Indy Basketball vs. Rest of the State Hoops

Hoops fans, a sad downside of what I do here is that, while living and coaching in Indianapolis with the lovely Mrs. P-Hoops, I do not have the chance to travel to as many games as I would like that take place out of the Indy-Metro area. This, of course, only adds fuel to the fire of the "biased Indianapolis media" theory, where all the focus is given to the capital city's teams, and other great schools around the state, who are well deserving of publicity and recognition, are left out in the cold, unheralded and unreported on. Today I'd like to devote this entry to comparing the top five or so teams in each class that are from Indianapolis, and five or so that represent the rest of the state. Are the Indy teams better, and therefore deserving of the increased weight of publicity? Or do the state school stack up well, giving Indy a real run for their money in talent and quality depth? Let's take a look at the top teams, followed up by an assessment of the classes.

4A

Indy
1. North Central
2. Lawrence North
3. Franklin Central
4. Cathedral
5. Noblesville

State
1. Bloomington South
2. Terre Haute South
3. New Albany
4. Marion
5. (tie) Valparaiso - Anderson

This is, by far, the most competitive of the classes between Indy and the rest of the state. I think that if you matched up the teams, one versus one, two versus two, and so on, almost every game is a toss up. In fact, we have already seen TH South knock off LN this year. Besides Noblesville, I believe each team on this list has a legitimate chance to win the 4A crown this year. And look at the stars in this group! Look at the names: Terone Johnson, D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Justin Reid, Patrick Bade, Casey Coons, Errick Peck, Kelsey Barlow, Leland Brown, Jordan Hulls, Dee Davis, Spencer Turner, Jake Odum, Donnie Hale, Scott Wood, Hayden Humes, and pretty much the entire Lawrence North team (no, seriously....). All of these kids are the real deal. The competition for the 4A crown will be fiercely contested by teams all over the state, not just Indy teams.

P-Hoops' Pick - If I had to pick one team right now to win state, I would take Lawrence North. Just too much size, and with the way they've played since the loss, including the T-Mobile tourney, I think they are the top pick. I like Bloomington South as the second best team, and North Central third.

3A

Indy
1. Danville
2. Howe
3. Roncalli
4. Mt. Vernon
5. Northwest

State
1. Evansville Memorial
2. Princeton
3. Bishop Dwenger
4. Washington
5. Rochester

This one goes to the statewide teams, and it isn't even close. After the top three 3A teams from Indy, the level of quality teams in the area drops off drastically. In fact, it was quite hard to pick a fourth and fifth best team. Mt. Vernon and Northwest are barely above .500, but they have a solid Sagarin rating, which gave them the nod. Danville is the only Indy-area team ranked in the 3A top ten, with Howe coming in at eleven and Roncalli at fifteen.

P-Hoops' Pick - Princeton. They are 9-0 while playing a killer schedule and are loaded with young talent, including 6'4" sophomore twins Dontray and Rontray Chavis, stars for years to come. Give me Danville at two and Evansville Memorial at three.

2A

Indy
1. Heritage Christian
2. Lapel
3. Guerin Catholic
4. Cardinal Ritter
5. Covenant Christian

State
1. Bishop Luers
2. Tipton
3. Lawrenceburg
4. Bluffton
5. Oak Hill

Again, the nod goes to the state over Indy, but not so emphatically as in 3A. The state teams are ranked 1-5 in the AP poll, where Indy finally peeks in with Heritage Christian. Indy's top 2A teams are dominated by private schools, which makes many scream out for the (gasp!) multiplier rule to take effect. But, as I've said before, I believe the 2A class is significantly stronger than the 3A class on the whole this year. Luers and top-ten junior Deshaun Thomas gave LN all they could handle at the Circle City in December. Tipton's only loss game on a last second shot to Franklin Central, and they boast great size, including IU recruit Derek Elston. Bluffton's only loss came without the services of their point guard, falling to Tipton in the Hall of Fame Classic. Heritage Chirstian has only one loss too, losing by one at Roncalli. Lawrenceburg is undefeated and Oak Hill has only one loss to a tough Mississinewa squad. Lapel has Logan Ingle and Chandler Guion. Guerin features Ryan Nowicki, and Covenant has Butler-bound center Andrew Smith.

P-Hoops' Pick - Bishop Luers. After seeing them first-hand this year, and that was without the services of IU football recruit Lawrence Barnett, they seem nearly impossible. Their two losses are to LN and big time Chicago power Curie High. If Luers gets past Bluffton in sectionals, I think they will go all the way. Tipton is a close second here, and I like Heritage Christian third.

1A

This one is so hands-down to the state, it is almost not even worth a debate. There are very few 1A schools in Indy. The best two would probably be Bethesda Christian and Lutheran, and they are both relatively weak squads. The top five for the state are as follows:

1. Triton
2. Bowman Academy
3. Rockville
4. Jac-Cen-Del
5. (tie) Bar-Reeve - Blackhawk Christian.

P-Hoops' Pick - I like Bowman. They play a tough schedule to prepare them for the postseason. They already have wins over 4A schools Northwest and Huntington North, and there only loss is to Luers. They have already beaten Blackhawk as well, by 16, proving their superiority over a good 1A opponent. I like Triton at two and Rockville at three.

So there you have it, only one Indy-based State Champ out of four. Anything can happen, but that's the way I see things shaking out this year. The state can claim superiority over the city! Have fun at the games, hoops fans!