In our last installment of previewing the adidas Invitational, we take a look at the 15U age group. There are a lot of talented Indiana clubs in the field. The out-of-state field isn’t very deep, but there are some very tough teams. That is normal for younger age groups though.
Here is a look at the 2014 teams and prospects that will be playing in the adidas Invitational.
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Eric Gordon All-Stars are an extremely talented group. They did lose Jaquan Lyle to Spiece Indy Heat 16U, but they picked up Tyler Arens and Tayler Persons. Sean Sellers is now EG’s top prospect. Sellers has an inside/outside game at 6’5”. He has attracted attention from many programs, but no offers yet. Perry Poindexter is the next best prospect in terms of potential. He is 6’7” right now with a chance to get into the 6’9” range and he is a good athlete. His skill set isn’t extremely developed right now but he finishes consistently near the rim. Bryant McIntosh has a chance to be very good. He’s more of a shooting guard right now but likes the ball in his hands. He’s a good shooter, but not great. Zach McRoberts is another player with potential. He’s super thin right now and that hurts his productivity. Once he is able to put some weight on, he could really develop. Bo Burkhart is a steady player that will knock down the open outside shot. Brad Hunt has a long ways to go but has some things to build on like good hands, feet, and fundamental base.
· Eric Gordon All-Stars
o Stu Dillon 5’10 PG Brebeuf Rating=D2
o 22 Perry Poindexter 6’7 PF North Central Rating=MM+
o 23 Bo Burkhart 5’11 PG Evansville Bosse Rating=LM+
o 25 Zach McRoberts 6’5 SF Carmel Rating=MM-
o 34 Sean Sellers 6’5 SF Greensburg Rating=HM-
o 42 Brad Hunt 6’8 C Jennings County Rating=MM-
o Tyler Arens 6'7" C Marion Rating=MM
o Tayler Persons 6’1 SG Kokomo
o 12 Bryant McIntosh 6’2 CG Greensburg Rating=MM
Indiana Elite One is a group of very good players that play well together. They don’t have any player that is going to attract high-major offers right now but they have some that will get high-major attention. Justin Brent has had some high-major interest. I’m not completely sold on him yet. His skill set needs to become dynamite and it isn’t near that level yet. He’s a good athlete, but not to the elite-level yet. Kelan Martin has had some flashes this spring of being a very good player down the road. Collin Barthel is a combination of current skill and future potential. He has good feet so he could develop into a SF or he could add muscle and become a very tough PF. Jeff Harris can be dominant at this level. He is a good shooter, he uses his body well when he drives, and he finishes consistently in the paint. He needs to grow though because he is probably under the 5’10” mark and not ultra quick. He has a strength advantage right now, but that will be leveled out in the years to come. Adam Kroot has nice upside as a shooter with length. He just needs to prove that he can consistently do more than just shoot. Makur Pauo is a new player added through the A-HOPE program. I have not seen him yet, but I have good things about his potential.
· Indiana Elite One
o 3 Adam Kroot 6’3 SG Brebuef Rating=MM-
o **Makur Pauo 6'9" A-Hope
o 15 Jeff Harris 5’10 PG North Central Rating=MM-
o 23 Justin Brent 6’2 SG Speedway Rating=MM+
o 24 Michael Loggan 6’4 SF North Central Rating=LM
o 30 Kelan Martin 6’5 SF Ballard (KY) Rating=MM
o 34 Craig Owens 6’3 PF Trinity (KY) Rating=MM
o 44 Collin Barthel 6’6 PF Cathedral Rating=MM
o Eric Davidson 5’11 PG Hamilton Southeastern Rating=LM
Indiana Elite Hoopmatics is a team that I am not very familiar with. Jordan Garnett had a nice freshmen year for Warren Central. He started most of the season and was a hustle/rebound/defender type of player for them. It looks like he has grown a bit since then. Kendall Rollins is another prospect that is worth checking out. I’ve heard he is the son of former NBA player Tree Rollins, but I’m not sure if that is true.
· Indiana Elite Hoopmatics
o 0 Jordan Garnett 6’6 PF Warren Central Rating=LM
o 1 Daeshon Francis 6’3 SF Lawrence North
o 3 Kendall Rollins 6’5” SF Pike
o 13 Alec Bertsch 6’0 Franklin
o 15 Nick King 6’5 SF Franklin
o 20 Devon Hawkins 5’6 PG Warren Central
o 23 Grant Leach 6’1 SG Cathedral
o 30 Trey Shipley 6’4 PF Hauser
o 31 Andy Kroehler 6’5 PF Fishers
Indiana Elite-Kendrick team has grown through a lot of changes. Mike Jones has played with them on and off but appears to be playing with them in July. Jones’ hasn’t been overly impressive this spring. He has the physical skills but his mental and physical toughness is very questionable. He just doesn’t play very hard. Jeremie Tyler has been the most consistent player for them. He has shot the ball very well from the outside all spring. He gets to the basket at times, but I would like to see more versatility in his game especially if he isn’t going to grow much more. John Roberts is a strong point guard that is best when he is getting to the rim. He is definitely a player to keep an eye on, but Pike is loaded at the point guard spot so it will be interesting to see if he can get quality minutes for them as a sophomore. Harrison Brown is an explosive player that can get to the rim extremely well. He is only going to be a freshmen but you couldn’t tell by looking at him. New additions to their team are A-HOPE players Akim Nyang (7’0) and Mangesto Deng (6’7) along with Matt Gregory and Zack Saum from Cathedral.
· Indiana Elite-Kendrick
o 1 Harrison Brown 6’0 SG Indianapolis Northwest 2015
o 4 John Roberts 5’11 PG Pike Rating=MM
o 21 Mike Jones 6’5 SF Indianapolis Tech Rating=MM+
o 31 Tyler Scott 6’6 PF Noblesville Rating=MM
o 34 Jeremie Tyler 6’1 SG Indianapolis Tech Rating=MM
o 32 Nick Scruggs 6’2 SF Indianapolis Tech
o 42 Matt Gregory 6’5 SF Cathedral
o 44 Zack Saum 6’4 PF Cathedral
o 50 Akim Nyang 7’0 C MooseHeart Academy 2015
o 52 Mangesto Deng 6’7 SF MooseHeart Academy
Indiana Elite-South is built around Ernie Duncan. They have a few other good players, but Duncan is the player that makes the team go. He is a lights out shooter and passes the ball extremely well. He is likely done growing so he will need to be a point guard and prove he has the quickness to defend point guards. I’m still waiting on their complete roster and schedule. I believe Duncan is going to play with Indiana Elite One in a few tournaments in July.
· Indiana Elite-South
o Ernie Duncan 6’0 SG Evansville Harrison Rating=HM-
MBA Select has a really nice 2014 squad. They have a couple of point guards that are tough and solid players. They also have good size for a sophomore-to-be team. One of the top/most intriguing prospect on team is Nate Ritchie. Ritchie is 6’6”, moves well, and shoots it well from deep. He’s not jumping out of the gym but he seems like a decent athlete. Mack Mercer is a bit more raw than Ritchie. Mercer is 6’8” and can score in the post though. He’s not very aggressive and that will need to change.
· MBA 1
o Nate Ritchie 6’6 SF Northridge Rating=MM
o Mack Mercer 6’8 C Plymouth Rating=MM
Out of State
· Atlanta Celtics
· Grand Rapids Storm
· Illinois Old School
· KC Pump N Run
· Michigan Mustangs
· Minnesota Pump N Run
· Nashville Celtics
· REACH Legends
· St. Louis Majestics
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