Week 1 of the Metro Indy Basketball Fall League was a great one. The intensity in these settings are determined by the big name players and each year I’m astounded by how hard the top guys compete. Guys like Devin Davis, Ron Patterson, and Zak Irvin set the standard with their competitiveness. High energy level doesn’t always equal good basketball, but it is much more tolerable when mistakes are made.
Here is a link to the rosters http://metroindybasketball.com/fall-league-2011/
Teams that I didn’t get to watch this week were…#2, #4, #9, #10, #11, #12, #15-18. Next week, I will make it a point to see those teams.
Here are 14 player evaluations from the first night of the league action..
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Andrew Dakich 6’1” PG Zionsville 2013 Dakich is a coach on the floor. He is a leader and sees the floor extremely well. He will try to force a pass here and there, but that can be fixed easily. The main question has always been “Can he defend at the next level?” It will always been a struggle for him, but more and more I believe he will be able to defend at the LM level.
Zach Richie 6’1” SG Zionsville 2012 It will be interesting to see how the state’s leading returning scorer fits in at Zionsville. The level jump between Oregon-Davis and Zionsville is almost as big as high school to Division 1. He’s going to be mainly a catch and shoot player that occasionally finds gaps in the defense and gets an easy basket. I’d be very surprised if he scores more than 12 ppg this year. The big thing is how he handles that big decrease in output. D2/NAIA/D3 prospect
Darryl Baker 6’2” SG Southport 2013 I admit that I haven’t watched Baker that much in the past. When I have watched him, he has not impressed me. He usually was just a catch and shoot guy although he is a good shooter. Sunday night, he showed more athleticism than I thought he had. He got to the rim, had a big-time dunk, and shot it well from the outside. I still think he is more MM than HM though.
David Hill 6’0” PG Cathedral 2013 I mentioned in the Cathedral open gym report that I was shocked to see Hill attempting dunks in drills. Well Sunday, Hill put down a two-handed dunk in a game and it went down smooth. His skill set is still shaky and inconsistent, but his length and athleticism makes him an attractive MM-/LM+ prospect.
Paul Furlin 6’0” PG Hamilton Southeastern 2013 Furlin is a like Brebeuf’s Mike Lenz, but Furlin shoots it better from the outside. He can get to the rim because he has decent quickness. One to keep on the radar for LM’s.
Eric Davidson 6’2” SG Hamilton Southeastern 2014 Davidson is quicker than you expect him to be. He is also a knock down shooter from the outside. He has some dribble moves and good handles. The down side is that he is extremely thin and that hurts his productivity.
Yogi Ferrell 5’11” PG Park Tudor 2012 Yogi was on his game when my team played against him. He had his jumper working and was also getting to the basket whenever he wanted. I was excited to see the Jaylon Brown vs. Yogi matchup and Yogi got the best of it although Brown was able to get to the rim a few times on Yogi.
Kaleb Ferrell 6’1” SG Perry Meridian 2014 Yogi’s brother. Completely different player than Yogi though. Kaleb is a wing and a good shooter, he is also a decent athlete. It will be interesting to see how he develops.
Devin Davis 6’7” PF Warren Central 2013 Davis was the most impressive player of the night for me. He faced off against AAU teammate Zak Irvin and Davis looked great. He looked more explosive than I had seen in the past (even two weeks ago at open gym). He handled the ball in the open court well and always plays with a high motor.
Jaylon Brown 6’0” PG Fishers 2013 Brown didn’t have his best games Sunday night. He showed the flashes that have caught the eye of high-major and mid-major coaches. He is a freak athlete but still learning how to utilize it correctly. He is an average shooter from the outside and below average decision maker with the ball. If he tightens up his handles and decision making, he is a high-major prospect. For now, he is better suited for the mid-major level.
Zak Irvin 6’6” SF Hamilton Southeastern 2013 Irvin didn’t have a great shooting night (somehow I still haven’t seen him have a great shooting game and I’ve watched him 25+ games, but that is for a different time). Irvin was impressive off the dribble though. It seems like he has been working on that part of his game a lot. Standing next to him, he is closer to 6’5 than 6’7”. He has improved a lot from this time last year though.
Gary Bonds 6’5” PF Scecina 2015 He didn’t have huge production, but he did some nice things. He was active on the glass and hit a 15 footer. Definitely a freshman to keep an eye on for years to come.
Bronson Kessinger 6’6” Corydon Central 2015 Kessinger was good this spring/summer, but he has improved and looks like he might have grown a little bit. Will he grow more? Can he defend a high-major small forward? Those are the questions that will need to be answered. He is extremely skilled for a 6’6” freshman though. Likely a high-major prospect if he continues to grow or not.
KJ Walton 6’2” SG Brownsburg 2015 Walton has been one of the top players in the 2015 class for many years now. He proved that he could play with the older guys Sunday night, but he does take a lot of ill-advised shots. His effort can be questioned especially if he isn’t scoring. High-major prospect though. {/iACL}