The start of July AAU is also the unofficial start of the race for next year's Mr. Basketball. In many years there are clear cut favorites for the award by this point. That is not the case for the 2015 class. 

Jalen Coleman would likely be the frontrunner if he would have stayed at Cathedral. His transfer to La Lumiere at the start of the 2013-2014 year made him ineligible for the award. Other contenders might eliminate themselves from the race as well by transfering. Bowman Academy's Davon Dillard and East Chicago Central's Hyron Edwards have talked about possibly transfering to a prep school for their senior years. Dillard and Edwards were on the Indiana Junior All-Star team in June.

The 2015 class got a late addition when Caleb Swanigan (Homestead) decided to reclassify from 2016. Swanigan is one of the top recruits in the country. Swanigan led Homestead to the 4A final four last year. Playing only three seasons of high school might hurt his chances but he could easily overcome that with a strong year.

Carmel's Ryan Cline is in a good position. He is a two-time state champion. Carmel will be one of the top teams in Indiana once again this season. Plus he has already committed to Purdue which helps his name recognition. Cline had a fantastic spring for Indiana Elite.

Then a large group of players are trying to make their case. That group includes Brownsburg's K.J. Walton, Guerin Catholic's Matt Holba, Pendleton Heights' Sean McDermott and Columbus North's Josh Speidel. Each player is in a position to make a run to win the 2015 Mr. Basketball award.

A strong July against some of the best players in the nation could provide momentum in a wide open race. Handicapping this competition would be difficult at this point. The award is up for grabs.

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