Transfer Times Three: Looking At The Latest Move Outs
The AAU season is over and next up is the high school season as players are heading back to school this week and next. However, two of the top players in the 2019 class and arguably the best incoming freshman are all heading to prep schools next year.
Both Keion Brooks Jr, a 6’7 wing from Fort Wayne North (IN), and Brandon Newman, a 6’4 wing from Valparaiso (IN), are moving out of the 2019 class in Indiana. Brooks will be heading to La Lumiere School and Newman will head to Montverde Academy (FL). These are two of the top players in the class and both nationally ranked. It’s a big shock to the level of the 2019 class but not really a surprise in the national scope.
For Brooks, the move comes on the heels of his former high school coach taking a new job at Richmond High School and coming off an AAU season that helped to establish more value for him. Now, part of this could also be contributed to the ability to position himself as one of the best players in the country. He already has offers from a number of programs at the top levels including Kentucky and North Carolina. He’s ranked as the 15th best talent in the 2019 class by 247Sports and 14th by Prep Hoops.
Newman is a little bit different of a story. He’s trying to improve his game and get acclimated to a new level of play and prepare for the college game as much as possible. This was the first year for him on the EYBL circuit playing with Meanstreets and he had quite a bit of success but while he seems set with the offers he has in hand, that constant competition and development would go a long way for him once he enters into college.
The other name that announced is one that most don’t know yet in Kamari Lands. The 2022 standout was set to attend Cathedral (IN) during the summer but following in the footsteps of his other family members, Jalen Coleman-Lands and Isaiah Coleman-Lands, he will head to La Lumiere next yet instead.
This wasn’t a surprise at all that he would end up at La Lumiere but a little surprising that he was set to go to Cathedral and then backed out. He had a great summer with Indy Heat 2020 playing up two years and was very competitive. The 6’6 wing has immense talent and will be a national level talent, unfortunately, it won’t come through the Indiana High School system.
Transfers to major Prep Schools isn’t a new phenomenon, however, it does hurt when three top players in the state move out in a short period of time. There are a number of reasons for it, while not all make sense, the two programs in question here, La Lumiere and Montverde, are very well established powerhouses and develop talent as well as anyone and the three leaving to head to those programs are worthy as the top players in the country.