Scouting the City: Broad Ripple, Arlington, and Howe

P-Hoops was in the house last night at the Indianapolis City Tournament to see the two quarterfinal games, Howe versus Arlington, and Cardinal Ritter versus Broad Ripple. They were two hotly contested games, and both were close well into the fourth quarter.

In the first game, most onlookers expected the loaded team from TC Howe to come away with a victory. They are, in fact, a top-ten team in 3A, and Arlington has struggled all year to play at a consistently high level. The game was led all the way by Howe, except for a few seconds in the second quarter, and then again at the most crucial point point of the game, the end. Arlington came back from five down at the end of the third to take the lead on a layup by Phillip Freeman with twelve seconds to play. The Golden Knights had a big mental error, as they then turned around and fouled Damone Eubank with under five seconds to play, but he missed the first of a one-and-one, and Arlington held on for the 59-57 win. Here's a look at some of the individual performers in the game:

* Arlington's Freeman is a very nice player. This is the second time I've seen him, and I've come away impressed both times. He seems like a great fit for a college team who presses and gets up and down in the open court. He led the Knights with 19 points.

* Howe's Damone Eubank is a very hard worker and competitor. He has range, good handles, and he plays hard all the time. He had three three-pointers last night, and finished with a game-high 24 points. The only knock on him is his size, as he is likely about 5'9.

* Sophomore point guard PJ Boutte is a wizard with the ball in his hands. He needs to add strength and improve his shot, but he does not turn it over much and is a good decision maker. He is also ultra-quick.

* Six-eleven sophomore center Isaiah Hill has a world of potential, but he has a long way to go in his development. All the tools are there, however. His two biggest areas for improvement are his conditioning and his motor. He must lose some weight and get in better shape to be the top prospect he has the ability to be. If he does, the effort stuff will likely follow.

* Howe junior wing Jordan Manuel had an off game, but, like Hill, you can see the tools and potential. He is 6'9, long, and really athletic, which is why schools such as Dayton have offered him. He also needs to add strength to his wiry frame. He has range, hitting one three last night.

* Junior shooting guard Andre Hampton had an average game by his standards. He has D1 shooting ability, but he needs to develop his ball handling and add strength if he wants to realize his dreams of playing D1 ball. He can fill it up, but with a bit of an unorthodox shot, he must get stronger to be able to get it off against top-flight defenders. He had 12 points and two three-pointers.



Broad Ripple led by ten after three quarters over Cardinal Ritter, and the Raiders tried their best to mount a comeback, cutting the score to 49-41 midway through the fourth. A trapping press by the Rockets created a bunch of turnovers and easy baskets, and Ritter was never able to recover, falling to Ripple, 76-61. Here is a look at some of the individual performers from this game:

* Rockets sophomore guard Steven Jamison had a half for the ages, going for 21 points in the first two quarters, including a buzzer-beating corner three which stretched the lead from ten to thirteen going into halftime. Ritter made more efforts to stop him in the second half, and he finished with 26 points on the night. He is a very adept ball handler with a good midrange J and an improving outside shot. He is a excellent rebounder as a guard, and he had several big blocks when teammates got beat. He will be a steal for some lucky D1 school.

* Junior wing Howard Stevenson is a freak athlete. He had one of the best blocks I've seen this year. As a Ritter player drove baseline for an attempted dunk, he rose up over him, with his hand fully on top of the ball, nearly palming it, and sent it away. He is a strongly-built scoring machine who can shoot it from deep and score off the dribble in a straight line. He had one or two nice coast-to-coast takes where he finished at the rim. He has 18 points, including a pair of treys.

* Rockets freshman phenom Ron "Bus" Patterson is going to be a great one in the state, and he is plenty good now. His big areas for improvement are ball handing and outside shooting. He really favors his right hand on the dribble, but again, he is only a ninth grader. He can hit the three, and did once last night, but he needs to get more accurate from deep, developing a consistent, reliable form. All that said, he is a stud who any college will be lucky to get. He got one of the weakest technicals I've ever seen while going for a tip dunk. The ref claimed he hung on the rim, which he didn't. It was the revenge of the guy without a vertical, making a kid pay for being a freak athlete. Patterson had 16 on the night.


I will be at the City again tonight to see Heritage Christian, with Tommy Eggleston, take on Northwest, and then for Cathedral (Barlow and Peck) versus Washington.