Holiday Hoops Tournament – Standout 2019 Performers
2019 Standouts We spent both days at the Holidays Hoops Tournament at Huntington North, Huntington University, and Columbia City. Here are some of the Class of 2019 players who put on strong performances for their respective teams both days: Lucas…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading2019 Standouts
We spent both days at the Holidays Hoops Tournament at Huntington North, Huntington University, and Columbia City. Here are some of the Class of 2019 players who put on strong performances for their respective teams both days:
Lucas Kroft (Blackhawk Christian): Lucas Kroft does a little bit of everything. The 6’4” combo guard showed off his athleticism with a two-handed dunk against HSE. He also has a soft touch with his jump shot. Kroft finishes well around the basket with both hands. He has already posted a few games of 30+ this season. Kroft will need to continue working on his decision making and jump shot from deep to continue developing moving forward.
Drake Thompson (Blackhawk Christian): Drake Thompson looked really good in their open round game against New Haven until he got injured. Thompson is looking to be out 8-10 weeks with a broken foot. This is a major hit to Blackhawk Christian who is currently ranked No. 1 in the Class A standings. Thompson has a nice touch around the basket and has gotten better with his body positioning. Coming off injury, Drake will need to focus on his conditioning and footwork to get back to basketball game shape.
Zach Daugherty (Huntington North): Daugherty is an unsung hero kind of guy for the Vikings. Zach handles the ball well for Huntington North and has shown that he can knock down open jump shots at a good percentage. Daugherty is also over-looked on the defensive end. Zach will need to continue working on his court awareness and passing ability as he takes over the point guard position next season. Daugherty is quick with the ball and moves well with off-ball screens.
Ozzie Johnson (Horizon Christian): Ozzie Johnson was a double-double threat for Horizon Christian in the Holiday Hoops Tournament last week. Johnson showed off his fifteen-foot jump shot that he has been working on and attacked the glass well. He finished the break with a few high rising dunks as well. Johnson needs to continue working on his jump shot and passing ability as he looks to be a threat moving forward. He has the athleticism and aggressiveness to be a good basketball player in the future.
Aaron Etherington (Hamilton Southeastern): Etherington was moved in and out of the starting line-up during this tournament for the Royals but seemed to play better when he was in the starting line-up. He showed off his athleticism with a few dunks in the half court and his three-point jump shot went in at a high percentage. Aaron needs to continue working on his ball handling and court positioning on defense. Etherington has a basketball family and as a 6’4” sophomore, he is sure to keep that going.
Noah Smith (Hamilton Southeastern): Noah Smith did a little bit of everything for Hamilton Southeastern during the Holiday Hoops Tournament. Smith is a great PG, shut-down defender, and a solid rebounder for his position. Smith filled up the stat sheets in multiple categories throughout the week to help HSE win the Championship game. Noah will need to get his jump shot to be more consistent in order to use his driving ability. He is good going to the basket with either hand and uses his athleticism and strength to finish at a high rate around the rim.
Brandon Newman (Valparaiso): Newman has really been putting in the work off the court in the off-season. His jump shot looks much better than it did last year and he gets to the basket with grace. He looks taller, longer, and more athletic than he did last season. Newman is standing 6’3” and his strength has improved. Newman will need to continue working on his court vision and passing moving forward but the sophomore is going to make some noise this season.