Updates on Best of the Midwest

Hey hoops fans. Been at the Best of the Midwest tournament at the Fishers Fieldhouse all this week coaching and watching some of the greatest talent the state has to offer. A who's who of college coaches were assembled to see and be seen by kids they have either offered or are evaluating. Big time coaches including IU's Tom Crean, Ohio State's Thad Matta, Iowa's Todd Lickliter, Butler's Brad Stevens, IPFW's Dane Fife, and many, many others were court side for many games, most visible especially for the 15U Spiece Indy Stars team (playing up in the 16U bracket), a team which includes Ron Patterson of Broad Ripple, Jeremy Hollowel of Lawrence Central, Kellon Thomas of Southport, and Austin Burgett of Avon, among others. Here are some of the players who really stood out to me when I was able to watch in between coaching my own team.

Ron Patterson - Spiece Indy Stars - "Bus" had another great showing, leading the Stars to a runner-up finish while playing up an age level. He had a crowd-awing dunk on an out of bounds play in their semifinal matchup on an out of bounds set in which he faked a cut to the corner and then dove back into the lane for a lob pass which he promptly flushed with tow hands. I can't be totally sure, but from my vantage point, it seemed as if he shot Tom Crean a look as he ran back on defense, likely making sure the Hoosier head man got an appropriate eyeful. Patterson has consistently improved his outside shot and his handle, which still have a ways to go to be at a level of consistency needed for big time college play, but it's clear he's putting in the work. His defense is spectacular at times, but he too often relies on his speed, athleticism, and tremendous reach instead of just focusing on being the great, fundamental, lockdown defender he can easily be. The great thing about Patterson? All his shortcomings are minor and can be improved with hard work, and he's only a soph-to-be!

Austin Burgett - Speice Indy Stars - Burgett really caught my eye this weekend. He is a legit 6'9 at this point and appears to still have some growth left in him. He defends the post and the perimeter well. His post moves are solid and full of finesse, which is good as he is still slight of frame. He hit several midrange J's and a few threes while I watched, including a pull up trey on the break after he got a steal in transition defense. I like this kid a lot and I can see why Cincinnati and Iowa have offered him and why other schools like IU are close to pulling the trigger.

Jeremy Hollowell - Spiece Indy Stars - The last of coach Chris Hawkins' stars that I'll write about in this post is the 6'6 swing man from Lawrence Central, although several others played well, especially Sullivan's Rhett Smith, the man with the motor, and Southport's Kellon Thomas, the point man who makes them go. Hollowell hit a bunch of jumpers from deep and midrange and really surprised me with great defense. He often cut off drives with his long lateral strides and came over from the weak side to help by swatting away shots. Word is that Crean either has offered or is close to offering pending another visit. Sky is the limit for Jeremy, who is a nice kid and very personable.

Griffin McKenzie - Eric Gordon All-Stars - McKenzie, a recent IU target, is a 6'10 post player from Moeller in Ohio. He is coming off an injury so he is a bit under the radar, but I don't think that will last. He is a strong post defender and catches you off guard with his above average athleticism. I think it caught me off guard more than anything because he bears such a striking resemblance to former Hoosier Ben Allen. McKenzie has great post moves and demands the ball on the block with his ability to get great position and leverage on his defender. He has good 15-17 foot range and a great touch from the free throw line.

Ronnie Johnson - Eric Gordon Central Stars - The younger brother of North Central senior-to-be and Purdue commit Terone Johnson (who had another great week of work), Ronnie gets work done on Pat Mullin's 15U team. He is only 5'9, contrasted with his 6'3 bro, but he has a solid offensive game and is a pesky defender on the ball. He has an unorthodox lefty stroke, but he's deadly from deep. If he grows a little more or adds strength, he's a surefire D1 prospect.

Trey Hendrix - Fieldhouse White - The Lebanon product is another diminutive dynamo who can score in bunches. He is great with the ball in his hands with the ability to create for his teammates on the drive or finish himself. His greatest strength is his long range sniping, though, as in one game I saw, he had 7 or 8 treys. He may only be 5'9ish, but he can score on anyone.

Dylan Langkabel - Eric Gordon Central Stars - The 6'3 point man from 1A Morristown continues to impress throughout the course of the summer and into this week. He was recently invited to the Elite Boot Camp at Duke, and his play on the AAU circuit this summer, where he has averaged around 20 a game, is a big reason. He is deadly from deep with a pure stroke and is almost unstoppable on the high pick and roll and on 1-4 low isolation sets. If his defense improves on and off the ball, easily his biggest weakness, he has a high a ceiling as almost anyone in the 2012 class.

Kellen Dunham - Eric Gordon Central Stars - But, the player who impressed me the most this weekend was Pendleton Heights soph-to-be Kellen Dunham, who as a tenth grader has my personal vote as the best pure shooter in the state. Dunham earned MVP honors for the Central Stars, who won their 15U bracket, by scoring 34 and 28 points in their final two tourney games, with eight threes in each game. He is not one dimensional as you might think, like a Matt Roth. Dunham had several great drives which resulted in slashing scores, getting to the line, or nice assists to teammates, including a no-look dime in the finals that brought cheers from the crowd. In the finals, Dunham started the game nailing his first six threes, four of them in the first two minutes. The outburst from the fans made college coaches, including Crean and Fife, leave the 17U championship for a while to watch Dunham's display. Kellen was recently at the IU elite camp where he thoroughly impressed, and if he continues to play like he has recently, he is no doubt a Big Ten-caliber player. If he grows another inch or two from his current 6'3 and 1/2 and can add strength, he could be the next Scott Wood, as one college coach told me.

Check back for more updates from the remaining AAU play this summer!