7 takeaways from the Carmel vs. Lafayette Jefferson Scrimmage
High school basketball is finally getting underway with scrimmages this week and we could not be more excited. I went up to Lafayette Jefferson to take in my first game of the year as Carmel visited along with me for their first taste of another team. Carmel handled the Bronchos 81-46 and easily won in the four quarters of 12 minute running clock.
The Greyhounds dominated the first and last quarter by a combined score of 51-13 but in the middle quarters, Lafayette Jefferson won those 33-30. It was a great night of basketball and I saw a lot of things that I really liked. Here are a few takeaways I had as I left the building. Click the following link for stats from the game: Carmel v. Lafayette Jeff
Carmel didn’t miss a beat
After losing both starting point guard Sterling Brown and successful head coach Scott Heady both to Marian, we thought Carmel would be in for a down year for them, which is not saying they would be bad but not to the standard Carmel is used to. After tonight, I believe that is not the case. The ball movement was great and the shooters for Carmel knocked down shot after shot. I was impressed with their depth and if they want to they actually could play 10 guys a night but in reality it will be 7 to 8 guys. I thought they would still be good this year, but I’m actually on the fence whether or not they actually will be better.
Andrew Owens is going to score a lot of points this year
The 6’5 junior forward can score at all three levels and he can really shoot the ball. He scored 24 points tonight and even was 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Owens is a tall three man for Carmel who projects as a off ball guard or a three. He is filled out and have a ton of muscle. Owens court vision is really good as he kept finding the open guy when he drove into the paint. He also takes care of the ball finishing with just one turnover. He is a tough defender as well picking up a steal and poking the ball loose multiple times. Owens is going to be tough to handle this year as he can shoot and take his man off the drive as well.
Cole Jenkins and Luke Heady are going to be a tough guard duo to handle
Jenkins is a senior PG who stands at 6’1 and plays much bigger than that while Heady is a junior at 5’11. Both can play on ball as we saw tonight and they will probably split time this year at the point but both also can play off the ball just as well. If they are given space they are going to knock the shot down. Jenkins is a guy that really looked good scoring 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting including six three pointers. Jenkins is a defensive menace and had six steals tonight. This is a guy that small colleges are going to drool over this year. Heady is just an all-around solid player. He can shoot the ball, although he didn’t ever really get in a groove in this game. Heady’s court vision is exceptional consistently finding the open teammate and putting up nine assists. He was 2-for-9 tonight but I think he could easily put up a consistent 10 points and five or six assists.
John Michael Mulloy has gotten better; that’s not good news for opposing teams
JMM has been a really solid player for his last two years and after committing to Butler he could have gotten complacent and just gone through the motions of high school basketball but no, he looked a lot better than last year. He started off slow but ended the night with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He fought for every rebound and we can see that JMM has gotten much stronger over the summer. He’s a 6’9 junior and not many in the state can matchup with him as he can also stretch the floor and shoot a jumper that has been improving. He ran the floor really well and kept getting in position for transition baskets after rebounds. It’ll be fun to watch him as he should be able to rack up some numbers this year in the three main categories.
Marell Jordan is going to be really good, and be really bad
Jordan ran the point for Jefferson and is a small but effective guy with the ball. He’s just 5’11 and weighs 150 soaking wet but is super shifty and will be a lot to handle with the ball. Jordan didn’t turn the ball over but one time and against this defense that is really good. All of his points were at the rim and when he got into the lane he forced the defense to really collapse. That was the good, the bad is much easier to correct. I can tell that he isn’t used to playing on ball consistently and that showed with how he passed the ball. He made some questionable passes but that can be corrected. They will be some games where Jordan is awful, but there are going to be some where he looks really good. He didn’t look bad tonight but against more athletic guards he is going to struggle.
Max Grimes is going to be a solid point guard the next four years
I wanted to find a freshman or someone I didn’t see last year, and I think I have that guy. Max Grimes is a stocky guy who knows how to run a point guard spot. His shot needs a lot of work but he handles the ball really well and knows where to pass the ball. He has a really good body and doesn’t look like a freshman. Grimes was the first guy off the bench and once he was in Lafayette Jefferson started to score more in the second and third quarters. He probably won’t be that good this year as he adjusts but down the road he will be a good prospect if he works on his shooting. I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts at some point this year.
James Burns is a man, and plays like one
We first noticed burns at our PrepHoops Senior Showcase at Fishers High School and ever since I was wondering how he would look in the high school season. He looked really effective during the summer and I was expecting a lot of him tonight. He is coming off a knee injury and was matched up with JMM so I knew it would be a struggle. Burns looked slimmed down from this summer and a little more mobile but he did really struggle. His jumper was off and he couldn’t attack the rim against JMM. He is a good player but struggled tonight. He is really strong but just struggled with the length of JMM. He is better as a stretch guy who can drive from the top of the key to get his shot. I am expecting big things from the likely JUCO project.