Notebook: Mason’s Saturday in Indy
The second live period is among us and I was out at three events on Saturday. I made stops at the Adidas Spring Classic, Adidas Silver Gauntlet, and the Nike Midwest Takeover. Here are my notes from the teams and players that I saw today.
Nova Village (James) 2019 Continues to Impress
NOVA Village continues to impress me when I see them. They have an inside duo of 6’8 Ben Wight and 6’9 Christopher Karsatos who are very skilled and they just added 2018 6’8 Ross Ryan. They have a ton of height and between these three guys they have skilled big men that other takes just simply can’t match. On the perimeter you have guys like 6’5 Terin Kinsway, 6’3 Lunden McDay, and 6’1 Jeremiah Keene. This is a group that can and will beat you in a variety of ways. If you have good guards, they will batter you inside and if you are a big team their guards will drive by you.
Wight, who holds an offer from Ohio, led the team in their game against Indiana Elite Central with 14 points. Kinsway wasn’t far behind with 13 points. It was balanced scoring as four others scored in double digits. This is a team that isn’t selfish which makes them so dangerous. Be looking for them in the headlines all summer long.
Indy Heat Red 2019 Dominates
Indy Heat Red 2019 faced off with Wildcats Basketball in a 6:30 PM game at the Nike Midwest Takeover and easily dispatched them. 6’4 small forward David Ejah was really impressive to me. He was getting to the rim and threw down a few dunks. Hit a three pointer which showed that his jumper is something that he is able to start to use more and more. Frankie Davidson is a 6’4 wing who also really showed that he has the game to play at the next level. Davidson hit a few corner threes and slashed to the basket looking for the ball. A little on the thin side right now, but once he adds weight he will be really solid.
Elijah Hales, Ali Ali, and Andrew Owens all were able to do anything that they wanted to in the game as well. They didn’t really have to play all that well in the game as it was a 40 point victory, but they showed flashes of their potential. All three of these guys will probably end up D2 with Ali having the potential to get a couple low major offers with how much his game has progressed. The biggest thing for these three guys is to gain some consistency in their play but even still this team is so solid.
Noah Applegate Dominates in Game 1
The 6’6 small forward from Penn HS (IN), had a dominating game for Indiana GAME 2019. He is a big bodied wing who is able to shoot the ball or take it to the rim. Needs to add a little bit more of a post game, but his perimeter play and handles are what helps him standout. A solid rebounder as well to give him the opportunity to score the ball inside on putbacks.
I saw him score 19 points and just was making anything and everything that he shot. A solid finisher who can hit the pull-up jumper as well. A high motor player who even though is a little on the thicker side, can keep going and going. He’s a NAIA type player, but a few D2’s may end up offering if he keeps it going like he has.