Brawl for the Ball Top Performers: Indiana Class of 2023
In this article:
Primarily held at SportOne Fieldhouse, the annual Brawl for the Ball tournament made its way to Fort Wayne this weekend instead of its typical home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Teams from around the Midwest were in attendance with primarily D2/D3/NAIA…
Access all of Prep Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingPrimarily held at SportOne Fieldhouse, the annual Brawl for the Ball tournament made its way to Fort Wayne this weekend instead of its typical home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Teams from around the Midwest were in attendance with primarily D2/D3/NAIA coaches checking in on the talent. Let’s take a look at the Indiana natives who stood out the most over the course of the weekend.
Nolan Cumberland (Tippecanoe Valley H.S. 2023)- Cumberland has really nice size for a two-guard and can shoot the lights out. He moves well off of the ball, plays with good pace coming off of screening action, and gets his feet set consistently before firing. He is just an all-around pure scorer that knows how to play on the offensive end. Cumberland was filling it up early Saturday morning for Summit City Elite in a hard-fought win over IE Focus Premier.
Grant Leeper Grant Leeper 6'7" | C Homestead | 2023 State IN (Homestead H.S. 2023)- Leeper was excellent all weekend long leading Indy Heat Red to a 5-0 championship weekend. Good athlete and long at 6’6″ that finishes very well around the basket. Got off to a hot start in the championship game with a couple of really tough finishes. Rebounds really well and crashes the offensive glass hard consistently. Nice prospect.
Hunter Kline (East Noble H.S. 2023)- Another Summit City Elite guy, Kline is a really good interior prospect. He moves very fluidly around the floor at 6’6″ while still having the strength to bang around on the block. Late in the game against IE Focus Premier he scored on the final three possessions including a big and-1 to seal the win. Kline has nice fundamentals playing with his feet apart in the post to stay on balance and goes up strong to finish with either hand.
Julius Smith (Penn H.S. 2023)- I was really impressed with this 5’10″ point guard over the weekend. Smith is super quick off the dribble with a nice first step burst that creates separation from his defender. Really good penetrator and makes the right decision once he gets into the paint. Despite his small size he is a really good finisher around the basket and absorbs contact when going up. Definitely a point guard to track for college programs.
Preston Ross Preston Ross 6'8" | PF Bishop Dwenger | 2023 State IN (Bishop Dwenger H.S. 2023)- In terms of raw college potential, Ross may have been one of the better prospects at Brawl for the Ball this weekend. At a legit 6’7″-6’8″ with nice athleticism there are a lot of things to like about his game. He is bouncy inside which helps him rebound above the traffic and outside of his area. Defensively he gets vertical to impact shots at the rim. Ross is also developing great footwork in the post showcasing a nice drop step move that the finished on both blocks. College programs definitely need to be tracking this 4/5 man.
Brandon Trilli Brandon Trilli 6'5" | SF Munster | 2023 State IN (Munster H.S. 2023)- It was another big weekend for the move-in from Arizona. Trilli is a 6’5″ wing/forward with a ton of game inside and out. He is extremely efficient around the basket and has a really nice shooting stroke out to three-point range. Trilli plays with a high basketball IQ as well. Just really like his all-around game. College coaches need to get used to hearing his name!