Open Gym Report: University
This upcoming season at 1A is going to be interesting with two top teams in the class going to battle from the start and both hailing from the Indianapolis area. Indianapolis Tindley and University will be the biggest threats to…
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Continue ReadingThis upcoming season at 1A is going to be interesting with two top teams in the class going to battle from the start and both hailing from the Indianapolis area. Indianapolis Tindley and University will be the biggest threats to win and their contrast of styles will be interesting. We stopped in to see University this past week in open gym.
A Lot Of Size For 1A
At the lowest class for basketball in the state of Indiana, size is at a premium. Post players don’t grow on trees and you are usually pretty locked in because of lack of options. However, last year, Bloomfield found some success, some of it due to it’s size on it’s roster. This year, expect University to have that attribute on it’s side as they should have one of, if not, the tallest 1A teams in the state. Emerson Haliblieb stand at 6’6 giving this team a true center in the low post and a nightmare to matchup with. Also, they are tall through their entire roster. Josh Watson and Zach Hodgin give them 6’2+ guards on the perimeter and David Howard and Foster Flamion will be 6’4+ on the wings. This group will be tough to matchup with if they can control the tempo this season.
Haliblieb Big Key For This Season
Emerson will be the key for University this year. The guards and wings will all play bigger roles but the guy with the best chance for success should be Haliblieb. The 6’6 post is about as skilled as you want for a high school center and while he doesn’t have much length or athleticism, you knows his role and executes it better than most while providing offense and rebounding. If he can be a guy that produces and keeps the pressure of the guards, this offense could open up and have some good offensive games.
Starting Core Solid But Depth Is Big Question Mark
With this group, they have a few things that won’t be their best friends. This likely won’t be a fast team or a high-scoring team but they might have one of the best starting fives in 1A for the state. The flipside of that is their lack of depth behind those five. A couple guys could step up into bigger roles this season but who they are will be determined over the course of the fall and heading into the season. They will need a couple other players to provide quality minutes.