Regional Review: Classes of 2021 & 2022
Yesterday I once again spent time watching a lot of film and was able to see seven of the 32 Regional Semi-Final games. Below is a look at five Sophomores and three Freshmen who I thought played well in what…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingYesterday I once again spent time watching a lot of film and was able to see seven of the 32 Regional Semi-Final games. Below is a look at five Sophomores and three Freshmen who I thought played well in what I was able to see. While these aren’t all of the Sophomores and Freshmen who played yesterday, they are the ones who stood out to me during those seven games.
Luka Balac, 2021, 6-3 W, Munster H.S.
Luka is a very intriguing mix of size, strength, and skill. He has already grown a couple of inches since I saw him in July, and he looks noticeably stronger. A year ago I would have called him a combo guard with the ability to handle, pass, and play point guard on occasion, but now he’s more like a point forward because of his added strength. If he’s anything, he’s just solid and consistent. He can knock down an open jumper, and he can defend multiple types of guards and wings. He works hard at both ends of the floor, and he’s quicker-footed and more explosive than his frame might suggest. I think he’ll get varied college interest, and I’m curious to see if he’ll grow more.
Connor Hickman, 2021, 6-1 G, Bloomington H.S. South
Connor is another skilled and multi-dimensional perimeter player. He has a solid frame, some length, but he has been a really nice compliment to 2020 star Anthony Leal this year for Bloomington South. Connor is a solid ball-handler who takes care of it and rarely turns it over, he’s a capable perimeter shooter, and he plays with a good motor and toughness, plus he doesn’t back down from anyone. He has grown a couple of inches in the last year, and I think he might get to 6-2 or maybe 6-3. If that happens, considering his ability to play both on the ball and off it, I can see his college interest definitely increasing.
Jeremiah Lovett, 2021, 6-3 F, Munster H.S.
Yesterday was my first opportunity to watch Jeremiah, and I really like what he brings to a high school floor. He has a nice frame, some length, and very good athleticism. He plays with a tremendous motor and flies around the floor pursuing rebounds and matching up with different players defensively. I’m just not sure what he is positionally. He doesn’t shoot it at all outside, he’s an okay ball-handler but isn’t going to change directions too much, but he is athletic attacking the paint and can score in the mid-post and at the basket. If he can develop any sort of perimeter game from a scoring standpoint, he could be a really nice wing prospect that will draw college attention.
Khamani Smith, 2021, 6-4 W, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S.
Khamani doesn’t play a great deal for Northrop, but he’s a nice bench player with a high ceiling. He is extremely long, fluid and smooth, but he’s also somewhat thin and needs to add strength to his frame sooner rather than later. His mechanics looked pretty good and smooth shooting it, and as he gains strength I think his consistency will improve, as should his ball-handling while taking contact. Like I said earlier, I think he has a lot of upside because he does have some physical tools to work with, plus he might still be growing, but he’s what I like to call a wait-and-see prospect because I think he’ll be a much different player one year from now.
Harold Woods, 2021, 6-2 W, Hammond H.S.
Harold is part of a really good Hammond team that kind of snuck up on people this postseason. He is a long, fluid, and bouncy wing who plays mostly off the bounce. He can attack the basket and finish around the rim, he can knock down an open perimeter jumper when in rhythm, and he is a nice offensive rebounder who flies around and pursues rebounds well-outside of his area. Defensively, he’s great in both trapping situations and as a rover on the back end of a press, and in the half-court he can guard multiple types of players and doesn’t mind being out-sized on occasion. He’s just a tough-nosed athlete who plays with a good motor.
Travis Grayson, 2022, 5-8 PG, Chesterton H.S.
Travis is a really nice youngster I first saw over the Christmas Break at a holiday tournament. At that time he was still a bench guard, but he became a starter shortly after that due to his play and some injuries. He is a nice athlete in all directions with great end-to-end speed. He plays with a good motor and flies around the floor, but he still needs to sense tone and understand how to change speeds. But, he’s much more confident now, he attacks the basket with determination, and he’s starting to shoot it a little better from the perimeter. I don’t know that he’s going to grow much more, if at all, but I still think he’ll be fun to watch as he continues to develop his all-around skillset.
Will Lovings-Watts, 2022, 6-2 W, Jeffersonville H.S.
Will definitely has the look of a ballplayer, and he has some game and nice upside. He has broad shoulders, long arms, and he looks like he might grow another 2-3 inches. He is a smooth and fluid athlete in most directions, plus he plays with some bounce. He’s a willing perimeter shooter, but he’ll need to work on his consistency outside. However, I think he’s just much more effective attacking the basket off the bounce. I also think with his combination of length and athleticism, he can become a versatile and elite on-ball defender. He’s still young and has a lot of time to develop, therefore I think he can develop into a really nice prospect long-term.
Peter Suder, 2022, 6-2 W, Carmel H.S.
It is very difficult to crack a starting lineup at a school as big and as successful as Carmel has been over the last few years, but that’s exactly what Peter did this year. He has very good length, a frame that should be able to add good muscle-mass over the years, and he is just a smooth and fluid athlete around the floor. He also looks like he might grow another couple of inches, which at 6-4 to 6-5 (if he gets there) could be huge for his recruiting. He seems to play very intelligently, he moves well without the ball, and he does a lot of the little things you’d expect out of a veteran player, not necessarily a Freshman. Look for him to be more of a focal point the next three seasons.
Header photo of Connor Hickman of Bloomington High School South; photo courtesy of Bloomington South’s Hudl account. Photo of Luka Balac courtesy of nwitimes.com. Photo of Travis Grayson courtesy of nwitimes.com.