Havoc in the Heartland – 2023 Other Standouts
In this article:
In a weekend full of talent and good games, some players stood out over the rest. I saw games from players in 7 different states throughout the weekend, so in the first article of my new series, we look at…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingIn a weekend full of talent and good games, some players stood out over the rest. I saw games from players in 7 different states throughout the weekend, so in the first article of my new series, we look at the 2023 standouts from Illinois, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania for the Havoc in the Heartland in Indianapolis. Let’s get started.
Quinn Ahrens – 6’3 – SG – M14 Hoops National (Batavia)
Ahrens is a bigger, southpaw guard who showed good shooting ability. He knocked down two shots from the outside, and he hit a mid-range pull-up as well. In addition to his outside shot, Ahrens got the ball in the post and hit a nice turnaround fader over the defender. He has some potential, but he will need to show us a lot more in the future.
Cade Altadonna Cade Altadonna 6'0" | PG Highland | 2023 State IL – 6’1 – SG – Illinois Bears (Highland)
Altadonna is a solid shooting guard who lit it up on Saturday afternoon. He has a smooth pull up jumper, and he can knock it down with consistency from the outside. He was extremely good in transition and always took it strongly to the rim. The most impressive thing probably was that he is an incredibly smart player who seemed to always be in the right position. Altadonna can make a ton of plays at the next level in a couple of years.
Demir Ashiru – 6’1 – PG – M14 Hoops National (Plainfield North)
Ashiru is a quick guard with great handles who sees the court very well. He has the ability to both create his own shot and shots for others. He hit a nice teardrop in the lane and hit a couple of triples from the outside. Despite his smaller frame, he has a good amount of length which makes it tougher on the opposing point guards. Ashiru will be an interesting player to watch develop during his junior season.
Noah Barren – 5’10 – PG – FCAA (Penn Hills)
Barren is a solid point guard who uses his quickness and his nice handles to beat his defenders. He has good court vision and looks to set his teammates up, and he has a plethora of moves around the rim to score around the bigger defenders. Barren did get going too quick late in the game, but that is something that improves with experience. He was a fun player to watch and an interesting prospect for Division three schools in need of a good point guard.
Wyatt Hamson – 6’8 – PF – Illinois Bears (Hamilton County)
Hamson is a big body underneath, and he may have been the best prospect on the floor in this one. He is a big body who is hard to move, but he is still agile enough to make plays. He had a really nice up and under inside and always finishes strong through contact. He also seems to always set himself up in a good post position inside. Wyatt is a good all around player who plays good defense, makes his free throws, and can score it consistently on the inside.
Kade Lustenberger Kade Lustenberger 6'5" | SF Carterville | 2023 State IL – 6’5 – SF – Illinois Bears (Carterville)
Lustenberger is a bigger wing who can straight up knock down shots. He is a physical player who likes to attack the rim, but his go-to is a pull-up mid-range J from the elbow. He can stop on a dime and rise up over the defender very well. When he does take it all the way to the rim, he has good body control and can finish with consistency. Kade should be a player for all college coaches to watch develop in the coming year.
Josh Marshall – 5’9 – PG – Kentucky Defenders (Simon Keaton)
Marshall is a smaller point guard who is a very smooth player. He controls the game with the ball in his hands, and he is a smooth finisher that knows how to use english to finish. He also does not shy away from contact which is great to see from a smaller guard. In addition to his smooth finishing, he is very confident in his outside shot. He never once hesitated to shoot the ball. He knocked it down consistently from the mid-range and the outside and finished with 20 in the game. Marshall was a very impressive prospect to me.
Cole Peppenhorst Cole Peppenhorst 6'4" | PF Breese Mater Dei | 2023 State IL – 6’5 – PF – Illinois Bears (Breese Mater Dei)
Peppenhorst is an absolute animal on the defensive end of the floor. The big forward hustled everywhere he went, he attacked the glass on both ends, and he blocked several different shots. Cole did not show much on the offensive end of the floor, but he did have a couple of strong takes inside, and he finished them through the defender. His ability on D makes him a good prospect, but if he can polish off of his offensive game, look for his stock to rise.
Will Raleigh – 6’2 – SG – Kentucky Defenders (Boone County)
Raleigh is a good size shooting guard who can basically do it all. He is a knock down shooter, can finish around the rim with the best of them. He knows how to run the break, and he uses his physicality around the rim. He also attacked the offensive glass nearly every time. Raleigh was solid all game for the Kentucky Defenders in a good overall weekend.
Makhai Valentine – 6’3 – SF – FCAA (Steel Valley)
Valentine is a bigger wing who has a wide range of talents. He has enough ball-handling to be able to bring it up the floor, and he is extremely active on the glass on both ends of the floor. This led to a couple easy put backs for him inside. Also, he was able to get into the lane and hit a nice little floater in the paint. He is still developing his talents, but his shooting would be the next big thing for him to improve in his game.
Javier Ward Javier Ward 5'11" | CG Holy Cross | 2023 State KY – 5’8 – PG – Kentucky Defenders (Holy Cross)
Ward is another small point guard who is very quick with the ball in his hands. He has a quick first step, and he is powerful despite being just 5’8. This allowed him to get inside and finish through and around the bigger defenders. Javier also saw the court very well and set up his teammates, and he knocked down a couple threes. He ended with 19 in a very impressive performance by the young man.
Lamar Williams – 6’6 – PF – FCCA (Woodland Hills)
Williams is a big forward inside who is a major asset on the defensive end of the floor. His height combined with his length makes him a very interesting prospect. He did not show much on the offensive side, but he does attack the offensive glass hard. He also attacks the glass on the defensive side, and he is a fantastic shot blocker. Look for him to continue to make an impact for this ball club.