Notebook: Purdue Elite Camp Pt. I
West Lafayette, IN | The Fall season is here and it got going this weekend with a set of Elite Camps. Up first was Purdue and they had a full crowd on hand Saturday with more than 100 prospects and some of the best talent in the Midwest. Here is our breakdown of the in-state talent:
Brooks Barnhizer – 6’5 SF 2021 – Lafayette Jeff (IN)
Barnhizer is a move-in this year and looks like he’s going to be an instant impact guy. Able to create off the bounce and shoot at a pretty high level. He played Varsity as an 8th grader and 9th grader in Alabama. He has really good size and skill and the confidence to put up a shot, for sure. Could be a really interesting player to track this winter.
D’Andre Davis – 6’5 SF 2020 – Lawrence Central (IN)
Davis was able to play pretty well in the games we watched, showcasing his shooting touch in the mid-range. He’s looked more confident the last few months and could be set for a big winter. He was a little more attack oriented, looking to get more towards the rim than previously. Still a work in progress but found some success against some high level post players.
Michael Eley – 6’3 SG 2021 – Fort Wayne Snider (IN)
Eley has really started to take off lately. His jumper is really becoming a massive weapon for him and he’s finding a lot of ways to get off his jumper. His upside is really high now that he has added that offensive ability. He was one of the top five best scorers at this event.
Luke Goode – 6’5 SF 2021 – Homestead (IN)
Goode is coming off playing a football game the night before and was there at 9:00 in the morning and showing off his athleticism. I think that is the thing that has stuck out more to me lately, just how athletic he is. Luke is extremely skilled and has so much impact on a game while not being reliant on just the scoring aspect. He’s already got an IUPUI offer but I expect more, soon.
Chris Grubbs – 6’5 SF 2020 – Hamilton Southeastern (IN)
Grubbs was a guy I didn’t get to see that much this summer but he looked pretty solid on the day. He was really good in transition and was very athletic. For him, it is going to continue to develop his jumper, more so on the perimeter. 15′ and in he has a ton of scoring ability, more about spreading it out.
D.J. Hughes – 6’7 PF 2021 – Lawrence North (IN)
Hughes was probably the most impressive early on. He has really improved his ball handling and was using it to get past defender in the middle of the floor. Has some explosiveness to his footwork too and that seemed to give him separation. Was much more dynamic than we saw earlier in the Spring.
Doug Konieczny Jr. – 6’5 SF 2021 – South Bend St. Joseph (IN)
Every time we see JR, he’s just as impressive as the last time. He’s 6’5, handles the ball, and shoots it at a really high level. Had some times where he was as impactful but never plays poorly. He’s got a little more bounce in him as well.
Khristian Lander – 6’2 SG 2021 – Evansville Reitz (IN)
Khristian had a really good day, good enough to pull in an offer from the Boilermakers following the camp. His scoring ability is high level and he has that burst of speed to get past any defender right now. For Lander, he’s been nothing but impressive this past year.
Jayden Taylor – 6’2 SG 2021 – Perry Meridian (IN)
There were spurts on the day where Taylor was really impressive. He can shoot the ball pretty well and his body is set and ready to go with good size and length. Taylor also showed that he can really slash and get to the bucket. I think there is a wide variety of ways he’s ultimately going to be able to score the ball, just make take some time to really take off.
Pierce Thomas – 6’4 SF 2021 – Brownsburg (IN)
Thomas didn’t have the best day shooting, really just needs to tear his jumper down and rebuild. However, he showed again why the upside is real with him. Supreme athlete who looks healthy after missing some time with a foot/ankle injury. If, when, the offense comes, he’s got everything else you want to produce a high end prospect.