2013 Adidas Spring Classic
By: tachevskidejan 
May 4, 2013

This weekend we traveled out to Indianapolis, Indiana for the Addidas Spring Classic and I did not leave disappointed.

I started my weekend with a matchup between two solid offensive players, Christian Smith of Indiana's Green 17U and Hunter Smith of Hoop Dreams' 17 U  squad and a pretty skilled big man in Kyle Thompson of Indiana Green as well.

Christian Smith impressed me immensely from the get go with his strong handle on the ball. Smith stands no taller than 6'2", so I was a bit surprised when he told me he played the four for his High School team (Frankfurt, Indiana). However, what I saw was a guy who has an innate sense of offensive ability. Every time he had touched the ball he was either scoring or putting his teammate in a good position to score. Smith also showed that he's capable of banging in the post as well while being an efficient rebounder. I see no reason why he is not capable of handling the 1-2 at the next level as he showed adequate foot speed to defend either position. Christian is wide open with his options for school.

Kyle Thompson the 6'8" Brownsburg High School forward is an interesting prospect as well. He showed me he's more than willing to bang in the post and has a nice touch out to the charity stripe. Loves to finish with his left which is his natural hand and showed some solid post moves (mainly to his left) at this stage. Thompson needs to work on getting stronger and work on moving to his right as to not be so predictable at the next level. A very bright kid who has interest in Columbia, Bethel, and IPFU.

The 17U Hoop Dreams team featured a stud of an offensive player in Hunter Shelton 6'5"(Owensboro, KY). Simply put this kid just knows how to score. After talking to his coach I came away even more impressed knowing that within his offense he is given the freedom to freelance and he more often than not finds his open spots. Shelton shows a high basketball IQ and a lethal stroke from anywhere on the court. He also showcases a nice ability to stay low on and really digs in on defense which is refreshing to see. Ultimately the only thing holding Shelton back is his size, if he could pack on 15-20 lbs which I imagine he'll do in college he would really dominate. A solid kid who has plenty of options ranging from Western Kentucky, Gardner Webb, and Northern Kentucky with I'm sure more to come. One of my favorite players from this tournament.

I also got another chance to witness the Racine, Wisconsin product Trevon Bunch 6'11"-17u DTA, and I was not disappointed. What I saw from him this time was a ferocious defender who feeds off emotion. I got to see parts of three games from Bunch and I saw him get 4 blocks one game, 3 the next, and another 2 against Eric Gordon's Elite team, and when he's not blocking shots he's disrupting multiple others while also simply being a deterrent in the paint. I watched kids simply stop going in the lane because they were avoiding Bunch. Bunch has very long arms and huge hands so he catches the ball very cleanly as displayed on a two handed alley-oop dunk, which he had to catch at an awkward angle and was still able to throw down. I really think the only thing holding Bunch back is himself, as he can be out of place on offense sometimes, and needs to play bigger on defense by getting his hands up more. Needs to be more active on the glass (although does avery nice job of getting his man bodied) and needs to get stronger both with the ball and in general. However, that being said you CAN teach all these things I just listed, you cannot teach length and height and further more Bunch does a good job of making his own opportunities with timely rebounds which is important because he rarely gets opportunities. Bunch also opens up  his teams offense by setting a lot of screens and simply being a big long kid. At this point Trevon has offers form Iowa State and Marquette with more I'm sure to come. May be a good candidate for a year or two of JUCO  which would allow him to play while getting stronger and then bursting onto the college scene.

I  got a  chance to  again see De La Salle product Karl Harris 16U Full Package Elite and again i was left impressed. While Harris struggled with his shot over the weekend he still showed flashes of how dominate he can be. Whether getting rebounds or gliding to the rim Harris just makes it look easy. At times he is too complacent and I want to see consistent effort from him because if I see that I know I will see something special. Right now he will show 3-4 minutes and then take a few off. Harris is so talented he just needs to find it within and bring that killer instinct every second on the court. If he does that, not a lot of guys can stop him. While Harris did struggle shooting he still showed solid fundamentals on his jumper and as always is a big time defender in the open court. He also showed his supreme athletic ability skying over two defenders just inside the free throw line for a two handed tip dunk that got everyone out of there seats. Harris is wide open with school choices right now but will soon be narrowing them down.

The 17U Indiana Elite squads displayed a ton of talent this weekend.

The first that caught my eye was a premier wing talent in Mangisto Deng 6'8"- (Moosehead Heart Prep, Illinois). The first thing I noticed about Deng was how well and low he handled the basketball. Deng also can stroke it from anywhere on the court. Shows a slight hitch in his shot and could stand to get a little more arc under his shot but for the most part has nice mechanics on his jumper and releases at his highest point. He is listed at center for his Prep squad but I am sure that is based more off his height then anything because at the next level he is easily a 3.  He moves very fluidly both offensively and defensively and most importantly is a very pleasant and coachable kid. Really loves the game. At this point he could play at the next level but could stand to get stronger and improve his overall awareness on the court. A very talented prospect from Sudan who should have plenty of options coming his way. May have been the most talented (most potential) player I saw this weekend.

Another Indiana Elite 17U player from this squad that impressed me was Kendal Brady 6'4"(Warren Central High School, Indiana). This kid is a brick house and imposes his will on people. While he will always be undersized for his 4 spot that he is best at he shows the ability to guard smaller players by getting low and showing above adequate foot speed. On multiple occasion he was switched onto a much smaller and quicker opponent and didn't back down, keeping his man in front the entire time, however he can get a bit "grabby" on defense. Brady is always in good position for rebounds by using his strong lower half. The thing that impressed me the most was seeing him vertically dunk with two hands without a step, showing a good vertical which is important given his lack of overall height. For his stocky build this somewhat surprised me. Nonetheless he will be playing college ball somewhere and making his coach a very happy person in the process.

The last prospect that caught my eye from this Indiana Elite Squad was Speedway High Schools' Jordan Furlow 6'. Jordan displayed a killer first step and a knack for making plays in the open court. Furlow has a solid stroke extending out to the three point line where it appears he is most comfortable. Furlow is very active, as he rebounds the ball very well for his position and was always getting on the ground for loose balls. Plays with emotion, which can help him and hurt him at times. Is very effective at getting in the lane and creating for others and also getting open layups. Right now Furlow needs to work on being more of a consistent play maker for others as well as adding a little bulk for the next level. Again though Furlow has a first step that is worth repeating, he can almost get past anyone he wants and shows a crafty hesitation move. Right now he has interest from Western Michigan, Eastern Kentucky, IUPUI, and Merrilville Indiana.

Another guard that caught my eye was Kendal McCullum (Larkin High School, Indiana). This 6 footer literally does it all. When his team is in a "funk" he gets timely rebound, or drains a mid range jumper, or finds an open teammate. McCullum really does it all and plays very well within a system. At the next level he will be a point guard and I think he has a chance to become a pretty big time player. McCullum a very smart player and chooses his spots well. He showed a very nice ability to use both hands while dribbling and finishing and what really impressed em is he never got flustered, even when his team was down he very calmly lead his team back while doing a bit of everything. Shows above average court vision and also shows good defensive awareness playing weak side defense while blocking a couple of shots. Knows where to be on the court at all times. Noticed multiple high majors watching his games so I'm sure he'll have some options when the time comes.

Best Choice's 16U team featured an impressive little point in Zach Rutland (Scecina High School, Indiana). Rutland displays a quick first step with a very tight handle on the ball. Stays very low to the ground which makes him harder to defend. You can really tell he enjoys getting into the lane finding the passing lanes and getting his teammates open. Right now he is working on his outside jump shot and if he can develop that a bit he is going to be tough guy to guard. Right now he has some interest from IUPUI.

HMT's 17U squad featured two very talented players in Sammis Reyes and Joe Kirby.

Sammis Reyes 6'6" (North Broward Prep, Florida) is a thick bodied athletically gifted forward. Looks like a football player running on the court with massive shoulders. Has a ready body. Does a good job of using his lower half to get post position as well as position for rebounds. Biggest strength to Reyes' game is that he stays very low which helps him defend smaller players as well. Keeps the ball high on rebounds and does a good job defending the weak side as well. Still a bit raw on offense but he is so athletically gifted it's hard not to wonder how far he could take his game. Didn't really get many touches in the post but did a nice job of getting position just about every time. Origianlly from Chile, Reyes has interest from Middle Tennessee, and Utah State.

Joe Kirby 6' (Sagemont High School, Florida) really impressed me with his second half performance I saw when he nearly single handedly led his team to a comeback victory only to fall three point shy. However what I saw was a guard who played with a lot of heart. Kirby is a big time shot maker and made a bunch when it mattered the most. Kirby is a very effective shooter extending out to the three point line and also does a good job of turning his defense in to offensive production. At this point he needs to learn to trust his teammates a little more and work on getting his teammates more involved. Lights out volume scorer though.

Indiana's Fieldhouse Elite 17U courted a pair of talented prospects in Seth Cox and Chandler Rowe.

Seth Cox 6'11" 3/4 (New Palestine High School, Indiana) is an interesting big man, who made need some more time to develop but anytime you have a kid who is this big, it hard not to wonder. Right now Cox's biggest weakness is himself. First and foremost his on court demeanor needs improvement, and while it may sound silly, it throws a lot of people off. Rather then getting frustrated at his team Cox needs to simply work harder to make his own opportunities as he rarely gets the ball from his team in good position. For a guy his size he needs to improve his rebounding and also keeping the ball high on rebounds as he was stripped a few times bringing the ball to low in the paint on rebounds. Cox could also stand to get better with his conditioning as he seemed to struggle at times to get up and down the court. It was hard to tell if this was a lack of conditioning or simply a lack of will due to his lack of touches. Either way, Seth is too talented of a player  to let others frustrate him. Cox also needs to work on improving his foot speed for the next level as he will have to be able to defend the pick and pops and pick and rolls. He will also need to get stronger for the next level. What Cox does do well is turn to the right and score, if he's within 7 feet he will score. He also has some nice range from the three point line, so he has some pick and pop capability on offense. He also defends the rim pretty well. While he doesn't block a ton of blocks he does do a good job of getting in position to disrupt a lot of shots. I can imagine Cox really blooming in a few years once he has a coach who really know how to utilize him properly.

Chandler Rowe 6'7" (North Central high School, Indiana) also of Fieldhouse Elite's 17U team is a very talented prospect and is another guy who just does it all. Rowe is so smooth on the court and easily shakes defenders. Rowe does a terrific job of rebounding the ball for his position and also displays a very high basketball IQ. Shows a smooth jump shot although he could get stinger with this and really take his game to another level. Rowe is a very smart kid who is excellent at recognizing situations. Right now at this point he simply needs to add strength and he will be a very tough wing to guard. Rowe has interest from Indiana State, Illinois State, Elon, IUPUI, and Xavier however Rowe just committed to Wabash Valley College (JUCO) to improve his game some more. A guy to keep an eye on for sure. Fun player to watch.

The other 17U Indiana Elite squad also features a very talented roster.

Milik Yarbrough 6'6" (Zion Benton, Illinois) was the first player to catch my eye on the second day. This kid from the start is just a basketball player. Judging on his size alone he could play for a D1 program. Yarbrough reminded me a lot of Terrence Jones, obviously not at that level yet but Yarbrough handles the ball well, rebounds, passes, and most of all he can score almost at will by bullying his way in to the lane. Surprising handle on the ball for a kid his size and has a knack for finding open teammates. Rebounds well for his position. I just wish I could have seen more consistent effort from him as it seems as though he may have taken plays off. He's simply too good for the level he's at and needs to be challenged some more. Yarbrough has an offer from Illinois, and has interest in Ohio State and Xavier.

Kelan Martin, Yarbrough's running mate was equally as impressive and may at this point be the better of the two, simply based off the fact that I saw much more consistency from Martin. Kelan, like Yarbrough does a little of everything, and talking to other college assistants, I really think that either one of these two could start right away for some D1 schools. Martin does everything Yarbrough does, just with a little more edge to him. Martin plays very well around the rim and finishes very well, and he might have just a little better touch at this point than his teammate. Displays a pretty good IQ, knowing where he needs to be and when to be there, also does a good job driving and dishing. A very smooth athlete who has the game come easy to him. Just an all around tough guy to guard. Right now he has interest in LSU, Louisville, and Missouri.

The Indiana Elite 17U squad also had two other interesting Sudanese players who were a bit more raw, however they show some serious potential.

The first is Makur Puou 6'8" (Moosehead Heart Prep, Illinois), who upon first looking at him, he just screams basketball player. A tall, lanky forward who has some decent touch around the rim. Puou is very athletically gifted and runs the floor very well. With his length he makes if very hard for the opposition because he is constantly making people adjust their shots. Is a bit raw on offense but still shows a nice touch out to 15 feet when given the opportunity. The thing that really excites me about Puou is that he has only been playing basketball for 3 years! It's hard to imagine how far this kid could go with some solid coaching. Defensively, he showed off of his potential through his post defense and shot blocking. At this point Puou just needs to spend more time in the gym and refine his game just a bit more. The more he is around the game the more understanding he will gain. Another kid who is well mannered, and is a joy to be around, very well spoken. He will have some serious interest once he develops a bit more.

Akim Nyang 7'0" (Moosehead Heart Prep, Illinois) is another player who just screams basketball when you look at him. At this point I would have to compare him to a poor man's Dikembe Mutumbo, meaning that he blocks shots at a very high level and gets good defensive position however is very raw on the offensive end, and is very thin. However as stated before, you cannot teach height and Akims' got plenty. You can just see how he impacts a game the second he's on the court. Players simply won't attack the lane when he is down there. Does a pretty good job of gaining position and rebounding in the limited action I saw from him. Right now he needs to add bulk and just be  around the game as much as possible because the more understanding he has of the game the more effective he will be. At this point he is on the court simply because he is a force defensively, if he wants to take his game up a notch he needs to develop more offensive game.

I truly look forward to seeing Deng, Puou, and Nyang play together this season at Moosehead Heart Prep.

Scott Lindsey 6'5" (Fenwick High School, Illinois) of Illinois Old School's 17U team showed some serious potential, as I don't think I saw a cleaner shot all weekend. Lindsey is a very long athletic 2 guard who can play multiple positions. He shows a very nice stroke from mid range and three, as well as a very nice ability to create for others as well. He takes pride in his passing ability and it shows. Shows a very clam demeanor on the court and shows very good shooting form. At this point he needs to do a few things to prepare for the next level of competition. First and foremost he needs to find his killer instinct because if he wanted to, he could literally dominate. Secondly he needs to improve his ball handling just a bit and add a little strength. If he does this he will be picking from plenty of schools to play for. At this point he has been offered a scholarship from Indiana State, with I'm sure more to come.

17U Michigan Wolverines' Dequandre Dentmond 6'7" (Catholic Central High School, Michigan) is another rangy athlete who can do a little of everything. Sometimes you see a player that glides through the air, and this is one of them. Dentmond passes well for his size and seems to be most comfortable in a slashing forward type of role. Dentmond has supreme athleticism which he showed off on a monster one handed tomahawk jam. Dentmond at this point needs to tighten up his fundamentals and he'll really be a force. Right now he struggles a bit with the ball in his hands, but he has a capable point guard that can find him in passing lanes he is tough to stop. Really just needs to be more aggressive. Based on his athleticism alone Dentmond will have some serious looks.

The same 17U Michigan Wolverines team also featured a very talented little guard in Akhemji Williams 5'7" (Rochester Adams High School, Michigan). Williams just made big plays when his team needed them most. Making timely buckets, creating for others (Williams and Dentmond work very well together), while showing he is more than capable of handling the point. At 5'7" his height will always be an issue but he does a very good job of at times using his height to his advantage, getting lower than his opponents. One of the Williams' best assets on the court is his defensive awareness coming up with multiple steals while showing great anticipation. Needs to add strength in order to take the punishment at the next level.

Isaiah Gooch 6'6" (Bloomington South, Indiana) of Indiana Blaze Select is another top athlete who showed he's capable of extending his game. While he plays mostly post for his team, Gooch has more than enough athletic ability to transition to the wing. Gooch has a nice turn around jump shot that he utilizes nicely. Gooch also showed a very nice ability to finish around the rim with both hands as well. Gooch is very explosive as evident on a vertical two handed dunk. At this point Gooch is working on his jumper and his free throws to advance his game. If he puts in some work with his ball handling he could really turn in to a weapon. Right now Gooch is getting serious from Ball State.

Another high volume scorer I saw over the weekend was Marvin Jenpierre 6'3" (Boyd Anderson High School, Florida). Jenpierre can flat out score, and he loves to attack the rim with reckless abandonment as he displayed more than a few times with some thunderous dunks. Jenpierre is an explosive leaper who handles the ball pretty well. Another kid who the game just comes natural too, some may even say it comes a little too easy for him. At this point Jenpierre just needs to become more comfortable distributing the ball and getting his teammates involved. A very exciting player to watch. At this point Jenpierre is wide open with schools.

Kameron Rowan 6' (Central High School, Illinois) from Illinois Legacy is an expressive point guard who never backs down, very respectable. Rowan shows an above average ability finding his open teammates and creating for them as well. The kid is just charismatic and his teammates feed off it. Rowan is a total floor general who is confidant in his abilities. Rowan is a more than capable scorer as well scoring 14 before halftime. Displays a nice shooting touch from the three point line and from mid range. Right now Rowan just needs to get stronger attacking the basket and simply getting more shots up and getting more consistent with his mechanics. He also may need to learn to check his competitive attitude from time to time as it may rub some coaches the wrong way, however at this stage I'd rather have a player who plays with an edge over one who doesn't. Rowan has interest from Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois, and NIU.

The other 17U Fieldhouse Elite team also features another skilled big in Aaron Brennan 6'6" (Guerin Catholic High School, Indiana). While Brennan may be a bit undersized for the 4-5 position he does do a nice job of getting very good position and finding open spots. Works very hard for rebounds. If Brennan can improve his foot speed, and perimeter game he could be a very successful stretch forward at the next level. Right now Brennan has interest coming from Loyola, Indiana State, and IUPUI.

The last prospect I got a chance to see was Indiana State commit Bryant McIntosh 6'3" (Greensburg, Indiana), and he did not disappoint. McIntosh shows a very fluid feel for the game. He never forces anything offensively or defensively.  McIntosh has a lethal stroke that extends to the three point line and is more than capable handling the ball. In fact his team many time differed to him in crunch time. Solid at attacking the basket. Needs to stay a little lower defensively especially at the next level and needs to get stronger. He will be an asset for Indiana State.

 

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