Eric Gordon 16U
EG10 16U group won the their age group. Jeremy Hollowell, 6’7 Lawrence Central, looked like a future pro this weekend. He was unstoppable offensively inside and outside. If he keeps adding muscle and keeps his focus, I expect to see him in the league in a few years. He is so explosive for his height and age plus he is skilled. Not to be out done by Hollowell, Ronnie Johnson, 5’10 North Central, had a huge tournament. EG10 turned to Johnson late in games and in high pressure situations. He is tough to guard because he can shoot it from long-range so then you get up on him to take that away and he is so quick he just blows by people. Johnson is a definite MM prospect and possibly HM if he can get even close to his brother’s 6’3 height. Nick Osborne, 6’7 Muncie Central, had a good tournament. He was really strong on the boards and cleaned up a lot of misses for EG10. Osborne is strong, moves well, and has a good motor. He will have to develop more range and refine his post moves if he Is going to play higher than the MM level. D.J. Balentine, 6’0 Kokomo, continues to improve every time I see him. He has shed the baby fat he used to have. Balentine is a big-time shooter and a crafty driver/finisher. I have him as a MM- prospect right now because I’m not sure he can guard at a MM level. Dylan Langkabel, 6’4 Morristown, was big in the first half of the championship game. He got to the basket a lot and either finished or got fouled. There is no doubt he can shoot it, but he has to tighten up his handles. Langkabel is a solid MM prospect right now with his skill set and basketball IQ. Rhett Smith, 6’7 Sullivan, did not do too much this tournament. The team is so deep that I’m not sure he was able to get into a rhythm even when he played extended minutes. He didn’t really find a way to get involved when he was the 3rd or 4th option on the floor i.e. pick and popping or crashing the boards really hard to get a few put backs
I didn’t get a chance to see Spiece Indy Heat 2012 or SYF 16U. I heard that Austin Burgett, 6’8 Avon, had a good tournament for Spiece. Edward Seay, 6’8 Merrillville, missed the tournament due to a wedding so that added to the reason why I didn’t go to watch SYF.