Noblesville Holiday Tournament: Evaluations
The annual Noblesville Holiday Tournament brought in some of the state’s more interesting teams with Andrean, Chesterton, Crown Point, New Albany, and others for one of the better events of the holiday season. Here is our evaluations for the day.
#4 John Carrothers – 6’3 SG 2019 – Andrean (IN)
**9 points, 4 assists against Columbus North (IN)**
Carrothers is a big guard with quite a bit of skill. He’s not overly advanced in any one area but solid across the board. Jumper didn’t look as good as the other day, still a slow release and will need to improve in that area. Again, thought he was best playing off the ball and making plays in the halfcourt. His passing was a bit better and thought he was a little more engaged setting guys up. If he can really get that jumper going, could find a place at the next level.
#11 Ben Jones – 6’1 SG 2021 – Andrean (IN)
**10 points against Columbus North (IN)**
Jones is a long, lean guard that played pretty similar to last week when we saw him. Good perimeter game with a little more drive off the bounce. He’s got a solid jumper and it should continue to work for him but he’s not really a lead guard and will need more of a balanced game moving forward. Show a little more drive ability in the halfcouft and might be able to get some better looks from the perimeter.
#24 Kyle Ross – 6’7 PF 2021 – Andrean (IN)
**15 points, 8 rebounds against Columbus North (IN)**
This was a little bit better of a performance from Ross who seemed to do very well as a perimeter shooter early in the game. His touch looked good and he was just as physical on the boards. Gives himself a few more opportunities every game by crashing and winning those 50/50 balls. If he can add a little more quickness to his game, he should be able to be more of a wing driver rather than a mid-post and in guy.
#11 Blake Barker – 6’0 PG 2021 – Columbus North (IN)
**15 points, 4 assists against Andrean (IN)**
Barker is a big, strong lead guard who kind of set the tone for the game with his aggressive nature. Loved to create contact and showed some toughness. Ball handling was pretty good and has the strength to defend the ball well. He’s got a solid jumper and hit a trio of threes off the catch. At times, his shot has a little too much wrist in it and you can see him miss by an odd amount. However, it’s fairly consistent. He’s also a guy that I thought balanced out his scoring and passing game. Wasn’t so set on just scoring and made plays to set his guys up.
#23 Nick Schiavello – 6’4 SF 2020 – Columbus North (IN)
**18 points against Andrean (IN)**
Schiavello is a tall wing with some really nice shooting ability. Was great today off the bounce and pulling up in the mid-range. He’s pretty good slashing into the lane and making a play, showing he can still get to the rim when he needs to. However, he made a ton of shots off the pull-up and might be more comfortable there than off the catch. Handles the ball well enough he can be a 2/3 and isn’t relegated down the lineup right now. Could use some weight on the frame but seems to keep growing.
#2 Reese Harmon – 5’10 PG 2021 – Columbus North (IN)
**11 points, 5 assists against Andrean (IN)**
Reese is a solid guard who was big late in the game. Has some speed and a frame with strength where he looked to drive at the bucket a ton. He drew a lot of contact and was pretty difficult to stop. He hit a triple and did it off the catch. Will want to see if he can do more from distance, as pretty much all of his offense came right at the rim. But, thought his ability to handle the ball in the halfcourt and make plays off the bounce was quality.
#23 Zack Johnson – 6’2 SG 2019 – Noblesville (IN)
**27 points, 6 rebounds against Northridge (IN)**
Zack is a solid guard who seemed to pick it up in the second half after a rough start. Johnson has good size and some strength and got it going from three as he knocked down a handful of threes off the catch. He’s a lefty who was pretty inconsistent from the free throw line and will need to straighten that out. But, he is a plenty capable shooter from distance and can play on the ball enough to help. Solid two-guard for a small school program.
#24 Xavier Hines – 6’3 SF 2019 – Noblesville (IN)
**16 points, 8 rebounds against Northridge (IN)**
Xavier is a big wing that plays well faced up on the wing and in the lane. He was pretty good today slashing and driving with the ball from the mid-post and arc, creating in the lane with his body. Likes to draw a lot of contact and can cause some issues for defenders that might be more of guards than forwards. Also thought he did better as a rebounder and got a few extra points on the boards that way. He’s more of a wing than a guard and would have to find a way to defend those guys at the next level.
#32 Alex Hunt – 6’4 SF 2020 – Noblesville (IN)
**5 points, 6 rebounds against Northridge (IN)**
Alex is a light wing with some length and size. He’s more of a raw prospect right now but seems to have some promise. He was good on the boards, showing an ability to get to the ball using his length and had a nice post finish at the rim for an and-one opportunity. He will need more ability to spread the floor but could take a little longer to develop.
#30 Sam Smith – 5’10 PG 2021 – Northridge (IN)
**14 points against Noblesville (IN)**
Sam is a small guard who was very good shooting the ball. He is a little hectic in his release and jumping ability but has good touch and hit not only from deep but also well behind the line. Thought he had a really good, quick release and needed very little space. He’s a guard that seemed, initially, to be more suited to play off the ball as he was so good coming off screens and more about scoring than distributing. However, with his age, could develop the frame and game a bit in the next two years.
#32 Jackson Erekson – 6’0 SG 2019 – Northridge (IN)
**30 points, 3 steals against Noblesville (IN)**
Jackson is a solid combo guard who was on fire in the first half. The 6’0 shooter hit six threes off the catch and put up north of 20 points in the first half alone. Also showed a nice mid-range pull-up and a couple plays in transition finishing with contact at the rim. Probably on the high-end of his level of performance but really good nonetheless. Noblesville game him a little more space than they should and he seemed to take advantage of it.
#50 Alex Stauffer – 6’6 C 2020 – Northridge (IN)
**13 points, 6 rebounds against Noblesville (IN)**
Alex is a big post player with great size and solid footwork. He’s fairly mobile for how big he is and seemed to make plays more faced up in the post than backed down. The most improved part of his game was his passing. They played him out of the high post quite a bit and he was hitting the cutter very well and picking up the open man. He’s become quite a bit more useful for a team that needs a big man. He’s playing more closely to the rim and that seems to have helped a bit as his scoring ability looks improved.
#3 Landon Sprigler – 5’11 PG 2019 – New Albany (IN)
**10 point, 3 rebounds against Crown Point (IN)**
Landon is a solid lead guard with some speed and toughness and was pretty creative scoring around the rim. He isn’t the biggest guard but handles the are there and he was deceptive in the lane. Was good finding ways to score over defenders using a runner and a pair of floaters. He’s plenty capable of being a point guard for a small school program that could develop more offense with time.
#11 Derrick Stevenson – 6’2 SG 2019 – New Albany (IN)
**21 points, 3 rebounds against Crown Point (IN)**
Derrick is a really tough guard with great size and some driving ability. Was tremendous going at the rim and was pretty consistent doing it all game long. He showed quite a bit of creativity and enough handles to prove his ability to play on the ball isn’t too far off. He had a couple floaters mixed in with a handful of transition points. He can be a guy that gives you versatility because he’s big enough to switch 1 through 3.
#30 Julien Hunter – 6’4 PF 2020 – New Albany (IN)
**14 points, 8 rebounds against Crown Point (IN)**
Hunter looks like he is starting to put things together. He’s always had the skill and toughness but never was really aggressive or even assertive in his game. He was really going after points at the rim, most coming off of rebounds but also some in transition and dump offs on drives. He was very efficient and while still undersized, he used his toughness to help him through the contact. Looks a little more athletic as well.
#35 Jordan Thomas – 6’6 C 2021 – New Albany (IN)
**6 points, 6 rebounds against Crown Point (IN)**
Jordan is a big forward prospect with a ton of room to develop and possibly be a high level player. Great build and has the strength to be able to play against anyone he would see at the high school level. More of a true post right now but did very well as a back-to-the-basket producer. Is really tough and physical on the low block and throws himself at the defender with ease. Moves well and is fairly mobile for his size.
#24 Sam Snodgrass – 6’4 SF 2019 – Crown Point (IN)
**15 points, 9 rebounds against New Albany (IN)**
Snodgrass is a growing wing who looked pretty solid in this one. He looks a bit bigger and was really more agile with some added muscle. He did a little bit of everything including rebounding, playing in the lane and transition, as well as shooting the ball. Wanted to see a little more shooting but thought he went with what was working. Big enough now that he can give you a solid defensive effort on multiple spots. One of the best outings we have seen from him yet.
#31 Elias Gerodemos – 6’5 SF 2019 – Crown Point (IN)
**22 points, 2 rebounds against New Albany (IN)**
Elias is a solid forward that has really developed into a player. He’s gotten more size and strength and showed he can be a great scoring threat from inside and out. He was really good on the low block and even had the footwork to use a spin-move out of the high post to finish. Haven’t seen him play at this level before so if he can show some more of this, that could go a long way with colleges.
#35 Sam Decker – 6’4 SF 2019 – Crown Point (IN)
**6 points, 3 rebounds against New Albany (IN)**
Decker is an undersized forward played really well in this game as an inside-out forward. He’s a guy that did well posting up and using his right hand to finish. Sam has good size for a small school program that needs a stretch or wing player that can mix it up inside. He was able to knock down a jumper from distance and seemed to beat up players on the low block and draw quite a few fouls. Isn’t as productive as his game could allow him to be so it stands to reason, more time could help.
#2 Travis Grayson – 5’8 PG 2022 – Chesterton (IN)
**8 points against Lawrence Central (IN)**
Grayson is a solid lead guard who plays really tough and did most of his work at the rim. He’s got a great build on the frame and while he might not grow a ton over the years, he’s physically capable of handling things now. Has good speed and some creativeness at the rim. Should be a mainstay on the varsity team for his entire career and if he can get a little more size, that could really help for the next level.
#21 Nick Mullen – 6’9 C 2019 – Chesterton (IN)
**7 points against Lawrence Central (IN)**
Mullen is a thin post with good mobility and quite a bit of skill. He lacks strength but is really good around the rim. Can finish with his right hand at the rim and can spin with his back to the basket. He uses his length really well and can go get rebounds and get over the top of his defender. For Nick, he might need a postgrad year or two so he can add strength, which would really raise his ceiling.
#23 Jake Wadding – 6’4 SF 2020 – Chesterton (IN)
**14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals against Lawrence Central (IN)**
Wadding is a big wing with a ton of skill and ball handling. He’s a guy that create a lot of scoring chances within the arc, but will need to move his game more to the perimeter and shoot the ball. His only real deficiency right now his he lacks a jumper. However, he was pretty good getting to the rim, driving in and out of defenders and has the toughness to get his shot off. Struggled a bit against some length but was still solid. Wadding projects as a 3 and should be gaining a wide range of interest, but could see the higher level schools come calling if that jumper ever becomes a part of his game.
#3 Jake Laravia – 6’7 PF 2019 – Lawrence Central (IN)
**11 points, 8 rebounds against Chesterton (IN)**
Laravia had a solid game for him. He’s a guy that went from not having many games with any production a year ago to know producing well enough that this 11 points, 8 rebound effort is likely on the lower end of the spectrum. He was pretty solid defending the 6’9 Mullen, able to block a few of his shots and contend on rebounds, showing that he can help on post players, hopefully, at the next level.
#14 D’Andre Davis – 6’5 SF 2020 – Lawrence Central (IN)
**22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals against Chesterton (IN)**
Davis continues to look more and more like the player that committed to a Big Ten school. The 2020 prospect was great in this game showing off all of his skills including a pair of pull-up jumpers from behind the arc. He was a bit better defensively, showing off his length and quickness more. He has great size and looks like he is using it more, at least defensively. Davis was pretty great all game long and seems to be stepping up at a time when LC needs to improve.
#24 Nijel Pack – 6’1 PG 2020 – Lawrence Central (IN)
**19 points, 2 assists against Chesterton (IN)**
Pack is a guy that is growing up pretty quick. He was great on this day, showing off his jumper in it’s best form. He hit five threes on the day, three off the catch and a pair on pull-ups. He also had a nice mid-range pull-up too. On the whole, he was at the top of his game. For Nijel, his ability to perform at this level is good and he has the ability to do it, but has to bring it more often until he sets that new level. So far this season, he looks like he is working towards that.