Film Study: 2020s
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 2020. They are arranged alphabetically by last name.
DeAndre Alsup, 6-3 W, Harrison H.S. (West Lafayette, IN)
This was my first time watching DeAndre, and he definitely has some intriguing talent and physical characteristics. He is incredibly long, bouncy, and he plays with a good motor. He plays around the perimeter a lot, but I never really saw him shoot any long jumpers. He looks like more of a smooth and fluid slasher, and he got to the rim with ease at times. He will need to add some weight / strength to his frame before college so he can absorb contact and finish in traffic better, but he has room on his frame to add it. I really like his upside as an athlete, so if he can tighten his handle a little and prove he has a consistent jump-shot outside, I think he could be an interesting small college 2-guard prospect.
Braxton Barnhizer, 6-3 G, Lafayette Jefferson H.S.
Braxton is a new addition this year to the Broncho lineup, as his family moved from Alabama over the Summer when his father took the head coaching position at Lafayette Jeff. But Braxton spent most of his life in Indiana, as they were only in Alabama for three seasons. Braxton is a tough-nosed, gritty, and aggressive guard. He can handle the ball at times and run offense, but for all intents and purposes he is a scoring guard. He is a highly accurate shooter with range well-beyond the 3-point line…this game he even pulled up from about 30-feet in transition, with a defender nearby, and knocked one down with ease. He also has some wiry strength, and he will attack the defense at times, but he’ll need to finish a little better against size around the basket. Still though, a shooting threat like he is will draw all kinds of college attention, and he has already heard from in-state Division-I schools in his short time back in Indiana.
Avery Beaver, 6-1 G, Lafayette Jefferson H.S.
Avery is a strong, physical, and aggressive combo guard. He is a really nice on-the-floor athlete, and he is looking to shoot / score it on every catch. He has always had a reputation as a perimeter shooter, and he’s still solid from outside, but this year he scored more points and had fewer 3-pointers made, so he’s definitely starting to drive it a lot more and use the free throw line as a weapon as well. I like his toughness and his motor, but I would like to see him change speeds a little more often. He is a capable ball-handler and can run offense as sort of a power point guard on occasion. I think he’ll definitely draw his share of small college attention this Spring and Summer.
Chris Grubbs, 6-5 F, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Chris is a strong, physical, and vertically athletic prospect. He’s built like a tight end and plays all over the basketball floor. Inside, he can battle on the boards, finish above the rim, and he has good hands and feet. Outside, he’s starting to handle it better, and he’s looking to take a perimeter jumper on occasion, though that part of his game really needs to be more consistent to be considered a full-time wing. Right now, I think he’s more of a really athletic mid-post forward who can occasionally stretch to the perimeter, but he’s certainly athletic enough to defend wings and blow by most defenders to get to the basket and finish. He should continue to see Division-I interest throughout the Spring and Summer.
Matthew Jones, 6-7 C, Lafayette Jefferson H.S.
Another prospect in a nice Junior class for Lafayette Jeff, Matthew is a big, strong, powerful post prospect who plays with a really good motor. He has long arms and legs and a strong midsection. He does a nice job of working for position, and he has solid hands. His footwork and finishing moves could definitely use some work, but he does keep the ball high, and he is effective on the offensive glass. A lot of his scoring comes off of offensive rebounds and dump-off passes from penetrating guards. If he can create some sort of go-to move and a counter, I think he’ll see his share of small college scholarship opportunities after this grassroots season.
Mabor Majak, 7-1 C, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Mabor is the tallest prospect in Indiana I’m aware of, and he has been tall since his arrival in middle school. He is incredibly long, he runs North / South well, and he’s starting to show a lot more physicality and is trying to play through contact much more aggressively, though he could definitely still use a lot more weight / muscle. Defensively, for obvious reasons, Mabor is real presence in the lane, but he probably deters more shots than he actually blocks. He’s also starting to pursue rebounds and go get them outside of his area. Offensively, he’s still primarily a low-block scorer, and he has an array of half-hooks to score over smaller defenders. He has drawn all sorts of Division-I attention because of his size and ability to run the floor, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
Peyton Roof, 5-11 G, Danville Community H.S.
Peyton looks like one of those kids who probably plays three sports at Danville, and he doesn’t stand out as super-long, overly bouncy, or really tall for his position. But every time a big play was made, he seemed to be involved. He plays with an incredible motor, he’s a good on-the-floor athlete, and he has a nice, balanced skillset and can play on the ball and run offense or attack the basket and get through contact with ease. I just really like his toughness and grit, and he is sort of the energy guy for Danville who makes necessary plays when they need a boost. I think he’s someone small colleges should definitely value, because he brings an intangible dynamic to a team that helps you win games.
Jordan Walters, 6-6 F, Harrison H.S. (West Lafayette, IN)
Jordan is a late-bloomer physically, and someone who still might grow another inch or two in the next year. Last Spring, I thought he was a solid wing prospect as a 6-4 kid, but now at 6-6 he possesses both perimeter skill, but also the ability to play in the mid-post and finish inside above defenders. Jordan is extremely long, fluid, but still somewhat slender. That makes me think he isn’t done growing quite yet, but it also means he’ll need to add serious weight in the next year and a half before he gets to college. I do like his ability to put it on the floor and attack, and he’s a capable perimeter shooter who is comfortable just about anywhere except the low-block. He could be someone who “comes out of nowhere” this Spring and Summer and really sees his recruiting take off.
Dillon Ware, 6-6 F, Danville Community H.S.
Dillon is another intriguing forward with good versatility. He has really good length, fluid athleticism, and some bounce to him. He too is a little thin, but he plays through contact fairly well. I like him much better in the mid-post right now, and I’d consider him more of a face-up ‘4’ with some perimeter skill. He’ll attack the basket off the bounce and try to dunk on defenders, but he also has a nice touch in the 15 to 17-foot range. I’m not sure he’s going to grow at all, but I do think he can put on 10-15 pounds in the next year and be really attractive to a lot of the better Division-II and NAIA schools in the Midwest.
Karsten Williamson, 6-0 PG, Crawfordsville H.S.
This was my first time seeing Karsten, and I was pretty impressed with his combination of skill, understanding, and savvy. He is a wiry strong guard with fluid athleticism in all directions. He will need to get a little stronger and work on playing lower instead of just bending his back as much as he does. But he has a solid handle and can go either direction, he takes care of the ball, and he delivers it on-time / on-target most of the time. He’s a capable perimeter shooter, he can go by defenders and score in the lane, and he plays with a good motor defensively and gets his hands on passes to cause deflections. I think he’s probably an under-the-radar small college prospect who several schools could really like for the next level.
Header photo of Braxton Barnhizer (#44) of Lafayette Jefferson High School; photo courtesy of John Terhune of the Lafayette Journal & Courier at jconline.com. Photo of DeAndre Alsup courtesy of his own Twitter account. Photo of Mabor Majak courtesy of thetimes24-7.com.