Film Study: 2021s & 2022s
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 Classes of 2021 & 2022. They are arranged by graduating class, then alphabetically by last name.
Brooks Barnhizer, 2021, 6-6 W, Lafayette Jefferson H.S.
Brooks is the younger brother of Braxton (2020) from my previous article, and he’s the son of Lafayette Jeff’s Head Coach, Mark Barnhizer. Brooks is a long, fluid, and athletic wing prospect. He can handle the ball like a point forward, he can attack the paint and distribute, but he’s also wiry strong and can finish some through contact, though he could definitely stand to add a little muscle-mass over the next couple of years. He’s a capable perimeter shooter, but his consistency outside could be a little better, and he’s a versatile defender who can guard most perimeter players and several types of forwards. I really like his upside / ceiling, and I think he’s someone who most Division-I schools in the Midwest will check out over the next couple of years.
Ashton Beaver, 2021, 6-0 G, Lafayette Jefferson H.S.
At Lafayette Jefferson it seems like everyone is named Beaver or Barnhizer. Ashton is the younger brother of Avery (2020). Ashton is a strong, physical, almost powerful wing guard with a very good perimeter stroke. He is willing to play physical and mix it up some inside, plus he rebounds his position reasonably well, but he’s also a nice threat around the perimeter. When the four “Bs” are all shooting it well, Jeff is tough to stop. Ashton has a solid handle, but I wouldn’t necessarily call him a point guard. I think as he gets older, he’ll need to just continue working on making his handle a little more dynamic and work on his on-ball defense, but I do think he’s someone who will attract some nice small college opportunities in the next couple of seasons.
Vinny Bucchilla, 2021, 6-1 G, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
I first saw Vinny at the Prep Hoops Freshmen Showcase in the Fall of 2017, and if I’m not mistaken, he had asked if he could participate and wasn’t an original invite. He was very solid that day and was definitely someone I had on my radar from that point. Now, he’s a key starter in Hamilton Southeastern’s lineup, he’s a dangerous perimeter shooter, and he’s a nice athlete with some ball skill as well. He is probably more of a ‘2’ than a ‘1’, but he does have the ability to slide over and occasionally run offense when necessary. I just like his combination of wiry strength and North / South athleticism to get to the rim, and it is a nice counter to his ability to hit shots. I don’t know that he’s going to get that much bigger, so if he can prove to play both guard positions equally well, I think he could draw a wide array of college interest these next two years.
Max Jacobsen, 2021, 5-11 PG, Harrison H.S. (West Lafayette, IN)
Max is a really solid, pure point guard prospect for Harrison. He has a wiry strong frame that should get stronger, he’s a nice on-the-floor athlete who moves well in most directions, and he plays with a good motor and toughness to him. He’s a capable perimeter shooter, and he can get into the lane and find teammates, but he’s honestly better as a game manager running offense from the outside. I just like his savvy and how solid he is in taking care of the ball. For the next level, he will need to prove he can be a consistent scoring threat to keep defenses honest. There’s no doubt he’s a good shooter, he’ll just need to be a more aggressive shooter / scorer at times.
Jesse Johnson-Hall, 2021, 6-6 F, Crawfordsville H.S.
Jesse is an intriguing athlete with size, and this was my first time getting to see him. He has really good length, he’s lean, and he has some bounce to him. For a good portion of the game I saw, he was doing work around the block and a little in the mid-post. Then, all of a sudden, he buries a couple of 3s that just looked comfortable. He wasn’t hunting those shots, he was just open and took them. Right now he’s sort of stuck between forward positions. I think he’s most comfortable around the paint, and he’ll need to add strength to play down there at the next level. I also think he looks like he’s trying to become a wing. He’ll need to get a little quicker laterally, guard the ball better, and work on his handle a bit, but he does have the physical talent to move outside full-time. I think he’s a nice prospect with some upside, and his skill development over the next year or so will be crucial.
Landon Morris, 2021, 6-5 F, Hamilton Southeastern H.S.
Landon is a really nice, long, and bouncy athlete. He has a real smoothness to him athletically, and he is turning himself into a really nice basketball prospect. He hasn’t grown much over the last year and a half, so I don’t anticipate him being much taller, but he’s a nice face-up ‘4’ right now who is working on his wing skill. He is more of a slasher / driver to the basket, he can play in the mid-post effectively, and he has a great motor, especially on the boards. He pursues a lot of rebounds outside of his area and just has a nose for the ball. He will need to add some sort of perimeter shot if he wants to be a wing in college, but he’s also a really nice recruit as a wide receiver on the football field…that could very well be his sport for the next level.
Trevor Nibbs, 2021, 6-4 F, Ben Davis H.S.
Trevor has a lot of family who are playing and who have played basketball in the Indianapolis area. Trevor himself is a solidly built athlete who plays with a good motor. He’s more of an interior player right now, but he’s great on the boards, he’s tough as an interior defender, and he moves well in all directions and can get out and run in transition. As he matures and adds skill, I think he can develop into a really nice mid-post ‘4’. I’m not sure what his ceiling is, because right now for Ben Davis he plays a role and doesn’t get a lot of offensive opportunity. The more I see him and see his offensive skillset, the much easier it will be to tell, but I do like him as an athletic prospect right now.
Jonah Lucas, 2022, 5-11 G, Harrison H.S. (West Lafayette, IN)
Jonah got a little opportunity this season on a solid Harrison team, and he worked his way into the regular rotation. He definitely has some physical tools to be excited about…he’s long, bouncy, and he has good speed and quickness. He has a decent lefty stroke that should become more consistent as he matures and adds strength. He plays with a good motor and energy, and he can be a pest defensively at times, especially because of his length and quickness. This was my first time seeing him, so I’m not sure how much he’ll grow, if at all, and I would like to see him again this grassroots season to see him when he’s playing more consistent minutes against his peers.
Braden Smith, 2022, 5-9 PG, Westfield H.S.
Braden is REALLY fun to watch. He is little and thin, and he will likely grow another couple of inches, but strength will be the most important part of his development going forward. He is a dangerous threat from the 3-point line (69-153; 45% this season), he’s extremely quick and shifty, and he has really nice ball skills and does a great job of creating space to get his shot off. He’s somewhat unassuming when you look at him, and that’s when he just kills you. He lulls you to sleep by being solid and not forcing shots, then when you relax, he hits you with his quick release from 25-feet and just tears defenses apart. He played off the ball a lot this year because of the presence of Zach Banks (2019), but I think he will slide over and be the primary ball-handler for Westfield the next three years.
Header photo of Max Jacobsen (in white) of Harrison High School; photo courtesy of Eric Schlene of the Lafayette Journal & Courier at jconline.com. Photo of Brooks Barnhizer courtesy of his own Twitter account. Photo of Jesse Johnson-Hall courtesy of journalreview.com.