FORT WAYNE — Hello, me again.
Today, pool play ended and tournament play began at the annual Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N Slam in Fort Wayne, with the final games to be played tomorrow.
Some notes and thoughts and stuff from the day at Turnstone ...
DRAVYN GIBBS-LAWHORN
Purdue's 2023 commitment was OK today. Didn't shoot great, but finds enough ways to put the ball in the basket and goes on enough little bursts that at the end of the game, he always seems to have gotten his points.
DGL did make some corner threes today as Indy Heat runs some BLOB action to the corners, similar to what they ran for Fletcher Loyer last year. Gibbs-Lawhorn seems comfortable taking that shot from that spot off the catch.
Today, something that stood out, though, was his ability to finish fast breaks running the wing and his ability to get to the basket and finish at the rim. He has a knack for wiggling through traffic and finishing at the basket, not to the same level Jaden Ivey did, but somewhat similar. Ivey's physical gifts amplified his knack.
But DGL, while not super-elite athletically, will get up and take your head off when the opportunity arises.
No change in my thoughts from last season: He's the sort of backcourt scorer Purdue needs. He's got a long way to go defensively, but he's going to give the Boilermakers a needed element.
Indy Heat did drop a close game this morning to Full Package out of Chicago — some cold shooting and defensive struggles plus some untimely technical fouls did them in — but then bounced back to hold on in the evening to beat EYBL colleague All-Ohio Red. Indy Heat led that game by as many as 13 (IIRC) but had to hold on for dear life to win by four or five, whatever it was. They've had some difficulty closing out games and advancing the ball against pressure, but that was a good win no matter the path there.
TRENT SISLEY
The Class of 2025 Purdue target was outstanding in the games we saw of his today.
This comparison has been drained by overuse of all its meaning, but there are very strong Robbie Hummel vibes to Sisley, starting with the fact that the eye-ball test doesn't overwhelm you. He's probably 6-6/6-7, 190-something forward who doesn't jump off the page at you physically, but then does just that with his skill level and game.
Like Hummel, Sisley is excellent with the ball in his hands in the open court. He'll never play the position, per se, but there are some point guard skills baked in there, but also instructional-video-level fundamentals and footwork on the interior when posting people up and an edge that shows up when he has a mismatch to crush. He plays hard, rebounds and just finds the ball.
Sisley is a very good three-point shooter.
He's tremendously advanced, and with kids like that you wonder what happens when their class catches up either physically or with their skills, but Sisley's playing up a year against 16-year-olds and more than holding his own, as his classmate Jalen Haralson, who could be playing against 20-year-olds and holding his own.
XAVIER BOOKER
It's funny how things work out when it comes to young people and their respective processes.
Back in December, I didn't think good high-major programs could take a shot on Xavier Booker. It just wasn't working for him to open his junior year at Cathedral. The obvious potential in the skilled 6-foot-11 big man seemed to just be dying on the vine.
If I had to do national rankings, well, thankfully I don't do national rankings.
Booker's been great this spring, and it wouldn't surprise me at all at this point for him to move up the rankings that he once seemed destined to plummet in.
He is being aggressive, he is attacking people and the rim alike, he's showing off that sweet stroke of his and he's being generally productive. I'd still love to see him get more rebounds, but at this rate, things are falling in place for him to the point where maybe things keep happening into the summer and then his senior year.
I'd love to see him in situations where he gets the ball in position to score 20 times a game, but that's not been his situation in either high school or grassroots. He's a rim-runner and pick-and-pop shooter mostly, and doing both well right now.
I'll have a bunch of video from the weekend to come.
COUPLE MORE THINGS ...
• Purdue 2024 target Cooper Koch strikes me as the consummate high-floor, low-ceiling sort of play. IQ and skill level are excellent. Not sure he has a ton of up-side from what I've seen, outside of getting bigger, stronger and maybe more athletic in time. But he can shoot, handle and pass and really knows how to play. Good shot-fake and pass-fake sort of guy who makes for good offense even when he's not the guy getting the shot.
• Only saw one of Jack Benter's two games today and he didn't shoot great in the evening, going 1-of-5 from three-point range. But there are even some mannerisms there that remind of Dakota Mathias. Another really good offensive player who's also just a really conscientious player. By that I mean you can see him being mindful of blocking people out on the glass and preparing to get back on defense when shots go up.
I think this guy has Purdue written all over him.
• Not related to the tournament, but big day for the transfer portal tomorrow. I doubt Purdue has anybody sitting here ready to throw their name in to try to shake down boosters to pay them, but you're going to see some names out there, I bet, playing the leverage game the way Isaiah Wong at Miami just did.
May 1 is the drop-dead date for the portal.
More to come tomorrow from the championship rounds.
Today, pool play ended and tournament play began at the annual Bill Hensley Memorial Run 'N Slam in Fort Wayne, with the final games to be played tomorrow.
Some notes and thoughts and stuff from the day at Turnstone ...
DRAVYN GIBBS-LAWHORN
Purdue's 2023 commitment was OK today. Didn't shoot great, but finds enough ways to put the ball in the basket and goes on enough little bursts that at the end of the game, he always seems to have gotten his points.
DGL did make some corner threes today as Indy Heat runs some BLOB action to the corners, similar to what they ran for Fletcher Loyer last year. Gibbs-Lawhorn seems comfortable taking that shot from that spot off the catch.
Today, something that stood out, though, was his ability to finish fast breaks running the wing and his ability to get to the basket and finish at the rim. He has a knack for wiggling through traffic and finishing at the basket, not to the same level Jaden Ivey did, but somewhat similar. Ivey's physical gifts amplified his knack.
But DGL, while not super-elite athletically, will get up and take your head off when the opportunity arises.
No change in my thoughts from last season: He's the sort of backcourt scorer Purdue needs. He's got a long way to go defensively, but he's going to give the Boilermakers a needed element.
Indy Heat did drop a close game this morning to Full Package out of Chicago — some cold shooting and defensive struggles plus some untimely technical fouls did them in — but then bounced back to hold on in the evening to beat EYBL colleague All-Ohio Red. Indy Heat led that game by as many as 13 (IIRC) but had to hold on for dear life to win by four or five, whatever it was. They've had some difficulty closing out games and advancing the ball against pressure, but that was a good win no matter the path there.
TRENT SISLEY
The Class of 2025 Purdue target was outstanding in the games we saw of his today.
This comparison has been drained by overuse of all its meaning, but there are very strong Robbie Hummel vibes to Sisley, starting with the fact that the eye-ball test doesn't overwhelm you. He's probably 6-6/6-7, 190-something forward who doesn't jump off the page at you physically, but then does just that with his skill level and game.
Like Hummel, Sisley is excellent with the ball in his hands in the open court. He'll never play the position, per se, but there are some point guard skills baked in there, but also instructional-video-level fundamentals and footwork on the interior when posting people up and an edge that shows up when he has a mismatch to crush. He plays hard, rebounds and just finds the ball.
Sisley is a very good three-point shooter.
He's tremendously advanced, and with kids like that you wonder what happens when their class catches up either physically or with their skills, but Sisley's playing up a year against 16-year-olds and more than holding his own, as his classmate Jalen Haralson, who could be playing against 20-year-olds and holding his own.
XAVIER BOOKER
It's funny how things work out when it comes to young people and their respective processes.
Back in December, I didn't think good high-major programs could take a shot on Xavier Booker. It just wasn't working for him to open his junior year at Cathedral. The obvious potential in the skilled 6-foot-11 big man seemed to just be dying on the vine.
If I had to do national rankings, well, thankfully I don't do national rankings.
Booker's been great this spring, and it wouldn't surprise me at all at this point for him to move up the rankings that he once seemed destined to plummet in.
He is being aggressive, he is attacking people and the rim alike, he's showing off that sweet stroke of his and he's being generally productive. I'd still love to see him get more rebounds, but at this rate, things are falling in place for him to the point where maybe things keep happening into the summer and then his senior year.
I'd love to see him in situations where he gets the ball in position to score 20 times a game, but that's not been his situation in either high school or grassroots. He's a rim-runner and pick-and-pop shooter mostly, and doing both well right now.
I'll have a bunch of video from the weekend to come.
COUPLE MORE THINGS ...
• Purdue 2024 target Cooper Koch strikes me as the consummate high-floor, low-ceiling sort of play. IQ and skill level are excellent. Not sure he has a ton of up-side from what I've seen, outside of getting bigger, stronger and maybe more athletic in time. But he can shoot, handle and pass and really knows how to play. Good shot-fake and pass-fake sort of guy who makes for good offense even when he's not the guy getting the shot.
• Only saw one of Jack Benter's two games today and he didn't shoot great in the evening, going 1-of-5 from three-point range. But there are even some mannerisms there that remind of Dakota Mathias. Another really good offensive player who's also just a really conscientious player. By that I mean you can see him being mindful of blocking people out on the glass and preparing to get back on defense when shots go up.
I think this guy has Purdue written all over him.
• Not related to the tournament, but big day for the transfer portal tomorrow. I doubt Purdue has anybody sitting here ready to throw their name in to try to shake down boosters to pay them, but you're going to see some names out there, I bet, playing the leverage game the way Isaiah Wong at Miami just did.
May 1 is the drop-dead date for the portal.
More to come tomorrow from the championship rounds.
