Christmas Break Evaluations: 2022 Wings
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 we saw.
D’Ante Davis – 6’5 SF 2022 – Lawrence Central (IN)
***9 points against Lawrence North (IN)***
D’Ante is a lean wing who had a few pretty solid plays in this game which seemed hard to come by for even the more veteran players for LC. His shooting touch has really improved in the last year so he was able to make a couple plays in the mid-range. He was willing to mix it up inside a bit, showing some toughness but it should become more effective as he gains strength in the future. Ball handling looked solid, though, making some plays on drives against his defense which seemed like it should transition well against lesser teams.
C.J. Gunn – 6’4 SF 2022 – Lawrence North (IN)
***6 points against Lawrence Central (IN)***
Gunn is a transfer from Hamilton Southeastern who is a fairly skilled player already. He had only 6 points but is just a sophomore playing in a very high level game and kind of holding his own. Had a really nice mid-range pull-up and hit a few free throws late in the game. His shooting is pretty good right now and will get better as he adds some strength on his frame. He’s got some handles but against some bigger wings and forward, he’s pretty slight right now. But, he has a ton of the skill and size you want. This was the type of game that should help him down the road.
Sam Jacobs – 6’4 SF 2022 – Hamilton Southeastern (IN)
***7 points on 3/6 shooting, 2 steals against Gary West (IN)***
Jacobs is a tall wing that can shoot a bit and drive pretty well when in the open floor. He’s not a guy that is looking to make play after play scoring but best when he can be opportunistic and really find his spots. He had a nice three off the catch early and then found a couple drives in transition. He showed he could be solid at times on guards and use his size well against their speed as he’s pretty quick on his own.
Hayden Cutter – 6’3 SF 2022 – Scottsburg (IN)
***12 points against Bloomington North (IN)***
Hayden is a big, bruising forward that can pretty much do anything. This wasn’t the best matchup for him but he was still able to show a little bit of everything. He had a nice little fading hook shot, a little floater, and plenty of straight post-ups. He’s built more to play inside but he can shoot a bit. That is the one area that you would want to see him develop is that shooting ability because he’s still needing to grow a little bit to fit his more natural position of a 3/4.
Steele Brasfield – 6’5 SF 2022 – New Palestine (IN)
***6 points against Fishers (IN)***
Steele is a long, lanky wing with some length and a gun from distance. He was really good off the catch looking to shoot quickly and often. He does have enough handles to drive a bit but is much more set right now to be a guy that produces mostly from distance. He has great size already and should fill out the frame over the next few years. There is enough upside there, especially if he shows some dribble-drive ability that could lead to more mid-range opportunities.
Alec Evans – 6’4 SG 2022 – Rushville (IN)
***15 points against South Knox (IN)***
Evans is a tall guard who has a pretty diverse game so far. Showed the ball handling you want to see from a guard as he was able to successfully drive with his left hand a bit. Not the strongest kid yet but does look like he might still be able to grow. He showed the ability to finish with his left and right hand on drives.
Hagen Knepp – 6’3 SF 2022 – Barr-Reeve (IN)
***24 points against Blackford (IN)***
Hagen is a growing wing that can do so, so much right now. He was attacking from the jump and looked to drive and finish each time down the floor. He’s really athletic and lean so when he needs to slash and cut through a defense, he’s setup for success. Had a lot of catches on the cut to the rim that he was able to finish over defenders but also mixed in a little pull-up across the lane and a couple rebounds that turned into points. He looks like he is going to grow still but is adding strength and playing like an emerging star right now.
Will Loving-Watts – 6’5 SF 2022 – Jeffersonville (IN)
***19 points, 10 rebounds against Crispus Attucks (IN)***
Will is a long, rangy wing that showed a little more of a jumper this time around. He’s more of a transition guy and on the move but he had a few really good plays away from the rim. Had a nice baseline dunk a big rebound putback early in the game, and another alley-top in transition as well. His rebounding looked well improved too, mostly with his energy trying to score the ball. He looks more effective and talented athletically than he did a while ago. He’s going to have to continue to diversify his game as he plays more on the wing long term.
Owen Shively – 6’4 SF 2022 – Bishop Dwenger (IN)
***11 points on 4/8 shooting, 3/5 from three, 7 rebounds against Brebeuf Jesuit (IN)***
Owen is a big wing with good strength on the frame and quite a bit of skill. He was great from the wing in this one as a shooter but could also mix it up inside. He has a great frame to matchup inside with some bigs and pretty much any wings. He was also great as a rebounder in that regard, able to really play and track down longer misses. Still has some room to grow both in his game and also physically. Could be a really big wing forward when it is all done.
Billy Smith – 6’5 SF 2022 – Brebeuf Jesuit (IN)
***13 points on 4/10 shooting, 6 rebounds against Bishop Dwenger (IN)***
Smith is a long, rangy wing that can really light it up from deep. He was only primarily working from behind the arc but was really good from there. He has a nice, repeatable release that has s one height to it along with his size making it tough to step out on. He did have some turnover problems in this one but part of that seemed to be the lack of offense coming and forcing things from the entire team. He does use his size well and really can get in there and mix it up in the paint. Has a ton of room to grow but this was one of the better games we have seen from him.