steals were the difference for GW.
Brandon appears to have become the floor general that Coach John Boyd has been looking for..
The best player in the Gym this nite was Westside's 6-3 Donald Richards..
The high flying Donald threw down three Vince Carter type Slams , drained a trey , blocked 4 shots , tossed 6 assists and finished with a game high 23 points.
We expect a huge battle in tonite's Gary Prep Holiday Classic Championship ..
Westside has greatly improved since 'Velt thrashed them in East Chicago !!
Hopefully, the battle will stay on the court and not in the bleachers..The Wirt/Westside game was delayed twice because of morons choosing to fistfight in the upperdecks..
With a beefy Police Force On hand, only those desperate for a City Jail meal would choose to "Duke it out".
The perpetrators will spend New Years Day in Jail and face The City Judge on Tuesday morning.. .

6-2 Junior Derrick Graham of South Bend Washington

A man amongst boys is what most say after watching the "do everything 200 lb. Prize fighter built " Graham play ..
Graham recently led his (6-3) Washington team to the Huntington North Holiday Classic Champioship ..
In the first game vs. Huntington North, Graham was on fire scoring 27 vs. the hosts enroute to a 71-69 win..
In the Championship game vs. Indpls. Arlington , Graham only scored 14 points but his defense on the much larger Golden Knights was the difference in the SB Washington 75-67 Tourney Championship Win over ( Where Is Antwan Alexander ? ) Arlington ..
Friends, there is little that Derrick cannot do on a basketball court !!
We rank him as a Shooting Guard , but if we ranked him as a Center , we would have ranked him too low.
Derrick is a Warrior that some High Major NCAA D-1 Will sign that also will not realize that they have a Mateen Cleaves type leader..
Michigan State , Texas A and M , Ohio State , Nebraska , Valparaiso , Western Michigan , and Cincinnati all daily mail Graham since they cannot speak with him until June..
Speaking with Graham is easy. The guy is a talker and he only mentions how good his 'mates are when you press him for his highlights..
He knows his only area for improvement is in the Outside Shooting Department..
Averaging 23 ppg. , 8 rpg. , 5 apg. , and 3 steals per game - Derrick Graham has established himself as a Top Prospect from The Junior Class !!
The guy does it all !!
Derrick Graham is The Truth In The Junior Class !
We have billed the Junior Class as one that is very deep in talent !
We will have two outstanding Jr. Playmakers in Sunday's News !!

STAY TUNED !

Friday December 29 , 2000

Michigan City Guard Trio Prove Too Quick For LaPorte

The (6-2) Host Wolves defeated previously undefeated (7-1) LaPorte 70-62 to capture their own Holiday Classic..
The win for "City" was significant as both schools will face off in the same State Sectional in March..
Even more important than the win , was the fact that MC'S Guards totally disoriented The Slicers offensive game plan.
Seniors 6-0 Anthony Wlliams (17 points) , 5-10 Victor Walker (17 points) and 5-9 Eric Garner (7 points) combined for 41 points..
That alone is contribution enough for most backcourts but these "quick on quick ballers" stole 9 Slicer perimeter passes for Layups.
MC'S quickness must be a huge future concern for Veteran Coach Otis
Too simulate similar pressure in practice will be very difficult..
Their slashing offense and pressure defense may very well be too much for any 4A team to handle in March..
With 6-8 "Big Paul" Kopanski and 6-4 "Elevator Man" Tim Lewis patrolling the paint , Michigan City has all the ingredients for greatness in March..
Lewis is a tremendous Junior College forward prospect..He finished with 10 points , 7 rebounds and one Monster Dunk..
Polish Paul at 240 pounds has emerged as the best available Senior Big Man in Indiana..
Always gifted with great hands, footwork, court savvy and offensive skill, Kopanski has now demonstrated increased quickness and agility..
Paul is a definite NCAA D-1 MAC and Mo Valley Prospect..
He has a tremendous work ethic and desire to elevate his game.
This nite he finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocked shots.

LaPorte's Mr. Basketball Candidate Nick Otis may have finally learned that he cannot win every game by only playing the final stanza ..
This nite he was content on blending in with 4 points thru three quarters.
Finishing with 15 points on 11 fourth quarter points, Nick brought his Slicers back from a 16 point second half deficit to come within four..
Too little too late ,the game and tourney championship rightfully belonged to Michigan City..
In consolation action , Valparaiso defeated Portage 72-64.
6-2 Matt Handlon led Valpo with 23 points and 6-7 Erik Rhinehart chipped in 18 ..
Portage was led by NCAA D-1 Small Forward Prospect 6-6 Jake Parker's 19 points , 11 rebounds , 4 blocks , and 3 steals..
Jake is receiving serious recruiting interest from Bethel , Eastern Michigan , Central Michigan and Bowling Green State University ..
How about those Ball State Cardinals ??
Even with no scholarships to offer in 2001, Assistant Scott Bunnell was in attendance to check out the development of Erik Rhinehart, Paul Kopanski and Jake Parker ..
Now that's doing your Homework !!
In the uncertain world of NCAA D-1 College Basketball , the Ball State Cardinals are prepared if a Scholarship becomes available !!

Thursday December 28 , 2000

Michigan City Holiday Tourney Results

(7-0) LaPorte 82 (6-1) Valparaiso 80
LaPorte's Mr. Basketball Candidate Nick Otis was Mr. Everything this night as he scored 30 points , grabbed 10 rebounds , threw 5 assists and had two steals for the victors.
6-5 Senior post Kris Tanksley and 6-3 Sophomore Eric Gerding both contributed 9 points in knocking out previously undefeated Valpo..
6-7 Shooting Forward Erik Rhinehart nailed 5 treys and 22 points for Valpo.
All State Running Back 6-2 Matt Handlon tossed in 19 for Valparaiso.
(5-2) Michigan City 56 (4-3) Portage 54 (OT)
The Host Wolves needed the extra time to put away Tom Wells feisty Indians ..
Regardless, of the talent that Wells coaches each year, his team is always fun to watch as they trap and run their disciplined fast break.
MC'S team balance is very hard for any team to contain. The Wolves have many weapons.
Leading the way this nite was 6-4 Senior Tim Lewis.
The rim-rattling sky walker threw down 17 points while grabbing 12 rebounds.
6-7 Senior Paul Kopanski banged in 12 while 5-9 lefty scorer Victor Walker scored 11 points.
Portage was led by their Senior 6-6 Small Forward Jake Parker.
Parker scored 20 and snatched 12 rebounds.
Jake is a very versatile College Prospect in that he has 25' range ,with good ballhandling skills ..
Parker is extremely aggressive off the dribble and very explosive scoring in the low post area.
No one Senior prep continues to improve as much as Jake Parker.
His game and College Stock Is On The Rise !!

Super Hoops @ Noblesville Day One Results

Lafayette Central Catholic 74 Mishawaka Marian 68
Super Juniors 6-9 Tyler Best (24 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists) and 6-5 Russell Trudeau (25 points, 10 rebounds) were too much for Marian to contain.
Marian was led by 6-8 Chris Chalfko's 20 points , Andy Bathrick's 24, and ailing Carson Oren's 14.

Jennings County 90 Pernith Australia 41

Ft. Wayne Carroll 69 Lafayette Central Catholic 55
Playing their second game with only three hours rest proved too much to ask of Catholic.
Carroll is a very good team in their own right and they did not have to play a game before they played LCC.
Who would not in all fairness schedule both teams in the same manner ??
Only a tourney group with $ signs in their mind ,would schedule such a poorly scheduled tourney versus playing the games on an even playing field with the same amount of rest for all athletes involved....
Carroll Senior 6-6 Gabe Miller continues to explode as a Senior D-1 Prospect .. His 29 fresh leg points were too hard for LCC to contain..
LCC also had to deal with seasoned seniors 6-5 Matt Ogle , 6-7 Scott Bushong and 6-5 Kent Christman..
LCC'S Tyler Best finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds while mate 6-5 Russell Trudeau scored 18..
LCC is a team that will not win big again until their players learn that the offense belongs to Tyler Best and Russell Trudeau..
There is little team unity at LCC right now. To watch these guys play is not enjoyable..Rarely is a team offense executed..
Best and Trudeau are virtually unstoppable but their teammates are more interested in their own stats.
Time Will Tell If LCC as a team has enough character to again be a winner in the State Tourney.
Noblesville 76 Jennings County 74 (2 OT )

Wednesday December 27 , 2000

Michigan City High School Holiday Tourney Begins Tonight !!

6:00 PM- Portage (4-2) vs. Michigan City (4-2)
8:00 PM- Valparaiso (6-0) vs LaPorte (6-0)
Championship Game is Thursday at 8:00 PM.

Gary Westside High School Holiday Classic Tips-Off Thursday

8:00 PM (Game 1) Gary Lew Wallace (2-7) vs.Horace Mann (2-3)
Friday (Game 2)-6:00 PM- Winner game 1 vs. Gary Roosevelt (6-1)
(Game 3)-8:00 PM-Gary Wirt (5-0) vs. Gary Westside (5-1)
Saturday: Championship Game Time is 8:00 PM ..

Super Hoops Tourney Tips Off Today !

Todays Games at Noblesville High School
1:00 PM- (7-0) Lafayette Central Catholic vs.(5-3) Mishawaka Marian
2:45 PM -Sydney, Australia Preps vs. (5-1) Jennings County
6:00 PM-Game 1 winner vs. Ft. Wayne Carroll
7:45 Game 2 Winner vs. Noblesville

Super Hoops Thursday's Games at Frankfort
1:00 PM - (2-4) Rossville vs. (4-0) Elwood
2:45 PM- (1-4) Zionsville vs. (2-5) Columbus East
6:00 PM- Game 1 winner vs. Benton Central
8:00 PM -Game 2 winner vs. Frankfort

Monday January 1 ,2001
Super Hoops Championship Game will be played at Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse..Tip-Off time is 8:00 PM.

Tuesday December 26 ,2000

Indiana Holiday Prep Tourneys

Wednesday
Super Hoops @ Noblesville , Frankfort and Championship @ Hinkle Fieldhouse- Dec. 27- Jan. 1
School City Of Gary :Mann , Roosevelt , Wirt , Lew Wallace and Westside @ Gary Westside - Dec. 27- 29
Ft. Wayne Summitt Athletic Conference -Dec. 27-29
Huntington North Classic Wednesday
10: 00 AM - HUNTINGTON NORTH VS. SOUTH BEND WASHINGTON
12:00 Noon INDPLS. ARLINGTON VS. FRANKLIN
8:00 PM CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Thursday
North Central Holiday Classic @ Indpls. North Central
6:00 PM- North Central vs. Greenfield Central
8:00 PM -Cincinnati Woodward vs. Toledo Scott
North Central Classic Championship is 8:00 PM Friday Evening
Blue River Holiday Tourney Championship Game is 8:00 PM

Saturday
Park Tudor @ White River Valley
The first Varsity action for the Lithuanian Foreign Exchange Students

Hall Of Fame Classic @ New Castle High School Arena
10:00 AM -Pike vs. Huntington North
12:30 PM- Maconaquah vs. Merrillville
6:00 PM Consolation Game
8:00 PM Championship Game

Jeffersonville Holiday Classic @ Jeffersonville,In.
10:00 AM -Jeffersonville vs. Corydon
Noon- Louisville Atherton vs. Carmel
8:00 PM Championship game

Monday December 25 , 2000

Indiana Basketball News Wishes One And All A Very Merry Christmas !!

Sunday December 24 , 2000

Top Player Performances This Past Week

All State Football player 6-3 Josh Smith exploded for 45 points in leading Attica to a 96-74 thrashing of Covington.
(5-1) Lafayette Jeff defeated Benton Central 63-57 for (6-1) Central's first loss.. 6-4 Senior Andy Gagle led Jeff with 24 points while also doing a good job slowing down The Bisons leading scorer Jay Dawson ..The Marian recruit Dawson still finished the game with 24 hard earned points..
(6-2) South Bend Riley defeated town rival (4-3) South Bend Washington 77-76 in OT.. 6-1 Junior College prospect Martell Taylor scored 17 points for Riley..Taylor's clutch treyball with three seconds remaining sealed the game for Coach Tom Debaets overachieving team..
All World 6-2 Junior Derrick Graham paced Washington with 33.. Graham's production was thwarted by Riley's 6 players in double figures.. 5-10 Junior Craig Schoen scored 30 points in leading South Central to an 80-57 win over Lanesville..6-5 Sophomore Brian Mercer scored 15 points for Head Coach Greg Robinson's winning Central...
Junior 6-2 Shooter Evan Seacat's 28 points led (5-1) Paoli to a 64-60 win over Austin..6-3 Junior Shooting star Anthony Winchester led (5-4)Austin with 29 points..
On the back of four double digit scorers ,Anderson High defeated cross town rival Anderson Highland 64-54..Only 6-7 NCAA D-1 Prospect Brandon Turner's 28 points and 18 rebounds were effective for Highland..
6-3 Shooter Chris Gray scored 27 points for Manual in a 70-50 loss to Lebanon..Sophomore 6-4 Wayne Denger led the victors with 15..
6-3 Senior Shooter Landon Paddock scored 14 points to lead Lapel to a 59-39 victory over Alexandria..The Lapel win was reportedly the first ever over Alex..Lapel coach Derek Shelton is one of Indiana's brightest young coaches.
(6-0) Penn defeated Elkhart Central (5-2) 56-55 behind Seniors 6-0 Jim Modlin (18 points), 6-6 Andrew Laird (15points) and Marcus Husband's 14 points..
Super Soph 6-1 Jeremy Robinson scored 16 for Central.
6-3 Senior Shooter Daniel Trabant torched White River Valley for 29 points while also swatting 6 shots. Trabant's North Knox moved to 5-0..
Trabant is an outstanding Small Town player with NCAA D-1 abilities.
Avon's 6-8 Junior Kyle Smith scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 66-57 win over neighboring Plainfield..6-0 Junior Guard Scott Strahm scored 7 and threw 11 assists for Avon Coach Steve Binkley
... Junior Combo Guard 6-0 Tony Bollier scored 45 points for his father (Head Coach Phil) as Leo routed Churubusco by the score of 90-62.
Bollier must score for his team to win but he must playmake in order to become a NCAA D-1 Point Guard Prospect .
East Chicago's surprise 75-54 blowout win over South Bend Clay was possible only due to East Chicago 's balanced production.
Senior John Ryan played 30 seconds and East Chicago still won easily.
East Chicago was led by College Football prospects Seniors(Wide Receiver) 6-4 James Braden's 20 points and 6-1 Keon Jackson's 9 assists.
Both extremely talented hoopers will use football for their college education.Sophomore Star Sylvester Mayes scored 23 points for Clay...
Senior combo guard 6-0 Joey Hanger scored 28 points as he led his Crawford County to a 66-61 win over Mitchell.
5-0 Eastern(Green) defeated 5-2 county rival Bloomfield 73-56.
Division One Guard Prospect 5-11 Levi Carmichael scored 37 points in the win .
6-8 Chris Chalfko / Mishawaka Marian scored 20 points in leading his team to a 69-51 Tourney Championship victory over Hammond Bishop Noll.
Chalfko is emerging as a Top Junior post prospect.
Anyone that can hold , 6-10 Noll Center Ken Harris to 10 points is a player on the rise that will be a good D-1 player.

Saturday December 23 , 2000

IHSAA Won The Battle But Park Tudor Won The War !

Friday afternoon, Park Tudor Head Coach Ed Kelly received word that he had won the biggest victory in his coaching career.
His Foreign Exchange Athletes ,6-8 Vytas Danelius and 6-2 Marius Klioys ,regained full eligibility status to play varsity basketball at Park Tudor.
They began the school year with such status but on November 16 they were stripped of eligibility by the IHSAA.
After appealling their case to the newly created Case Review Panel , the talented duo rightfully won their right to play Indiana High School Basketball.
The review panel's existence now prevents a great deal of "Good Old Boy" Decisionmaking nonsense that the Athletic Governing Body has a reputation for..
Too even think about denying two Academically Gifted Students the right to play Indiana Basketball is both inexcusable and beyond belief.
Both Vytas and Marius are academically in the Top 10% of the Private Academy's Advanced College Preparation Curriculum !!
Yet, On November 16 they lost eligibility because The IHSAA said they went to the school for Athletic reasons.
With all due respect to Park Tudor, Students do not enroll there for Athletic reasons.
They enroll at Park Tudor for The Nationally Award Winning Education and the diverse International student body Culture that the Private School offers..
That fact is apparently impossible for " Athletic Stuffed Shirt has beens " to understand.
They are used to Hometown Agricultural heroes moving into schools only to shoot jumpers.
They cannot fathom that Student/athletes and their parents would actually enroll in a school for academic reasons.
Well ,Thanks to this decision by The Case Review Panel , they may now begin to comprehend THAT most parents choose High Schools for academic reasons-not athletic.
Parents really do make school choice decisions based on Academics !!
With all fairness to The IHSAA, they are familiar with mostly athletic "jock straps" that desire to relocate because the parents do not agree with their hometown coach that their "Johnny" is not the second coming of Rick Mount
Regardless of how great a player may end up , parents across the board still want their child to receive the best High School education possible..

In this case, Indiana Class A Basketball received a huge boost in Quality Competition!!
Danelius is the best Senior Power Forward in the Class and he has offers from Wake Forest,North Carolina State and Notre Dame.
Klioys at 6-2 is a Mid D-1 NCAA Shooter that American University and National Mid Majors are currently recruiting diligently.
Lafayette Central Catholic will no longer walk thru Sectional Action.
A very good team at Park Tudor just became a whole lot better !!

Friday December 22 , 2000

Who Is Southwest Indiana's Top Junior ?

That question is becoming a tough one to answer now that 6-9 Matt Keifer of Evansville Mater Dei is "sowing his oats" on the perimeter.
We believe that Matt's natural position for College will be small forward.
As a High School player , Matt can be effective for his team outside.
Inside at Mater Dei, Matt can be Unstoppable !!
The only unstoppable player thus far in Southwest Indiana has been Castle's 6-1 Junior Dedrick Finn.
Finn is not the best on defense but he still averages 4 steals per game while being assigned to the opponents best player.
Finn has led Castle to a 4-1 record while establishing Castle as one of the best Junior laden teams in Hoosierland.
Dedrick Finn has averaged 24.3 ppg. and 7 apg. to go with those 4 spg..
Castle was the victor behind Finn over Boonville , Evansville North , Heritage Hills and Evansville Reitz.
Castle's only loss of the season came to Evansville Harrison when Finn played with 7 stitches above his eye after bumping heads with teammate Ben Labhart.(Castle's second leading scorer.
The 6-1 playmaker still managed 22 points in the loss.
Harrison was led by 6-8 Jake Howe's 21 points and Junior Point Guard's Donta Watson's 15 points in Harrison's (2-1) upset win.
Watson is Top 5 as a playmaker in The Indiana Junior Class ..
Dedrick Finn is Arizona Wildcat / Indiana Mr. Basketball Jason Gardner all over again !!
No one we've seen has the defensive explosiveness from sideline to baseline that Jason Gardner has shown at North Central and Arizona.
Finn has the playmaking savvy , the scoring off the dribble and the consistent treyball that made Jason Gardner special.
He has yet to prove that he is solid academically.
Once he does the proving, we expect America's High Majors to line up for Finn's services.
At this time , we believe Denny Crum's Louisville is the early leader.
Stay Tuned !

Thursday December 21 , 2000

Former Broad Ripple Star Greg Morgan Matures At Parkland Junior College

Indianapolis Prep fans will remember the 1999 Graduate as a laid back 6-8 player with a huge upside of talent.
We remember the long , lanky, lefty even bringing the ball up the court on many occasions.
Morgan at that time was not exactly embracing Basketball with a passion.
He basically was playing hoops as a hobby while actually being a very good student at Broad Ripple.
Morgan was a full NCAA academic qualifier out of High School.
As a Sophomore at Parkland , he is averaging 14ppg. , 10.5 rpg. ,3.4 Blks. per game while also shooting 87% from the free throw line.
Since he has focused on developing his incredibly versatile game , he has drawn the interest of America's NCAA-D1 Programs.
Bradley , Maine ,Drake , Creighton , Eastern Illinois , New Mexico State , University Of Denver ,University Of Indianapolis and Ball State are seriously recruiting Morgan.
Indianapolis Lawrence North 2000 Graduate 6-6 240 lb. Fred Long is a Freshman at Parkland.
Long is scoring 10 ppg., 6 rpg. , while shooting 66% from the field.
Fellow Freshmen and also Indianapolis Preps from Lawrence Central are 6-5 Aaron Barnett (4ppg., 4rpg.) and 6-2 Ronnell Lancaster(7ppg. , 3rpg. , 85% Free Throws.)
A fifth former Indy prep is 6-9 Matt Goodin of Lawrence North(1999).
Goodin is currently a Medical Redshirt with two years of JUCO eligibility after this season.
No one recruits Indiana harder than Parkland Head Coach Troy Noble.
All the aforementioned student athletes are also on schedule to graduate with Associate Degrees ,in preparation for a Four year school.

Hoosiers Lead NCAA D-1 Lamar University

Once former Siena and Marquette University Head Coach Mike Deane accepted the Lamar University position , his first priority was to hire a Top Assistant to recruit The Midwest.
Hiring former Central Michigan Head Coach Leonard Drake was a no brainer.
Drake is respected from coast to coast for his tireless work ethic.
Drake set his target on Indiana guards and subsequently landed 1999 Preps 5-10 Shooter Joey Ray / Bedford North Lawrence and 6-3 Playmaker Eddie Robinson / Muncie Central.
Ray sat his freshman season as a non academic qualifier while Robinson struggled with consistency .
This season the two are coming up large in Lamar's game plan.
2-3 thus far as a team, Lamar will need to over achieve this season in order to over come their greenhorn young roster.
Ray as a Sophomore leads the team in scoring at 14.5 ppg. and he is National Top Ten 95% FT shooter...
"Smooth " Eddie Robinson is the starting point guard for Lamar and he has responded with 10 ppg. and 5.4 assists per game.
Former Brebeuf Star, 6-6 230 lb. Krunti Hester is also sitting out this season after transferring from Marquette.
Hester was signed early by Coach Deane while he was still at Marquette.
Once Coach Deane took the Lamar position, Hester wasted little time in following Deane to Beaumont , Texas...
We expect Lamar to evaluate Indiana's Class Of 2001 for more depth at guard play.
Stay Tuned !

Wednesday December 20 , 2000

Seth Colclasure Leads Bellmont To 5-0 Record

The 6-2 Shooting Guard has been on fire this season as he has scored 25.6 ppg., in leading his Braves to a perfect slate, going into Tuesday's game with Ft. Wayne Northrop.
Widely regarded for years now as one of the top shooters in his class , Seth has worked hard to become a versatile player.
His strength and plyometric training this past summer/fall has produced upper body muscle mass gain and increased lateral quickness .
Private work-outs with (Indiana Legend/NBA player) Brian Sloan have helped Seth develop more offensive court awareness to supplement his pure shot to 25'.
His strong work ethic , shooting ability and Ivy League Academics have made Seth Colclasure into an outstanding NCAA Mid-High D-1 prospect.
In addition to his scoring, Seth is averaging 5rpg. ,4.6 apg., 4.8 steals per game , 52% field goal accuracy while shooting a state leading 96.7% from the free throw line.
As a Sophomore Seth received a scholarship offer from Valparaiso.
Currently he is being hotly pursued by Ball State and IPFW.
He has unoficially visited Notre Dame and Purdue.
Evansville and Vanderbilt are also seeking Unoficial visits from Colclasure.
College Recruiters can chart his progress this spring/summer as Seth travels with Bill Hensley's Spiece Pistols Amateur Basketball Club.

Brownsburg Bomber Jared Reeves Is A Junior On The Rise !

The 6-2 Shooter is a NCAA D-1 MID-MAJOR cannot miss prospect .
He has met every challenge and excelled in College Exposure times of evaluation.
Problem is, he has never been on a good July team that ever played past pool play.That has seriously hindered his college exposure..
We would not be high on Reeves if he was not a quick athlete. Many Suburban shooters score well but they may be otherwise limited.
Reeves not only scores at 24.9 ppg for 4A (3-3) Brownsburg , but he is also averaging 6rpg. , and 2 steals per game..
Jared is being recruited by Southern Illinois , Morehead State University, and University Of Indianapolis. He is not sure what avenue he will choose for College Exposure in Spring/ Summer of 2001.
Jared credits the play of Seniors 6-6 Tim Fortune (10ppg., 6rpg.) and 6-0 Donald James (15ppg., and 4.5apg) as being the keys to Brownsburg's possible success in the tournament.

Tuesday December 19 , 2000

Junior Shooting Stars Tyler Clevenger and Anthony Winchester

The 6-3 Scoring Machines have been on fire for their High Schools this season.
Clevenger has scored 64 points the past two games in leading Winchester High School to a perfect 5-0 slate and a #1 Class 2A rank.
Tyler is averaging 28 ppg. , 6apg. , 8 rpg. and 4 steals per game ..
Clevenger has unofficially visited Iowa , Ohio State , Iowa State ,Butler and Valparaiso.
Offers so far have come from Butler and Valparaiso.
Purdue has shown interest but they want Clevenger to play point guard instead of his natural scoring guard position.
Clevenger's strength has always been his versatility as a slashing scorer.
His outside shooting improves seemingly every time he steps on the court.
We have yet to see Tyler not accomplish what he sets his mind to ;so, if he wants to become a point guard-we believe he will do so.
He always played the point on summer teams because older teams were always "picking up" his game for tourneys.
Keep your eye on Tyler Clevenger and Winchester High School..
Tyler will be seen this Spring and Summer travelling with Dr. Bennett's Indy Warriors. The Warriors are former National Champions.

Anthony Winchester is similar to Tyler Clevenger in that he is strong at 6-3 and he plays hard every possession.
Their prolific scoring is fashioned differently.
Clevenger probably slash scores better than anyone in the Junior Class while Anthony Winchester is arguably the purest perimeter shooter in Indiana.
Anthony's Austin High School was picked early to be a # 1 ranked 2A team , but they have started slowly at 4-3.
" We have had to adapt to a new coach in Scott Matthews and he also has had to learn our strengths . Our defense is better and we are getting it together ", stated Winchester ..
According to Winchester, 6-5 230 lb. fellow Junior Brian Johnson has been the key to Austin's success.
Anthony was the first Indiana Junior to eclipse 1000 points.
Currently he has scored 1032 points in his High School Career.
He is averaging 25.1 ppg.
Weber State University (Scottsburg,In. native Joe Cravens is Head Coach) is the first NCAA D-1 to offer Anthony ..
He is receiving serious weekly interest from Kentucky , Iowa , Michigan State , Butler , Indiana State and Purdue.
College Recruiters can follow Anthony Winchester this Spring and Summer in his travels with Bob Pryor's Bloomington Red NIKE Team.
More Junior Recruiting News Wednesday !

Jumping Johnny Miller Elevates His Game For Bloomington North

" I have had trouble getting my game going this season ," Johnny tells IBN Sunday afternoon.
Saturday evening Mr. Miller had little trouble getting started vs. Bloomington North.
Scoring 27 points , blocking 3 shots , throwing 4 assists and grabbing 8 rebounds--Miller did it all in leading the 5-1 Bearcats to the 54-43 victory.
"They were not as good as I thought they would be. Outside of Sean May we were better at each position ," Miller stated.
" Coach Harrell has done a good job preparing us for games. We knew exactly what North would do in each of their offensive sets," concluded Johnny.
Johnny also said that there is no truth to any rumors that he is moving in January.
" I am not leaving Muncie Central ," Miller emphatically stated.
Miller's five favorite Colleges at this time are Ball State , Indiana State , Houston , Bowling Green State and Weber State.
All the Basketball Programs have offered Johnny while also realizing that Miller may very well not be academically eligible to play his freshman year.
Basically, Johnny is being recruited like a High School Junior..
As a non academic qualifier , Miller will financially pay his own way as a College Freshman.
As a Sophomore , Miller will then receive a full athletic scholarship and eligbility for four years.. Remember the name Johnny Miller. We expect Bonzi Wells like achievements out of The Hi flying Bearcat !
Stay tuned !

Saturday December 16 , 2000

1A Lafayette Catholic Outlasts 3A Cathedral 97-91 (OT!)

Cathedral's pressure defense forced the game into an uptempo transition game.
Coach Dunwoody allowed his Junior Stars Best and Trudeau to break the press and direct on court traffic.
6-9 Tyler Best finished with 27 points , 6 assists and 14 rebounds.
6-5 Russell Trudeau scored 26 and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Sophomore 6-4 Kristoff Kendrick contributed 19 points for Lafayette Catholic.
Cathedral was led by Junior Mo Brookins 5 treys and Mr. Football Otis Shannon's 19 points.
Bowling Green signee 6-4 Leon Petty appears to not be a primary option in The Irish offense.

South Bend Riley 84 Mishawaka Marian 71
Top Junior College Prospect 6-1 Lefty Martell Taylor scored 21 points and Reggie Swanson tossed in 20 for Riley's victory.
The guard oriented Riley proved that you win in Indiana Basketball with Solid Guard Play.
Marian's interior play of Juniors 6-4 Carson Oren (26 points) and 6-8 Chris Chalfko(16points) proved pointless with little to no contribution from the guard position.
How Marian fares this evening against South Bend Lasalle's Jet Playmaker Brandon Mcknight should be interesting...

Friday December 15 , 2000

5-10 George Taylor / Northwest / Lawrence North (1998) ,6-8 Orlando Banks / North Central(98) and 6-0 Daryl Baxter/Warren Central (98)

George Taylor is interested in a JUCO opportunity. Taylor may have been the quickest point guard that we have ever seen from Marion County. Raw offensively , George was a pure playmaker and a tenacious 84' pressure defender. A knee injury his senior year discouraged Taylor ,so Goerge has worked around Indy since then.
He frequently works out with the 6-8 Banks and 6-0 Baxter.
We know Banks and Baxter attended Kankakee JC out of High School.
We expect that they earned a few transferable credits while in school..
Banks and Baxter may also have JUCO eligibility remaining.
In all probability , they should be eligible for NAIA.
IBN College Clients with interest in Taylor , Banks and Baxter should call IBN for more details.

Indianapolis Manual High School's 6-3 Chris Gray

The Southside Basketball Program is famous for being the school that developed Indiana Legends Tom and Dick Van Arsdale. Ray Whitley also earned Indiana All Star Status at Manual in 1977.
Since then the pool of player talent has been sparse.
The 2000-2001 season was full of promise until Junior Travis Ham moved to Perry Meridian and Senior Tony Weeden moved to Pike.
Both Ham and Weeden have NCAA D-1 capabilities.
With the loss of that 35 points per game, Manual has started the season winless at 0-7.
The only bright spot has been Junior Chris Gray.
Gray is a solid Mid Major NCAA D-1 Shooting guard prospect.
The lefty marksman has 25' triple threat range.
His pure shot reminds one of a 6-3 version of Calbert Cheaney. Chris is averaging 21.0 ppg. ,7 rpg. and 2 steals per game.
His best games were vs. some of Indy's best teams.
He scored 27 vs. Heritage Christian ,24 vs. Tech and 27 vs. Cathedral ..

The most serious recruiting interest in Chris Gray has been from The University Of Indianapolis , Butler , Southern Illinois , Akron , Bowling Green , Central Florida , and BIG EAST Georgetown.
San Jose State , St. Louis , Evansville , Eastern Michigan and Marquette also have inquired..
Chris Gray is the son of former Ben Davis Star Byron Harris.

Thursday December 14 , 2000

Former Purdue University Boilers Jamaal Davis and Cameron Stephens

The talented duo from Merrillville and Ft. Wayne South were both named to the Indiana All Star 1997 team that annually plays Kentucky.
Prep fans remember how good Cam Stephens was in the series as he helped Indiana to victory...
Jamaal was injured in a spring car accident so Indiana Walk On Tom Geyer (Lawrence North) was named as his replacement.
Ironically , Indiana's walk-on Geyer chose to walk off when Coach Knight was no longer around to allow him to walk -on.
.. Players like Geyer have been entertained for too long in Indiana University's Hoosier Basketball era of mediocrity.
They are talented but they belong at a MAC or MO Valley school.
They would also be hard pressed to excel at those schools if they do not step up their game.
Time will tell who Indiana's permanent coach will be , but Coach Davis deserves a four year contract.
We know he will bring the players from all corners of America that will contend for National Championships.
Recent recruit Donald Perry is a huge playmaker addition that Hoosier fans have not seen since Isaih Thomas. He can do it all and he cannot be contained by one player..If so , Perry expertly playmakes or worms to the basket himself for two points.
Sean Kline of Huntington North will be a good Small Forward if he chooses to work .
To be accepted by Prep fans and the Mr. Basketball voting media , he must convince all that he will not again associate himself with people that are mistakes by habit.
We are Kline fans and believe his turnover will make him a better person.
We have not even started to explain how good Jamaal Davis and Cameron Stephens have become after they left Purdue.
Davis starts for Cincinnati's # 17 team while averaging 9.9 ppg and grabbing 3.7 rpg. , and throwing 1.9 assists per .
His Bearcats play Thursday at( ET) 9 PM VS. Xavier..
Tune In At ESPN.
Jamaal Davis has proven that he is a player deserving of his advertisement out of High School .
He will prove the next year why he will be a Professional .He is now demonstrating the versatility that makes his game so valuable to a Major College Program
His critics and "haters" will undoubtedly continue to blast him for not remaining a Boilermaker.
Cameron Stephens like Jamaal Davis was maybe someone , that College Recruiters lost track of.
Charlotte assistant Lane Odom was wise to not lose track of Cameron while he was at Vincennes.
After poor academics at Purdue with little University support , Stephens moved on to earn an Associates Degree at Vincennes University . Cam scores today at 13 ppg and 9 rpg. for Charlotte of North Carolina in Conferece USA ..

Wednesday December 13 , 000

IHSAA (Ripley's) Believe It Or Not !

We have heard it all now in the world of Student-Athletes moving in school districts or transferring to other school districts.
Park Tudors Foreign Exchange Students from Lithuanian were granted full athletic eligibility in September.
After discovering that their parents chose Park Tudor for academic and International culture reasons , they had their eligibilty reduced by the IHSAA to Junior Varsity status.
They are able to participate only in JV games..
Apparently Foreign Students and their parents are unable to choose what Indiana High School that they can receive their education from.
The IHSAA expects all Indiana High Schools to have their name thrown in a hat..
The first name blindly drawn from the hat is the school that The Foreign Exchange Student must attend.
Of course this assignment has no consideration for the involved young people.
Will the students mesh socially , culturally or academically is not even addressed in the placement..
Both 6-7 Vytas Danelius and 6-2 Marius Klioys are currently in the Top Ten Percent of Park Tudors Advanced Honors Curriculum.
Not bad for first year students in one of Indiana's most challenging High Schools..
They are doing everything that one only dreams of in Student Athletes ; yet , thus far they are not eligible for Varsity Basketball since their parents would not allow some group of people to blindly assign them an Indiana High School.
This past Monday their case was heard in IHSAA Executive session.
A decision is expected within 5-7 days.
Here is hoping that these two talented student-athletes are allowed to participate (without restriction) in Indiana's Great Game !
Stay Tuned !

Tuesday December 12 , 2000

Super Sophomore 6-0 Sylvester Mayes Leads South Bend Clay

Indiana Basketball News # 1 ranked Sophomore Point guard helped Coach Joe Huppenthal's Clay Colonials to weekend wins.
In the 83-69 victory Versus South Bend Adams , Mayes exploded for 30 points , 6 rebounds and 7 assists.
He received strong support from fellow Sophomore guard 5-10 Jeff Davis.
Davis chipped in 14 points , 4 rebounds and 7 assists.
Also playing large for Clay was 6-2 Junior Wing Guard Chip Joers.
Joers tossed in 19 points , grabbed 8 rebounds while also passing for 4 assists.
Coach Pat King of South Bend Adams has a Super Sophomore of his own in 6-1 Kenny Love .
Love scored 19 points in the loss to Clay.

Saturday Evening - South Bend Clay hosted Kokomo and sent them South on US 31 with a 71-59 loss.
Kokomo Senior NCAA D-1 Prospects 6-2 Blair Crawford and 5-9 Gordon Morgan combined for 45 points in the losing effort.
Speed Demon Morgan had 25 and Crawford Jump Shot his way to 20.
Sylvester Mayes scored 24 points , with 4 rebounds and 7 assists for South Bend Clay.
Chip Joers scored 21 and also delivered 2 assists.
Jeff Davis scored only 3 points vs. The Kats but he also contributed 7 assists and 2 rebounds.
The young Colonials are on the rise again !
Expect More Big Weekends From The Talented Sylvester Mayes !
Simply Stated, Mayes Is The Truth !

Northeastern Junior College( Nebraska ) Coach Dan Anderson

Coach Anderson has enjoyed the stellar play this season from Hammond natives 6-0 Batiste Haywood and 6-5 Antoine Lewis....
The Hammond High Graduates have helped Northeast JC to a 10-5 record so far this season.
Haywood has two years of eligibility remaining for NCAA D-1.
He averages 17 ppg , 4 spg. and 4 apg.
His running partner from Hammond is 6-5 230 lb. PF Antoine Lewis .
" The Big Nasty " is still recovering from knee surgery . Antoine is averaging 14 ppg. and 8 rpg.
Both Haywood and Lewis are receiving Mid- Major NCAA D-1 interest.
Stay Tuned !!

Monday December 11 , 2000

#1 Ranked Pike Crushes Chicago's Providence St. Mel 82-53 !

Saturday afternoon The Pike Red Devils participated in The Hoops In The Loop Basketball Classic.
Head Coach Alan Darner's troops did not have to battle Chicago traffic to make the 2:45 Tip-Off.
Event organizers flew the entire Red Devil Team from The Indianapolis International Airport.
Providence St. Mel probably wishes Chris Thomas did not make the flight .
The Mr. Basketball candidate scored 35 points threw 5 assists and made 9 steals in only 22 minutes of action.
Fellow senior 6-5 David Teague scored 13 points in 21 minutes.
Teague was offered a scholarship early by Central Michigan and continues receiving interest from Eastern Illinois , Bowling Green State University , Kent State , Weber State and Appalachain State.
6-2 Sr. Tony Weeden has received interest from Eastern Illinois , Stetson and Chicago State .
Seniors 5-10 Keith Borgan and 6-0 Curtis Thomas are working towards academically meeting NCAA entrance standards.
" I expect both Keith and Curtis to attend Junior College if they do not academically qualify for NCAA D-1 Athletics," Coach Darner stated..
" Our defensive pressure was too much for Providence," Darner continued when asked about the lopsided victory.
Depaul Blue Demon signee 6-4 Levar Seals may have made a difference but he did not play for undisclosed reasons.
Top Ranked 6-7 Jr. Stanley Gaines was held to only five points.
Coach Darner credited Gaines poor performance to the outstanding post defense of 6-5 Sophomores Parnell Smith and Justin Cage.
When asked about Mike Crawford's transfer to Lawrence North , Coach Darner replied-" If Mike had stayed at Pike, he would have been eligible by now."
Since the transfer was for Athletic reasons ,in all probability ,Mike Crawford will not play this season at Lawrence North.

Park Tudor Foreign Exchange Students Meet The IHSAA

6-7 Vytas Danelius and 6-2 Marius Klioys are scheduled to meet The IHSAA today in executive session.
Granted full eligibility in September, The talented Lithuanians were stripped of their full eligibility by The IHSAA .
Apparently , The IHSAA can randomly reverse their decisions with little or no explanation..
Currently they are classified with limited eligibility.
In other words , they can play only in Junior Varsity Games.
Stay Tuned !

Lawrence North's Andrejs Kregers Suffers Back Injury
The 6-8 230 Lb. Junior Post has learned that he has incurred three stress fractures in his back.
Preliminary reports indicate that he may miss three to four weeks .
A three to four month rehabilitation is also possible.
Just one week ago Kregers shocked Indiana Prep Sports with his sudden approved transfer from Lawrence Central..

Clint Keown Leaves Evansville's Mens Basketball Team
6-2 combo guard Clint Keown is in search of a new College Basketball opportunity . We have learned that he has left Jim Crews Purple Aces program after scoring 5.5 ppg. thus far this season.
Last season as a Sophomore , Keown averaged 9.5 ppg. , 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
The 1998 Evansville Memorial Graduate scored 1776 career points and was named IBN'S first Player Of The Year.
Keown should have a year and one half of playing eligibility remaining.
Interested College Recruiters should contact Mike Thomas.

Sunday September 10 , 2000

Valparaiso's 6-7 Erik Rhinehart Leads The 71-38 Thrashing Of Elkhart Memorial

Erik is an interesting College prospect that reminds us of former Indiana Preps.
6-8 Hudson Heidelbreder /Southport /Marian College and 6-8 Chad Gilbert / Charlestown / Indiana State were also lanky , rangy preps with great offensive skill and deep shooting range..
At a legit 6-7 and 180 pounds, Rhinehart has 25 feet catch- shoot range , quick feet and good ballhandling skill.
His light frame may still have another growth spurt . Very young looking and physically immature , Erik may very well not reach physical maturity until his Junior year in College..
His Cognitive maturity is certainly age appropiate as he boasts a 3.6 GPA and 1020 SAT. He plans to retake the SAT.
His talent has attracted interest from Lafayette College (Pennsylvania), New York University , University Of Chicago and Air Force.
This game he torched Elkhart Memorial for 19 points , including 5 trifectas.
Fellow Senior , 6-0 Justin Kassanits is the playmaker for The Vikings..
This was our first observation of " Kass " . He has all the physical tools for College Basketball at the D-2 To D-1 Level. He has played sparingly during The NCAA evaluation calendar , so we expect smaller colleges to battle for his services if he wants College Basketball.
Scoring 9 points this afternoon, we had " Kass" for also delivering 9 assists..
Valparaiso's Junior Class is led by 6-2 Matt Handlon. The 200 pound Handlon runs over opponents in Football . In hoops, he extends defenses with a sweet stroke to 23'. His 12 points vs. Elkhart had Memorial running all over the court in hopes they could contest his shot.
Valpo 6-5 Juniors Hector Marchand (6points) and Ben Lieske lend inside support for 6-5 220 lb.Senior Pete Springsteen .Pete is the man inside for The Vikings.
His 9 points were not nearly as important as his 10 rebounds and physical presence inside.
Springsteen is a tremendous Small College Power Forward Prospect..
Undefeated thus far and a victor over powerful Gary Roosevelt , Valparaiso must be considered an early choice to contend for The 4A Regional.
Valparaiso's stellar early play just makes the Duneland Conference a more powerful place to play.
Their games vs. LaPorte , Michigan City and Merrillville will be " all out wars. "
Valparaiso is also a team of the future .Great size they have in their system : 6-9 Junior Bill Kolada , 6-6 Sophomore Bill Van Senus , Freshmen 6-6 Brian McMillan and 6-5 Brian Pease..
Clearly ,The Valparaiso Vikings are very underrated ..
Yet, this years team is vintage Valpo as dictated by Great Coach Bob Punter. Punter's teams spend a great time in outside shooting practice..
They play for the three and try to contain opponents in disciplined half court defense..
They contained Elkhart Memorial this day.
D-1 Prospect 6-1 160 Lb. Quennel Young was very good in scoring 17 points for Memorial from his wing guard position.
Young can just not do enough for Memorial. His team is just too weak inside for a serious winning season in the tournament.
Only fellow Junior 6-3 Kyle Sears helped Young score. He tossed in 11 points in the huge loss..

Saturday December 9 , 2000

Class 3A Bishop Noll Miraculously Defeats Calumet 58-55
Losing 42-30 after three lackluster quarters, the host Warriors exploded for 28 fourth quarter points to steal the victory.
Ironically, IHSAA Eligible Foreign Exchange Student 6-5 Nemanja Borovic hit the game winning trey with 20 seconds remaining.
While Park Tudor and Andrean Foreign student athletes are being denied eligibility , Borovic is allowed to be a hero for BNI.
The only field goal of the game for Borovic , he was basically forced to shoot as 6-10 Ken Harris was double teamed in the low post.
The State's Top Sophomore 6-10 300lb. Kenneth Harris finished with 22 points , 12 rebounds and 2 block shots.
Boxed in double teams most of the night , Ken must be much more aggressive in sealing his position.
His teammates are not the best low post feeders in prep hoops , but the big fella also stands and does not work at re-establishing his position.
It is easy to forget that Kenneth " Bob Lanier" Harris is only 15 years old..
BNI Freshman phenom 5-10 Gary Patterson was no factor at all until the fourth quarter where he scored 8 of the 28 points while finishing with 10.
6-0 Junior Shooter Brandon Wash hit big second half shots for Noll and finished with 12..
Wash is a good small college prospect.

Calumet High School led this game for 30 minutes due to good Junior and Senior perimeter play.
Calumet seniors 6-3 Keith Stone(9 points) and 6-3 Kyle Marshall(13 points) are very good JUCO Prospects. They need that route for exposure and game elevation..
6-8 Bill Watson never found openings this night vs. Ken Harris and Noll's collapsing defense..
No player in the state is as big as Ken Harris and no one can practice against such size.
Watson was 2/8 from the field in scoring 5 while also grabbing 9 rebounds..
Big Bill Watson was not allowed to "body up and bang" with Harris..
He fouled out with 2 minutes remaining.
Watson is an outstanding D-2 Prospect That The Great Lakes Valley Conference will probably sign in April...
6-0 Juniors Chris Waters and Demarreo Campbell scored 9 and 12 each in the loss . Waters and Campbell are very solid College Prospects. Both quick off the dribble, the Junior duo will be interesting to follow this season.
This Class 3A war was just a preview to sectional action..
Bishop Noll won this battle but will they win the Sectional war ?

Friday December 8 , 2000

Indiana Senior Scoring Leaders (Points Per Game thru 12/3/00)

28.5
6-0 Chris Thomas / Pike
-"Mr. Basketball Candidate is headed to Notre Dame. Coach Mike Brey could have used him this season."

28.0
6-3 Shooter Daniel Trabant / North Knox.
"Underrated D-1 PROSPECT.Very intense scorer that is an aggressive triple threat scorer to 25'

.26.3
6-4 Andy Gagle / Lafayette Jeff.
" Agile and springy Small Forward/Big Forward Prospect. Small Colleges To D-2 Should be calling this High Academic prospect.

26.0
6-6 Andrew Laird / Penn.
" Very solid all around player that has very good perimeter skill for a big kid. Laird scores inside and out to 23'. Quickness must improve but Laird is a good Low To Mid Major D-1 Prospect.

25.0
6-6 Gabe Miller / Ft. Wayne Carroll.
" Rangy, athletic Small forward prospect with guard skills. Early offers from Rollins , Bethel and Indianapolis. He will probably sign in April with a D-1. Eastern Illinois and All Michigan Mid Majors have been interested.

25.0
5-11 Levi Carmichael / Eastern.
" The straight A student scores from the Hash mark on in . Levi has D-1 Quicks and IVY League smarts."Last weekend he scored 28 points in a lopsided 21 point victory over Paoli...

24.5
6-1 Martell Taylor / South Bend Riley
" The slashing lefty scorer to 24' is very talented and Indiana's top JUCO Prospect." Martell must prove that he wants college basketball..He chose to not play last summer with Tiffanys program.."

24.3
6-4 Nick Otis / LaPorte
" The lefty marksman to 30' would score even more if he played the first two quarters like he does the second half.Head Coach (Father) Joe Otis should relax more and allow Nick to assume more on court coaching responsibilities. Signing early with D-1 Belmont , Nick is a perfect fit for the treyball motion offense oriented program. Former Slicer Steve Drabyn averages 9.0 ppg as a Freshman."

24.0
6-2 Blair Crawford / Kokomo
" Combo Guard Mid Major D-1 Prospect has been thriving in Super Coach Mike Wade's shooter friendly system. Crawford wants College hoops but he is also is a very good College Football QB Prospect."

23.9
6-8 Paul Kopanski / Michigan City
" The Polish Big fella is working hard at improving his lateral quickness and athleticism thru plyometrics. Paul has always been highly skilled since the days we first saw him as a seventh grader..A good shooter to 17' , Paul executes all skills well . He has had to score more thus far this season due to the loss of several seniors from last season's team..Kopanski is a solid D-2 Prospect and a good Role player at D-in a program that needs a big body to contribute Low post defense ,and Offense ,while setting picks and making the extra pass to three point shooters."

23.0
6-2 Chad Miller / Hauser " Small School Shooter has always put up big numbers during the school year . His College Level Of Opportunity will be determined this year during the limited NCAA evaluation period. If College hoops is something he wants to pursue , we expect him to play during the 2001 Open Evaluation NCAA Periods."

23.0
6-7 Ric Wyand / Franklin Central.
" Scoring Machine to 26' signed early with Doug Noll's fast rising Ft. Wayne D-1 program at IPFW.

22.2
6-1 Drew Gore / Monrovia
" Rail thin shooter is stronger than lithe frame indicates. Smarts and toughness compensates for bulk. Drew is sound D-2 To Low D-1 Prospect."

22.0 and 16 rpg.
6-6 240lb. Jackson Atoyebi / Culver Military
" The long armed Danny Fortson clone has a 6-11 wing span and will physically peak at 255 pounds. D-1 Elon In North Carolina stole Jack from Mid West in the same manner that they raided Matt Backs of Marion last year."

21.5
5-11 Paul Riehle / Milan
" A throwback to the Milan days of old , Paul is a great worker and student. We are huge fans of his combo guard game ! With added body strength , we see Paul as having Jay Burson type potential. Without question, D-2 To Low D-1 scholarship schools should line up for Rhiele's guard game."

21.5
6-5 Billy Theising / East Central
" With dedication to Basketball , Billy could play forward in D-2 To Low D-1 basketball.. Problem is for a college choice, is the fact that Theising is a three sport prep star. He will need to choose a sport for the next level. Most preps in small schools like Theising are stolen away by Small Basketball Colleges that have a great deal of Scholarship money to offer."

20.2
6-0 Andy Marks / Hebron
" The red headed small school shooter is a dunking leaper with deceptive athletic skill. Andy has demonstrated point guard skill against national preps . July exposure was disjointed after his team chose to disband.. Marks is an outstanding D-2 To Low D-1 Scholarship Prospect."

Thursday December 7 , 2000

Mr. Football Otis Shannon (Cathedral) Committs To Ball State University!!
Why the state's all time leading rusher in Indiana prep football chose Ball State is simple..
The University has coveted his basketball and pigskin carrying skills for two years now..
Former Basketball Coach and current Houston Coach Ray McCallum offered Otis as a Junior to playmake The Cards..
We know that for a fact.
Otis tells IBN that , " I am a running back ."
" BIG TEN football programs wanted me to play defense as a cornerback..."
Otis will run the football as his primary responsibility at Ball State while also being a strong player in the offseason for Tim Buckley's basketball program..
In his first game this season , Otis scored 22 points as The Irish defeated Broad Ripple
The Irish face a tougher test when they host Tech December 13.
Their true merit as a 3A power will be challenged when they travel to 1A Kingpin Lafayette Central Catholic this December 15.
Freshman Phenom Robert "Darth" Vaden scored 18 points in his first varsity game.
Otis tells IBN ,"Vaden can play all positions for us but will probably play two guard at Purdue."
Now that senior Irish leaders Shannon and Leon Petty (Bowling Green)have made their college choices, The Irish can focus totally on winning another State Championship..
Otis Shannon was a freshman on the 1998 State Championship Team..
Do not be surprised to see Otis lead Cathedral back to The Final Four..
The powerfully built Shannon is one of the strongest competitors that we have observed in fifteen years.
His fearless approach to the game can be summed up by the tatoo he wears on his shoulder that states ,"FEAR NO MAN !"

Wednesday December 6 , 2000

IHSAA Welcomes Hammond Bishop Noll Institute's Foreign Exchange Student ..

Bishop Noll Institute's 6-5 Nemanja Borovic of Yugoslavia has been eligible to participate this 2000-2001 prep season since the beginning ..
He has been enrolled at the private institution since the beginning of the school year..
He participates in the IHSAA approved Foreign Exchange program that all foreign students must be accepted into before they will be considered for IHSAA Eligibility...
Reportedly he also is a good student..
Sound Familiar ?
His qualifications for IHSAA eligibility are identical to the ineligible foreign students at Park Tudor and Andrean..
Since the ineligible students have met the same standards of eligibilty that Noll's Nemanja Borovic has met , then why are they not playing while Borovic is on the court ??
The only difference in these cases is playing ability !
Borovic is a good but not great high school player whereas the ineligible players are great high school players..
Apparently, if you are not American , IHSAA Stuffed shirts will consider allowing you to shoot jumpers and sweat with our sacred hometown heroes..
That eligibility is seemingly based on one condition !
And that condition is based on whether or not we feel that you will "embarrass or outshine" our homebred Hoosier preps..
If the foreigner just fits in and does not stand out , then welcome aboard !!
But if the foreigner is 6-6 Playmaker Miguel Bierdiel / Puerto Rico /Andrean or 6-7 Vytas Danelius /Lithuanian /Park Tudor , then we are not so sure that we want you on our courts..
You might dunk on our "hard nosed good kid " for God sakes !!
Even worse , you might have a big season and sign a scholarship offer with Wake Forest , Utah or some other High Major D-1 school..
If you did that , we would have to consider you for The Indiana All Stars ..
In Indiana that would be inexcusable to anoint you a Hoop God since my goodness- You are not like us.
You are better than 99% of our players and our Coaches did not create you..
Hopefully , this is not why the talented Andrean and Park Tudor Foreign Exchange Students have not been approved for participation by The IHSAA..

Certainly , All students that are eligible to attend our schools should also have the right to participate in the schools extracurricular activity program..

Disallowing High Level athletes from participating in Indiana High School Basketball only hurts those involved and the game itself.
To not want the best possible student/athletes representing Indiana Basketball is to not want the best for Indiana's Game !!

Tuesday December 5 , 2000 Southwest Indiana Top Performances This Past Weekend

Evansville Mater Dei defeated Mt. Vernon 77-62 behind the stellar play of 6-9 Jr. Matt Kiefer's 26 points on 11 of 12 shots from the field.
With standing offers from Iowa , Purdue , Evansville and Notre Dame, Kiefer is not only the best player in SW Indiana but also a premier College prospect in The Class Of 2002..
After scoring 36 points earlier in the week in a win vs. Boonville , Castle's 6-0 Dedrick Finn was content to playmake with 17 points and 8 assists in a blowout 88-41 win over Evansville North ...
South Spencer bounced back after a season opening loss to Boonville by defeating both Evansville Harrison and North Posey..
A player that has always been ranked high by Evansville Amateur Basketball Guru Mike Thomas is South Spencer's top player 6-3 Forward Tyson Martin..
Martin torched Harrison with 33 points in the 65-63 win.
Defeating North Posey 55-46 , Martin scored 22 points in that victory ...
We are always totally honest in our player evaluations and we must say that we have never seen Tyson Martin play..
Martin may very well be a great college prospect but we missed him if he played in the spring and summer..
Even if we drive to South Spencer to watch the talented Martin play , what game will be a good one to evaluate him in ??
What team has the athletes that can defend Martin like he might experience in heated D-1 Play ??
We pose these questions because they are the same questions that College Recruiters always ask..
If Martin is not evaluated in the spring / summer vs. the nations top prospects , how can he be ranked with those that participate in the evaluation process..
Tyson Martin may not even desire to play college basketball..
He may just be enjoying himself between seasons.. Many preps do that..
Warren Central's Randy Wells is a football player but he has a Winter hobby of basketball..
This past weekend he enjoyed his hobby by scoring 17 on the overrated Merrillville Pirates...
He does not pretend to be a basketball prospect but he still scored more than the entire starting Merrillville backcourt that for four years have pretended to be college prospects...
Tyson Martin is an Indiana Prep basketball scorer.
If College Basketball is his dream ,we hope that he receives the necessary college exposure to achieve that dream !!

Monday December 4 , 2000

6-8 230 Pound Andrejs Kregers Transfers From Lawrence Central To Lawrence North

We confirmed Sunday evening from Andrejs, Sr. that the transfer is effective immediately.
His father stated , " both principals have signed his athletic release and transfer "..
The Lawrence Township Superintendent fully approves of the transfer..
Mr. Kregers sounded despondent that his sons would leave Lawrence Central; but, to hear of the ugly circumstances involved(confirmed by all 12 players) - the transfer should be a surprise to no one..
All of our friends that are quick to cry recruiting by Jack Keefer, should stop and wonder why Kregers was so easily released by Lawrence Central to Lawrence North.
Lawrence Central would never allow an In Township Big Time Athletic College Prospect like Andrejs Kregers to transfer to rival Lawrence North unless there were serious possible future problems involved..
Logistically, where else could he have transferred to ?
Kregers is a good College prospect and academic student.
Should he have paid tuition at Heritage Christian because it was close ?
Should he have had to drive himself to a neighboring District ?
No !
Call his transfer what you want but it is IHSAA approved and approved by Lawrence Township!!
Lawrence North will have Andrejs Kregers in uniform this Friday vs. Indy far eastside rival Warren Central..
Talk About a 4A War and you must begin with this game.
Undefeated and the visitor , Warren Central is fresh off destroying Merrillville 69-36 ..
The Warriors easily defeated over rated Merrillvile because The Pirates had no answer for the 6-4 Ben Davis transfer...
The Pirates asked the 6-0 Ramses Montgomery to try and guard the nationally known Big /Small Forward Patterson..
To ask your team to not play an available physical presence like 6-5 Alan Gavin vs. Aaron Patterson is a complete mystery..

Aaron Patterson...

Without Patterson , Warren would have been defeated because MV would have been able to double team the " stone handed " 6-9 Will Caudle..
Warren Central vs. Lawrence North at LN is easily the biggest game this Friday in Indiana ...
Lawrence North has defeated highly rergarded Marion and highly talented Lawrence Central..
With Krejers , Jack Keefer will have the muscle to supplement the talented 6-8 Big Forward Angelo Smith..
And do not forget that 6-4 Mike Crawford of Pike will soon be eligible at LN.Both Mrs. and Mr. Kregers confirmed again that Andrejs will not again play with transient Central Indiana Summer programs.
The 6-8 Kregers will participate next summer with Bob Pryor's Nike National Team...

Hope To See and talk to you at the WARREN / LN game !!

Sunday December 3 , 2000

HAMMOND- The Second Annual Region Roundball Rumblesponsored by The Times and played at The Legendary Hammond Civic Center.

Game Four: Warren Central 69 Merrillville 36
Game Three :Gary Westside 63 Bullit Central(Ky.) 48

Warren Central Gave Merrillville Their Worst Loss In 20 Years !
Down 16-2 after the first quarter and 51-29 after three, Merrillville was totally dominated at both ends of the court..
Warren Central Point Guard Terren Wilson was sick with the flu but still managed 6 points , 9 assists and 5 steals...
If his teammates had his court awareness , he would have 16 assists because at least 7 of his "dimes" resulted in missed shots or stone handed missed catches...
Wilson basically proved why he is IBN'S third ranked playmaker in the class of 2001 behind Chris Thomas /Pike /Notre Dame and Brandon Mcknight /South Bend LaSalle /Purdue.. Xavier Signee Will Caudle is the hard handed receiver missing shots and bobbling passes from Terren Wilson...
But, to the 6-9 Caudle's credit, he was an inside force this game with 16 points and 7 rebounds..
Talk about Will Caudle and you must project potential because he has a long way to go in order to play at Xavier...

Warren football player Randy Wells plays hoops to stay in shape and have fun.
This game he had a blast as the 6-0 strongman poured in 17 points..
The Man this night for Warren Central was the transfer from Ben Davis...
6-4 Aaron Patterson Took home game MVP Honors while scoring 19 points and grabbing 8 rebounds for the victorious Warren Central Warriors.
Merrillville tried to play undersized Ramses Montgomery against Patterson versus playing similar sized 6-5 Alan Gavin ..
Gavin is a Gary Lew Wallace past athlete that now is eligible at Merrillville..
Game MVP Patterson told IBN that ," I truly was ready to not even play this year.. The game was no longer fun and pressure was on me daily..I moved to my mother(legal guardian) in Warren so to try and start over.."
Previously in Wayne Township , Patterson had not lived with his legal guardian as a seventeen year old Senior athlete..
Merrillville Senior 6-0 Ramses Montgomery (13 points) and Justin Johnson with 10 points were the only competitive Pirates...
Montgomery is a good high school player but too much of him was asked to guard Aaron Patterson this game.
Drake University signee Lonnie Randolph was absent in the Merrillville system ... He finished with only 5 points...
Fellow Pirate playmaker and Cousin Jay Borom finished with 8 points,of which four points came in the last three minutes...
Winning by 39 with four minutes remaining, Warren cleared their bench to replace starters with their JV team..
Merrillville chose to continue playing at least three starters to the end of the most lopsided loss in the history of their school's existence..

Gary Westside just wore down Bullitt Central (KY) enroute to their victory..
Leading only 46-42 after three quarters , Westside created a transition game that Bullitt was unable to play.
With 17 points and 5 assists , Senior 6-3 Skywalker Donald Richards was named the Game MVP...
Junior 6-3 Dennis Gates also tossed in 17 points while Juniors Chris Hunter and Brandon Cameron contributed 7 and 8 respectively..
The 6-11 Hunter changed many shots as he blocked 7 and grabbed 9 rrebounds....
Many have thought that we overrated Westside in the preseason.
Our ranking was based on Westside playing their top nine players..
Once coach Boyd is able to identify his top 9, we still believe Westside is deserving of our # 4 state preseason rank.
If 14 players stay in the rotation then we do not believe the team will ever reach Regional Champion Caliber..

Game One : Lafayette Central Catholic 81 Hammond Bishop Noll Institute 62
Game Two : Laporte 63 Lake Central 51

Game one was a great showcase of Indiana's exciting underclassmen..
LCC'S Juniors 6-4 Russell Trudeau (21 points) and 6-9 Tyler Best demonstrated why they are highly coveted Mid-High Major NCAA D-1 Prospects..
Russell has always been a locomotive off the dribble ..This day Trudeau drained a three and showed a slick ball handling game from the perimeter..
Tyler Best finished with 14 points , 17 rebounds and 11 assists while also earning The Times MVP for game one..
Best just does it all for LCC.
The "best" passing big man in Indiana , no one Indiana prep contributes more on the court..
Sure Best must improve his outside shooting and work on quickness , but you will not find a better all around skilled Indiana Big Man than LCC'S Tyler Best.
Hammond Bishop Noll stayed within striking distance of LCC behind the clutch shooting of 6-0 Jr. Brandon Wash.( 17 points)
Leading scorer for HBNI was 5-10 Freshman Phenom Gary Patterson (18 points)..
A lifetime resident of New Addition in East Chicago, Patterson chose to be the Bishop Noll playmaker the next four years..
Patterson will be a Mid- High D-1 College Player.. He currently is the best playmaker in Indiana's Class Of 2004.
His low post target the next three years is 6-10 305 Pound Sophomore Kenneth Harris..
The Most Dominating Sophomore in Indiana ,Kenneth is fondly referred to by his peers and fans as "Baby Shaq".
Harris reminds us more of former NBA Legend Bob Lanier..
Both beefy and possessing a soft left handed touch, Harris must become more like Lanier in that he" must want the ball in the low post"..
Harris finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds but he was content to simply be just "one of the boys".
Before his critics scream about conditioning and foot speed ; remember, he is only 15 years and growing...
Harris committed to Valparaiso University last summer..
Valparaiso assistants Scott Drew and Will Colon were in attendance to view their prize recruit.
High on their wish list in 2004 is Gary Patterson..

Game two vs. Lake Central and LaPorte was tied at halftime 30-30.
Scoring only 21 second half points , Lake Central fell to the Slicers 63-51..
LaPorte's 6-4 Nick Otis ( Northern Indiana's Top Senior Guard) signed early with Belmont University ..
A great three point marksman , Game Two MVP Otis was a bit off this day but still finished with 17 points , 6 assists , 3 steals and 7 rebounds.
Lake Central was led by Senior 6-2 Marc Urban's 17 points and Junior 6-4 230 pound Adam Huebner's 16 points and 10 rebounds..

Saturday December 2 , 2000

Gary Wirt 65 - Indianapolis Tech 54

We viewed this game primarily to check on the progress of Tech's 6-6 Bryant Dillon..
Dillon is the best of Indiana's available senior NCAA D-1 Prospects( except for ineligible foreign exchange students)...
At Tech , Dillon must play point guard ..The Titans are mega quick with a team of slashers but no one has the poise or playmaking to allow Dillon to play his natural wing forward position..
Scoring 14 points , grabbing 5 boards , with 5 assists and 3 steals- Dillon registered stats that any prep would be proud of.
Dillon never found a groove this game as he shot 6/16 and his missed free throws down the stretch dashed the Titans come back hopes.
The good news is that Dillon at 6-6 is still growing physically. His arm span is at least 7-0 and his quickness and ball handling makes him a steal for NCAA MID MAJORS seeking a versatile perimeter performer...
His college destination should be interesting as Bowling Green , Drake , Evansville , Central Michigan , Eastern Illinois and University Of Indianapolis have all recruited him...

Dillon's Senior teammates 6-2 Randal Smith and 6-4 Dario Lee have the speed/quickness for College Basketball..
Smith finished with 10 points while Lee contributed 14 points(six were scored after spraining his ankle)..
Smith should be developing playmaking skills with a consistent jumper.Currently he is content on not delivering assists but catching them from Dillon..
Lee is very athletic and aggressive on the offensive end..
Very strong off the dribble , Lee will be highly coveted as a recruit when he elevates perimeter offensive skill and defensive toughness..

Gary Wirt defeated Tech with talented underclassmen..
The best of the bunch is Junior 6-1 PG Marcus Ford .
Ford finished with 18 points including 3 treyballs..Very quick and highly skilled, Ford was woefully underrated by IBN last season until we were able to see more of him last summer..
Actually , IBN was the first to ever rank Ford after we saw him dunk as a 5-11 freshman vs. Kankakee Valley..
Write Ford down as a Mid-Major NCAA D-1 Prospect...
Marcus Ford's only weakness is a penchant to periodically go too fast on offense and leave his feet with no where to go with the ball..
Fellow Junior 6-4 200 lb. Brandon Lee finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Blessed with long arms , strength and a nice face up shot to 17 feet- To find a scholarship at the highest possible next level ,Lee must develop into a small forward prospect...
Needing much more quickness for that proposition, Lee may very well remain a power forward and develop stronger low post moves...
College Recruiters should also take note of Wirt's Sophomore 6-0 Jonathon Johnson and Freshman 6-4 Jonte Johnson
Jon is an explosive point guard of mega proportions that is unknown only because he has not played the Summer College Exposure Circuit.
Jon Johnson's projective level of College play is unlimited if he will develop his skills and academics..All the athletic tools are their for Jon if he desires to develop...
Jonte Johnson scored five points ..Looking out of place amongst the older athletes ,Jonte at a growing 6-4 has a tremendous future..
Much has been said about the talented teams at Gary Westside and Gary Roosevelt, but Head Coach Omar Vazquez's Gary Wirt Pioneers will upset both of them if they are not on top of their games....

Friday December 1 , 2000

The Robert Vaden and Desmond Gadis Freshmen ( Cathedral Irish ) commitment to Purdue is a done deal..
Regardless of opinions and speculations , the two are committed to Purdue and have been offered by Gene Keady..
Due to NCAA regulations , Purdue can say nothing until the two talented preps are able to actually sign in the fall of their senior season.
Purdue will say nothing until the two sign , even though they have the opportunity for some comment..
You cannot really blame Purdue for not even acknowledging that the two preps have committed..
After they dismissed long time former assistant Frank Kendrick as a "scapegoat" for past problems ,they understandably are "gun shy" about any prep recruiting..

Kendrick was never named as guilty in any of the sanctions but he lost his job in the process...
The NCAA never once found evidence that Kendrick was involved in anything other than giving a stranded athlete a ride from Mackey
Purdue family ?
Yes if loyalty is only a word in a book !!
Problem with the truth ?
IBN is open seven days per week and 24 hours per day in order to debate issues....
Per the Vaden and Gadis recruitment ,
keep in mind that father David Gadis has always been in a dual position as father and Summer coach.
By serving a dual role as the two's summer coach , he also can be called daily by college recruiters without restriction.
Since most Colleges and Universities have always perceived that Summer Amateur Basketball coaches have more influence than they truly do , Dave Gadis will possibly be the main figure in many future decisions..
Top 8th grader Luke Zeller / Washington , Ind. and Top Frosh Lowell Levingston / Ft. Wayne Canterbury will also travel with The Vaden / Gadis team...

Indiana Prep Top Recruits always have their own personal and family agendas but Indiana State University must have impressed their invited guests as they whipped Indiana for the second year in a row...
Indiana Top Juniors Tyler Best , Russell Trudeau , Delco Rowley , Antwan Alexander and Evan Seacat were all invited guests of Indiana State University ..