The AAU season is in full swing and this is the second live evaluation period of the season and the Indiana basketball staff is on the road.
Some of the major events this weekend include Nike EYBL in Phoenix, AZ, Adidas 3SSB in Bryan, TX and Under Armor in Rock Hill, SC.
The expectation is that Indiana basketball assistant coaches Kenya Hunter, Yasir Rosemond and Brian Walsh will all be on the road. Team and Recruiting Coordinator Jordan Hulls is expected to take head coach Mike Woodson’s spot on the road as he recovers from knee surgery.
Brian Walsh is at EYBL while Yasir Rosemond is at 3SSB. No word on Kenya Hunter as of yet.
HoosierIllustrated.com’s Kyler Staley will be in Phoenix, AZ for Nike EYBL Session 2 checking out the Indiana targets on that circuit.
Some key EYBL prospects include: 2024s Liam McNeeley (Florida Rebels), Marcus Allen (Florida Rebels), Dylan Harper (NY Rens), Tyler Betsey (NY Rens), Caleb Williams (Team Takeover), Curtis Givens (MoKan Elite) Jaeden Mustaf (Boo Williams), Austin Swartz (Boo Williams) and 2025s Jalen Haralson (Indy Heat), Trent Sisley (Indy Heat), Jasper Johnson (Team Thad), Meleek Thomas (NH Lightning), Trey McKenney (Meanstreets), Jacob Wilkins (The Skill Factory), and others.
Key Indiana targets in 3SSB include: 2024s Flory Bidunga (Indiana Elite), Travis Perry (Indiana Elite), VJ Edgecombe (SE Elite), Rakease Passmore (Garner Road), Annor Boateng (Arkansas Hawks) and 2025s Malachi Moreno (Indiana Elite), Mikel Brown (SE Elite) and others.
Games for EYBL begin later this afternoon.
Below are live updates of some of the key games and notable Indiana basketball targets.
Saturday
8:00 am – 17u New York Rens (Dylan Harper, Tyler Betsey) vs Team Takeover (Caleb Williams)
First game of the evening will be Indiana targets Dylan Harper and Tyler Betsey taking on fellow Indiana target Caleb Williams. Williams will once again come off the bench for Takeover.
Harper starting off real aggressive here. Attacking the basket and it up to 4 points. Much more active than the first game last night.
Williams missed his first shot attempt of the game. Had an open look on the corner but couldn’t convert. However, he did follow it up a few plays later with an aggressive attack to the rim and got fouled. He went 2-of-2 at the line. He has also looked really sharp on the defensive end guarding former Indiana target Nassir Cunningham.
Man, offensively Williams is about what you would expect not being extremely active but defensively he has been spectacular.
At the half: Takeover 28, NY Rens 20. Harper is up to 9 points while Betsey and Williams have just 2.
Williams would continue to be great on the defensive end in the second half holding Cunningham to zero points. Williams himself had 4 points.
Dylan Harper would explode to 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Tyler Betsey was held to just 2 points he got at the line and was 0-of-6 from the field. Was a much different player than his great game from last night.
Final: Team Takeover 60, NY Rens 39
9:30 am – 17u Florida Rebels (Liam McNeeley, Marcus Allen) vs Team Thad (Derrion Reid, Jasper Johnson)
Reminder: Liam McNeeley is out for the weekend due to a a sickness. He did not travel with the team.
Finally able to get a good look at one of the newest Indiana targets, 2024 forward Marcus Allen. Real athletic player. Allen got on the board with a really smooth pick and pop jumper.
Jasper Johnson is also another intriguing prospect with his length as a lead guard. Has really good court vision and can be a play maker. His first point of the game comes from a DEEP pull-up, back-to-back threes.
Derrion Reid has not had good start thus far. Missed his first three shot attempts but did just get a tough offensive rebound which resulted in him getting to the line but hit just one 1-of-2.
At the half: Team Thad 36, Florida Rebels 27. Jasper Johnson and Marcus Allen both have 6 points while Reid is at 4 points.
Allen starts off the half with a great move past the defender that resulted in a foul on his jumper. Really quick with the ball and can be a playmaker with his explosiveness.
Becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Johnson s the game goes on. Has been solid on the defensive end and uses his lane to cause problems in the passing lane. He is not overly quick right now but his ball-handles for his long arms are really impressive. If he can get more explosive, watch out. Up to 11 points after knocking down his third three.
Allen has a great ability to draw contact. Would like to see him be a little more aggressive in doing so.
Jasper Johnson led all Indiana targets with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting including 3-of-5 from behind the arc. Also added 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Marcus Allen finished with an 11 point, 10 rebound double-double.
Final: Team Thad 77, Florida Rebels 66
11:00 am – 17u Indy Heat (Trent Sisley, Jalen Haralson) vs PSA Cardinals
Tuning into the second half of this game. Indy Heat leads 29-27 at the half. Jalen Haralson has 5 points on 1-of-3 shooting while Trent Sisley is scoreless missing his 4 attempts.
Haralson has been on the bench for the majority of the second half with four fouls. Sisley has not been able to find anything at the moment. Still scoreless at the end of the 3Q. Tied at 41.
Haralson checked back near the beginning of the 4Q. Almost immediately got to the line and went 1-of-2. Haralson is by far one of the better guards at drawing foul that I have seen.
After a tight game, PSA has extended the lead to 54-44 with 3:30 left.
Jalen Haralson finished with 7 points on 1-of-5 shooting while Trent Sisley ended with 2 points, which he got from the free throw line.
Final: PSA 61, Indy Heat 49.
12:30 pm – 17u Boo Williams (Jaeden Mustaf, Austin Swartz) vs Expressions
Checking out the electric backcourt of Jaeden Mustafa and Austin Swartz.
First impression of Swartz is he has a nice feel for the game. Really flows well with what the offense is giving him and can get a shot off with any amount of space.
Mustafa gets on the board with hitting 1-of-2 attempts at the line. Real athletic player that can get physical at times. Real bouncy too.
Jumpers not falling for both Mustafa and Swartz. They are doing a good job of creating their own looks but shots just aren’t falling. One thing is for sure about Swartz, he is not afraid to shoot as he is already at 10 attempts with 3:40 left to go in the first half.
At the half: Expressions 35, Boo Williams 31. Swartz with 7 points on 3-of-12 shooting and Mustaf up to 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting.
Mustaf playing a little more not he ball to start off the half where he seems a bit more natural at. He is able to create better and proved that with getting a bucket. Swartz was def given the green light this game, just has not gotten a ton to fall however.
Friday
4:00 pm – 17U MoKan Elite (Curtis Givens) vs LIVON
Brian Walsh is here to watch Givens.
Givens is an athletic built guard that knows how to space the floor. Started off real hot knocking down his first two threes. Has a real nice side-step jumper.
Really controls the pace. More on ball than off.
Givens started off the second half with a corner three. Really cannot give him much open space if you are a defender. He is lights out.
Through three quarters, Givens is up to 13 points. Has just been really efficient.
Givens finished with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
5:30 pm – 17U Meanstreets (Trey McKenney) vs JL3
Brian Walsh is watching both Trey McKenney and Meleek Thomas.
At the half, McKeeney has really struggled. Just 2 points on 1-of-9 shooting. Taking really poor jumpers and is lacking some intensity.
5:30 pm – 17U NY Rens (Dylan Harper, Tyler Betsey) vs NJ Scholars
Betsey has looked really sharp to start off here. Up to 6 points. Real strong, athletic build.
Brian Walsh is also watching Dylan Harper and Tyler Betsey. Harper has been pretty quiet thus far.
5:30 pm – 17U NH Lightning (2025 Meleek Thomas) vs Nightrydas Elite
Brian Walsh is watching both Trey McKenney and Meleek Thomas.
Thomas has been a little inconsistent in the first half. Up to 4 points so far.
Thomas ended with 9 points. Wasn’t the best shooting performance but his ability to carve up the defense to the get to the rim was real impressive.
7:00 pm – 17U Georgia Stars (2025 Caleb Wilson) vs The Family
Wilson has been VERY impressive to start off here. Up to 4 points and is using his elite athletic ability. Very good ball handles for his size and is slowly starting to create his own shots.
At the half, Wilson is already up to 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. His jumper has been real solid but his passing ability it another standout for him. Would like to see him attack a little more.
Wilson finished with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Motor is an issue right now but the skill and athletic ability is there.
7:00 pm – 17U Florida Rebels (Liam McNeeley, Marcus Allen) vs City Rocks
Liam McNeeley is not playing this weekend due to a sickness.
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