Saturday September 30,2000

Gary Westside's Class of 2000
To receive a scholarship at any level of College Basketball requires both athletic,basketball ability and Exposure to College recruiters.
To have one without the other is a very frustrating situation..Talented players that have not been seen by many recruiters still have a chance if scouting services and the High School Coach will publicize their game.
No High School coach in Indiana has done a better job recently of promoting his seniors than Gary Westside's John Boyd.
Boyd can be Don King like in his predictions and player exclamations but no prep coach works harder for his student/athletes.
He worked overtime for his Seniors last season because none of them had the opportunity to participate with the college exposure travelling teams.
Gary Westside's Class of 2000 Playing College Basketball:
5-10 Eric Boone /Rockford College(Illinois)
6-6 Kevin Davis /Miami Dade Community College
6-7 James Booyer /Lewis University
6-0 Jamel Travers /IUPUI
6-0 Paul Taylor /Calumet College..
INBNEWS.COM Salutes John Boyd and all Indiana Prep Coaches that actively promote their student/athletes to Scholarship Granting Colleges and University's !!

Friday September 29, 2000

Former Indiana Mr.Basketball Bryce Drew returns home..
The Valparaiso Legend has been traded from The Houston Rockets back home to his boyhood favorite Chicago Bulls...Maybe now Drew will finally receive some playing time on a consistent basis...

Maconaquah's 6-8 Corey Burns Has Many Options
To be 6-8 ,still growing and in possession of a 1290 SAT--you will be evaluated by most Scholarship granting schools in America.That certainly has been the case with Corey Burns.
Playing his natural small forward position in July, Corey earned scholarship/or Grant offers from Harvard(Grant),University of Southern Indiana,Belmont,Morehead State University and Indiana/Purdue at Ft. Wayne. The entire Great Lakes Valley NCAA D2 Scholarship granting conference has also offered Corey Burns.
All these offers were earned in July and Burns states," I am glad I played with a group that would allow me to play the three..Also, my team played in July while other teams that wanted me in April-all but folded during the college exposure period..."We do not have a feel if Burns will committ before November 1..
Corey knows his senior year will be huge so he may choose his college late.
Maconaquah returns a big lineup with 6-6 Mike Otto and 6-6 Buddy Richardson patrolling the post while Burns is free to score from deep..5-9 Greg Foster will also provide sufficient playmaking for the 3A returning power.... Maconaquah and Corey Burns will be tough to beat In 3A Basketball...

Thursday September 28, 2000

High Major Football Or Mid Major Basketball ???
That question must be answered by Indiana preps each season and most notably this year by Cathedral's Otis Shannon and Merrillville's Lonnie Randolph.
We have not caught up with the bruising Cathedral star for awhile; but, Wednesday evening we talked with Lonnie Randolph.
Randolph plays quarterback for MV but College football is recruiting him for Defensive Back or Wide Receiver.
ILLINOIS,MICHIGAN STATE,WISCONSIN and MICHIGAN all have offered Randolph for his gridiron talents..Gifted with a blazing 4.41 Forty Yard dash time , Lonnie also possesses great hands and a pulverizing tackle at 170 lbs. strong.
For basketball, Lonnie is a scoring combo guard that has proven extremely hard to contain..
He has entertained basketball in home visits from Drake and Boston University. Indiana State also has actively recruited Randolph.
We expect Lonnie to choose a football scholarship and then attempt to also play basketball.Two sports at any level of College Athletics is very demanding..Football programs are rarely finished before January so that means part time status is all a two sport performer can expect from College Basketball..
Lonnie tells IBN that ," my former teammate Eugene Wilson says he will play basketball at Illinois this year--after the Illini football season is completed..."
Time Will tell what Sport the talented Merrillville Pirate chooses to pursue full time in College..We expect a Spring Decision.
Lonnie does predict that his Merrillville Pirates will once again dominate Class 4a Northwest Indiana hoops this upcoming season.
We are not so confident that MV will be able to replace the contributions of the graduated, 6-6 Jake Argenta,6-5 Adam Fedak and 6-0 Marvin Smith. That is 35 points per game 18 rebounds per game and the heart of The Pirate post and perimeter defense. No one in Indiana stopped the opponents top scorer better than Marvin Smith did.
The only returning Pirate with experience besides Randolph is his 5-8 cousin Jay Borom..
Borom is solid at point guard.His defense can be very aggressive and he can score more than he has done in the past.
6-7 Junior Justin Johnson certainly is capable of 20ppg. and 10-15 rpg. but he saw little court time last season.
He gained confidence and notoriety this summer playing in James Dye's SYF Summer program.
Lonnie also expects 5-10 Omar Gore and 6-0 Ramses Montgomery to step up and deliver perimeter ballhandling and scoring.
Johnson will receive inside help from Kentucky move-in 6-4 Senior Raymond Bell. "Cocky and strong inside",is how Randolph describes Bell.
Who knows ? Maybe Lonnie Randolph will have enough support to once again lead Merrillville to the Lafayette Semi-State...
Both Gary Westside and Gary Roosevelt have the talent to be The King of Northwest Indiana this 2000-2001 season..

Tuesday September 26, 2000

Top Senior Big Men Mulling Their Offers
6-9 Jared Adler/Adams Central and 6-9 Babo Nyamsi Serge Christian/Arlington
have been busy listening to Colleges and Universities that seek their Center/Big Forward Skill.
Jared Adler has narrowed his choices to three. He will visit Indiana State October 1,
Southern Illinois October 8,
and Liberty University on October 15.

Arlington High School's Big Babo is not ready to narrow choices..
He has had home visits from Marshall and Ohio University with Boston University visiting his home today..
Notre Dame, Chicago State, Southern Illinois,Northern Illinois and Butler are also equal opportunity suitors for the "Big Fella."
Rarely have we enjoyed watching a prep more than viewing Babo.
Very raw offensively with world class athleticism, Babo plays with a huge heart ..Truly Babo can be a great player in the class of NBA Bound Zach Randolph if Babo chooses to accept Arlington Coach Larry Nicks fundamentals..Time Will Tell If Our Guy Babo Desires To Be A Great Player.. One Thing that inbnews.com is sure of,Indiana High School Basketball has two outstanding representatives in Jared Adler and Babo Nyamsi Serge Christian !!!

CHRIS HILL CHOOSES MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

After visiting The National Champions this weekend, the 6-2 sharpshooter has verbally committed to accept Head Coach Tom Izzo's athletic scholarship offer.
Sunday evening Hill tells IBN, " I felt real comfortable with the entire University and Basketball program. It was neat to meet Mateen Cleaves and hang out with Zach Randolph.I am excited to have the opportunity to play at Michigan State."
Hill further mentioned ," To meet the entire National Champioship team was very special."
Chris Hill chose the National Champion Spartans over Marquette and Notre Dame.
Averaging 16.9 ppg, 5 rebounds pg and 4 apg last season- Chris and his Lawrence North teammates are geared for a Big Season in Marion County Indiana Basketball.. Stay Tuned For All The Late Breaking Prep Recruiting News At inbnews.com !!
INBNEWS.COM IS FIRST ON CHRIS HILL TO MSU AND WE WILL CONTINUE BEING YOUR BEST SOURCE FOR INDIANA BASKETBALL NEWS !!

New Castle's Corey Bennett

The 6-0 quick and explosive playmaker received early D1 offers from Wofford and The Air Force Academy.
He also is receiving continued interest from Indiana Sate. Some type of Scholarship may materialize at ISU in the first week of October.
Bennett is also strongly considering offers from NCAA D2 University of Indianapolis and Southern Illinois at Edwardsville. Former New Castle star Jason Holmes is now assisting at the SIU Mens Basketball program.
Corey expects New Castle to have a great year.
Two juniors that will produce plenty of assist opportunities for the playmaking Bennett are 6-4 Bruce Horan and 6-3 Michael Lawson..
Horan may be the purest shooter in the class of 2002..His range is lethal once he crosses half court.
Lawson can score inside and out while also providing solid defense and rebounding..
New Castle Post play will be anchored by 6-4 Sr. Brandon Thompson and 6-4 Jr. Wes Ireton.
Thompson is a load inside !! Chiseled at 200 pounds, The State does not have a stronger 6-4 Senior Post performer..New Castle may not have the depth of many State schools ,but their crafty coach Steve Bennett (no relation to Corey) and their strong fan support is equal to a sixth and seventh man..
We expect New Castle to Battle for The North Central Conference Championship...

Sunday September 24,2000

In Step With "Jumping" Johnny Miller

The Muncie Central elevator Man tells IBN, "the plyometric excercise program I've been doing has made me a quicker jumper off the floor. "
"At the start of last season I could touch the top of the square. I now can get my whole hand over the back board square. "
Just when most opponents were wondering how to contain Miller, Mr. Bearcat will be rising even higher over the rim.
Miller predicts his Bearcats will win the North Central Conference. He expects Marion and New Castle to also be very good in the NCC.
Johnny also expects last seasons 16-6 team record and his 18.4 scoring average to greatly improve this season.
The Bearcats will field their traditional quick mid size roster.
Central's man in the middle is 6-7 Jr. strong man Melvin Bryant. Rough offensively, Bryant bangs, rebounds, and finishes strong in the low post. 6-4 Senior Jeff Hobbs will be Bryant's partner in the post. 6-2 Jr. Brad Miller is the best shooter Johnny says he has seen and he further tells IBN, "you guys have overlooked Brad in your rankings."
6-1 Dejuan Wells and 6-0 Kenny Robinson are two other Jr.'s that should be strong off the bench. Senior 5-10 Grant Herwehe is the playmaker and a mystery to IBN. We have seen Grant score and dish "Like Stockton" and then some games he will just start the offense.
Miller also believes Sophmores 6-1 {his brother) Kendrick Miller and 6-1 Marquel Joiner will also contribute this season. "He almost jumps with me and his hands hang to his knees, "Johnny gushes about Joiner." Write Mr. Joiner down as a Soph. to watch this season. Johnny expects the Bearcats to be a state contender and he predicts they will beat Pike in their first game of the season. Currently Johnny is working hard to restore academics so to possibly meet NCAA requirements for Freshman.
Ball State, Weber State, Indiana State, and Bowling Green are all actively recruiting Johnny Miller. Jumping Johnny will probably make his college decision after the season.
Stay Tuned......

Friday September 22,2000

LEON PETTY TO BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY

Cathedral High School's 6-4 Shooting Guard has verbally committed to play for Dan Dakich's MAC Champion Falcons.
"We were totally impressed with the University and coach Dakich,"remarked Leon Petty,Sr.
"We are confident that Leon will develop both academically and athletically with Coach Dakich." The team system, academic emphasis and old fashioned discipline is what appealed to my son," Mr. Petty continued.
The University Of Houston Cougars also were in hot pursuit of Petty ..
Coach Ray McCallum had offered Leon last season when he still was at Ball State..Leon was scheduled to be in Houston this weekend for an official visit before he chose BGSU...
BGSU was in need of increased quickness from the wing position..No one in Indiana's Class Of 2001 has more athletic and skill tools than Petty.All areas of his game need improvement, but no one else in the Class can ballhandle,defend,slash,and shoot as a total package better than Leon Petty
Who is better offensively that can also defend the opponents best player ?? No One !! Potentially Leon is the best shooting guard prospect in Indiana..
Leon will have every opportunity this season(with new coach Scott Hicks) to prove that he has more game than his peers...Time Will tell if he chooses to move to the throne of Indiana Senior Shooting Guards ...The choice is Leon's
Consistency has been Petty's weakness to this point but we predict that both classroom and oncourt performance will be Top Notch this senior season.
IBN Salutes both BGSU and Leon Petty for forming The Perfect Union of Player and University.
Coach Dakich and Assistant Arty Pepelea (Anderson,Indiana native) have done a good job recruiting Indiana preps.
The addition of Leon Petty is the fourth Indiana prep player in their brief regime.Others include, Dave Furlin/Valparaiso,Cory Ryan/Northeastern and Len Matela/Andrean.
IBN would also like to Congratulate Arty and Melissa Pepelea on the birth of their first child.How about a boy next time Arty !!!

Thursday September 21, 2000

Michigan State Offers Chris Hill
The National Champions have now joined Marquette in the pursuit of Lawrence North's sharpshooter.Notre Dame is also trying to become involved late with Hill.
Longtime Lawrence North mentor Jack Keefer tells IBN that ,"Notre Dame was Hill's favorite school early." Former coach Matt Doherty offered Chris before he left for North Carolina."
New coach Mike Brey arrived from Delaware and initially felt that they were set at guard.That situation has evidently changed since Notre Dame is once again desirous of Hill's services.
Marquette has had an offer on the table since July and ironically may now finish third for Chris Hill ..
A decision may possibly be next week after Chris returns from visiting Michigan State...
Hill's senior running mate in the backcourt is 6-0 speedster Jesse McClung.Jesse has entertained home visit offers from Eastern Illinois and Gardner Webb.
Ball State Coach Keefer is excited about The Wildcats chances this season.They will not be an extremely large team but they will be one that is quick and versatile..
More speedy, skilled guard play will come from Sr. 5-9 Akeem Abdullah and So. 6-2 Brandon EvansAkeem is a pure playmaker that is quick to the rim off the dribble.
Evans is a Greyhound that just makes plays at both ends of the court.
The Wildcat post play is led by hi-rising 6-8 Jr.Angelo Smith.
Smith is vastly stronger and better at finishing shots than just 3 months ago.Angelo will receive post support from 6-5 Sr. Joel Bourke and 6-6 So.Chaz Spicer.Spicer is lanky ,athletic and still growing..All arms and legs at this point, Chaz is raw now- but his upside is greater than any player we have seen at Lawrence North.The "young colt" may not reach his father's 6-11 stature but surely he has at least 2 inches left.
If Spicer reaches 6-8 and continues to work at his game--Watch Out !!!
Yes, there also is the annual move-in to LN and this player is no stranger to Indianapolis.6-3 Trent Ellis " is a real player of D1 caliber," states Jack Keefer...
If The 'Cats will follow Coach Keefer's slick directives,Lawrence North may be the real sleeper in Indiana this upcoming 2000-2001 season...

Wednesday September 20, 2000

Bloomington South's 6-3 Kyle Hankins To Committ Before First Basketball Practice

The Shooter from South in Bloomington wants to decide early between offers from Valparaiso, North Carolina-Wilmington,Morehead State, Akron and IUPUI.
We believe that he wants an offer from interested Marquette , but he will not receive that offer soon unless others say no to Marquette..
Hankins hosted an in house visit today from MAC Head Coach Dan Hipsher/Akron ..
He likes The Zip program but will also visit Kyle Macy's Morehead State program this weekend..
Hankins could not stop talkng about Bloomington South's chances this 2000-2001 season.
6-8 Marcus Barham as a senior will need to finally step up and be a player.
Always in the past, there was always a reason for Marcus to Underachieve..
Here is hoping he will discover potential !!
South will also be able to spread every opponent's defense with great senior shooters , 5-10 Kris Simms,6-0 JC Hulls, and 6-4 Reed Carmichael are expert marksman..
Also figuring to play big for South is Senior 6-8 Devin Price-Pressloff and Junior newcomer 6-7 Calvin White..
The deep and talented guard play for Bloomington South may be just enough to upset Bloomington North..
Stay Tuned for Kyle Hankins College Choice.

Tuesday September 19,2000

Miguel "Ali" Bierdiel Update

The 6-6 Playmaking point guard is enrolled at Andrean High School sporting a 3.9 GPA with intent to one day become a Doctor.
A native of Puerto Rico, he came to America in order to prepare himself for that dream of one day becoming a Medical Service Provider.
Miguel will earn an Academic or Athletic scholarship regardless of what he does on the court this season.
Valparaiso,Weber State and Nebraska have all offered him a scholarship for Athletics.. Purdue is trying to become involved this week.
Whatever happened to Purdue Recruits Jaquan Hart and Dametries Kilgore ?
To listen and hear Purdue experts talk, one would think Purdue is strong with Hart and Kilgore.
That cannot be the case since they are now in serious pursuit of Bierdiel.
Purdue cannot rationally take two perimeter performers..
The kid is a natural point but also is Big Time at all three perimeter positions...
Indiana Basketball News would like to be the first to Welcome Miguel Bierdiel to our Beloved State of Basketball..
Monday September 18, 2000

Blame must go to someone Article by Hammell - Link to Peegs.com

Jared Adler To Announce Soon !!

We caught up with the 6-9 Adams Central star as he was preparing for a Fall League at The Spiece Fieldhouse..
Adler would be open to more suitors but we believe his final choices are between Indiana State,Bowling Green,Liberty and Southern Illinois
In his mind no one leads but he does plan to visit Mel Hankinson's program at Liberty.
"I may decide in a few weeks if I feel comfortable with a situation," stated Adler..
Whoever gets the big banger will be receiving The finest all around person in The Class of 2001..Stay Tuned !!

Sean May versus Tyler Best
The two talented Big Time Juniors had never faced off before Sunday at The Spiece/All Ohio Tournament..Both are similar in the fact that they are 6-9 Big Forwards with a great deal of skill.
They also both have a common need for increased quickness and agility...
In pool play , May dominated Best,Kevin Cates(Marion) and Melvin Bryant(Muncie Central) enroute to 11 rebounds, 28 points and a 73-69 Bloomington Red victory...
The final four was a different story as The Spiece Pistols contributing team balance was just too much for Bloomington Red..Spiece has eight players close to double digit scoring each game while Bloomington Red has only four stepping up each game..
The Red was without Chris Hunter and Brandon Cameron of Gary Westside.. They were integral parts of The Red's 17- under team this summer..
Reportedly Westside Coach John Boyd does not want his athletes playing with anyone from Sectional rival Merrillville .
So, now that 6-7 Justin Johnson of Merrillville has joined The Red, does this mean that 6-10 Chris Hunter and 6-0 Brandon Cameron of Gary Westside will not rejoin the team that they were so very good with this past spring-summer..
Who knows how this will turn out ?? Time Will Tell !

One thing Sean May and The Red must add to his arsenal is offensive sets where he can drain mid- range jumpers.
Every one and their brother with a brain will be attempting to push him off the block.
No one in America has done it better than 6-5 Drew Conner/Taylor.
Conner not only was good defending May, he also drove from 16 feet and poured in 25 points off straight power drives.
Conner's game must stretch more to the wing but he has enuogh two foot explosion to play mid major swing forward
His stellar performance helped Spiece Sophomores almost upset The Red in Final 8 play before losing 66-61...
Spiece won the tournament this day 51-43 over Seniors from Cincinnati.All Tournament Team :6-9 Sean May/Bloomington North,6-9 Tyler Best/Lafayette Catholic,6-2 Brandon Evans/Lawrence North,5-10 Zach Decatur/Cathedral, 6-3 Anthony Winchester/Austin, 6-3 Evan Seacat/Paoli,5-10 Craig Schoen/South Central, 6-4 Russel Trudeau/Lafayette Catholic, 6-3 Josh Gomes/Heritage Christian,6-9 Kevin Cates/Marion,6-2 Seth Colclasure/Bellmont,6-4 Austin Montgomery/Perry Meridian,6-6 Kyle Thrasher/Floyd Central,6-7 Justin Johnson/Merrillville

Saturday, September 16,2000

Shooting Stars Nick Otis and Donald Richards

Talk about two scorers that are totally different in style and you must consider LaPorte's 6-4 Otis and Gary Westside's 6-2 Richards!
Otis is the prototypical Indiana marks man that "picks his spots" in open areas and off screens. Anticipation and intensity is his calling card. Opponents must faceguard him to 30 feet because once he squares up with the "trigger loaded" he is a deadly triple threat.
A coach on the floor, Otis is the perfect NCAA mid major motion offensive shooter. Belmont and Eastern Illinois are the most serious suitors for the can't miss mid major Otis.

Donald Richards on the other hand is a world class leaper with his 40 plus vertical. Quick off the dribble, Donald has little school ball experience. He currently relies purely on athleticism and love for the game.
Skill deficiency is expected from Richards but surprisingly he is very skilled.
Handles are slick and his jumper is solid.
Richards dunked like Dominique Wilkins at the Top 100.
When they sagged to defend his high wire act, he pulled and drained treys each game.
Potential is his AKA.
If Donald Richards can prove that he will be dependable and academic, the sky's his limit!
A probable Jr. College prospect, Donald Richards has the opportunity to finish one day as the best from Indiana's Class of 2001.
The choice for greatness is Donald Richards!

Friday September 15, 2000

Comical Emails are Funny So Please Continue Making Us Laugh
Hilarious is how we find the many demands from our viewers.
We need to do this or do that and we need to report online about how every prep played in the Top 100 Showcase Of Stars.
This site has always been a free promotion for The Indiana Basketball Newsletter.
If you do not subscribe to the letter now then you need not Email us with suggestions...
We serve a public forum that has enough respect for what we do to actually purchase the news...
However,, we do appreciate the many emails that Thanked us for hosting The Top 100...
To those people who subscribe, we apologize since we have not mailed since July.
We are at a crossroads between continued hardcopy or paid password.
Regardless, our clientele will receive what they have paid for. SO RELAX!!

Thursday September 14, 2000

David Teague Steals The Show At IBN Top 100
260 of Indiana's top prep players from grade 9-12 converged on The Spiece Fieldhouse this past Sunday .
The NCAA College Exposure Event was the greatest assembly of Indiana talent of it's kind in the History of Indiana Basketball.
Who else has ever organized the best 260 grade level players for a single day event ??
Of course the correct answer is no one. Many of you keyboard morons wanted the event to fail but it was destined for success because of the preps that play our game.
The elite players want to play with and against the best especially when their game is played before Scholarship granting institutions.
All no show invitees that did not have the courtesy to contact us prior to the event, or as of this late Thursday, will all be on a list of that nature that we send to our clients.
We want to thank the players and coaches for their complimentary emails.
We will make all attempts to keep the event free to participants if we can obtain sponsors for the event and this website.
Otherwise we will need to charge a nominal fee other than the fee that parents paid with their admission.
The event was smooth for all in attendance only because of the four months of planning.
This website will either be fully sponsored by December 1 or all subscribers will access the site with a password.
ONLY TIME WILL TELL !
Back to the growing Legend of David Teague.
The more we watch David, the more we see a gifted performer in the league of Jay Edwards without all the personal luggage.
This day David drained 23' foot jumpers, pulled the trigger with authority in the lane and also tip dunked 3 rebounds thru the cylinder.
He stayed in the passing lane on defense and also led his team to the Senior team championship with Ric Wyand,Keith Borgan, Nick Otis,Kris Sims,Jeremy Rice,Mike Dolezal and Mike Benassi..
Only Eastern Illinois has the sense to offer Teague at this time..Elon and Central Michigan show serious interest.D2 Ashland will always have a scholarship for Alan Darner players that are worthy.
Teague's Teammate Keith Borgan also played on the Pike State Champion as a freshman with ballyhooed Mr. Basketball Candidate Chris Thomas.Borgan is The Postman that delivers whatever it takes to Win Championships.
Subscribers will receive the hardcopy low down on the performance of all The Indiana Preps that performed in The First Annual Top 100 IBN Workout.

Wednesday September 13, 2000

North Carolina State Offers Park Tudor Prep

Coach Herb Sendek was in Indianapolis Tuesday with a scholarship offer in hand for 6-7 Vytas Danelius.
The Lithuanian native also has offers from Wake Forest,Butler,New Mexico and Rutgers.
52 college programs have contacted Coach Ed Kelly about the mega athletic small forward.
Purdue desperately needs a Big Time Wing next year and they unbelievably have not even made contact with Park Tudor !!!
Vytas is highly skilled offensively and athletically is "Rex Chapman like"
Coach Kelly has seen several great players as a former assistant at Butler but none have been more explosive than Vytas.
The kid dunks from the free throw line and is nearly impossible for one man to guard.
Park Tudor has another Lithuanian in 6-2 Marius Kliokys.
The point guard is mid-major in caliber and has received interest from South West Missouri State and Butler.
Add in the Strong play of football star Courtney Clency and Park Tudor must be considered an early choice to upset Class A King Lafayette Catholic.

6-6 Ric Wyand/Franklin Central
The offensive small forward scoring machine and defensive power forward chose his spots to shine this past July with the loaded Bloomington Red program.
He finished the summer with offers from Winthrop and New Hampshire.
Both solid NCAA Programs,Wyand has decided to probably play the season out before he makes a decision.
Tuesday,Wyand visited IPFW.
The new entry into NCAA D1 has now also offered Ric.
Army,Navy,Elon and St.Joseph's College all have requested home visits.
Wyand helped lead his Senior Division team to The Championship of The Top 100 Workout this past weekend.
This weekend he will return to The Spiece Fieldhouse for another college exposure tourney and the following weekend he will compete in Bob Gibbons Workout to be held at Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
Who knows -if Bob Knight's soldiers decide to follow their leader,Wyand could possibly be in Bloomington, Indiana next fall.

Tuesday September 12, 2000

Basketball's Black Sunday
The Sunday termination of Indiana University Coach Bob Knight will change the face of College basketball in the same manner as the face was changed when Coach Knight moved to Indiana 29 years ago.
Before his arrival the game was nothing more than the monikor-"Hurrying Hoosiers."
Before Knight, Indiana did little more than defend people with their offense.
They guarded no one but won when they were hitting their shots.
The late great Don Schlundt won an Indiana National Championship in 1950 . He was on record stating that Dick Farley, Bob Leonard and himself would train for games by eating Hot Dogs before the games .
Shooting was their skill so they moved the ball quick enough to find the open man.They skillfuly won but defense was non existent.
In 1971, the arrival of Bob Knight changed the complexion of the game forever.
He won in halfcourt defense and motion offense.
He also influenced thousands of coaches nationwide to his system of play.
The game at Indiana will never be the same.
Anyone whoever loved the game must be saddened to some extent that Coach Knight has been terminated.
The truth of the matter is that only James Naismith did more for the game than Bob Knight.Naismith invented the Game !!
Bob Knight took the rules of Naismith and perfected it to the point that when done properly -it was a work of art.
If the truth was told, many Coaches from all parts of the world would not be coaching without the inspiration from a Bob Knight Teaching
We first heard of Coach Bob Knight's firing at our Top 100 College Exposure Workout.
We wondered earlier about the whereabouts of Mike Davis since he had confirmed earlier that he would be in attendance.Obviously Coach Davis was in Bloomington in support of his mentor.The biggest talent assembly event in the history of Indiana Basketball History stopped dead in it's tracks with the announcement of Bob Knight's dismissal
The awesome 260 invitation only player event saw Knight's dismissal first hand at the Spiece Fieldhouse Restaurant TV.
To see longtime Purdue assistant and Southern Illinois Head Coach Bruce Webber visibly shaken by the news ;and, to hear Sam Alford state how upset his family is by the news--One would think we lost a President of The USA.
Sam Alford tells IBN that,"the Indiana Knight situation is an ugly one.We truly thought that Coach Knight would follow the terms of Myles Brand's guidelines."
Sam continued.." Steve and myself will always be thankful for our relationship with Bob Knight." When asked about the possibility of Steve coaching at Indiana-Sam replied "The University of Iowa has been very good to us .Steve is very loyal to players like Recker and Boyd that selected Steve without recruitment."
" Steve has no interest in pursuing Indiana under the current circumstances ", Sam continued.
Does Steve Alford have a clause that allows him to take the Head Coaching position at his Alma Mater ??
Sam Alford says that clause does not exist but he also says that he has not read his son Steve's contract..
Sam Alford did say that,"Steve is concerned with the direction of the Indiana program."
When Indiana hires a new Athletic Director and coach upon the retirement of Clarence Doninger, will the new coach have the recruiting integrity of Bob Knight ??? Or, will the University hire a Big name coach that must be Policed daily FOR INFRACTIONS..Will that coach just be a money maker for The University ???
One thing is for sure, the passion and magic that Bob Knight brought to Indiana Basketball is gone forever.

Monday September 11,2000

Babo Nyamsi Sergechristian of Arlington
The big fella is a paradox of sorts. His visa problems are solved and he is cleared to play Varsity hoops at Arlington High School this school year..0ff the court he is the nicest guy in the world.
When he steps up to play, he has a quick temper when fouls are not his in the calling..
He states his college choices are wide open but his favorites are, "Ohio University,Butler, Notre Dame,Marshall, and Iowa."
So Raw offensively-- Babo's ability to rebound ,defend and block shots is his forte at this point.
Once he gains offense skill, the sky is his limit with his possiblity of following idol "Hakeem."
Babo will decide late on his college choice.
Sunday September, 10 -Top Prospect Workout was a huge success from a player participation standpoint.
98% of the top Juniors and Sophomores chose to participate.
Complete reports of all the participants will be available in November to subscribers.
We would like to thank all the Basketball Coaches that helped us this day.
We will recognize the involved coaches .We also will recognize " no show" participants that gave us little to no notification of their absence from participation.

Saturday September 9, 2000

5-10 Bradley Warner of Anderson has moved to Pittsburgh!
The talented Anderson, Indiana native has enrolled atGeorge Junior Republic Prep School in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania.
Apparently the move is to help improve some academics because eligibility has been an issue in the past.
Combo guard ability has not been an issue as Warner rated as a Top Prospect.
He will not be participating in Sunday's event.
His move to GJR reunites him with playground friend 6-6 Roger Randolph of Marion.Brother of Zach Randolph,Roger has been at GJR the past two school years.

IPFW enters NCAA D1 !
Head Coach Doug Noll has just received word from the NCAA that their request to move from D2 to D1 has been approved.
A probationary period must now be followed and it will be several years before they will be eligible for The Tournament;but, a D1 schedule can now be planned and D1 legitimate players can now be recruited.
6-9 Cory Burns/Maconaquah and 6-5 David Teague/Pike remain top targets.
Both play in Sunday's Top 100 Workout at the Ft.Wayne Fieldhouse.
Earlier we erroneously reported that Coach Doug Noll and Bob Burns(Cory's father) had played collegiately at Bethel.
We meant to report that they played at Grace College. SORRY BOB!!
Congratulations to IPFW(Indiana/University-Purdue University at Ft.Wayne) and Head Coach Doug Noll for Making the move to The Big Time !!
IPFW is now the tenth Indiana NCAA D1 University !!

6-6 Bryant Dillon /Tech is Indiana's Fastest Rising College Prospect !! Dillon's natural playing position is wing forward but in the prep ranks he plays all five.
Long and rangy, Dillon is still growing ..Once his frame fills out and he reaches his growth plateau,Dillon will be high major.That may not occur until late in his Sophomore College season.
During the July evaluation period,Dillon caught the eye of many recruiters as he ably competed with the nation's best preps.
Evansville stays in contact but the serious suitors are Bowling Green and Drake.
Drake has a home visit this 14th and Dan Dakich visits the Dillon residence on the 21st of this month.
Bryant Dillon will be in action this Sunday at The Ft. Wayne Spiece Fieldhouse Top 100 College Exposure Workout.
College Recruiters and Prep Fans will have the opportunity to See 260 of Indiana's best preps in competition.
Those invited preps are reminded to arrive no later than 9:30 AM for quick registration unless other arrangements have been made with IBN.
PLAYERS ARE ALSO REMINDED TO BRING SHOES AND SHORTS.

Friday September 8 ,2000

Indianapolis War On The Westside !!
Our preseason favorite Pike High School may have it's toughest game of the season when it meets neighboring rival Ben Davisin the first game of the season.
Two time state champion coach Steve Witty has a nucleus of talent similar to Pike .
The Giants just "get after it."Like Pike ,they have no dominating Big Center but they have explosive guards and forwards that can press, trap and are hard to guard on offense.
The Giants are led by NCAA D1prospects Jay Jones and Aaron Patterson.
The lefthanded combo Jay Jonesis receiving strong interest from Utah,Weber State, Indiana State and the University of Indianapolis.
Workhorse 6-4 215 pound Aaron Pattersonmust be double teamed to be stopped inside.
Bradley, Drake and Purdue all covet his small forward power game.
Fellow seniors 6-1 Terrel Franklin and 6-4 Jim Sink will also provide veteran leadership to BD.
The Junior Ben Davis class ,led by High Major guard 6-3 James Banks, is very talented and deep.
6-4 Brandon Cole has emerged as one of the top Juniors in the state.
Guards 5-8 Eric Ford and 6-0 Anwar Jones provide outside shooting and playmaking.
Mix these talented nine Giants together with the Championship coaching of Steve Witty ;and, The Giants of Ben Davis must also be considered a top ranked team.
The best basketball in Indiana may very well be found on the Westside of Indianapolis this season.

Thursday September 7,2000

Tony Weeden ,David Teague, Keith Borgan and Michael Crawford.
In most states these preps would predominately rank at the top of their Class..
They do so also in Indiana but in this case they also attend the same school.As we implied yesterday, how could Pike lose this year with seven senior NCAA D1 prospects??
Tony Weeden moved from Manual High School into the Pike School District..He has drawn interest from Eastern Illinois,Stetson,Butler, Weber State, Florida A and M and Chicago State.
Stetson and Eastern Illinoiswill be visiting Tony this week at Pike..
6-4 David Teague also has continued interest from IPFW,Bowling Green,Elon,Central Michigan , Youngstown State and Weber State
Diminuitive Guard Keith Borgan has received widespread attention from low to mid major NCAA D1 Schools that need a playmaker.The entire Midwest will seek his game this upcoming Spring..
Curtis Thomas is also a solid NCAA D1 playmaking prospect but he will need The Junior College System first- in order to fulfill that potential...
Mike Crawford at 6-4 must fight that "tweener" label of being between a guard and a forward. Central Michigan,Jackson State,Samford , Binghampton and Ashland all think he will progress his game to the next level.. As a prep, his game is at the highest level.We believe Crawford's strength inside will be the key to the Red Devil's success.Besides Leading Mr.Basketball Candidate Chris Thomas,Pike's seventh D1 senior prospect is 6-4 wing Donald Yates.Moving in from neighboring North Central, Yates will be the team's best athlete as he is an explosive leaper and very quick offensively in the post.Currently he is nursing a broken leg but should be back in action soon.
Yates like Chris Thomas has A State Championship under his belt..Chris won his as a freshman at Pike and Donald won his as a sophomore with Jason Gardner at North Central..
Since Pike boasts all this senior talent and two players with Championship experience, they will be IBN's pre-season # 1 ranked team.
Those rankings and player rankings will all be published in October.
Prep Fans can see all these Red Devils in action this Sunday at The Ft. Wayne Spiece Fieldhouse.Games begin at 10:30 AM.

Wednesday September 6 ,2000

Who Could Possibly Defeat Pike High School This Season (2000-2001)??
The amount of NCAA D1 talent in a High School is a good predictor of a team's potential for success.
Talent makes coaches good coaches and lack thereof is the reason many coaches are fired or leave town..
Alan Darner has no reason to believe that his job will be in jeopardy once his program is evaluated.
No less than seven Seniors are D1 capable..His Junior Class is light but the Sophomore Class is headed by Parnell Smith,6-2 Darren Yates, and 6-4 Justin Cage.
Seniors David Teague,Keith Borgan and Tony Weeden are cannot misses to join Chris Thomas in the NCAA D1 Ranks..The prep season is just around the corner but The Mighty Pike Red Devils must be a leading contender for Top Ranking.

Tuesday September 5, 2000

Andrean High School's Miguel Bierdiel To Meet Today With IHSAA
The Puerto Rican Foreign Exchange student is slated for a final eligibility hearing today with the IHSAA.
We expect him to gain eligibility since his entire move has been "done by the book."
Recruiters and fans should catch his High Major game this Sunday September 10 at The Ft. Wayne Spiece Fieldhouse.Games begin at 10:30 AM .All other information should be accessed by clicking on the flashing icons.

Seniors 6-9 Cory Burns/Maconaquah and 6-8 Zach Reuter/Martinsville
Similar in size but totally different in playing style, Burns is a physically growing small forward with a deep treyball; while, Reuter is an explosive power forward with a "physical banging paint presence."
Cory Burns is a high academic athlete.We believe (Indiana legend and fellow Peru native) Kyle Macy of Morehead State now leads for Burns since they are the first in the Burn's home this Thursday..
However, Cory's father Bob Burns played collegiately at Bethel College with IPFW Head Coach Doug Noll ..IPFW at Ft. Wayne is a program that will enter NCAA D1 in a year or two.They are maybe 50 miles from Peru..Add that to the close family bond with Coach Noll and we expect IPFW to compete strong with Morehead State and all other suitors..
Cory also reports that before he makes a decision, he will also investigate offers from
Harvard,Belmont, and Binghamton (NY)We applaud preps like Cory Burns that expand their recruiting horizon by achieving 1300 SAT scores and by earning high Core GPA'S..Cory Burns does all the right things !! Once his growing,long,lanky body reaches 6-11 and is able to add muscle mass--WATCH OUT !!This kid will not mature until his junior year in College, at which time he may have emerged as the best College player from Indiana's Prep Class of 2001.Time Well Tell !!

Martinsville's Zach Reuter is naturally a very explosive ,physical and aggressive athlete that was delayed last Junior year due to a broken foot.
This past July he was healthy and was able to demonstrate his game..No player his size can do more athletically in our Senior class..He has a solid SAT test but will qualify late with Core GPA improvement ..
Elon,IPFW,Youngstown State, and Binghampton have all offered Zach..Drake and IUPUI will also offer Zach..
Both Cory Burns and Zach Reuter will be playing in The Top 100 Workout..

Monday September 4, 2000

Northwest Junior College Signs Three Indiana Preps

The Powell, Wyoming two year institution now has signed their 45th Indiana Basketball Student/Athlete since the 1980-1981 season.Few Junior Colleges ,in that time frame, have done a better job than Northwest College at "jumpstarting" the College Academic and Athletic careers of Indiana Preps..
This year, Northwest has brought in Freshman 6-4 power forward John Collins/South Bend Lasalle and 6-4 Antoine Wims /Ft.Wayne Bishop Luers.. They also received a Sohomore transfer in 6-5 240 lb. Chris Jones / Horace Mann(Gary)/Northland Pioneer JUCO (AZ)..Jones averaged 15 ppg. and 8 rpg. at Northland but transferred after his coach left...Collins played last season as a prep senior with (then junior) Purdue recruit 6-2 Brandon Mcknight /South Bend LaSalle.
Antoine Wims is the son of former Indiana All Star John Flowers ."Big John" Flowers attended Indiana University and then transferred to UNLV.
Northwest College Head Coach Ken Rochlitz is 409-246 as a Head Coach in the Junior College ranks.
Indiana Preps attend Junior College in order to improve academics or gain physical maturity for the next level.Indiana High School Coaches have strongly endorsed Northwest College..
Former Calumet High School Coach(Gary) Carl Traicoff states,"In my 35 years coaching,I have sent young men to Northwest College .All of these young men have had a great and rewarding experience under the direction of Ken Rochlitz. "
Former Kokomo State Champion Coach and current Lewis Cass mentor Basil Mawbey had this to say about Northwest College,"With only two Junior Colleges in Indiana, we have really enjoyed our relationship with Northwest College..Without exception, our players that have attended there, have benefited greatly from the experience.."
The following Indiana Student Athletes have played at Northwest since 1990 :
Erik Baker/Kokomo
Tim Johnson/Elkhart Memorial
Brad Sebree/Kokomo
Sam Shelton/Calumet (Gary)
Jason Childers/Evansville Memorial
John Humphrey/Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter
Tony Lipps/Whiteland
Doug Wyciskalla/Roncalli
Hollis Edwards/Michigan City
Dewey Williams/Indianapolis North Central
Victor Stansberry/Lawrence North
Ryan Crick/Boonville
John Dicken/Whiteland
Jason Perry/Madison
Taurus Banks/Hammond Morton
Andrew Hall/Hammond Morton
Josh Kain/Kouts
Arthur Haralson/Gary Wirt
Antwan Pipkins/Calumet
Adam Hunt/Rushville
Brad Edwards/Whiteland
Matt Bradfield/Evansville Reitz
Cordell Hood /Boone Grove
Damean Clinton/Crown Point

These men represent only the past ten years of Indiana alumni at Northwest College.
Hoosier High School Athletes and Coaches are fortunate to have Northwest College and Ken Rochlitz for their Junior College Needs.Indiana Basketball News Salutes Northwest College for providing Educational and Athletic opportunities to our Hardwood Heroes !!

Saturday September 2 , 2000

Random Prep Transfers and Move Ins
Sophomore 6-4 Matt Crawford/ Plymouth has transferred to Northridge High school. Crawford's father Steve works in Elkhart so the family moved closer to father's work.
South Bend Lasalle coach Mark Johnson has two Junior move-ins that are reportedly the real deal. 6-0 William Johnson from Roosevelt High School in St.Louis is an explosive playmaker that will only complement the scoring of 6-2 Purdue recruit Brandon Mcknight.The other new face at Lasalle is 6-9 Antwan Neal from Minnesota. Neal with 6-8 Sophomore Brandon Dixon should fortify Lasalle's post defense and rebounding. Lasalle must now be considered the team to beat in South Bend.
The two best eigth graders in East Chicago last year were 5-10 Gary Patterson and 6-1 Melvin Brown.As Freshmen they both have enrolled at nearby rival Bishop Noll Institute.Many had speculated that the duo might enroll at BNI so to ride the college exposure coat tails of Super Sophomore 6-9 280 lb. Kenneth Harris. Now that Harris has announced for Valparaiso, College Recruiters will not be flocking to The Private Institute...The Warriors may now have the guard play that will return them to the Jack Gabor Glory Days.
East Chicago lost the freshmen but they gained 6-4 Junior Jamar Bardney from Chicago Carver.The high flying Bardney will remind Cardinal fans of Corey Stokes ..Nicknamed "Vaughn ",Prep fans can catch his game Sunday September 10 at The Top 100.. Directions to the Ft.Wayne Spiece Fieldhouse can be obtained by clicking on the flashing icons.
The City of Gary's two best freshmen guards were 5-10 Marques White and 5-10 CJ McCool.. As expected White has enrolled at Horace Mann but McCool has moved to tiny Wheeler High School in Valparaiso..Both White and McCool will be participating in Top 100 Workout next Weekend..Stay Tuned For Late Breaking Transfer Updates..

Friday September 1 ,2000

6-8 Senior Prospects Paul Kopanski/Michigan City and Jake Howe /Evansville Harrison

Both offensively skilled and 6-8, the similarities between Paul and Jake end there..
Paul must become much quicker to complement his raw boned 230 pound strength --and Jake must become much stronger with muscle mass...
Paul will relentlessly rebound inside and defensively "bang down low ." When asked to score, Paul will drain elbow shots and putback offensive misses..Army, Navy ,Elon, Cleveland State and Bowling Green all continue to make phone contact with Paul Kopanski..
Jake Howe on the other hand is quick, agile and very explosive..He has a good perimeter shot off the pass ;and ,with strength gain has a chance to be a great mid to high major power forward prospect...
Due to his athleticism potential and skill, Jake Howe has received early offers from Akron , Western Kentucky and David Lipscomb.
St. Louis offered early but have not contacted Howe for several weeks since then..
Both Jake Howe and Paul Kopanski will be participating in the Sunday September 10 Top 100 College Exposure Workout...
Tip off for Games is 10:30 AM !!!