Grassroots Recap: Spiece Indy Heat 2017
Overall EYBL Record: 9-7 Thoughts On The Team: This Spiece Indy Heat 2017 group was an interesting bunch. Guys took some big steps forward quickly and they got off to a great start to the season. Jaren Jackson and Brandon…
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Continue ReadingOverall EYBL Record: 9-7
Thoughts On The Team: This Spiece Indy Heat 2017 group was an interesting bunch. Guys took some big steps forward quickly and they got off to a great start to the season. Jaren Jackson and Brandon Johns were key in that. They had tons of size, but at the same time they shot the ball so well from deep and were among the more difficult matchups because it. Spiece shot 34.2% from three and 45.6% from the field making them one of the top scoring teams in the EYBL circuit.
However, they were also one of the highest turnover prone teams in the circuit. This team was built around their size and that was a plus but they averaged more than 13 turnovers a game and their guard play was up and down. Overall, this group was solid going 8-3 through the first four EYBL events but a rocky Finals down in Suwanee hurt.
Top Performers: Jaren Jackson Jr. & Xavier Tillman
Jaren Jackson Jr. went from a well known forward prospect to a 5-star, Team USA level player in the course of about 4 months. His shooting might have been the biggest reason for that. Jackson really had only begun stretching his shooting touch this past high school season but when, at 6’11, you are hitting 43.8% from three and scoring 17.1 points per game in the EYBL circuit, everyone across the board can agree that it is impressive.
Xavier Tillman is a Michigan product but had an outstanding summer with Spiece. The big bodied post player wasn’t real flashy but was super effective in the post. He was the second leading scoring on this team at 12.2 points per game and was 61.5% from the field. When down on the block, Xavier is extremely hard to stop unless you go over the top to block him but he can draw a lot of fouls that way.