Notebook: Purdue Shootout
Last week, Purdue hosted one of their bigger team camps of the month as some of the top teams around the state were there along with some high-end teams from Ohio. Today, we take a look at those Indiana teams and what they looked like.
Culver Academies – Culver was without Ethan Brittain-Watts but they still played really well. They have quite a bit of talent at the younger age levels with Nick Hittle, Trey Galloway, and Deontae Craig. Galloway looks really solid right now and has a lot going for him. Tall frame and scoring ability make him impactful right now. Craig is going to be so tough to stop inside and as a slasher for the coming years. Undersized but he’s really tough. Add in Brittain-Watts and this team should really be able to score the ball. This should be the best team they have and the really good core will be together for the next two years. Expecting big things out of this group in those seasons.
Oak Hill – Oak Hill looks like they should repeat their performance again this season. They don’t lose any key pieces as they return Tyce Frank, Spencer Ballinger, Caleb Middlesworth, and David Arens. Those four should really do well and if they have a lead guard that can provide some distribution, they will start to take off. However, that was the issue they had at the end of the year last year against Southwood so it will be interesting to see if they have someone step into that role and keep it.
Indianapolis Tindley – Tindley has a new coach but the roster is basically unchanged from last year and the expectations should be the same, win another State Title. They are all going to be seniors with K.J. Coleman, Eric Hunter, and Hunter White. That trio at the guard spots is so good and will be difficult to deal with. They played just okay against McCutcheon but that is the bonus of being a really good team that has been together so long, you can play just average and still win games.
McCutcheon – Last year was the year for McCutcheon. They had four or five guys that could score for them. Now, it is basically Robert Phinisee and not much else. Rowen Ferrell will be a good scoring and shooting threat for them but he’s still on the young side. Look for McCutcheon to be just okay this season. They should be capable of winning a lot of games again as Phinisee is just that good. However, will need to really develop some other talent this year to be competitive against those tougher Indianapolis teams.
Andrean – Andrean looked decent when we watched. They have a ton of guards and one standout incoming freshman in Kyle Ross. Their guards won’t dominate the ball too much which might be good and while Ross can rebound and score the ball, the lack of scoring options during the season might be a concern. They return Curtis Jones as one of the guard spots and he did score 13.1 ppg last year. However, after that if falls pretty quickly. Stability is the key with this team as they have had a lot of transfers and coaching changes the last few years. Keep some stability and develop some of the guys and things could be better this year.
Lawrence North – Lawrence North, like pretty much every year, looks great on paper. It is always converting that talent into production on the court. They are so deep and easily the deepest team in the state with guys like Michael Saunder, Kevin Easley, Tony Perkins, Jared Hankins, and others. They lose Ra Kpedi and Antwaan Cushingberry is transferring out. However, they can still overwhelm the perimeter on defense when they want to with their length and athleticism. It will be all about their ability to recover and keeping a balanced offense. If those two things improve from last year, they could do really well in an Indianapolis area that isn’t very talented this coming season.
Indianapolis Scecina – Scecina was pretty solid last year and while they lost a bit of talent, they should still be pretty good this year. Kobe Clancy, Makylin Brown, Manuel Brown, Jayvon Hatton, and Cobie Dillard should be a great group of guards and wings to start with. They have enough scoring to be able to win a lot of games. Now, they lack size and only Hatton will give them some length and size but they all get after the ball and can create turnovers. This team should have success but the upside will be interesting as the year gets underway.