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Top 25 Available Bigs: 2014

This installment of the top available players in Indiana brings us to the big guys of the 2014 class.

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Trey Lyles, 6’8” F Indianapolis Arsenal Tech High School, the top player in our rankings and a top 10 player nationally de-committed from Indiana University recently. He states that IU is still on the top of his list, but would like to look around since he committed before even playing a single high school game. Expect all of the national powerhouses to try to get involved with Lyles

Mack Mercer, 6’9” PF Plymouth High School, was mostly potential a year ago at this time and now he has turned potential into production. That is something that a lot of players struggle with. His skill level has exploded especially with his outside shot and ball-handling ability. He still has work to do to be a high-major prospect; he must prove that he can rebound at a high-level against the nation’s best players. He has offers from Ball State, Indiana State, Rice, Vermont, Kent State, and Valparaiso.

Aaron Brennan, 6’6” PF Guerin Catholic High School, ended the high school in sensational fashion and then had a very good spring. That was put on hold during June when he was sidelined the whole month with an illness. He could not do anything the entire month and it showed in July with coaches watching. Brennan will recover and get his form back. He has an offer from IUPUI.

Tyler Wideman, 6’7” PF Lake Central High School, I’ve never been high on Wideman for the high-major level. He’s not a great athlete and he does not have a great skill set at this point. If he were 6-10, he would be a great prospect. I never thought he would get much taller than 6-6 or 6-7. His best asset right now is his passing ability. He has turned his mass into muscle over the last year and is moving a little bit better. He has an offer from Purdue and Xavier.

Johnathon Wilkins, 6’10” C La Lumiere School, is very good on the boards and blocking shots, his offensive game is still a little raw but can finish consistently around the rim. He moves pretty well and at 6-10, that is going to get him some opportunities. He currently has no offers.

Rashaun Richardson, 6’6” F Indianapolis Tech High School, burst on the scene this spring with a few big-time performances. He grew about 6 inches over the last year and still is adjusting to his new role. He has a great touch around the basket with either hand. His outside shot is not picture perfect, but he shoots it pretty consistently. My biggest concern is that he doesn’t like contact and shies away from banging inside. He has offers from Toledo and Miami (OH).

Isaiah Gooch, 6’6” PF Bloomington High School South, I really like Gooch’s upside. He has a great frame that he will be able to add muscle to easily. He is a good athlete both off the ground and laterally. He usually plays with good energy and is very good on the boards. When his shot has arc on it, he looks like a no-brainer mid-major prospect. He has struggled with his arc this spring and summer though. No offers right now.

Lamous Brown, 6’10 C Bishop Noll Institute High School, We haven’t seen too much of Brown yet. He is a transfer from Chicago Carver, but he did play with SYF this spring and summer. Brown is a true 6-10, but very thin right now. We will hold off on further analysis until we see more of him.

Perry Poindexter, 6’6” PF North Central High School, started to get some hype and recruiting attention last spring. The upside is still there, but the production has not increased. He is a good athlete and has a nice mid-range touch. He is also pretty good laterally on defensive end. Poindexter just has not proven he can consistently produce in terms of rebounds or points. He has no offers at this point.

Jacob Foster, 6’6” PF Wapahani High School, Foster was a pleasant surprise this spring. I liked him last spring, but his game has really expanded. He was inconsistent during July though and did not have great production against the big-time power forwards at the adidas Invite. He shoots it well to 20 feet. He has the quickness and athleticism to get to the rim against most power forwards. Plus, he is tough and will battle in the paint with a nice touch. Foster is a low-major plus prospect right now.

Collin Barthel, 6’6” PF Cathedral High School, Barthel had a couple of huge games in June for Cathedral. I think he has a lot more talent than he showcases most of the time. He’s an okay athlete, but he has a good skill set. He can put the ball on the floor a little bit and usually finishes around the basket. I would like him to consistently produce a little bit more in terms of rebounds and scoring.

Tyler Arens, 6’7” PF Muncie Central High School, Last spring, he was slow of foot, a little clumsy, and had no touch around the basket. Now, he is moving better and is shooting it well from the outside. He still is not very explosive and doesn’t have many back to the basket moves. He also failed to finish through contact a few times. He has a chance to be a low-major player, but I don’t think Arens’ ceiling is much higher than that unless his skill set just takes off.

Brad Hunt, 6’9” C Jennings County High School, his current production is not even on the radar of his potential. He is 6-9 with good hands and good feet. He moves great laterally for a 6-9 junior in high school. Hunt has the intensity and will to be good as well. Next year at this time, he could have everyone talking about how much he has improved.

Nick King, 6’6” F Franklin Community High School, has a nice inside/outside game. He plays with a good motor and he moves well laterally. From what I have seen, he is a pretty good defender on the perimeter. King finishes well around the rim with either hand. He is a really good shooter out to 21 feet. He doesn’t have the explosion to get to the rim off the dribble, so he doesn’t create his own shot on the perimeter. He has a chance to be a really good player. He is a player worth tracking for mids and low-majors.

Jalen Morgan, 6’7” PF Pike High School, is real active and bouncy on the glass. He gets his production from his energy. He is very, very thin right now and gets overpowered in the post right now. He has good, raw tools though. Morgan has a chance if he gets stronger.

Houston Pattee, 6’7” PF East Noble High School, is player that has upside, but I don’t know if he will be able to reach it anytime soon because he is so, so thin. His slight frame is going to keep his production low especially against big-time players. He is a pretty good athlete and can get off the floor a little bit. If he puts on weight/muscle, he could be pretty good though

Trevor Lockwood, 6’8” C McCutcheon High School, seems to have a decent touch, but he is on the soft side and shied away from contact a lot. He seems to be a solid athlete for his size though. He has a chance to be pretty good, but he has a long ways to go. I would say there is a good chance that he ends up as D2/NAIA but a slight chance of developing into a low-major if he puts in the work.

Kyle Thompson, 6’7” PF Brownsburg High School, is a big body that has some skills. He is not a very good athlete…he doesn’t jump well or move that well. He does have a nice touch around the basket. He can also shoot from the outside a little bit. He probably won’t be a D1 prospect unless he dramatically improves his skill set.

Matt Stewart, 6’7” C Kouts High School, small school player that plays with Meanstreets. We have not seen enough of Stewart to give a complete breakdown of his game. He is likely a small college prospect though.

Seth Cox, 6’10” C New Palestine High School, is not a great athlete, but can move a little bit. He is active around the rim and likes to go for tip-ins. He seems to be a little bit out of condition, so that might hurt his athleticism. He’s not at the D1 level yet, but since he is 6-10 he will have a chance if he develops his game more. I believe he will likely end up as a small college prospect though.

Jrak Owens, 6’7” PF Franklin Central High School, large upside potential, but raw skills right now and very skinny.

Jrar Owens, 6’7” PF Franklin Central High School, same as his twin… large upside potential, but raw skills right now and very skinny.

Noah Thomas, 6’7” PF Lafayette Harrison High School, Thomas runs decently for a young big, but I think he is much closer to 6-6 than the 6-8 that he is listed at. He is raw in terms of skill and understanding of the game.

Cris Burrrough, 6’5” PF Guerin Catholic High School, very skilled player. He has nice mid-range face-up game. He is not a great athlete. Small college prospect.

Christian Bridwell, 6’6” PF Covington High School, small college prospect.{/iACL}