The annual Bill Hensley Memorial Run ‘N Slam began with a loaded Friday night. The first night saw Jaren Jackson Jr., Jaylen Butz and Xavier Tillman’s Spiece Indy Heat take on Malik Williams’ Legit squad along with a number of 2019 match-ups. Here’s a look at the standouts from night one.

The marquee match-up of opening night for Indiana teams was Spiece Indy Heat against Fort Wayne-based Legit Basketball. Legit showed plenty of toughness, but in the end, Speice had too much firepower. La Lumiere 2019 point guard Tyger Campbell is playing with Spiece Indy Heat this weekend. He had a great first half with 14 points. Justin Roberts had a big first half as well. In the second half, it was the post players that stole the show for Spiece. Jaren Jackson Jr. continues to play at a higher and higher level. Jaylen Butz kept his energy and motor high which led to many opportunities.

Malik Williams certainly had his moments. He looked good handling the ball in space. He made a couple aggressive moves from the block. One move he finished with a reverse layup around Jackson. He had his moments, but the deck was stacked against him.

Anton Berry surprised me with his ability to get to the basket off the dribble. He was aggressive in the second half and it worked out well for him. Berry could be an excellent small college prospect with his size, skill set and competitiveness.

Jacob Redding and Campbell Donovan each had their moments for Legit. Redding is a consistent, top-tier shooter. If he has any room to get his shot off, he is going to hit it. He has expanded his lead guard skills over the last year as well. It took Donovan awhile to find his rhythm, but he hit shots late in the game. Donovan is another player that could excel at the small college level. Redding would be a steal for most small college programs.

The first Indiana-based team that I watched was Team Teague in the 15 and under division. They have a number of prospects on their team. They have had a good amount of success with this age group. On Friday night, it was Trayce Jackson-Davis leading the way. Jackson-Davis was fantastic, especially in the second half. He scored 17 points after halftime on his way to a game-high 25 points. I wasn’t keeping stats, but he had 10+ with ease. Jackson-Davis had a good freshman season for Center Grove, but this game showed a lot of his potential as he finished everything around the basket and made his free-throws.

Culver Academies guard Ethan Brittain-Watts had a stellar game for Team Teague against Wisconsin Playground Warriors as well. Watts finished with 17 points. He is a slashing guard that has good form on his shot as well. He was very patient with the ball on Friday evening. Ben Davis guard Jalen Windam had a quiet game especially in the first half before playing better in the second half. Windam is a 6-foot-4 guard that has a scoring mentality.

I started off Friday night with a battle between major 2019 prospects Nobal Days (Butler Elite) and Romeo Weems (The Family). Days showed off his incredible passing throughout the game. There are not many 6-foot-8+ guys that have the vision and ability to execute passes like Days. He threads the needle on a consistent basis. Weems started off slowly before picking it up in the second half. The spark might have been when Days dunked over Weems early in the second half that ignited Weems. After that point, Weems was much more aggressive on the offensive end. Weems is a strong 6-foot-7 with length and strength for a 2019 prospect. He took Days off the dribble a number of times and good things resulted from it. Both prospects had a good showing with major potential going forward.

The Family has a number of 2019 prospects to keep an eye on. Mark Watts is a 6-foot shooting guard with good form and quickness off the dribble. Detroit Edison power forward Dreyon O’Neal showed upside with his 6-foot-6 frame and touch from the block. The whole roster has a chance to be good.

Butler Elite has a talented team besides Days as well. Larry Canady is a savvy scorer with a good pace to his game. Matt Brown is another skilled guard that can score at a high level. Matthew Rader and Richard Warren have high upsides.

Mac Irvin Fire didn’t have their entire roster at Spiece on Friday night. They were missing high-major wing Justin Smith. I was impressed with the Louisville Magic, though. Tony Jackson and Jaylen Sebree provide size, strength, skill and overall versatility to the lineup. JR Mathis is an athletic guard that can score at all three levels. Chris Vogt is a center that can control the paint and finish plays on the offensive end. That’s not even mentioning highly regarded point guard David Sloan. The Magic controlled the entire second half.

The Fire did have Michigan-commitment Jordan Poole. I’ve been struck by the improvement of Poole’s quickness over the last year or so. He’s moving his feet a lot better on both ends of the floor than he did last year. His stroke and range are still there as well. Poole bombed a few three-pointers from beyond the NBA arc.

Lenell Henry was active in the paint and on the glass all game for Mac Irvin Fire. He and Christian Negron battled the size and strength of the Louisville Magic as best they could. Henry was a bit more productive than Negron on this night. Henry’s arms seem to go on forever.

The Mac Irvin Fire picked up one of my personal favorites – Storm Murphy – for the weekend. Murphy is a point guard from Wisconsin that is a play making machine. He did a great job against the Magic’s zone on Friday night. His size might limit him a bit for the next level, but he handles it really well with great vision and he will hit open three-point shots. Murphy would be an absolute steal at the D2 level. I think he could help a lot of Division I programs in the right situation.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the performance by The Family’s Jamal Cain in the nightcap against Terrence Lewis and Wisconsin Playground Elite. Cain helped The Family a late deficit with his 29-point, 16-rebound effort. Cain is one of the fastest risers in the 2017 class. Michigan and Florida State have recently offered him. It is easy to see why. He is a fantastic athlete at a legitimate 6-foot-7. Cain has all the wing skills that you could want as well. He is an excellent prospect.