Manual Extravaganza – 2019 Prospects
This Saturday, December 22nd, Emmerich Manual High School hosted their annual boys’ extravaganza, featuring nine games and 18 different teams from Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee. In this article I’ll take a look at several 2019 prospects who intrigued me throughout…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThis Saturday, December 22nd, Emmerich Manual High School hosted their annual boys’ extravaganza, featuring nine games and 18 different teams from Indiana, Illinois, and Tennessee. In this article I’ll take a look at several 2019 prospects who intrigued me throughout the day. Part 2, coming very soon, will feature prospects in the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 who I thought stood out as well.
John Carrothers, 2019, 6-2 G, Andrean H.S.
John plays like a veteran with a lot of experience, as he should. He is strong and physical as a wing guard, he is a solid athlete, and he plays with a good motor. He shot the ball well from the perimeter in their matchup with Indianapolis Howe, and he did a lot of the “little things” coaches rave about. I like how he rebounds his position fairly well, and he’s solid going straight-line to the basket. As far as I know, he remains uncommitted, and I think he could be a really nice small college wing guard.
Matt Lelito, 2019, 6-5 F, Andrean H.S.
This was my first time seeing Matt play, and he’s a nice interior player who I would regularly recommend to small colleges still needing size, but he has already signed with Kankakee Community College to play baseball. He’s built like a tight end, he has wiry strength, he’s a solid athlete in all directions, and he plays with a good motor. He’s a good pursuing rebounder, especially at the offensive end, and he plays physically at both ends of the floor.
Alex Hemenway, 2019, 6-4 G, Castle H.S.
Alex takes a lot of criticism statewide, and I don’t know if it’s because he’s from the Evansville area, because he’s committed to an ACC school (Clemson), or what the reason is. For me, I’ve always seen a skillful, intelligent, smooth wing guard who is a lot more athletic than I think people realize. Yesterday he put that on display with a nice wing drive for a dunk on a defender. He hit a handful of contested pull-up 3-pointers, and I will be curious to see how much different he looks with better players around him in a college system. He reminds me of another former Evansville-area star, Kyle Kuric, who played a big role late in his career at Louisville.
Armaan Franklin, 2019, 6-5 W, Cathedral H.S.
I think we all know about Armaan’s talents, and he continued to show that Saturday with a variety of dunks and finishes in transition and in the half-court both. But what I think stands out to me is the amount of growth he has shown in his perimeter shooting over the last couple of years. He’s gone from being a capable shooter to someone you just can’t help off of anymore. I really like the entire package he possesses offensively, and once he gets to Indiana University, I think he can excel as a defender in their system, especially the way they stress that end of the floor.
Justin Hensley, 2019, 6-4 W, Cathedral H.S.
I honestly feel like I don’t hear enough about Justin in recruiting circles, yet he seems to typify what an Indiana prep prospect looks like. He’s a wiry wing guard with a nice perimeter stroke, he seems to understand the game very well, and he is pretty smooth scoring it in ways other than just knocking down jumpers. Saturday his 3-point ball was working early, as he helped Armaan Franklin (above) and the Irish extend an early lead against Castle. I think whichever college ends up with this wing is going to enjoy his ability to score it at all levels.
Terrence Hargrove Jr., 2019, 6-7 F, East Saint Louis H.S.
The East Saint Louis team was very spurty throughout their matchup with Warren Central on Saturday, but Terrence was the one kid who was impressive and consistent throughout the contest. He is a solidly built forward who can do damage inside or out. He knocked down a couple of perimeter jumpers, he posted smaller defenders inside, and he did a lot in the mid-post as well. He’s a very athletic and bouncy kid who played above the rim, and he showed toughness and a motor all game long. He is signed with Saint Louis University.
Jalen Johnson, 2019, 6-7 F, Emmerich Manual H.S.
Jalen is one of the most talented uncommitted kids in Indiana’s 2019 class. He is strong, physical, skilled, and solid athletically. He can post and abuse smaller defenders with his strength, but he has the touch and finesse to play facing the basket around 17-feet. He also does a nice job putting it on the floor three to four dribbles to productively get somewhere. He rebounds outside of his area, blocks the occasional shot, and has always been highly productive. As time elapses and other sizeable players commit, I can see his interest skyrocketing quickly.
Ijazz Abdulleman, 2019, 6-7 F/C, Emmerich Manual H.S.
This was my first time seeing Ijazz live, and I was very intrigued by his upside at the small college level. He’s an extremely long, lean, and fairly athletic front-liner. He definitely has some athletic tools and a frame that can be developed at the next level. He’s a decent help-side defender who can block the occasional shot, and he pursues rebounds out of his area, but he’ll need work on his ability to score the ball. He did knock down a couple of 15-footers from the short-corner and the high-post. I think this kid is nothing but upside right now for someone willing to work with him and develop his game.
Frank Davidson, 2019, 6-5 W, FW Blackhawk Christian
This kid just continues to get better and better each time I see him. He’s extremely long, bouncy, and smooth with the ball in his hands. He can knock down the open 3-pointer with consistency, he’s great attacking the basket off the bounce, and he can run offense like a point forward. After a strong July, he began receiving Division-I interest and offers, and I thought he was as impressive / more impressive yesterday than he was in July. He has since committed to play at the University of Indianapolis.
Darius Alexander, 2019, 6-6 C, FW Wayne H.S.
When you first look at Darius, you think of him as an offensive or defensive tackle on the gridiron, and he does possess a couple of MAC football offers. But on the basketball court, he can contribute in a lot of different ways. He’s much more athletic and bouncier than I think people realize, he plays with a solid motor, and he’s obviously a physical interior player who doesn’t mind throwing his body around. Saturday he was extremely productive, rebounding and scoring it around the rim with regularity. I thought it was one of the better performances I’ve ever seen out of him. If he chose to play basketball at the next level, he could be a solid small college post player.
Kycia Washington Jr., 2019, 5-11 G, Indianapolis T.C. Howe Community H.S.
Kycia is another player who I thought stood out from the standpoint that it was the best I’ve seen him play. He was very much under control and more disciplined with the ball in his hands, plus he shot it much more consistently from the perimeter and just looked a lot more comfortable as a perimeter scorer. He has always been a strong and effective driving scorer, and that remains the same. He looks quicker laterally, and he was extremely active and aggressive at the defensive end of the floor.
Isiah Moore, 2019, 5-10 G, Warren Central H.S.
I’ve always been a big fan of Isiah’s game, and at times he has reminded me of another Moore…Nic who played at Warsaw H.S. and graduated from SMU. Isiah is an aggressive scorer and a very good shooter at all levels. He began the game with four straight 3-pointers in about a two-minute span before getting into foul trouble. By the end of the game he had buried six 3-pointers and repeated trips to the free throw line, finishing with 28 points for the game. We all know he can score the ball, but the biggest thing for him to show this season is that he can be more of a point guard with scoring ability instead of just a scoring guard.
Jakobie Robinson, 2019, 6-6 F, Warren Central H.S.
I feel like I’m repeating myself with a few of these guys, but Jakobie is another kid who has shown a great deal of growth in his game over the past couple of years. In the past, Jakobie was a bit passive offensively, and he was more of a power forward who filled a role in the lineup because of his height and length. Now, he’s handling the ball a great deal, even in transition for Warren, plus he’s looking to shoot / score it anywhere inside of about 17-feet. He’s likely still more of a ‘4′ in terms of positioning, but he’s so versatile now that he can play around the perimeter or in the mid-post much of the game and be effective.
Isaiah Thompson, 2019, 5-11 PG, Zionsville Community H.S.
Isaiah had sort of an up and down game on Saturday. He made several big shots and had a couple of impressive drives / finishes around the rim. But there were also a few empty possessions where he gambled on passes or took early shots that were contested. I still really like his overall ability and potential when he arrives at Purdue, but he’ll need to play much more efficiently once he gets there. In terms of size and physical ability, he reminds me a little of Robert Phinisee (Indiana) with maybe a quicker and more explosive first step.
Nathan Childress, 2019, 6-5 F, Zionsville Community H.S.
Nathan was named the MVP of Zionsville’s win over Valparaiso, and I still don’t feel like he gets enough credit for his accomplishments, likely because he’s played alongside several other quality players over the years, including Thompson (above). Nathan is a wiry strong, vertically athletic kid who does a nice job of playing multiple roles at both ends of the floor. Offensively, he’s a capable perimeter shooter, he can score it consistently in the mid-post, and he can score it on the block against smaller defenders. Defensively, he can defend most wings & forwards and even some undersized posts on occasion. He has already committed to Bethel College.
Header photo of Blackhawk Christian vs. Emmerich Manual. Photo of John Carrothers courtesy of nwitimes.com. Photo of Armaan Franklin courtesy of usatodayhss.com. Photo of Terrence Hargrove courtesy of www.bnd.com. Photo of Frank Davidson courtesy of journalgazette.net. Photo of Jakobie Robinson courtesy of indystar.com.