Kyler’s Week 1 Player Evaluations
This week was full of great games that had lots of great players in them. I saw some exciting prospects and look forward to giving you my evaluations each and every Sunday throughout the season. It is time to recap this week and look at what our exciting prospects did.
Bedford North Lawrence:
Brayton Bailey Brayton Bailey 6'1" | SG Bedford North Lawrence | 2020 State IN – 2020 PG/SG: Bailey did a great job in showing why he is one of the most explosive guards in the state. Even with going up against Bloomington North’s tough D, Brayton led the Stars with 19 points. He had a really nice baseline reverse layup and was super aggressive taking it to the rim. Even though he was a little out of control at points, overall he made some really good plays and started off his senior season very strong.
Ben Cosner – 2021 W/F: Even though his offense was on the quiet end, Cosner’s defense was really stellar this week. He had the task of guarding freshman prospect JaQualon Roberts JaQualon Roberts 6'8" | PF Bloomington North | 2023 State IN of Bloomington North and for the most part did a good job. He had a good steal and did not give up one easy basket the entire night. Cosner’s offense will for sure come but look for him to potentially be the Star’s best defender this year.
Kooper Staley – 2021 SG: Staley had a really good game against Bloomington North as he was the Stars’ second leading scorer with 13 points. Staley does a really good job in creating his own shot and it looks like most of his points will come from behind the arc this season. Even with his quick 3-point trigger, I would like to see him connect just a little more on his open looks. He had an underrated defensive night as well as he was able to hold Bloomington North’s leading scorer last season, Isaac Vencel Isaac Vencel 6'1" | SG Bloomington North | 2021 State IN , to 1 point in the first half. Staley is in for a breakout year and has a chance to be the best shooter in southern Indiana.
Colten Leach – 2023 G: Leach is the new kid on the block this season for the Stars. He logged some major minutes against Bloomington North and was in for the Stars’ best run of the night. Leach is a really great hustle player and has a great motor on him. He is tough, does not back down from anybody, and makes smart decisions with the ball while only being a freshman. Remember the name Colten Leach because he will be on radars sooner rather than later.
Bloomington North:
Isaac Vencel Isaac Vencel 6'1" | SG Bloomington North | 2021 State IN – 2021 G: Vencel had a relatively quiet night on Tuesday against the Stars. From watching him he looked more to get his other teammates involved. Vencel is the type of prospect that plays very unselfishly when on the court. In the second half is when he started asserting himself more as he finished with 8 points and had a really nice blocked shot. Vencel is a really good player and is going to have a fantastic junior year.
Tim Brewster – 2020 SG: Brewster is a really smooth player that most of the time can take it to the rim with ease. He has the ability to not only score at the rim but he can also dish it off to his teammates really well. Would like to see him open up his game a little more and knock down some shots outside.
Jeremiah Blair – 2020 PF: Blair is a beast of a prospect. He was the leading scorer for the Cougars against BNL with 16 points. He plays at a very controlled pace and knows how to work with his size. Sometimes he likes to shoot outside just a little too much, but he connects with most of them. When he wants to take it the basket, he turns on the jets and looks like a running back towards the rim. This senior is strong and will have an awesome year.
JaQualon Roberts JaQualon Roberts 6'8" | PF Bloomington North | 2023 State IN – 2023 F: Roberts is freshman that does not play like a freshman. He is a glass eater and does most of his damage around the rim. This lengthy forward showed some great hustle on D and finished with 10 points on Tuesday against BNL. What is scary is that this player is only going to get better.
Nick Klaiber Nick Klaiber 6'1" | PG Bloomington North | 2022 State IN – 2022 PG: Klaiber is a floor general. He runs the offense really well and looks to get the best out his team’s offensive possessions. He makes the right plays and can score when he needs too. He is a really good athlete and should improve even more this season.
Clarksville:
Dae’von Fuqua – 2021 G: Fuqua struggled the first half as did his whole team against Loogootee. He had a really nice steal early on that led to a bucket. He is a really smooth, athletic guard that can take it to the rim when he wants to, just needs to work on finishing.
Keyshawn Minor – 2021 G: Minor got lots of open looks throughout the Loogootee game. He was a lot more aggressive in the 2nd half as he didn’t just stay behind the arc most of the time. I am challenging Keyshawn to take more control on the offense and assert himself more. He is a really good player and I know he can do more.
Marquis Forward – 2021 F: This kid has got some raw talent in him. He made some real nice, strong plays on the defense that really impressed. He was possibly one of the top 3 most athletic prospects on the court against Loogootee. Once he puts it all together, he could be a stud by the end of the year.
Dakota Capps – 2022 G: Capps played really hard against Loogootee on Saturday. From watching him, I noticed he distributes the ball well and has a motor on him. There was a couple of times that he may have tried to force things a little too much on the offense, but other than that he is a prospect that is going to get better all-around.
Loogootee:
Silas Bauer Silas Bauer 6'5" | PF Loogootee | 2021 State IN – 2021 PF: Bauer is a brickhouse stud plain and simple. Finished the game against Clarksville with 19 poitns and multiple blocks and rebounds. He is nearly unstoppable in the post and it is because the young man is so strong with the ball. Possibly the best PF in 1A.
Jordon Wildman – 2021 G: All-around great player Jordan is. Great shooter and is very aggressive to the basket when give a chance to drive. His defense is well-tuned and he finished the Clarksville game with 18 points. On track to have a breakout year.
Peyton Bledsoe Peyton Bledsoe 6'4" | SF Loogootee | 2023 State IN – 2023 G: This kid makes real smart decisions for only being a freshman. He is the true word of a “shooter” and has a beautiful shot as it is almost automatic. It is scary that this young prospect is only going to get better throughout his high school career. He is going to be a key piece for Loogootee this season.
Southwestern-Hanover:
Matthew Williams – 2021 F/C: This young man is a true stretch forward. He does most of his damage behind the arc but he could take it to the rim against almost anyone he wants to. From watching him it looks like he has a shoot first mentality, which is not a really a bad thing because he knocks down most of his shots. Dude is a stud.
Foster Mefford Foster Mefford 5'11" | PG Southwestern (Hanover) | 2021 State IN – 2021 G:. Mefford really had a quiet morning against Rock Creek. He had some buckets, some really good steals and passes for scores. From watching him, he has great court vision and makes really good plays that benefits his team.
Austin Kramer – 2021 G: This prospect really stood out to me when watching him. His 3-point shot was excellent and he played very hard every minute he was in the game. He looks, to me, to be the x-factor for Hanover’s success this season.
Rock Creek:
Johnathon Browning – 2020 G: The loan standing highlight for this Rock Creek team against Southwestern-Hanover was Johnathan Browning (19 points). He was as stud on offense and continued to play hard even with his team down big almost the entire game. He is a small guard but has a good, athletic body on him. Rock Creek will go as far as Browning can take them this season.