Ten Best: Mason’s Favorites From Holiday Tournaments
This past week, our crew spent a lot of time on the road and we are starting to take a look back at some of the best things we saw. We wanted to each take some time to give our…
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Continue ReadingThis past week, our crew spent a lot of time on the road and we are starting to take a look back at some of the best things we saw. We wanted to each take some time to give our Top 10. Not of the best players we saw but rather our favorites players from this past week. Here are my favorites.
1. Jalen Adaway – 6’5 G/F 2017 – Logansport
One of the more under-the-radar prospects as high majors go, Adaway is the most athletic kid in the state and has a much improved jumper. I always enjoy watching him play because of his athleticism and this year his jumper looks much improved. Offered by a flurry of MM’s, Adaway will have options at the next level. He was my favorite guy to watch all of last week and his athleticism goes a long way in doing that.
2. Jermaine Cousinard – 6’5 SG 2017 – East Chicago Central
I watched Cousinard over at Marion on the 22nd where he scored 26 points and I thought that he would be a pretty decent MM kid. Then at the North Central tournament I saw him explode for 46 points and he looked like a guy that could dominate the next level. He was getting to the rim and making shots from behind the arc. Cousinard is over looked right now with only four offers, but if he keeps playing like this his recruiting will explode. He’s got the potential to be a steal for a school.
3. Brayton Bailey – 6’1 SF 2020 – Bedford North Lawrence
Ever since I heard he scored 20-something points and had near 10 rebounds in his first game in high school, I had been looking forward to watching Damon Bailey’s son play. I got to last week, and while he didn’t fill up the scorebook and drop 30 I saw a kid that already can play ball. He got into every stat category and played his role really well. It will be interesting to see him progress through the years and see where he ends up. Be on the lookout for BNL over the next few years
4. Cooper Neese – 6’3 SG 2017 – Cloverdale
I don’t know, maybe it was Neese rising up over my best friend my senior year of high school and hitting a shot from the top of the key to win county and push my alma mater further into basketball oblivion, but I have always enjoyed watching Neese play. Sometimes it’s okay to be biased, especially in this article, but Neese is the best player to ever come out of my home county. He now holds the record for more points in a career in Putnam County and it won’t ever be broken. Neese is a shooter and will fit right in at Butler. Then again, Chad Tucker? All-time leading scorer for Butler with 2,321 points is a 1983 Cloverdale grad.
5. Romeo Langford – 6’5 SG 2018 – New Albany
Langford is the best player in the state and I’ve seen him four times this year, actually this was the first year I’ve seen him and he’s a joy to watch. He’s one of the most fluid players with the ball in his hand I have seen and has NBA range already. He will go to school basically wherever he wants to and make an impact. I have never seen him show emotion, not even a smile, which makes him even more fun to watch because he is just so good and has a good head on his shoulders.
6. Sasha Stefanovic – 6’4 SG 2017 – Crown Point
As I wrote Stefanovic’s name down I realized I love tall scoring guards, but this one comes with a killer name. Sefanovic is a solid scorer for Crown Point and is a knockdown shooter. He’s fun to watch because he can shoot it at any time, and will go on runs of four or five in a row. Stefanovic lives up north so it was nice to see him over at Noblesville. He’s a guy that will be relied on in college to shoot the ball at a high percentage and after watching him, I have no doubt that he can.
7. Tayson Parker – 6′ G 2020 – Indianapolis Homeschool
Parker is one of the best freshmen in the state. I watched him last Thursday morning and while he didn’t put up a gaudy stat line, I could see why he is regarded so highly. Parker is super athletic and has a nice shot but really struggled against Irvington Prep. Nonetheless, he is fun to watch play because he can throw down at any time just like he did at the Manual shootout on a 6’7 Marquette commit.
8. Trevor Lakes – 6’7 SF 2017 – Lebanon
I have been to a few Lebanon games over the years and Lakes never really got going like he could. That changed at the Lebanon tournament when he scored 22 first half points and had he not gotten injured early in the fourth he would have had a lot more than his 28 he finished with. He was really firing on all cylinders and hitting from deep. He has one sequence where he hit a step back jumper, then a three and then on the other end blocked a shot. It was the game I had been waiting for out of Lakes.
9. Patrick Wilburn – 6’2 G/F 2017 – Broad Ripple
Wilburn is fun to watch because of his rebounding ability for being such a small forward but what really gets me is seeing how much he has grown out his afro from time to time. It’s a slick looking afro and would have guys from the 1960’s jealous. It’s probably 12 inches long and I have no idea how he does it but his hair and rebounding combination make it a nightmare for the opposing team and a treat for the fans at the same time.
10. Caleb Dickey – 6’3 F 2017 – Riverton Parke
Ever since I saw him play I have really liked him. He is unorthodox and looks to be super unathletic but the glasses-wearing stud from Riverton Parke is averaging a double-double this year so far. He can knockdown shots and get to the rim. No, he won’t play in college like his sister (Sara Dickey is the Evansville all-time leading scorer) but when he graduates he will be greatly missed. Everyone just needs a little Dickey in their lives from time to time.