... first I've really been online today for the most part since I'm out of data, but here are a couple quick notes and thoughts and stuff from today's games at the Midwest Mania event in Westfield.
• Fletcher Loyer didn't shoot great in the second of his two games today, but his team seemed to make a more concerted effort to get him some looks, which I think will be important for them moving forward against good teams. Maybe not just shots, but touches, because he's pretty solid with the ball, smart and a solid decision-maker who when all is fails, knows how to get himself fouled.
People are attacking him on defense at times, as often is the case for players who don't look like worldbeaters physically (especially those who look as young as Loyer kind of does). Kyle Guy used to talk about that all the time, that people would go after him based off optics. That said, strength and such is going to be a critical piece to his defensive outlook as his career unfolds, as will his know-how, which won't be an issue.
Indy Heat won both their games today to finish the weekend unbeaten. Really grinded/ground out some quality wins this weekend, lots of guys playing well at different times and the coaches doing a nice job managing a roster with some limitations relative to past teams.
Indy Heat beat three EYBL programs this weekend, including Emoni Bates' team this morning. Bates got banged up during the game and was held to single digits, spending much of the second half on the bench. That team is really just a promotional vehicle for him to shoot a hundred times a game. He's a brilliant talent, the closest thing to Kevin Durant I've seen since Kevin Durant, but he didn't have a great weekend. Imagine the pressure on that kid to put on a show every time out.
Anyway, Indy Heat had a good weekend and Loyer was a big part of it.
• Purdue big man target Vincent Iwuchukwu didn't play in this event, but was just kind of hanging around the Westfield gym on his way back from an event in Louisville, meeting with his LaLumiere coaches and watching teammate Kebba Njie play.
Iwuchukwu said Purdue's still talking to him and all that but he's not really thinking about recruiting at the moment. Did mention interest from all over the place. His relationship with Steve Lutz was strong, but he says he'll be interested in Purdue no matter what. I think this one's an uphill battle and we'll see if Purdue hangs in there even.
Didn't see Iwuchukwu play, but man, he is tall.
• Point guard Braden Smith really showed his motor this morning in his team's win over, uh, somebody. Really a high effort level for a Sunday morning game, lots of diving for loose balls and deflections and a really distinct competitive edge in a game his team would have won had he played at 75-percent effort level.
I don't want to make the lame white guy-to-white guy comparisons here, but you see a little of Chris Kramer's mentality in him and I think at the high end here, you might have an Aaron Craft sort of point guard, because Smith is also a really good passer and facilitator. Now, don't get me wrong here: Aaron Craft was a no-brainer high-major recruit very early in his high school career. I don't think you can say that quite yet about Smith, even though he is generating a great deal of such interest.
He looks to me like a guy who can be an impact defender, but I see him more as a Kramer-type disrupter as opposed to someone who's going to really get into and stay into quicker people and stay in front of them.
We'll see. This is a Purdue sort of kid as a competitor and whatnot, but they're going to have to make sure he checks a lot of other boxes, too.
I am confident based just off what I heard that Smith is a better shooter than he shot in the two games I saw this weekend.
That's what I've got for today. Will have stories and video on a bunch of these dudes this week.
Open to questions as well.
• Fletcher Loyer didn't shoot great in the second of his two games today, but his team seemed to make a more concerted effort to get him some looks, which I think will be important for them moving forward against good teams. Maybe not just shots, but touches, because he's pretty solid with the ball, smart and a solid decision-maker who when all is fails, knows how to get himself fouled.
People are attacking him on defense at times, as often is the case for players who don't look like worldbeaters physically (especially those who look as young as Loyer kind of does). Kyle Guy used to talk about that all the time, that people would go after him based off optics. That said, strength and such is going to be a critical piece to his defensive outlook as his career unfolds, as will his know-how, which won't be an issue.
Indy Heat won both their games today to finish the weekend unbeaten. Really grinded/ground out some quality wins this weekend, lots of guys playing well at different times and the coaches doing a nice job managing a roster with some limitations relative to past teams.
Indy Heat beat three EYBL programs this weekend, including Emoni Bates' team this morning. Bates got banged up during the game and was held to single digits, spending much of the second half on the bench. That team is really just a promotional vehicle for him to shoot a hundred times a game. He's a brilliant talent, the closest thing to Kevin Durant I've seen since Kevin Durant, but he didn't have a great weekend. Imagine the pressure on that kid to put on a show every time out.
Anyway, Indy Heat had a good weekend and Loyer was a big part of it.
• Purdue big man target Vincent Iwuchukwu didn't play in this event, but was just kind of hanging around the Westfield gym on his way back from an event in Louisville, meeting with his LaLumiere coaches and watching teammate Kebba Njie play.
Iwuchukwu said Purdue's still talking to him and all that but he's not really thinking about recruiting at the moment. Did mention interest from all over the place. His relationship with Steve Lutz was strong, but he says he'll be interested in Purdue no matter what. I think this one's an uphill battle and we'll see if Purdue hangs in there even.
Didn't see Iwuchukwu play, but man, he is tall.
• Point guard Braden Smith really showed his motor this morning in his team's win over, uh, somebody. Really a high effort level for a Sunday morning game, lots of diving for loose balls and deflections and a really distinct competitive edge in a game his team would have won had he played at 75-percent effort level.
I don't want to make the lame white guy-to-white guy comparisons here, but you see a little of Chris Kramer's mentality in him and I think at the high end here, you might have an Aaron Craft sort of point guard, because Smith is also a really good passer and facilitator. Now, don't get me wrong here: Aaron Craft was a no-brainer high-major recruit very early in his high school career. I don't think you can say that quite yet about Smith, even though he is generating a great deal of such interest.
He looks to me like a guy who can be an impact defender, but I see him more as a Kramer-type disrupter as opposed to someone who's going to really get into and stay into quicker people and stay in front of them.
We'll see. This is a Purdue sort of kid as a competitor and whatnot, but they're going to have to make sure he checks a lot of other boxes, too.
I am confident based just off what I heard that Smith is a better shooter than he shot in the two games I saw this weekend.
That's what I've got for today. Will have stories and video on a bunch of these dudes this week.
Open to questions as well.
