Prospect Review: Class of 2019
I wanted to take the opportunity and write about a few prospects from the Class of 2019 who I have seen over the past couple of weeks. These aren’t all of the 2019 prospects I’ve seen, but they are a…
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Continue ReadingI wanted to take the opportunity and write about a few prospects from the Class of 2019 who I have seen over the past couple of weeks. These aren’t all of the 2019 prospects I’ve seen, but they are a handful who I thought stood out for one reason or another, and seemingly, they all appear to be somewhat under-recruited at this point in their careers.
Nick Mullen, 6-8 F/C, Chesterton H.S.
It was my first time ever seeing Nick play…in fact, it was the first time I had ever heard his name. He is incredibly intriguing, and small colleges should be pursuing him quickly. He’s extremely long, fluid, and he runs the floor North / South very well. He has good hands, decent footwork, and even though he’s extremely thin right now, he seeks out physicality and tries to play strong…a good sign for a slender prospect. He has a nice half-hook when he catches it low, but what also impressed me was how smooth his jump-shot looks. He was automatic in warm-ups, and then when he had an opportunity in the game I saw, it just looked so comfortable coming out. He will need to gain some strength, but I think he has a lot of tools and upside for a college program to develop.
Sam Snodgrass, 6-3 G, Crown Point H.S.
During the Summer of 2017, Sam made quite an impression on me with his combination of smooth athleticism and the ability to shoot the basketball from the perimeter. I didn’t see him on any of the regular grassroots teams this past Summer, so it was good to catch him again at Noblesville over the holiday break. He could stand to get stronger, but he’s very long, athletic, and he still maintains that nice perimeter stroke. He is a scorer first and foremost, and he can put it in the basket from all levels. He plays with a good motor, and he has a solid-enough handle to occasionally run offense for Crown Point.
Elias Gerodemos, 6-3 F, Crown Point H.S.
Elias’ name is another one that is new to me. He is the definition of a high school “glue” guy. He is probably a little undersized for how he plays, but that doesn’t stop him from doing a little bit of everything with a really nice motor. He is wiry strong, a solid athlete, and he pursues rebounds outside of his area. Elias is great at getting garbage buckets around the basket, but he also has the ability to shoot it consistently enough from the perimeter to keep defenses honest. He can defend multiple positions, and he’s just willing to do whatever it takes to help his team…the “little things” most kids don’t enjoy doing.
Josh Bryan, 6-3 W, Delta H.S.
Delta is off to a hot 10-0 start so far this season, and Josh is the biggest reason why, averaging an impressive 25.3 points while shooting a cool 43% from beyond the 3-point line (28 made 3s in 10 games). He has good length, he’s solid attacking the basket as well, and if you foul him, he’s just 88% from the free throw line. He’s one of the better shooters still left on the board. Athletically, he’s solid moving in all directions, and he does a nice job of understanding angles and using a good motor to be an effective defender. But let’s be honest, most of the colleges recruiting him right now are following him because of his ability to put the ball in the basket from long range.
Parker Grimes, 6-5 F, Jay County H.S.
Parker is an interesting and versatile small college forward prospect who I’m not sure many schools have seen so far. I don’t recall him playing for a grassroots program, and he’s somewhat isolated in a part of the state where the most attention he’d get is if he plays against a school from Fort Wayne or Muncie who might have their own college recruit. Parker is a fairly strong, solidly athletic forward. He battles inside on the boards and can defend interior forwards, but he’s also athletic enough and skilled enough to play around the perimeter. I don’t know that I’d call him a true wing, but I do think he could make a nice mid-post or pick-and-pop ‘4′. I also like his motor and his ability to affect the game at both ends of the floor.
Xavier DelReal, 6-0 G, Lawrence Central H.S.
On a talented team that features a 2020 Big Ten commit, a 2019 Division-I commit, plus a 2020 guard with Division-I offers, Xavier kind of gets lost in the publicity of the Bears. But even his teammates would tell you he’s vital to their success. He always plays extremely hard, he does a lot of those “little” things to help them win, and he’s versatile and tough-nosed. He can defend point guards, wings, and even the occasional undersized forward. He rebounds his position well, and he gets some easy baskets around the paint. Offensively, he can knock down an open rhythm 3, he has a good handle, and he can slice his way to the basket off the bounce.
Derrick Stevenson, 6-2 G, New Albany H.S.
Without graduates Romeo Langford and Sean East, there’s no denying the New Albany backcourt looks tremendously different this season. However, Derrick, the lone returning starter on the perimeter, has helped the Bulldogs to wins over quality opponents like Bloomington South, Pike, and Crown Point this season. Derrick has wiry strength, he’s a good athlete in all directions, and he plays with a good motor. He is best when he’s in transition or attacking the basket off the bounce, but he’s a capable perimeter shooter as well. He handles it reasonably well, and he has worked to become a solid on-ball defender. He had a strong showing in the game I saw against Crown Point, and I hope colleges get out to see him sooner rather than later, because he can definitely help someone the next four years.
Zack Johnson, 6-3 W, Noblesville H.S.
‘Solid’ is probably the best word to describe Zack and his game. He is solidly built, he’s a solid athlete, and he seems to always play, well, solid. One year ago, Zack averaged 10.4 points and 2.4 rebounds as a Junior, but this year he has really stepped up and leads Noblesville in scoring at 16.3 points, while doubling his rebounding average to 4.8 per game. He plays physical and tough, he has a nice motor, but what stood out to me was his ability to knock down the jumper at all levels. He got rolling in the second half of the game I saw, and he hit a couple of long jumpers comfortably coming off of screens. He plays with good versatility, and he’s a “plug-and-play” type of kid for small college systems.
Jackson Erekson, 5-11 G, Northridge H.S.
Jackson had an impressive stretch of about 11 to 12 minutes to start the game I saw, pouring in 24 points in a variety of ways over that stretch. He is a pure shooter with range, but he also showed a nice pull-up, plus he attacked the basket and finished through & around interior players. He can get streaky at times, but when he’s hot, well, he scores 24 points in about half of a game. He is handling the ball much better than I remember from the Summer, and he’s defending it better as well. He’s a gritty, feisty type of kid who should see a lot of small college interest based on the Winter he’s had so far (16.3 points; 25 made 3s in 11 games).
Sam Vogt, 6-1 G, Northridge H.S.
Sam is reportedly a cousin of Jackson Erekson’s (above), and he moved into Northridge this year from out East…I believe somewhere near the Nation’s Capital. Sam is definitely intriguing, and his interest should continue to pick up as Midwestern coaches become more familiar with him. He’s wiry strong, athletic and bouncy, and he plays with a good motor. He can play really any of the perimeter positions, as he can handle it like a ‘1′, knock down the occasional perimeter jumper, rebound well for his size, and he can defend undersized forwards, wings, and guards. He’s difficult to label by position; he’s just a nice ballplayer who does a little of everything fairly well.
Logan Vander velden, 6-5 F, Wabash H.S.
I remember watching Logan when he was younger, and there was always a sense he would be tall, but I wasn’t sure if he’d ever be quite the perimeter player like he has turned into. Logan is long, lean, and fluidly athletic. He can handle it some and even initiate offense, he is really good in the mid-post offensively, and he can get inside still and rebound the ball. I think he’s one of the “new age” hybrid forwards who does so many things, that he can be recruited to fit most systems. I would like to see him get a little more assertive physically and look to score instead of being so selfless, but I also think that as he gets stronger in college, he will develop into a more productive collegian than high school player.
Header photo of Zack Johnson of Noblesville High School; photo courtesy of Kent Graham of the Hamilton County Reporter at readthereporter.com. Photo of Nick Mullen courtesy of nwitimes.com. Photo of Xavier DelReal courtesy of the Lawrence Central Hudl account. Photo of Jackson Erekson courtesy of the Northridge Hudl account.