Zach Randolph (6'8, 250 lbs, C, Marion, IN - No Excuses)
(scouting report by Peegs)
Zach is only a junior to be but is already a big mountain underneath
the basket. Zach is real good about staying in the post where he should
be. This lefty had a couple 3 point plays against Spiece North where he
used his strength to finish the plays despite the hard fouls. Showed the
ability to run the court as well. He ran into foul trouble a couple of
times in the tournament and was sat down on occassion for not doing what
was asked for in the half court trap/press defense that No Excuses was
playing. Zach will need to watch his weight over the next couple of
years. Already a high major prospect.
(scouting report by Peegs)
John Roos (6'1, 185 lbs, PG, Indianapolis Pike, IN - Indy Metros Gold)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Offensively, Roos gets caught up a bit the with the dribble,
missing opportunites for others, but that has improved greatly
each summer with maturity and a better understanding the position.
His strength, which will be taken to the football field this fall,
makes him one of the strongest finishing point guards. He too is
a great leader on the floor, running the show for the 4A state
champs, and he does have a knack for hitting that big 3, usually
coming on a pass from the post. When he drives, he finishes to
the rim.
Defensively, Siewert, Jason Gardner, Jamar Gaines (Bloomington Red),
and Roos are the best ball defenders in this class. Roos' strength
keeps him from being broken down easily, and his long arms and
instincts allows him to outreach the passer, creating many easy
opportunities offensively. Off the ball, he is the leader on this
team, both in taking care of himself, but getting his teammates to
the right places.
(scouting report by annonymous)
Eric Seiss (6'3, Redlands, CA - LA Rockfish)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Can dunk, runs well and has quick feet and is one of the
best spot up shooters out of the west.
(scouting report by annonymous)
Kyle Siewart (5'10, 170 lbs, PG, Blue River Valley, IN - Indy Metros Gold)
(scouting report by annonymous)
The most tireless defender in Indiana. Defending the ball, he
is in the same class as Jason Gardner, and as a help defender....
53 charges taken in 44 AAU games last summer. Off the ball, he is
just as great recovering, which also is a lost art, as he is helping.
He has tremendous instincts, and he can dominate a game with his
ability to create turnovers either with his hands or his body.
Offensively, he is a mental giant and a general on the floor. He is
fearless to the basket, quick with the ball, and sets up his
teammates as well as anyone in the class. He is a tremendous spot
up shooter, and while his shot off the dribble used to be a weakness,
it has gotten to the point where defenders who fear his ability to
dish, have been beaten by ability to hit the pull-up jumper.
(scouting report by annonymous)
AJ Shellabarger (6'10, 250 lbs, C, Celina, OH - Indy Metros Gold)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Formerly of Zionsville, Indiana, he is (would be) by far and away
the defensive big man in the state of Indiana. He is capable of
guarding some power forwards out on the floor, but his strength lies
in protecting the post. In 44 AAU games last summer, he took 41
charges, which makes him tremendous as the last line of defense.
With his body and understanding of positioning, Shellabarger is a
tremendous defensive rebounder, and he is quick to find the outlet
pass and run the floor.
He possesses an "A" right-handed hook shot, which is a shot that
forgotten by most players at his position. His leftside is coming
along quite nicely, but it needs more repetition (actually, he needs
more confidence in it). He maintains his position well in the low
post, and drops hard to the basket. The fact that he is a very good
FT shooter, coupled with the fact that when he does not have the shot
he WILL kick it out, means when he touches the ball, the offenses
usually scores.
(scouting report by annonymous)
Grant Sterley (6'7, 215 lbs, WF, Indianapolis Cathedral, IN - Indy Metros Gold)
(scouting report by annonymous)
Perhaps one of the most versatile players in the class 1999. He is
on the Junior All-Star team, which is indicative of the kind of talent
he is. Playing in the post for his HS team, he is used to the banging on
the both ends of the floor, but his top notch 3pt shot, make him very
hard to guard for opposing teams.
In one stretch of play in the Lafayette Spiece Tournament, he hit a
3pt shot, and followed that up with a pull-up jumper, following a shot
fake. As the Arizona team switched to a smaller, quicker defender,
he took his man into the post, where he scored on a drop step, then
closed out the quarter with a FT line jumper after a kick out from the
low post.
He is a very able defender of both forward spots, and he is willing to
give up his body in drawing a charge. He is a strong defensive
rebounder, and will work his way into about 2 or 3 offensive boards a
game. More importantly, he is an A- student.
(scouting report by annonymous)
John Stewart (7'0, 260 lbs, C, Indy Lawrence North, IN - No Excuses)
(scouting report by Peegs)
This Indianapolis Lawrence North player is well over 260 lbs and 7
feet tall yet can at times run the court and even once against the
Memphis Sounds he stole the ball and went the length of the court and
slammed it home against pressure. He blocked everybody’s shot and if
they kept track of that stat I am sure he would have be near the
tournament lead. Still too overweight even though I understand he has
lost about 40 lbs. Also his big lumbering legs make him slow footed on
defense and his slowness can hurt him on offense as well. Seemed to play
great at times and not so good at others when he seemed to tire. Showed
nice form on his shot although most didn’t go down when I was watching.
This guy could be another Nazr Mohammed or another Ed Jenkins, I am not
sure which. If you can afford to take a risk with a scholarship this
guy could play for anybody if he loses more weight and learns to play
hard all the time. But those are big ifs. He definitely had all the scouts
attention during the weekend. Mid to high major talent, all over the
board here.
(scouting report by Peegs)
(scouting report by Richards)
"Big John" isn't quite as big anymore. Still 7'0, but much
lighter than I remember. He still has a lot of weight around his
mid-section, a little tummy and some wide hips. Believe me, he
uses them to push people around in the lane. He has very good lateral
movement and footowrk, actually looking more like a forward who has
gained a bunch of weight instead of a center who has lost a bunch of
weight. Had a very intense game against Rockfish, but was still able
to score against two very powerful defenders. In the later game
against Salt Lake, he was visibly winded, but still got up and down
the court. I had assumed he might again get tired towards Saturday
evening, but he didn't. He can play physical defense and has a wide-
body that makes it difficult to pivot around. Didn't block an
excessive amount of shots that I saw, but he sure did in high school.
Offensively sound, can run the floor very well for his size, and is
a powerful dunker. His best game by far was against Memphis Sounds
on Saturday early evening. Drew a lot of fouls, but needs to improve
his freethrow shooting. Didn't hit a shot that I saw outside of 12
feet. Wide arm-span makes him a HUGE target for the inlet pass. Team
him up with a deadly outside shooter and you have a winning
combination. Average rebounder against more athletic post men. High
major to elite, depending on weight control and game maturation.
(scouting report by Richards)
Eric Washington (6'7, 210 lbs, PF, Lafayette CC, IN - Indy Metros Gold)
(scouting report by annonymous)
When one considers strength and athleticism, Washington is perhaps
the most recruitable player on this team. He can best be described as
a raw player, as this is his first full season of organized basketball.
A season in which he won an IHSAA State Championship.
A left-handed shooter, Washington has range to 18', and it has
improved in consistancy. The form and technique is there, and further
repetition, his range could extend to the 3pt line. He is a tireless
rebounder on both ends, and his ability as a quick jumper, combined
with a 36" vertical, Washington rarely looses a rebound he is near.
He is strong in the post, but he does have problems turning to his
right, which does not get exploited that much in AAU.
His biggest problems defensively are awareness and concentration.
He is a tremendous ball defender, but as his experience in this game
grows, so will the other aspects of his defensive abilities. In big
games, he is the best defender on the floor. Consistancy will come
with more experience. Currently, he must be recruited with the class
of 2000.
(scouting report by annonymous)
Brian Wethers (6'5, Murrieta Valley, CA - LA Rockfish)
(scouting report by annonymous)
A hard worker and a very good, smooth shooter. He's probably the best
rebounding off-guard in his class. Strong finisher.
(scouting report by annonymous)
(scouting report by Richards)
Brian Wethers is a 6'5 shooting guard, looking to be around 200-pounds.
He is strong and can pour in the points. Weakness over the weekend looked
to be his perimeter shooting, as he didn't hit one in the two games I
saw. Still averaged around 18 a game on two pointers and a few freethrows.
He is a vocal leader on Rockfish, but could benefit from some better
decisionmaking himself. Causes problems with the defense since most
2-guards on the AAU level are smaller than 6'3. Very solid ballhandling
abilities.
(scouting report by Richards)
Rick Wright (6'7, East Chicago, IN - Spiece South 17)
(scouting report by Dallas)
Body - Strong upper body, well defined arms and strong legs. Can get
off the floor! He looks to be around 6'7" or so. He plays big, looked
to be 80% recovered from his season long injury.
Play - Wow, Rick is a player. Out of all the Indiana kids playing this
weekend, Rick was the most impressive. Rick is strong on the low post,
he stays around the block and does his damage down there. The kid
rebounds well, he stays after it and can finish. he has a good left
hand and uses it in traffic, he doesn't go weak, He Brings it! He even
plays defense, he contest every shot taken around him, he seems
disappointed when he doesn't get a block. He has a nice shot, he doesn't
take many outside of 10 feet, but did hit from around 15 on the
baseline. Rick has a nice turnaround power move, making it difficult for
the opposition is the way he keeps the ball high, he doesn't bring it
down to the little guys when he rebounds or shoots his turnaround.
Another impressive facet of his game, he has been inactive almost all
winter and still plays hard all the time. Richard Wright is also a very
smooth player, the way Carlos Boozer plays, both kids have guns, but yet
they play smooth, nothing jerky about their game. I can't wait to see
Rick at full strength. Put this kid in your top 50, maybe top 25. IU and
Purdue look to be going toe to toe on this young man!
(scouting report by Dallas)
(scouting report by Peegs)
Really liked this kid even though he doesn't awe you with spectacular
plays. Strong body, played physical even against big man John Stewart.
Does his damage inside even though he showed a nice stroke. Looked like
a good free throw shooter as well. Dominated for a while against a KC team
that had highly rated Kareem Rush to contend with. Plays VERY physical
defense as well. Showed good fundementals by keeping the ball high near
the basket and knew when he had to go straight up for the shot. He is an
inch or two shorter than you would like for a power forward and got his
shot blocked a time or two by John Stewart (but so did everybody) but I
guess you can't have everything. FYI he missed his entire junior season
with broken foot and didn't even get selected to the Junior all star team.
But he may be the best player in the state next year. With Rick and Carlton
Baker and Marcus Jefferson, East Chicago will be an awesome team next year.
High major talent.
(scouting report by Peegs)
(scouting report by Richards)
Two games this weekend showed two different sides of Wright. First off,
he has a great basketball body. Looks strong, and plays strong. The first
game showed more of his finesse game. Solid defense with rather weak
pressure on him from the opponent's post players. Cruised laterally
with ease waiting for the inlet. Gets his arms up to make for a very big
target, spreading his stance out to keep the defender from spinning in
front for the deflection or steal. Offensively rather passive in the first
game, finishing with 9 points, most in the 5-10 foot range. Nice stroke on
his freethrows. Was not able to shut down the opponent primarily because
Salt Lake is a very good team. Salt Lake kills you on quick passing and
quick, smart shots in the 10-15 foot range. Wright held his own on the
defensive boards. The second game was quite the contrast. Wright played
like a completely different player. Played defense most of the game
against 7'0 John Stewart (No Excuses). The two played one of the most
intense post games I have seen. The refs were letting them play, and the
banging got rather brutal at times. Wright never looked like he was
tiring, and could easily transition from power to finesse. Aggressively
rebounded, and scored a majority of his 15 points off offensive rebounds.
Held Stewart to 2 points in the game. Runs the floor very well and is
a capable defender in the press, usually falling back into the lane to
defend the pass over the guards. Didn't see anything to suggest he has
a shot outside of 16 feet. Has great footwork and a nice drop step. It
would be hard to argue that Wright is the best power forward in the
Indiana junior class. And against Stewart, probably the best true
center in the class, Wright is a close second at center too.
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