Film Study: 2019s
Over the last week I’ve spent some time watching film and catching up on prospects I hadn’t seen yet this season. This article takes a look at players who stood out on video from Ben Davis, Crawfordsville, Danville, Hamilton Southeastern,…
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Continue ReadingOver the last week I’ve spent some time watching film and catching up on prospects I hadn’t seen yet this season. This article takes a look at players who stood out on video from Ben Davis, Crawfordsville, Danville, Hamilton Southeastern, Lafayette Jefferson, West Lafayette Harrison, and Westfield, and who are all members of the Class of 2019. They are arranged alphabetically by last name.
Zachary Banks, 5-11 G, Westfield H.S.
Zach is a long, quick / fast, and somewhat bouncy combo guard who plays with a great deal of energy. He flies up and down the floor, always on attack, and he’s looking to score the ball on every catch. He is Westfield’s primary ball-handler, and he can play a true point guard position and run offense, he can get into the heart of the defense and either score at the basket or distribute, and he can play off the ball, run off screens, and hit shots from the perimeter. He can also be disruptive at the defensive end of the floor. If anything, he just needs to understand change-of-pace and sense tone, because it seems like he’s always playing at 100 miles per hour. As far as I know, he remains uncommitted, and small colleges should definitely inquire about him because of his talent and motor.
Clayton Burgh, 6-5 F, Harrison H.S. (West Lafayette, IN)
Clayton is an interesting looking forward, and he’s someone I just saw for the first time. He has a wiry strong frame, he’s a solid athlete in all directions, and he’s versatile skillfully. For about the first ten minutes of the game I saw, he was a role player and was working inside, grabbing rebounds, defending the interior, and giving them valuable minutes as a blue-collar worker. Then he hit a 3-pointer and looked comfortable out there…then another. Suddenly he was a scoring threat and probably had 10 points in about a six-minute span. I think he has some tools to be a nice mid-post power forward, and I think he has the frame to add more strength. He’s someone who I think small colleges should maybe take a look at if they still need a versatile forward on their frontline.
Aaron Etherington, 6-6 F, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Aaron is one of the more talented players in Indiana’s 2019 class, and I’m still a little surprised he didn’t make the Junior All-Star team that participated last June. He has length, he’s bouncy, and he can play at all levels. He has really worked on making his perimeter shot much more dangerous, and now he’s comfortably knocking down shots at 25-feet. He has a nice frame that should get stronger in college, and he’s capable of finishing above the rim and in traffic. He will need to play a little lower to the ground and improve his handle in tight spaces, but he’s a really talented, skilled wing who has already committed to play at the University of Toledo.
Connor Jones, 6-3 G, Danville Community H.S.
Connor is an intriguing combination of power and skill. He has a very strong frame and is built like a tight end or linebacker. He is a nice on-the-floor athlete who attacks the rim well straight-line. When he’s determined, you aren’t going to stop him from getting where he wants to go. At the same time, he handles the ball well-enough to be a point guard at times, and he is a very good passer, especially in transition before the defense gets set. He is a capable shooter / scorer, and he also rebounds his position fairly well. As far as I know, he hasn’t committed anywhere as of yet, but I think he could really benefit several of the area small colleges.
Dawand Jones, 6-8 C, Ben Davis H.S.
Dawand is always entertaining to watch. Whether it’s him flexing after he finishes through contact, or when he playfully barks out coaching tips to his teammates, he tends to always be engaged in the action. Dawand is already committed to play football at Ohio State University, but over the course of July he drew a great deal of college basketball attention as well. He is a massive guy, and he is a people-mover on the basketball court. You can’t let him set up shop anywhere inside of about 8-feet, or he will just power his way to the rim. What’s scarier, is now he’s bouncier and is starting to dunk over people. With Ben Davis advancing to the Regional, you’ll have one more chance to enjoy watching him before he heads off to the gridiron permanently.
Will Kellerman, 5-11 G, Crawfordsville H.S.
This was my first time ever seeing Will, and I came away really liking his toughness and aggressiveness. The lefty was always on attack, and he is looking to score it on every catch. He can knock down the occasional perimeter jumper, but in the game I saw, he would make a dribble move, get by his defender, then navigate the lane and finish through and around the help defenders. He is a solid athlete in all directions, he has some length and a wiry strong frame, and he plays with a good motor. I think he could definitely help a small college add depth to their backcourt, and as far as I know, he’s not committed at this time.
Cameron Maul, 5-11 PG, Ben Davis H.S.
Cameron has really changed his game over the last two seasons. When I saw him as a Sophomore, he was an athletic scorer who would force shots and always play at one speed. This year, he looks like he is Ben Davis’ primary ball-handler, he is patient and runs offense, and he is just so steady, I almost didn’t recognize him. He is a long, athletic, and wiry kid. He can still blow by his defender and get to the rim, but he does a much better job of sensing tone and picking his spots. He can also knock down the occasional perimeter jumper when teams help off of him and leave him alone. Defensively, I really like his length and his instincts to affect passing lanes and create deflections. He could be a really nice small college “sleeper”, because he has talent and skill, and I believe he is still available.
Noah Smith, 6-0 PG, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Noah has been a crucial piece of Hamilton Southeastern’s lineup for the last couple of years, and he is always just so steady and solid. He has a strong, athletic frame, and he moves well in most directions. He’s a capable ball-handler who takes care of it, he can knock down perimeter jumpers, and he’s strong taking it to the basket and finishing through contact. He’s an effective on-ball defender, but he is a solid help-defender as well. The easiest way to describe Noah is as a really nice all-around basketball player. He probably has Division-I talent and skill, but he chose to commit to Indiana Wesleyan University because it was the right “fit” for him, and he should do really well there.
Jalen Windham, 6-5 W, Ben Davis H.S.
Jalen is a long, athletic, fluid, and smooth wing scorer. He is bouncy, wiry strong, and when he’s determined offensively, he can put up points in a hurry. In the game I saw most recently, he was hitting 3-pointers from deep, getting to the basket and finishing at the rim, and he was also getting to the free throw line. He is a capable defender as well, and he gets his hands on a lot of passes because of his length and quickness, but if he committed to that end of the floor as much as he does the offensive end, I think he possesses the physical ability to become a very good on-ball defender. He is a multi-tooled prospect and physical talent who has already committed to Georgia State University.
Header photo of Aaron Etherington of Hamilton Southeastern High School, photo courtesy of Hamilton Southeastern’s Hudl account. Photo of Zach Banks courtesy of readthereporter.com. Photo of Dawand Jones and Jalen Windham courtesy of indystar.com.