Earlier this morning I posted a photo gallery on our Facebook page of the three IU signees/commits from yesterday's practice at Male High in Louisville. All three are playing on the same team on Saturday in the Derby Festival Classic All-Star game to be held at Freedom Hall.
Facebook page link
Derby Festival Classic details:
Night of the Future Stars, 7 p.m., Friday, New Albany High School. (Events include dunk contest, 3-point shootout, 2-on-2 contests and autograph session.) Tickets: Admission is having a Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic ticket.
Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic, 7 p.m., Saturday, Freedom Hall, Louisville. Tickets: $13, $18, $50 VIP courtside seating.
Tickets for Saturday's game will be available tonight at the door in New Albany.
For more information or to purchase tickets in advance: Click here
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Can't add a lot to what the video showed from the practice as this year there was a little less true basketball being played in that first workout than years past. Thought Bryant looked much more ready to play that OSU signee Daniel Giddens. Bryant is much more skilled and is wider across the shoulders. Much more agility around the basket.
Anunoby showed his nice shooting stroke at times. He should be a real threat to win the dunk contest as he's a high level leaper.
Morgan was solid and at this point looks like a guy that should start as a post player and then maybe grow into more of a three spot player. Has the athleticism to play the forward but the length and defensive instincts to handle himself well inside. He wasn't hitting his shots yesterday but that was a limited view.
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Depends on who you talk to as to whether Indiana or Kentucky leads for Thon Maker. Kansas very involved as well.
There's still some uncertainty as to whether he will play college next year or not as his guardian Ed Smith indicates that Thon will have to push to graduate in August and it may be better for him to ease his workload and look to a November graduation. He's now at Orangeville Prep in Ontario.
Maker is in the Nike Hoop Summit for the World Team this week and there he was measured:
Height: 7'0 (with shoes)
Weight: 218 lbs
Wingspan: 7'3 1/4
Hand Width: 9'0
Hand Length: 9'0
Standing Reach: 9'3
At this point it looks like Maker's decision won't come anytime soon. Maybe well into the summer or at least until it's very clear as to when he'll be finished with high school.
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Jeff has helped more today with this ITLR (I have a flight to Dallas to make) and sent me these quick updates:
The chatter in Indianapolis about a month ago was pretty heavy that IU junior point guard Yogi Ferrell was likely headed to the professional ranks. Now that chatter is much more split over whether he will or won't turn pro. A departure still wouldn't be a total shock.
NBA scouts tell Peegs.com they expect freshman guard James Blackmon Jr. to return to IU. During the Indiana All-Star series last year, Blackmon said he believed he could be a one-and-done player.
Blackmon said after IU's NCAA Tournament loss he wanted to look at NBA feedback. He has not yet stated if he will return to IU or go pro.
IU has begun taking a look at Tech 2016 point guard C. J. Walker. Walker was committed to Purdue but recently re-opened his recruitment.
VCU signees Kenny Williams and Jordan Murphy are both now with open recruitments. Kenny Williams played AAU for Boo Williams, which produced current IU players Troy Williams and Robert Johns
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As mentioned I will be in Dallas where the adidas Gauntlet series opens. There we'll be following a number of Indiana prospects including the top guy on our 2016 Hot Board - 6'10 De'Ron Davis. He'll be there with the Colorado Hawks. IU has also looked some at his Hawk teammate, Alpha Diallo.
Rawle Alkins is expected there with the NY Rens team as they battle Indiana Elite tonight at the Duncanville Fieldhouse in a game we'll definitely shoot video of for an upcoming feature. Alkins is also going head to head with Braxton Blackwell, Kobi Simmons and Josh Langford tomorrow when the Rens face the Atlanta Celtics.
Eron Gordon should also be there although we moved him down some on our hot board update. Things haven't heated up there yet but this spring should give us more of an indication where that may be headed.
Jeff is in Virginia for the Boo Williams Nike EYBL stop. Lamar Stevens, Bruce Brown, Tyrique Jones, Kassoum Yakwe, Aaron Walker, Jamal Murray and Miles Bridges among the many 2016 guys on the IU radar there this weekend.
The other big shoe circuit stop this weekend is in New Orleans where Under Armour kicks off its series. Joey Brunk and the 2017 group of Indy area players with IU offers (Paul Scruggs, Kris Wilkes, Zach Gunn) may all be there.
This is the first opportunity for college coaches to be out scouting these type events so everybody is geared up for this 48-hour evaluation period that begins tonight. Both Jeff and I plan daily notebooks including our own thoughts on video of action each day including which prospects got heavy Indiana looks---so check our front page and this board through the next few days.
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The Indiana football team is about halfway through spring ball as they held practice number seven of fifteen yesterday morning. The Cream & Crimson game is one week from tomorrow and after yesterday's practice head coach Kevin Wilson met with the media and talked a little about how the spring game may be set up. You can watch that video here.
The Hoosiers will have two practices this weekend with one on Saturday and one on Sunday. At the Saturday practice one of their top targets at cornerback - A'shon Riggins - will be visiting. The three-star prospect from Hamilton H.S. in Hamilton, Ohio is making his way over to Bloomington today and will spend the night. He will be staying with current IU player and former Hamilton H.S. standout Marcus Oliver. Riggins told Peegs.com that he is really looking forward to this overnight trip to IU as he is excited to get a feel for what it is like to be a student at Indiana.
One 2016 prospect that was recently at IU for a visit is Illinois running back Barrington Wade. The three-star prospect is listed as a running back by Rivals.com but Indiana likes him as an athlete that could be a running back on offense, or a safety or linebacker on defense. You can read the story we did on him here.
The Louisville Rivals.com site did a story on on-state lineman Ben Knutson after his recent visit there and in the story he said that IU and Purdue are the top two schools for him. You can read that story here.
Rivals.com Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt had this story on 2018 athlete Houston Griffith. Griffith was in Bloomington on Tuesday and he told Helmholdt that he was impressed with what he saw from the Hoosiers.
After missing out on Avon Q.B. Brandon Peters the Hoosiers have to start looking at other QB prospects for the 2016 class and one of the top targets could be Peyton Ramsey. The Cincinnati native told Peegs.com that IU is at the top for him along with Boston College and Wake Forest and he plans on making a decision very soon.
This post was edited on 4/10 3:20 PM by MattWeaver
Facebook page link
Derby Festival Classic details:
Night of the Future Stars, 7 p.m., Friday, New Albany High School. (Events include dunk contest, 3-point shootout, 2-on-2 contests and autograph session.) Tickets: Admission is having a Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic ticket.
Kentucky Derby Festival Basketball Classic, 7 p.m., Saturday, Freedom Hall, Louisville. Tickets: $13, $18, $50 VIP courtside seating.
Tickets for Saturday's game will be available tonight at the door in New Albany.
For more information or to purchase tickets in advance: Click here
----
Can't add a lot to what the video showed from the practice as this year there was a little less true basketball being played in that first workout than years past. Thought Bryant looked much more ready to play that OSU signee Daniel Giddens. Bryant is much more skilled and is wider across the shoulders. Much more agility around the basket.
Anunoby showed his nice shooting stroke at times. He should be a real threat to win the dunk contest as he's a high level leaper.
Morgan was solid and at this point looks like a guy that should start as a post player and then maybe grow into more of a three spot player. Has the athleticism to play the forward but the length and defensive instincts to handle himself well inside. He wasn't hitting his shots yesterday but that was a limited view.
-----
Depends on who you talk to as to whether Indiana or Kentucky leads for Thon Maker. Kansas very involved as well.
There's still some uncertainty as to whether he will play college next year or not as his guardian Ed Smith indicates that Thon will have to push to graduate in August and it may be better for him to ease his workload and look to a November graduation. He's now at Orangeville Prep in Ontario.
Maker is in the Nike Hoop Summit for the World Team this week and there he was measured:
Height: 7'0 (with shoes)
Weight: 218 lbs
Wingspan: 7'3 1/4
Hand Width: 9'0
Hand Length: 9'0
Standing Reach: 9'3
At this point it looks like Maker's decision won't come anytime soon. Maybe well into the summer or at least until it's very clear as to when he'll be finished with high school.
-----
Jeff has helped more today with this ITLR (I have a flight to Dallas to make) and sent me these quick updates:
The chatter in Indianapolis about a month ago was pretty heavy that IU junior point guard Yogi Ferrell was likely headed to the professional ranks. Now that chatter is much more split over whether he will or won't turn pro. A departure still wouldn't be a total shock.
NBA scouts tell Peegs.com they expect freshman guard James Blackmon Jr. to return to IU. During the Indiana All-Star series last year, Blackmon said he believed he could be a one-and-done player.
Blackmon said after IU's NCAA Tournament loss he wanted to look at NBA feedback. He has not yet stated if he will return to IU or go pro.
IU has begun taking a look at Tech 2016 point guard C. J. Walker. Walker was committed to Purdue but recently re-opened his recruitment.
VCU signees Kenny Williams and Jordan Murphy are both now with open recruitments. Kenny Williams played AAU for Boo Williams, which produced current IU players Troy Williams and Robert Johns
-----
As mentioned I will be in Dallas where the adidas Gauntlet series opens. There we'll be following a number of Indiana prospects including the top guy on our 2016 Hot Board - 6'10 De'Ron Davis. He'll be there with the Colorado Hawks. IU has also looked some at his Hawk teammate, Alpha Diallo.
Rawle Alkins is expected there with the NY Rens team as they battle Indiana Elite tonight at the Duncanville Fieldhouse in a game we'll definitely shoot video of for an upcoming feature. Alkins is also going head to head with Braxton Blackwell, Kobi Simmons and Josh Langford tomorrow when the Rens face the Atlanta Celtics.
Eron Gordon should also be there although we moved him down some on our hot board update. Things haven't heated up there yet but this spring should give us more of an indication where that may be headed.
Jeff is in Virginia for the Boo Williams Nike EYBL stop. Lamar Stevens, Bruce Brown, Tyrique Jones, Kassoum Yakwe, Aaron Walker, Jamal Murray and Miles Bridges among the many 2016 guys on the IU radar there this weekend.
The other big shoe circuit stop this weekend is in New Orleans where Under Armour kicks off its series. Joey Brunk and the 2017 group of Indy area players with IU offers (Paul Scruggs, Kris Wilkes, Zach Gunn) may all be there.
This is the first opportunity for college coaches to be out scouting these type events so everybody is geared up for this 48-hour evaluation period that begins tonight. Both Jeff and I plan daily notebooks including our own thoughts on video of action each day including which prospects got heavy Indiana looks---so check our front page and this board through the next few days.
-------
The Indiana football team is about halfway through spring ball as they held practice number seven of fifteen yesterday morning. The Cream & Crimson game is one week from tomorrow and after yesterday's practice head coach Kevin Wilson met with the media and talked a little about how the spring game may be set up. You can watch that video here.
The Hoosiers will have two practices this weekend with one on Saturday and one on Sunday. At the Saturday practice one of their top targets at cornerback - A'shon Riggins - will be visiting. The three-star prospect from Hamilton H.S. in Hamilton, Ohio is making his way over to Bloomington today and will spend the night. He will be staying with current IU player and former Hamilton H.S. standout Marcus Oliver. Riggins told Peegs.com that he is really looking forward to this overnight trip to IU as he is excited to get a feel for what it is like to be a student at Indiana.
One 2016 prospect that was recently at IU for a visit is Illinois running back Barrington Wade. The three-star prospect is listed as a running back by Rivals.com but Indiana likes him as an athlete that could be a running back on offense, or a safety or linebacker on defense. You can read the story we did on him here.
The Louisville Rivals.com site did a story on on-state lineman Ben Knutson after his recent visit there and in the story he said that IU and Purdue are the top two schools for him. You can read that story here.
Rivals.com Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt had this story on 2018 athlete Houston Griffith. Griffith was in Bloomington on Tuesday and he told Helmholdt that he was impressed with what he saw from the Hoosiers.
After missing out on Avon Q.B. Brandon Peters the Hoosiers have to start looking at other QB prospects for the 2016 class and one of the top targets could be Peyton Ramsey. The Cincinnati native told Peegs.com that IU is at the top for him along with Boston College and Wake Forest and he plans on making a decision very soon.
This post was edited on 4/10 3:20 PM by MattWeaver
