Second Live Period: Friday
INDIANAPOLIS, IN | This weekend is a big one. Nike, Under Armour, and four major non-shoe company events are in town and this weekend, Indy is the epicenter. On Friday night, we were at three different events trying to take…
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Continue ReadingINDIANAPOLIS, IN | This weekend is a big one. Nike, Under Armour, and four major non-shoe company events are in town and this weekend, Indy is the epicenter. On Friday night, we were at three different events trying to take it all in. From Shamar Dillard to Caleb Middlesworth to Jaren Jackson, we got a good showing tonight.
Dillard Brings The Athleticism
The guy not named Damezi Anderson on South Bend Riley, well, there are a few of those guys. The one that stood out tonight on his UA Indy Hoosiers 2018 group is Shamar Dillard. The 6’4 wing is one of the more unknown players in the state but one that could improve a ton over the next year. Against Washington Supreme on Friday night at the UA Association, he was the one who stepped up in the second half to rally and give his team a chance to win.
The South Bend native is a big time athlete who can run and jump with the best of them. He had a couple really nice dunks, one in transition and one off a rebound. If all he does is dunk and rebound, he will still be a quality player in that 2018 class. He’s shown spurts over the year with his shooting ability. It is still a little raw but if he can add that aspect of his game to his athleticism, that will be somebody that coaches will come to see.
Middlesworth Starting To Pick Up Steam
In the recent classes, Indiana has bred some tall players and with the change in the landscape of basketball, they find themselves playing more on the perimeter than they would have even five years ago. One player that has made some strides in that area has been Caleb Middlesworth. Hailing from Oak Hill, he isn’t going to get a ton of limelight during the high school season but his name is starting to gain traction as a guy to watch in the class of 2018.
At 6’7, Caleb has a soft shooting touch from the outside and he’s plenty capable of knocking down those shots over and over again. However, he’s not going all out trying to be a wing, at least not yet. He’s a solid post player and doesn’t seem to shy away from the contact. Middlesworth is a quality big man that could start garnering the attention of some DII and Low-Major programs. Indiana State was in the past week to get a better look at him in open gym. His team at Oak Hill had quite a bit of success this season and now he’s looking to continue that into the summer with Grassroots Indiana 2018 Blue.
Jaren Jackson Continuing To Transition Towards The Wing
Like we just talked about with Middlesworth, more and more forwards are trying to be wing players and Spiece Indy Heat’s Jaren Jackson is no different. Tonight, he went off for 22 points on 6/8 shooting with 10 rebounds and 3 blocks. Of his 6/8 shooting, half came from behind the arc. He’s a capable shooter if given time and with his growing frame, it is really tough to defend. However, he recognizes that he’s going to have to make adjustments and figure out his game for the next level.
“Sometimes it varies on the team, I say a four or a three,” Jaren said about his game in college. “I say that because if you look around, I played at adidas last year and there aren’t that many of the DeAndre Ayton, Bamba type dudes. Those are some big dudes that play inside. I’m that dude that, I can come inside and finesse but mostly if I get my ballhandling right for college I can play the three.”
It makes sense with his style of play. Jackson isn’t going to out-muscle you to the basket but he showed tonight how he can be a mismatch problem with his ability to shoot from the perimeter and finesse his way to the rim and get out in transition. At 6’9+, that is really difficult to stop.