Christmas Break Evaluations: 2021 Wings
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The holiday break is over and we are playing major catchup as we have been on the road for the last three weeks. There are a ton of evaluations to get to and we are breaking these up as we…
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Continue ReadingThe holiday break is over and we are playing major catchup as we have been on the road for the last three weeks. There are a ton of evaluations to get to and we are breaking these up as we have more than 150 from the break. Today, we are focusing on 2021 wings we saw.
Dalton Retzner – 6’4 SF 2021 – Hamilton Southeastern (IN)
***7 points on 3/3 shooting against Gary West (IN)***
Retzner is an interesting wing with good size and some solid shooting ability. He’s able to help defensively on a few different players but is best on offense when he can be a catch and shoot guy. He was able to put the ball on the floor and look to drive a few times and got one of them. He has enough promise here because of the jumper. If the ball handling comes back into play down the road, would be a nice kicker in his development.
Parion Roberson – 6’3 SF 2021 – Gary West (IN)
***10 points on 4/10 shooting, 4 rebounds, 4 steals against Hamilton Southeastern (IN)***
Parion is a big, bruising forward who can kind of do everything. He’s not the smallest guy but he can stretch to shoot, step inside and post up, take his guy off the bounce a bit and make some plays in the lane. Not extraordinary at any one thing but is pretty solid across the board. He’s the type of guy that might be a fit for a specific level because of the size/skill combo. Did think his jumper looked better and more useful long term.
Dominique Williams – 6’5 SF 2021 – Gary West (IN)
***12 points on 5/7 shooting, 4 rebounds against Hamilton Southeastern (IN)***
Williams is a big, strong wing who can do a little bit of everything. He was great with his driving ability and able to bang down a defender when he wanted to drive. He showed a solid jumper but wasn’t looking to do much on the wing outside of driving. He did post up a couple times and has the strength to handle defenders well right now.
Brian Waddell – 6’5 SF 2021 – Carmel (IN)
***9 points against Evansville Reitz (IN)***
Waddell is a big wing who played one of his best games to date. While he is still trying to put it all together, Brian has shown that he can do a few different things. Had a nice catch-and-shoot three and had a couple big drives. He’s got enough handles to drive a bit but the finishing ability is what we needed to see. He’s showing spurts of that here and if he can just get a little more momentum, it would go a long way to help this team.
Kooper Jacobi – 6’6 SF 2021 – Silver Creek (IN)
***37 points against Blackhawk Christian (IN)***
In one of the best performances I have seen in the last year, Kooper Jacobi showed off every scoring skill he had in his arsenal and it was deep. He scored 37 points in the game and most coming by the end of the first half as he kept Silver Creek in the game. He was so aggressive and knew he was going to make pretty much every shot he took. He had a diverse stretch where he hit a turnaround jumper form 8 feet out, a left-handed layup, right-handed post touch, a mid-range pull-up, and a pull-up three. When we talk about showing your full arsenal throughout an entire game, this is what we are talking about. This was a level-raising performance.
Zane Burke – 6’3 SG 2021 – Blackhawk Christian (IN)
***17 points against Silver Creek (IN)***
Zane is a tall guard who ended up playing on the ball a lot more than we thought. He’s capable of bringing the ball up the floor but not sure that is a move that works long term. However, he shot creation and production on the perimeter was pretty great. He’s the type of guard who can really get going will get the shot off so there isn’t much you can do. He only was able to finish two drives in the lane which is a little on the lower end for him but with the way the game was heading it seemed like the best move as Silver Creek has a ton of size and athleticism to go against.
Joey Bomba – 6’4 SF 2021 – Bloomington South (IN)
***9 points against Culver Academies (IN)***
Joey is a long, lean wing who has a pretty good knack for knocking down jumpers. He’s tall and going to fill out his frame pretty well moving forward. He hit three triples in the game and while that was his only offense, he showed that he’s got some room to grow. Mobile and tough, I like what he can do on the other end of the floor while being able to switch 2-4 a bit. The shooting looks like it will be a pretty reliable skill moving forward, though.
Tyran Lackey – 6’4 SF 2021 – Brownsburg (IN)
***2 points on 1/4 shooting, block, assist, steal against Heritage Hills (IN)***
Lackey is a tall wing who has a fairly raw skill set right now but he a great frame and athleticism and seems to be using it more each game. He had a great block on a drive in the paint and had a couple big time rebounds. He’s a guy that can switch quite a bit on defense and when he gets involved, has the ability to guard 1-4 at the high school level. DIdn’t have a ton of offense but did have a couple plays where he was able to drive and finish. Just need to see a little more of it but could have some breakout games this year.
Pierce Thomas – 6’6 SF 2021 – Brownsburg (IN)
***17 points on 6/12 shooting, 3/7 from three, 8 rebounds, 7 assists against Heritage Hills (IN)***
This was another very solid performance from Thomas who continues to show that the jumper is ready to go now. He’s still fading a little too much on a good chunk of his threes but when set, he’s knocking the down. Showed a little bit of his athleticism and really did well to impact the game with his rebounding. He’s looking to attack in transition a lot more and that is really helping his production because he is taking advantage of his speed and athleticism where others can’t hang that well. Getting better and better.
Colson Montgomery – 6’5 SF 2021 – Southridge (IN)
***21 points against Brownstown Central (IN)***
Colson was pretty cold to start the game but hit a mid-range pull-up early and then a transition layup. However, he came out of the second half and had quite a bit more energy and success. His jumpers started falling a little bit more and had some easier drives, especially after Brownstown switched out their starters. He can drive really well but does need that jumper to fall to make what he does special. When it is on, he’s a pretty tough person to stop.
Silas Bauer – 6’5 SF 2021 – Loogootee (IN)
***17 points against North Daviess (IN)***
Silas is a wing forward who does most of his work in the paint posted up or slashing to the rim. He’s grown as a post scorer, looking to take advantage of his size and strength. He was really good early on and really the only semblance of offense in the first half for Loogootee. Wasn’t as much looking to play out away from the rim or to shoot as we have seen him in the past. But, he’s still a really productive player who is also a really good rebounding presence that can track the ball off the rim well and go chase it down.
Jayden Taylor – 6’4 SG 2021 – Perry Meridian (IN)
***10 points against Gary 21st (IN)***
Jayden is a tall off-guard who struggled a bit in this game. Part of that was due to 21st’ length as they really had a number of guys to put on him. But he also just didn’t seem to have the touch. Did like the ball handling I saw as he had a few moments when he had to create on the perimeter to get in the lane and had no problem doing it against any defender. But, he’s going to have to find a way to finish stronger in these games and improve the production as his upside is sky-high.
Chris Mantis – 6’6 SF 2021 – Lowell (IN)
***16 points against Herron (IN)***
Mantis is a long, lanky wing that has all the tools in his bag but a body that is still coming around. Has the height but lacks the physical strength right now. However, he doesn’t shy away and plays as strong as possible and with that he draws a lot of contact and fouls. His shooting speed on par with what we have seen and his ball handling too. His post game does seem to have take a little step forward as he had a couple post moves using finesse that seemed to be new to his arsenal.
Deshon Burnett – 6’3 SF 2021 – Andrean (IN)
***6 points against New Albany (IN)***
Deshon is a long lean wing that looks like he will be more of a 3/4 down the road. He’s really athletic and has a lot of speed when he needs to tap into it. Offensively, he scores around the rim and did so early on in this game with a left and right handed finish on the low block along with a rebound put-back. Doesn’t yet have the touch from three to really be a consistent shooter and that will need to be something to work on but the upside is intriguing if he does.
Ben Jones – 6’3 SG 2021 – Andrean (IN)
***12 points against New Albany (IN)***
Ben is a tall wing scorer with good length and upside as he adds some more to his game. He’s best when he can create in the open floor with some space. Was able to knock down a three and mixed in a turnaround jumper in the lane. The jumper does look like it can be a weapon for him but he hasn’t quite figured out the mix yet or when to take the shots. He also can mix it around and get into the lane but that is another area we might want to see more of. Has the body to matchup well with defenders and enough handles to get to the rim, just want to see more. His upside isn’t close to tapped yet.
Zane Burke – 6’3 SG 2021 – Blackhawk Christian (IN)
***12 points against Columbus North (IN)***
Zane is a big guard who can really create his own shot and put up points in a hurry. Through two games this season, he’s had some moments on the ball but is playing more as just a guy to get the ball up the floor. When you can get him off the ball and against a taller, theoretically slower defender, he has some real advantages. He started off slow in this game but picked it up in the second half and helped push their lead out. He was able to get more in the middle of the floor and execute pretty well. His shooting has always been the best part of his game but think he’s getting better on the drives and could work those in more.
Caleb Swearigen – 6’3 SG 2021 – Northview (IN)
***26 points against Casey-Westfield (IN)***
Really great game from Caleb who showed off about every way to score that you can find. Caleb, a tall guard has the handles to get in the lane and when he does, he can dish, pull-up or finish at the rim. Big and causes issues with matchups because no one is going to have his size at the same spot on the floor. Really creative and showed a little runner, and pump fake into a long layup, mid-range pull-up and some tough boards that turned into points. He is versatile in that way too, being able to play inside and rebound well while having enough handles to run the point in a pinch. More of a 2/3 based on matchups in college but isn’t for lacking size or scoring ability.
Matt Gauer – 6’5 SF 2021 – Terre Haute North (IN)
***21 points against Linton-Stockton (IN)***
Gauer is a tall wing with a clip who has a pretty good feel for the game. He’s not a guy that is going to do a lot in the lane but he has shooting ability to really take off and develop as high-end wing. Ball handling is solid for his position but is best on the perimeter and looking to hit off the catch or make a one-to-two dribble move. He’s the quarterback for their football team and seems to have a little bit of that toughness and feel for the game/moment.
Lincoln Hale – 6’4 SG 2021 – Linton-Stockton (IN)
***22 points against Terre Haute North (IN)***
Not the best game for Hale but really stepped up late and was able to will this team back in the game. He is a really good scoring guard with great size and a stellar jumper. He was, however, more focused on getting to the rim the last two years. But late in the game when Linton was making their run, Hale was hitting mid-range pull-ups and threes in transition. He’s big enough that he will get great matchups when he looks to drive but he’s special when that jumper is locked in. Did show a little more finesse with the dribble and had a couple impressive plays including a nice little runner off of it.
Jaylen Carson – 6’6 SF 2021 – Crispus Attucks (IN)
***12 points against Jeffersonville (IN)***
Jaylen is a tall wing who can really shoot the ball. He’s not a guy that we have seen in the past really shoot the ball a ton because he hasn’t been hitting at a great clip, good but not great. Tonight, he had everything going in and he was much more aggressive in searching out that jumper. All came from the mid-range as he ended his scoring with three mid-range jumpers in a row. If he has that working for him, add in the true perimeter jumper, he’s a really potent scoring wing but just hasn’t taken that step forward quite yet. Close and should be there soon.
Mike Elliott – 6’2 SG 2021 – North Central (IN)
***15 points against Homestead (IN)***
Elliott is a big guard who continues to play well each time we see him. He’s really solid as a perimeter shooter, a guy that can rip off jumpers well from distance and mix in a few things in transition. He’s not a guy that will look to drive a bunch but just enough that it keeps defenders spaced out a little bit. But, he is a shooter and had some really good rips from distance and had a stretch in the second quarter where he hit two threes and a little post finish. Do like him posting up as he’s a bigger guard, just have to find those mismatches.
Grant Simmons – 6’4 SF 2021 – Homestead (IN)
***15 points against North Central (IN)***
Simmons is a tall wing who showed some shooting touch on the perimeter. He’s got a good frame that has yet to really fill out all the way. Should develop well with his body and could still grow a bit. He did well late in the game to get the ball in the paint and drive to pull-up just enough to draw a foul. Did that a handful of times. He’s an effective scorer when he has that working for him.
Luke Goode – 6’6 SF 2021 – Homestead (IN)
***19 points against North Central (IN)***
Luke is a big wing with a really good feel and scoring penchant at this stage. He’s not a guy that makes you think he is going to a big time player just by looking at him but when the game tips he’s the toughest guy on the court. He’s so good as a passer, scorer, rebounder, and defender. He is 6’6 and tough with the mentality that he is just going to do whatever he needs to do to win the game so those things outside of scoring come so natural for him. He got hurt later in the game with his right elbow but still was able to make a bunch of free throws late in the game. He is a really solid shooter but it’s when he is able to get in the lane you see just how good he can be. Fluid, tall, and strong and will just beat you up on the way to the rim. He does have another level to him that he can go and when/if he gets there, it is going to be something.
Michael Eley – 6’4 SF 2021 – Fort Wayne Snider (IN)
***20 points on 7/20 shooting, 4 rebounds against Zionsville (IN)***
Maybe not the most efficient game, especially going 1/10 from three, but this was one that showed the upside of Eley long term. He’s a great wing with tons of length and athleticism and skill. He’s really skilled with a pretty solid jumper and ball handling ability that makes him tough to stick with. He’s very adept at creating space, can jab step and dribble to get open very well. Offense was a bit of a struggle for everyone but will have to have a more efficient game moving forward. Ready to see him breakout and take that step forward into elite scorer on the wing.