The adidas Invitational has emerged as the top early July tournament in the Midwest. The tournament is held from July 6-9 and played primarily at North Central High School along with Northview Middle School, which is just across the parking lot from North Central. Games take place in a couple other venues but older teams have been at those two locations in the past.
Top Indiana clubs represented in the tournament include Eric Gordon All-Stars, Indiana Elite, Team Southern Indiana, D3 Pride, D-Rose, and Spiece. As well as some of the top teams from around the country like 43 Hoops, Atlanta Celtics, DC Assault, Colorado Hawks, Compton Magic, Michigan Mustangs, New England Playaz, and Team Philly.
Here is a closer look at the teams participating broken down by age group.
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All of the top 2012 teams in Indiana are represented in the adidas Invitational except Spiece Indy Heat and SYF (NY2LA Next Level Invitational).
Eric Gordon Central Stars have a very good team. Ronnie Johnson committed to Purdue early this spring while Rhett Smith committed to Indiana State last fall. D.J. Balentine has really elevated his game this spring while becoming more of a SG than PG. Nick Osborne has become a highly sought after recruit mainly from the mid-major level. Patrick Ingram has been consistent as a defensive stopper on the all of the perimeter positions. Ingram’s offensive game hasn’t been as consistent but he can hit the open outside shot and get to the rim. Joe Reed is similar to Osborne but not quite as strong or athletic as Osborne. Reed has picked up some D1 interest including an IPFW offer. Brent Calhoun has shown flashes of becoming a really good player. He had a huge game early in the spring against Indiana Elite-Team Indiana. He’s a wide-body lefty that has good timing on the defensive end although he isn’t a very good athlete. Dylan Langkabel is one of the best shooters in the class but quickness has been a question mark. He has performed well against good athletes this spring though. Michael Volovic is heady, pure point guard that should be a valuable prospect for D2/NAIA/D3 levels.
· Eric Gordon Central Stars
o 3 Ronnie Johnson 5’10 PG North Central Rating=HM- (Purdue)
o 20 Rhett Smith 6’7 PF Sullivan Rating=MM (Indiana State)
o 22 Adam Botts 5’11 PG Muncie Central Rating=D2
o 23 Patrick Ingram 6’2 SG North Central Rating=MM
o 25 Dylan Langkabel 6’4 SG Morristown Rating=MM-
o 31 D.J. Balentine 6’2 PG Kokomo Rating=MM
o 44 Joe Reed 6’8 PF Center Grove Rating=LM
o 50 Brent Calhoun 6’8 PF Warren Central Rating=LM
o 11 Michael Volovic 5’10 PG Carmel Rating=D2
o 32 Nick Osborne 6’8 PF Muncie Central Rating=MM+
Indiana Elite-Team Indiana still has 4 Indiana University commits on the roster although Ron Patterson moved over to Indiana Elite One. The top uncommitted prospects on IE-Team Indiana are Obij Aget, Eron Harris, and Jermaine Myers. Aget is a rail-thin 7-footer that is very similar to Peter Jurkin; who is heading to Indiana. He is bothered by contact and doesn’t have a developed skill set but runs the floor really well and has pretty good hands. Harris is a rising mid-major prospect with offers from Evansville and SIU-E. He’s a good athlete that can score at the rim and from the outside. Myers is a point guard that is on the MM/LM fringe. Streaky shooter from the outside and not an overly explosive athlete.
o 1 Obij Aget 7’0 C LaLumiere Rating=MM
o 11 Yogi Ferrell 5’11 PG Park Tudor Rating=HM (Indiana)
o 12 Hanner Perea 6’8 PF LaLumiere Rating=HM (Indiana)
o 33 Jeremy Hollowell 6’7 SF Lawrence Central Rating=HM (Indiana)
o 42 Peter Jurkin 7’0 C United Faith (NC) Rating=MM+ (Indiana)
o 22 Eron Harris 6’4 SG Lawrence North Rating=MM
o 3 Jermaine Myers 6’1 PG Culver Academy Rating=MM-
Indiana Elite-One has a very nice team with a lot of mid-major prospects along with Ron Patterson. Patterson is the only committed player on the roster. Jared Drew and Kellon Thomas each have a boatload of offers. Ryan Weber is coming off a strong spring before he was sidelined with Mono. Matt O’Leary also raised his stock during April and May. O’Leary is a face-up power forward that can really shoot the ball. Athleticism and strength probably keeps O’Leary in the low-major category instead of mid-major though. Tyler Alderman is a player with a lot of natural ability but hasn’t shown the toughness and intensity to be a D1 player. Michael Lenz is scrappy guard that likes to get to the basket and is willing to put his body in harm’s way. He is also a high-academic prospect which has drawn some Ivy League interest although he is better suited for the D2/NAIA/D3 levels. Ross Sponsler is a very good spot-up shooter. I’m not sold on what else he can do. Sponsler is also a prospect for D2/NAIA/D3 programs to check out.
· Indiana Elite-One
o 1 Kellon Thomas 5’11 PG Southport Rating=MM
o 11 Michael Lenz 6’1 SG Brebuef Rating=LM-
o 22 Jared Drew 6’5 SF Cathedral Rating=MM
o 23 Rashad Richardson 6’5 SF Lafayette Jeff Rating=LM-
o 24 Matt O’Leary 6’6 SF Terre Haute North Rating=MM-
o 31 Ryan Weber 6’7 SF Roncalli Rating=MM/MM+
o 32 Ross Sponsler 6’2 SG Terre Haute North Rating=D2
o 44 Tyler Alderman 6’9 PF Fishers Rating=LM
o Ron Patterson 6'3 SG Broad Ripple Rating=HM (Indiana)
D-Rose Uptempo is a must see for low-major programs looking for mid-major talent. No one has committed yet on the roster. Elijah Ray is the most recruited player with offers from Indiana State and Valpo plus interest from a host of schools. Ray is a tweener SF/PF but is explosive enough that he should be okay at the next level at either position. Ray also has a 3.9 GPA. Harry Wills is the most under-recruited player in the state. Wills has high-major athleticism that can be a lock down defender while getting to the rim with easy. The knock is that he is more of a shooting guard in a point guard body and that he can’t shoot. He has no serious interest right now and it is ridiculous. Stephan Hawkins might have the most upside as he is 6’8” and a pretty good athlete plus he has a great fundamental base to his game. He has interest from Illinois State, IPFW, and DePaul. Petey Balls is a point guard with decent size, very good athlete, and above average shooter from the outside. Balls has some low-major interest. Dominique Burris has picked up some interest from his play in the spring. He is a junkyard dog type of player. Burris plays with toughness and a high-motor which leads to a lot of put-back baskets. He’s more of a PF at only 6’4 though so he is likely better suited for D2/NAIA than D1. Tyler Fischl is in the same model as Burris but maybe not quite as productive. Daniel Purvlicis is a player has the skills to be a mid-major player but hasn’t played up to his potential in the past. He has skills in the post and can hit outside jumpers plus he is a good athlete although he is on the thin side. Kendall Waters is on the LM/D2 borderline. He does everything pretty well on the court but doesn’t make the best decisions with the ball at times. Trevor Thompson is a super-thin but a prospect that D2/NAIA should take a look at.
· D-Rose Uptempo
o Elijah Ray 6'5 PF Bowman Academy Rating=LM+
o Stephan Hawkins 6'8 C Bowman Academy Rating=MM
o Harry Wills 6’2 SG Ben Davis Rating=MM-
o Daniel Purvlicis 6’7 PF Noblesville Rating=LM
o Petey Balls 6’0 PG Lawrence North Rating=LM
o Tyler Fischl 6’4 SF Lawrence Central Rating=LM-
o Kendall Waters 5’11 PG Muncie Central Rating=LM
o Doc Flowers 5’8 PG Cathedral Rating=D2
o Trevor Thompson 6’10 C Ben Davis Rating=D2
o Dominique Burris 6’4” SF Noblesville Rating=LM-
CAPS is headlined by two Northwestern commits in Milos Kostic and Alex Olah. Dean Danos is a quick point guard that can also hit shots from the outside. He would be a steal for a D2 program if he doesn’t go D1. Josh James is an energy player with some skills and height to go along with it. He plays some SF for CAPS but he will be a PF at the next level unless he develops his perimeter skills dramatically.
· CAPS
o Adabyu Babalola 6’2 SG St. Francis de Sales (IL) Rating=LM
o 4 Nick Pellar 6’4 SF IMG Academy (FL) Rating=D2
o 11 Josh James 6’6 PF Andrean Rating=D2
o 12 Dean Danos 5’11 PG Aurora Christian Rating=LM
o 14 Milos Kostic 6’8 PF Bishop Noll 2013 Rating=MM (Northwestern)
o 22 Alex Olah 6’11 C Trader’s Point Rating=MM (Northwester)
o 25 Jabbar Washington 6’2 SG Michigan City Rating=D2
D3 Pride started off the spring as Gary Harris and role players. They added T.J. Bell and Abdel Nader (former 2011 New Mexico commit now 2012 uncommitted) in the spring then they picked up Austin Burgett (Notre Dame) a couple of weeks ago. R.J. Hunter has been out all spring and June after a stress fracture surgery. He is expected back for July though. Mike Ramey is a 6’4 shooter that has a ton of mid-major offers and some high-major interest. Jacobby Bledsoe is a small point guard that also has a handful of D1 offers. I’m not sold on Bledsoe as a D1 prospect let alone mid-major offers. He looks good when he shoots it well from the outside but that is not consistent. As a pure point guard, he makes too many mistakes with the ball for a player with limited size and strength. Tyler Corley is a better option than Bledsoe although Corley is more of a LM prospect. Corley is stronger and more explosive while being slightly better with the ball and similar from the outside. Keith Cochran is an option for D2/NAIA programs and possibly low-majors looking to add some size. He’s a true 6’10 and has added weight so he isn’t extremely thin anymore. Skill set needs a lot of work though.
· D3 Pride
o Gary Harris 6’4 SG Hamilton Southeastern Rating=HM
o R.J. Hunter 6’5 SG Pike Rating=MM+ (Georgia State)
o Mike Ramey 6’4 SG Southport Rating=MM
o David Heckman 6’7 PF Roncalli Rating=LM-
o Jacobby Bledsoe 5’10 PG Hamilton Southeastern Rating=LM
o Tyler Corey 5’11 PG Lawrence Central Rating=LM
o Diamond Seltzer 5’11 PG Decatur Central Rating=D2
o Randy Gregory 6’5 PF Hamilton SE Rating=LM
o Keith Cochran 6’11 C Bluffton Rating=D2
o Austin Burgett 6’8 PF Avon Rating=MM+ (Notre Dame)
o Abdel Nadar 6’6” SF Rating=MM+
Indy Bulls feature Kyle Stidom who has had some D1 interest. He’s on the LM/D2 borderline. He can shoot it but is he able to guard on the perimeter at the D1 level? From what I have seen, the answer is no.
· FH Elite Indy Bulls
o Kyle Stidom 6’3” SG Greenwood Christian Rating=LM
MBA Select 2012 is a good team for top-level D2 programs to watch. Bo Calhoun is a 6’5” or 6’6” post player that is in the Zach Randolph mold. Skilled and a big body that is hard to stop in the post. He has a chance to be a low-major player but D2/NAIA would get a steal if they can land Calhoun. Jeff Laidig would be another steal for a top D2/NAIA team. I haven’t seen a lot of Laidig but he is a great shooter with good size and strength.
· MBA Select
o Bo Calhoun 6’6” PF South Bend Washington Rating=LM-
o Jeff Laidig 6’3” SF Penn Rating=LM-
o John Eckert 6’7 PF North Judson Rating=LM-
Team Southern Indiana 2012-Red finished the spring session out strong as they won the last two tournaments. Darryl Baker is the most heralded player on the roster but others deserve praise as well. Baker is a 6’2” SG that is a decent athlete but not outstanding. His best ability is outside shooting and will need to prove he can do much more at the next level to be mid-major recruit. Grant Meyer is one of my favorites to watch play although he isn’t a big-time prospect. He’s a great shooter, tough, and does whatever it takes to win. He is the type of player that takes D2/NAIA teams to championship levels. Desmond Dorsey is a slashing shooting guard that will force shots and get out of control at times. Plus he is a bit undersized or he would be a much higher prospect. Jordan Burton and Sam Hunt are big men that D2/NAIA should take a look at. Burton has had some D1 interest but likely will not end up getting an offer. Hunt is more of a project for the D2/NAIA level but he has good size, good hands/feet, and is fundamental.
· Team Southern Indiana 2012 Red
o Keegan Kincaid Switzerland Co
o Darryl Baker 6’2 SG Jeffersonville 2013 Rating=MM
o Desmond Dorsey 6’1 SG Jeffersontown Rating=LM
o Jordan Burton 6’7 PF Edinburgh Rating=LM-
o Sam Hunt 6’8 C Jennings County Rating=LM
o Grant Meyer 6’0 PG Silver Creek Rating=LM-
The Truth coached by Butler guard Ron Nored has a couple of under the radar guys in Greg Gardner and Josh Turnock. Gardner is the higher level prospect. He is 6’4”, shoots the ball extremely well, above average athlete, and handles the ball well. He’s right on the level of low-major and high-level D2/NAIA. Turnock is a 6’8” post that is strong and moves pretty well. He also can score in the post. Joel Smith is the third best prospect on the roster. He isn’t very athlete but he has some skill and is pretty strong.
· The Truth
o Josh Turnock 6’8 C Eastbrook Rating=LM-
o Greg Gardner 6’5 SG Chatard Rating=LM
o Joel Smith 6’5 PF Heritage Christian Rating=LM-
Spiece Higher Level is made up of a combo of 2012 and 2013 players. The best players on the team are members of the 2013 class. Austin Hatch committed to Michigan on June 15th. Tragically, Hatch was involved in a plane crash June 24th. The crash killed his father and step-mother. Hatch is currently in ICU. Markese McGuire is a slashing guard that can also handle it pretty well. Clay Yeo is mainly a shooter, but he is a decent athlete as well.
· Spiece Higher Level
o Austin Hatch 6’6 SF Canterbury 2013 Rating=MM+ (Michigan)
o Markese McGuire 6’3 SG Elkhart Memorial 2013 Rating=MM
o Clay Yeo 6’5 SF Triton 2013 Rating=MM
o Dominique Williams 6’4 SG Fort Wayne Rating=LM-
o Ben Meshberger 6’9 C South Adams
o Eric Miller 6’6 C Carroll (Flora) 2013
o Blake Meyer 6’7 C Cathedral 2013
Spiece Select 2012 Irwin has Logan Irwin who committed to Stetson on June 15th. They also have some decent height on their roster that we have not seen.
· Spiece Select Irwin
o Logan Irwin 6’0 PG Whitko Rating=LM (Stetson)
o A.J. Schmidt 6’0 SG Providence Rating=LM-
o Kolten Krull 6’8 C Whitko
o Kyle Fillman 6’6 C Norwell
o Logan Jaehmen 6’7 C East Central
o T.J. Blair 6’5 PF East Noble
Here are some of the out of state top level teams along with some of the big-name players that play on those teams.
· 43 Hoops
o Marcus Marshall 6’2” SG
· Atlanta Celtics
o Tony Parker 6’9” PF
o Shaq Goodwin 6’8” PF
· Colorado Hawks
o Chris Thomas 6’5” SG
· Compton Magic
o Gabe York 6’1” SG
· Dallas Mustangs
· DC Assault
o Torian Graham
o Nate Britt 2013
· East Coast Fusion Gold
· Florida Elite
· Florida Rams
· Full Package
· M33M Memphis
· Michigan Mustangs
o Denzel Valentine 6’5” SF (Michigan State)
o Chris Harrison-Docks 6’0” PG (Butler)
· Minnesota Pump N Run
· Nashville Celtics
· New England Playaz
o Kaleb Tarczewski 7’0” 5-Star
· Ohio Basketball Club
· Ohio Shooting Stars
o Jordan Barham 6’3 SG University HS
· REACH Legends
o Sherron Dorsey-Walker 6’4” SG
· Southern Select
o Charles Mann 6’5” SG
· Team Philly
o Chazz Patterson 6’3” SG
o Brandon Taylor 6’8” PF
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