Top Under-the-Radar Players of AAU Play

P-Hoops has been able to watch a lot of Indiana kids play during his travels on the AAU circuit this summer and has seen all the big names and familiar faces. Guys like Marquis Teague, Deshaun Thomas, Jeremiah Davis, Cody Zeller, and Terone Johnson have thoroughly impressed as expected, many going above and beyond the lofty expectations put on them. With so many great stars in the Hoosier state, it's easy to miss out on kids who are less heralded but supremely talented, kids who will have great college careers at mid or low major schools, or even in NAIA or D2 or D3 ball. So let's take a look at some of the under-the-radar guys who caught my eye so far this summer.

Randall Lowe and Jake Browne - Indiana Elite White 17U - These two seniors to be thoroughly impressed me from the time I first saw them at the Adidas May Classic all the way through this week at the Best of the Midwest. Lowe, a 6'0 point guard from Tri-West, is a high scoring point guard who is the best ball handler I've seen this side of Marquis Teague. He is capable or scoring in bunches either from deep, with his deadly midrange game, or off the bounce, as he proved in pool play against the Eric Gordon All-Stars this week when he went for 12 straight points in one second half stretch. He is getting looks from plenty of D2's including last year's national champs, Findlay University, but now that he's fully healthy, I have no doubt he'll be a great mid-major point guard. Browne, a 6'8 center from Heritage Christian, is long, lanky, and very athletic, with a 36" vertical and over a 7' wing span. He had back to back 20 point, 20 rebound games at the Adidas May Classic which began getting him some D1 looks, most recently from Dane Fife and his IPFW staff. Jake can defend well and has a great midrange game. If he develops more consistent post moves, schools like IPFW would be the right fit for the big man.

Justin Gant - Indiana Elite One 16U - Gant isn't exactly under-the-radar as he's already well known in the state and by college coaches, but he often isn't as highly regarded as the other great 2011 big men of the state. I think Gant is probably the most versatile out of all the great 4's and 5's in the loaded junior class. I watched him more than once this summer, but one period of play at the Spiece Run n' Slam stood out to me in which he hit several pull up jumpers, had a few nice post moves, rebounded hard, and blocked and altered several shots on the main floor at IPFW. I also saw him play at the Indiana State team camp with his Terre Haute North team as the took on Travis Carroll and Danville, and Gant, in my opinion, was more impressive than the Purdue commit in that one game, although I've sung the praises of Carroll for a long time. Gant also always seems to end up bleeding when I watch him too, a sign of how hard he plays. He'll be a great mid-major player or a solid role player on a high-major team when all is said and done.

Parker Stouffer - Spiece Indy Heat Downs 17U - Playing as the third big behind Travis Carroll and Donnie Hale, two Purdue commits, this 6'7 power forward from Southwood impressed me this week as I watched for a bit at the Best of the Midwest. He saw lots of time on the floor in the finals against the Eric Gordon All-Stars while Hale was out with an injury. He plays hard all the time and has a great motor, working hard on the glass and on defense. He'll have an outstanding career at local NAIA powerhouse Indiana Wesleyan, where he very recently committed!

Tony Springmann - Spiece Select 16U - Bruising and burly is the way to describe the 6'8 power forward from Ft. Wayne Bishop Dwenger. He's another name that is known by many, but I simply do not think he receives the recognition he deserves. Playing on coach Jim Reamer's Select squad, Springmann has impressed just about every onlooker who has seen him this summer. The game that stands out to me was in the Adidas May Classic against Indiana Elite 2011 with stars like Jeremiah Davis, Dee Davis, Austin Ehterington, and Deng Leek. Spiece won that game on the back of Springmann who was utterly unstoppable in the post, and was not to be denied on the glass, outmuscling the much taller Leek for offensive and defensive rebounds. He reminds me a lot of former Purdue standout Steve Scheffler. No one plays with more heart or effort the the big redhead Springmann.

Roddy Richardson - Eric Gordon All-Stars 17U - The "other guy" on Lafayette Jeff, Richardson has often been in the shadows of high-scoring Broncho teammate Jesse Berry, who plays for the SYF program. While Berry can post huge scoring numbers, Richardson is more of a do-it-all player, as he's proven this summer. Roddy is a great defender, as he's strong and big at 6'3 or 6'4. He does whatever it takes to win and has been an integral part of the success of the brand new Gordon franchise, which recently won the championship in the Best of the Midwest tourney.

Gary Harris - Fieldhouse Elite 2012 Air Indiana Up Tempo - One of a few 2012 names I'm going to throw out there. We hear so much about Smith-Rivera, Marrero, Patterson, Hollowell, and rightfully so as they're amazing young players. But there are others who are just coming into their own as sophs-to-be, one of which is Hamilton Southeastern's Harris. A 6'3 guard who is supremely athletic and can score and defend, Harris has a ton of potential. He is a bit passive at times and can phase out of games if not inspired, but he's shown several flashes of brilliance when I've seen him. Those flashes have begun to draw a crowd of D1 coaches, most notably prominent was Illinois head man Bruce Weber during the Hoosier Shootout.

Julian Boatner - Fieldhouse Elite Team Indiana 17U - The high scoring guard from Bloomington North has done just that this summer: score. He has parlayed his knack for pouring in buckets into at least one D1 scholarship offer, from the Naval Academy. Playing against tough competition, Boatner has fared well, and I expect him to be a great mid-major combo guard in the future.

Patrick Obras and Kendall Waters - Eric Gordon Central Stars 15U - This duo from Pendleton Heights will be deadly during high school play as they team up with Kellen Dunham, who I lauded praise on yesterday as his Eric Gordon Indy Stars team won their bracket at Best of the Midwest. Obras is a 6'3 guard/forward with a long wingspan who can defend all spots on the floor. He is a capable shooter and plays HARD. Waters is an unselfish point guard who is lightning quick and can score in bunches. These two, with several others, have helped the Central Stars, who typically play up an age group, fare well this summer.

Joel Smith - Eric Gordon Central Stars 15U - Another soph-to-be on the Central Stars is somewhat of a familiar name to big time recruiniks, but again, like Gary Harris, needs far more recognition in the 2012 class. Smith is a 6'6 guard/forward from Heritage Christian who has really come into his own this summer as he has become more and more of a consisent scoring threat, which has in turn drawn the attention of college scouts, most notably Brad Stevens of Butler. Smith plays with passion and communicates on the floor better than anyone I've seen in the age group, a trait college coaches covet. One stretch of play at the Adiddas May Classic stood out to me as Smith was required to play center with Muncie Central's Nick Osborne out with injury. Smith battled against the bigs of Indiana Elite Team Indiana and dominated Peter Jurkin and Obji Aget, keeping them from scoring or rebounding, while scoring well over 20 points himself. Smith will be a high-major when all is said and done: count on it.

Chrishawn Hopkins - Team Blaze Select - The Indianapolis Manual product created a ton of buzz this week with his play at the Best of the Midwest. He was a relative unknown coming in due to only playing a portion of the high school season this past year, but by the end of the week, several mid-majors and a few high-major coaches were checking him out. Hopkins can flat out fly and was heard saying his vertical was measured at over forty inches. He impressed me at the Hoosier Shootout with outstanding dunks, but also with an ability to hit the three. A college coach buddy of mine said he is quickly becoming a priority to see.

Neal Beshears - Indiana Select - Playing in the shadows of Tyler Koch at Winchester, the 6'6 Beshears is skinny as a rail but pretty darn athletic and can really shoot it. If he doesn't add strength, he will likely end up as a great D2/NAIA player, which is awesome, but if he bulks up a bit, the same buddy of mine says he has a great shot of ending up D1.

Tyler Alderman - Eric Gordon Indy Stars 15U - Alderman has not always put up huge numbers his summer, but he has steadily improved throughout, and at 6'8 and with another inch or two in him, he has a ton of potential. The Fishers product is said to have really only picked up basketball seriously as a seventh grader, so he has a very high ceiling. He has always had the soft touch of a Euro-style big man, but over the last two weeks of play at the Hoosier Shootout and the Best of the Midwest, he has shown more of a willingness to bang in the post and has posted hard and finished well when given the ball on the blocks. A lot of potential here.

There are many more deserving under-the-radar kids who I could write about, but that is a small sampling of the talent in the state with some names you may not have heard of, or which are at least not the first on your mind. Check back more this week for updates!