(2021) G Luke Brown to Ball State

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,941]

Blackford trounces Muncie Burris 88 - 69.  Per the announcers, Brown finished with 36 pts. on 11-21 FG; 5-9 on 3's; 9-10 FT; 3 reb.  

[rcbowla 6,733]

Defense:
- lacks elite lateral quickness
- needs to get stronger
- gambled a lot trying to jump passing lanes and gave up some easy (would've been easy) buckets
- overall defensive IQ needs work
- did have a great hustle trailing block on a layup
- had about 4 or 5 steals that I can remember
- few good moments but definitely his weakness

Offensively:
- kid is the real deal
- remarkable IQ
- got separation seemingly at will even against double teams which was most of the night
- can find the open guy everytime
- was agressive driving the lane and productive
- handles are amazing
- shot is beautiful

Misc:
- team first guy all the way. He gets way more excited when another teammate scores especially off of his assist.
- when they gave him the ball for becoming Blackford's all-time leading scorer he posed for quick pic then went right to his teammates and began communicating about the next possession.....didn't seem to care about the personal milestone at all.

One game albeit but I find it hard to believe that IU can't find a roster spot for this kid. If he goes elsewhere I hope he never plays against IU.

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[ap2345 7,096]

Defense:
- lacks elite lateral quickness
- needs to get stronger
- gambled a lot trying to jump passing lanes and gave up some easy (would've been easy) buckets
- overall defensive IQ needs work
- did have a great hustle trailing block on a layup
- had about 4 or 5 steals that I can remember
- few good moments but definitely his weakness

Offensively:
- kid is the real deal
- remarkable IQ
- got separation seemingly at will even against double teams which was most of the night
- can find the open guy everytime
- was agressive driving the lane and productive
- handles are amazing
- shot is beautiful

Misc:
- team first guy all the way. He gets way more excited when another teammate scores especially off of his assist.
- when they gave him the ball for becoming Blackford's all-time leading scorer he posed for quick pic then went right to his teammates and began communicating about the next possession.....didn't seem to care about the personal milestone at all.

One game albeit but I find it hard to believe that IU can't find a roster spot for this kid. If he goes elsewhere I hope he never plays against IU.

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That’s a pretty accurate assessment


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[ray 1,559]

MY FIRST IN-PERSON LOOK AT BROWN (my overall experience and semi-amateurish evaluation):

My brother made his way to Muncie to join me for tonight's game (see his evaluation above RCS29).  Rather than endure the inevitably horrific junior varsity matchup, he and I went to Elm Street Brewing Company (a lovely gem in Muncie for serious micro-brew connoisseurs).  After a couple beers we headed into the Ball Gymnasium building and I stopped to lower my alcohol level.  While there in a crowded men's room, it was immediately clear people had come from different places to catch a glimpse (in many cases, not their first) of the 16-year old basketball star currently living in a tiny town in Indiana.  One man, a proud resident of Hartford City, approached me and said, "People don't understand the impact this kid has on our small town.  People are coming out in droves to watch games played by a team that before his arrival won only one game in 70.  He has brought life to Hartford City."  Another man, when asked if he was there as a fan of Muncie Burris or Blackford, responded with, "I could care less who wins.  I'm from Cowan.  I'm just here to watch a teenager score a bunch more points than anyone else ever has."  I then entered the court to a full house.  On my way up the stands I noticed a sign on the front row marked, "reserved for James Whitford" (Ball State's head coach) and then noticed him sitting there.  I found a bleacher spot in the small gym next to my good friend, a philosophy of sports professor at BSU who was joined by other faculty members and a Ball State coach from an unrelated sport.  My friend mentioned he saw who looked to be a Purdue scout, possibly a Matt Painter look-alike or his brother in full Purdue garb.  We settled in.

As the players were warming up it was quickly noted Brown's shooting stroke was pure and consistent.  He drained 5 shots in a row from near half court before the 6th bounced off another player's shot.  Brown moved to another location where he continued to find nothing but nylon.

At the start of the game Brown was guarded by one of Burris' senior captains, listed as 6'4" with a lot of length in his arms.  That matchup would soon turn to double teams as Brown easily jab stepped and crossed over his opposition with ease.  

Okay...I'll just get to it.  My observations and what stood out to me most: (NOTE: my stats may be a bit off)

1.  More important than anything I witnessed, it was absolutely clear he was a team-first player.  He was far more excited after every assist than he was from scoring...becoming pumped up for his team (throwing up his hands and/or slamming his fist up and down in the air and hollering).  I counted 9 assists for the game, but it could easily have been 15 or more had his teammates been capable to drain open shots where Brown made no-look passes that left them with no Burris player within 7-10 feet of them.  For a 36-38 ppg scorer he was as unselfish a player as you'll find.  He had one teammate who had a pretty shot (Stroble), but outside of that he is very limited with options.  Still, I believe he had 9 assists.

2. His court vision is superb and seemingly on another level for a kid his age.  He saw the entire court at all times on offense.  He didn't make any poor shots and was very capable of breaking down the defense on his own and scoring or finding open teammates. 

3.  He may not be the most athletic of players and he needs to gain a lot of strength, but he didn't back down and was extremely quick on his feet.  He is much faster than I anticipated.

4.  His defense was suspect at times, possibly from helping out too much and jumping passing lanes prematurely, but I believe he is very teachable in this respect.  For the record, I lowered my alcohol level at half-time too and heard people talking about how his coach wants him to back off and remain out of foul trouble.  As my brother pointed out, this could be a sign of weakness the coach recognizes (can he not play good defense without fouling) or it could be that the coach knows they have little chance of victory without him in the game for the full duration.  Again, though, I don't see him incapable of playing defense as he is much quicker than I imagined he would be.  With a basketball IQ that seems miles ahead of players in his age range, I think some additional bulk and some freedom to play defense could greatly improve his only weakness I witnessed.  For the record, he did make at least two very sweet on-ball steals where he left the player wondering what happened.  He also jumped a passing lane once or twice.

5.  High basketball IQ.  For example, he faked a pass coming to him from a teammate which made his defender completely bite and left Brown wide open to drive (the teammate didn't find him for an open layup). 

6.  His ability to score is obvious.  In the third quarter, the game was stopped briefly to announce that Brown (in less than one and a half seasons) had broken the school scoring record as a sophomore with a limited freshman season.  To go back to my first and most promising observation, when he stopped to be handed the ball and to be recognized for his record-breaking moment, he barely paused long enough to have a picture taken before he tossed the ball out of his way and immediately ran to his teammates and started giving instructions.  He is a floor general in the grandest sense, even before he is a scorer...always looking to pass when possible, but obviously unafraid to score at will...albeit, a general of a less-than-ideal army of teammates.

7.  He had very few turnovers and a whole lot of passes that made the crowd ooh and ahh.  I had him for two turnovers.  If my stats are correct, that's 9 assists to 2 turnovers (and as noted before, he left teammates with "shootaround" shots with no defenders that they didn't bury).

8.  I had him for 34 points.  And as I said before, he didn't take any hero shots or ill-advised shots.  He missed a couple he probably makes most games, but he didn't have too many misses.

9.  I will finish not by saying Archie needs to offer now, but by reiterating a sentiment I've made in the past on this thread.  God help Indiana University if he chooses to play at Purdue.

 

[ap2345 7,096]

MY FIRST IN-PERSON LOOK AT BROWN (my overall experience and semi-amateurish evaluation):
My brother made his way to Muncie to join me for tonight's game (see his evaluation above RCS29).  Rather than endure the inevitably horrific junior varsity matchup, he and I went to Elm Street Brewing Company (a lovely gem in Muncie for serious micro-brew connoisseurs).  After a couple beers we headed into the Ball Gymnasium building and I stopped to lower my alcohol level.  While there in a crowded men's room, it was immediately clear people had come from different places to catch a glimpse (in many cases, not their first) of the 16-year old basketball star currently living in a tiny town in Indiana.  One man, a proud resident of Hartford City, approached me and said, "People don't understand the impact this kid has on our small town.  People are coming out in droves to watch games played by a team that before his arrival won only one game in 70.  He has brought life to Hartford City."  Another man, when asked if he was there as a fan of Muncie Burris or Blackford, responded with, "I could care less who wins.  I'm from Cowan.  I'm just here to watch a teenager score a bunch more points than anyone else ever has."  I then entered the court to a full house.  On my way up the stands I noticed a sign on the front row marked, "reserved for James Whitford" (Ball State's head coach) and then noticed him sitting there.  I found a bleacher spot in the small gym next to my good friend, a philosophy of sports professor at BSU who was joined by other faculty members and a Ball State coach from an unrelated sport.  My friend mentioned he saw who looked to be a Purdue scout, possibly a Matt Painter look-alike or his brother in full Purdue garb.  We settled in.
As the players were warming up it was quickly noted Brown's shooting stroke was pure and consistent.  He drained 5 shots in a row from near half court before the 6th bounced off another player's shot.  Brown moved to another location where he continued to find nothing but nylon.
At the start of the game Brown was guarded by one of Burris' senior captains, listed as 6'4" with a lot of length in his arms.  That matchup would soon turn to double teams as Brown easily jab stepped and crossed over his opposition with ease.  
Okay...I'll just get to it.  My observations and what stood out to me most: (NOTE: my stats may be a bit off)
1.  More important than anything I witnessed, it was absolutely clear he was a team-first player.  He was far more excited after every assist than he was from scoring...becoming pumped up for his team (throwing up his hands and/or slamming his fist up and down in the air and hollering).  I counted 9 assists for the game, but it could easily have been 15 or more had his teammates been capable to drain open shots where Brown made no-look passes that left them with no Burris player within 7-10 feet of them.  For a 36-38 ppg scorer he was as unselfish a player as you'll find.  He had one teammate who had a pretty shot (Stroble), but outside of that he is very limited with options.  Still, I believe he had 9 assists.
2. His court vision is superb and seemingly on another level for a kid his age.  He saw the entire court at all times on offense.  He didn't make any poor shots and was very capable of breaking down the defense on his own and scoring or finding open teammates. 
3.  He may not be the most athletic of players and he needs to gain a lot of strength, but he didn't back down and was extremely quick on his feet.  He is much faster than I anticipated.
4.  His defense was suspect at times, possibly from helping out too much and jumping passing lanes prematurely, but I believe he is very teachable in this respect.  For the record, I lowered my alcohol level at half-time too and heard people talking about how his coach wants him to back off and remain out of foul trouble.  As my brother pointed out, this could be a sign of weakness the coach recognizes (can he not play good defense without fouling) or it could be that the coach knows they have little chance of victory without him in the game for the full duration.  Again, though, I don't see him incapable of playing defense as he is much quicker than I imagined he would be.  With a basketball IQ that seems miles ahead of players in his age range, I think some additional bulk and some freedom to play defense could greatly improve his only weakness I witnessed.  For the record, he did make at least two very sweet on-ball steals where he left the player wondering what happened.  He also jumped a passing lane once or twice.
5.  High basketball IQ.  For example, he faked a pass coming to him from a teammate which made his defender completely bite and left Brown wide open to drive (the teammate didn't find him for an open layup). 
6.  His ability to score is obvious.  In the third quarter, the game was stopped briefly to announce that Brown (in less than one and a half seasons) had broken the school scoring record as a sophomore with a limited freshman season.  To go back to my first and most promising observation, when he stopped to be handed the ball and to be recognized for his record-breaking moment, he barely paused long enough to have a picture taken before he tossed the ball out of his way and immediately ran to his teammates and started giving instructions.  He is a floor general in the grandest sense, even before he is a scorer...always looking to pass when possible, but obviously unafraid to score at will...albeit, a general of a less-than-ideal army of teammates.
7.  He had very few turnovers and a whole lot of passes that made the crowd ooh and ahh.  I had him for two turnovers.  If my stats are correct, that's 9 assists to 2 turnovers (and as noted before, he left teammates with "shootaround" shots with no defenders that they didn't bury).
8.  I had him for 34 points.  And as I said before, he didn't take any hero shots or ill-advised shots.  He missed a couple he probably makes most games, but he didn't have too many misses.
9.  I will finish not by saying Archie needs to offer now, but by reiterating a sentiment I've made in the past on this thread.  God help Indiana University if he chooses to play at Purdue.
 

The Purdue coach was probably Anderson native Greg Gary. He’s the only assistant that somewhat resembles Painter and Painter was somewhere else scouting tonight.


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[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,941]

One other comment I'll make as I've now watched I think at least 6 of his games.  When he's outside and makes his fakes, it seems to me he almost invariably drives down the right side of the lane.  I think he's got to be able to make those same fakes but drive the lane with his left hand and get shots up on those drives with his left hand.

[ray 1,559]

2 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

One other comment I'll make as I've now watched I think at least 6 of his games.  When he's outside and makes his fakes, it seems to me he almost invariably drives down the right side of the lane.  I think he's got to be able to make those same fakes but drive the lane with his left hand and get shots up on those drives with his left hand.

I agree, Old Fart.  Thanks for pointing that out.  My brother said the same thing last night and then on the next possession he did exactly that...faked and drove left, then made an excellent pass from the lane or scored (forget now).  You're absolutely right, though.  It was very rare to see him go left...he certainly favors going right and needs to mix it up.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 80,941]

Blackford Athletics FB reporting Brown also had 11 assists last night and now has 142 on the season.  Needs 3 more to break the Blackford season record set back in 1992-1993.  Blackford plays again tonight hosting Anderson Prep.

[HoosierFan1994 4,609]

What a loaded 2021 class in the state. Caleb Furst and Khristian Lander have gotten most of the hype. It sounds like Brown and Blackmon will challenge Bailey's scoring record. I've always said if you can get the top 3-4 players in Indiana each year you will have a great team. Archie got Romeo, Al, and Damezi this year. TJD and Armaan next year. Maybe Keion. Hopefully Galloway and/or Leal in 2020. I know they are sophomores but I'd love a 2021 class with most of these guys. Hope he can recruit some size though. That is a lot of guards. 

[ap2345 7,096]

What a loaded 2021 class in the state. Caleb Furst and Khristian Lander have gotten most of the hype. It sounds like Brown and Blackmon will challenge Bailey's scoring record. I've always said if you can get the top 3-4 players in Indiana each year you will have a great team. Archie got Romeo, Al, and Damezi this year. TJD and Armaan next year. Maybe Keion. Hopefully Galloway and/or Leal in 2020. I know they are sophomores but I'd love a 2021 class with most of these guys. Hope he can recruit some size though. That is a lot of guards. 

There are several talented bigs in the state in 2021 as well.


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[HoosierFan1994 4,609]

1 minute ago, ap2345 said:

There are several talented bigs in the state in 2021 as well.


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Awesome! I just know the four I mentioned are the big ones. Still plenty of time for players to develop. 

[ViaSwiss 264]

I love that "he needs to add strength". I mean this kid is a sophomore. I'd almost be more worried if he already had that strength now, because it would potentially mean that part of his success is just being and "early grower" and has that advantage over his opponents. Imagine this kid another year or two when he has started to add some strength. One of the biggest things I noticed going into my Sr year in HS was how much easier the game was after I added strength to my game. 

[ap2345 7,096]

Per the great CoachSS he says that IU is not going to recruit Blackmon or Brown.


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[rcbowla 6,733]

Per the great CoachSS he says that IU is not going to recruit Blackmon or Brown.


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Asinine thing to declare this early. How does he know that they won't begin recruiting them? Just seems like a statement with all risk and little reward for his credibility if he even has any to begin with.

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[TheWatShot 13,335]

45 minutes ago, ap2345 said:

Per the great CoachSS he says that IU is not going to recruit Blackmon or Brown.


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The guy quoted himself from a month ago and then liked his own post. I think he's full of sh*t.

[MoyeNeeded 3,073]

22 minutes ago, TheWatShot said:

The guy quoted himself from a month ago and then liked his own post. I think he's full of sh*t.

I agree! IU will be keeping up with both of these players.

[ap2345 7,096]

The guy quoted himself from a month ago and then liked his own post. I think he's full of sh*t.

The guy also said that IU wasn’t even recruiting Lester Quiones just a couple days after he put IU in his top 7. So yeah I think he’s full of crap.


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[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

16 hours ago, ray said:

MY FIRST IN-PERSON LOOK AT BROWN (my overall experience and semi-amateurish evaluation):

My brother made his way to Muncie to join me for tonight's game (see his evaluation above RCS29).  Rather than endure the inevitably horrific junior varsity matchup, he and I went to Elm Street Brewing Company (a lovely gem in Muncie for serious micro-brew connoisseurs).  After a couple beers we headed into the Ball Gymnasium building and I stopped to lower my alcohol level.  While there in a crowded men's room, it was immediately clear people had come from different places to catch a glimpse (in many cases, not their first) of the 16-year old basketball star currently living in a tiny town in Indiana.  One man, a proud resident of Hartford City, approached me and said, "People don't understand the impact this kid has on our small town.  People are coming out in droves to watch games played by a team that before his arrival won only one game in 70.  He has brought life to Hartford City."  Another man, when asked if he was there as a fan of Muncie Burris or Blackford, responded with, "I could care less who wins.  I'm from Cowan.  I'm just here to watch a teenager score a bunch more points than anyone else ever has."  I then entered the court to a full house.  On my way up the stands I noticed a sign on the front row marked, "reserved for James Whitford" (Ball State's head coach) and then noticed him sitting there.  I found a bleacher spot in the small gym next to my good friend, a philosophy of sports professor at BSU who was joined by other faculty members and a Ball State coach from an unrelated sport.  My friend mentioned he saw who looked to be a Purdue scout, possibly a Matt Painter look-alike or his brother in full Purdue garb.  We settled in.

As the players were warming up it was quickly noted Brown's shooting stroke was pure and consistent.  He drained 5 shots in a row from near half court before the 6th bounced off another player's shot.  Brown moved to another location where he continued to find nothing but nylon.

At the start of the game Brown was guarded by one of Burris' senior captains, listed as 6'4" with a lot of length in his arms.  That matchup would soon turn to double teams as Brown easily jab stepped and crossed over his opposition with ease.  

Okay...I'll just get to it.  My observations and what stood out to me most: (NOTE: my stats may be a bit off)

1.  More important than anything I witnessed, it was absolutely clear he was a team-first player.  He was far more excited after every assist than he was from scoring...becoming pumped up for his team (throwing up his hands and/or slamming his fist up and down in the air and hollering).  I counted 9 assists for the game, but it could easily have been 15 or more had his teammates been capable to drain open shots where Brown made no-look passes that left them with no Burris player within 7-10 feet of them.  For a 36-38 ppg scorer he was as unselfish a player as you'll find.  He had one teammate who had a pretty shot (Stroble), but outside of that he is very limited with options.  Still, I believe he had 9 assists.

2. His court vision is superb and seemingly on another level for a kid his age.  He saw the entire court at all times on offense.  He didn't make any poor shots and was very capable of breaking down the defense on his own and scoring or finding open teammates. 

3.  He may not be the most athletic of players and he needs to gain a lot of strength, but he didn't back down and was extremely quick on his feet.  He is much faster than I anticipated.

4.  His defense was suspect at times, possibly from helping out too much and jumping passing lanes prematurely, but I believe he is very teachable in this respect.  For the record, I lowered my alcohol level at half-time too and heard people talking about how his coach wants him to back off and remain out of foul trouble.  As my brother pointed out, this could be a sign of weakness the coach recognizes (can he not play good defense without fouling) or it could be that the coach knows they have little chance of victory without him in the game for the full duration.  Again, though, I don't see him incapable of playing defense as he is much quicker than I imagined he would be.  With a basketball IQ that seems miles ahead of players in his age range, I think some additional bulk and some freedom to play defense could greatly improve his only weakness I witnessed.  For the record, he did make at least two very sweet on-ball steals where he left the player wondering what happened.  He also jumped a passing lane once or twice.

5.  High basketball IQ.  For example, he faked a pass coming to him from a teammate which made his defender completely bite and left Brown wide open to drive (the teammate didn't find him for an open layup). 

6.  His ability to score is obvious.  In the third quarter, the game was stopped briefly to announce that Brown (in less than one and a half seasons) had broken the school scoring record as a sophomore with a limited freshman season.  To go back to my first and most promising observation, when he stopped to be handed the ball and to be recognized for his record-breaking moment, he barely paused long enough to have a picture taken before he tossed the ball out of his way and immediately ran to his teammates and started giving instructions.  He is a floor general in the grandest sense, even before he is a scorer...always looking to pass when possible, but obviously unafraid to score at will...albeit, a general of a less-than-ideal army of teammates.

7.  He had very few turnovers and a whole lot of passes that made the crowd ooh and ahh.  I had him for two turnovers.  If my stats are correct, that's 9 assists to 2 turnovers (and as noted before, he left teammates with "shootaround" shots with no defenders that they didn't bury).

8.  I had him for 34 points.  And as I said before, he didn't take any hero shots or ill-advised shots.  He missed a couple he probably makes most games, but he didn't have too many misses.

9.  I will finish not by saying Archie needs to offer now, but by reiterating a sentiment I've made in the past on this thread.  God help Indiana University if he chooses to play at Purdue.

 

Great assessment by you AND your brother and great pick up on the way he handled the personal milestone.  If you had any opportunities to observe this kid in non-game situations and off the court you’d be even more sold I promise.

[IU/Butler/Notre Dame 580]

On 2/9/2019 at 3:44 PM, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

I spent this afternoon watching the replays of Browns' game against Oak Hill last night and its prior game against Northwestern.  

Last night, Blackford crushed Oak Hill 76-53 in a game that was over in the first couple of minutes as BHS led 33-16 at the end of the 1st Q and Brown already had 16 points.  It was once said of a former IU player that he couldn't guard a chair.  IMO Oak Hill as a team couldn't guard a corpse.  They attempted to play Brown 1 on 1 and gave him waaaay too much room and they paid dearly for it.  He finished with 39 pts. and didn't leave the game until just a minute left in the 4th Q although BHS basically stopped trying to score with 4 min. left.  I had him for 15-23 FG; 6-10 on 3's; 3-4 FT; 1 reb; 5 assts; 5 TO.

Last Tuesday night Blackford was beaten by Northwestern 90-79 who played a tight man-to-man on Brown and made him work for every point.  He did not make his first bucket until midway through the 2nd Q although he did finish with 34 pts. on 11-21 FG; 5-8 on 3's; 7-7 FT; 2 reb; 7 assts; 4 TO.

My impression is that he's not that efficient at driving the lane and scoring but he's a deadly jump shooter if he has the room.  BHS played a straight man-to-man defense against Northwestern and Brown's responsibility the entire game was Tayson Parker.  Parker scored 41 pts. and beat Brown off the dribble for lay-ups numerous times.  As good of a scorer as he is, Brown's defensive abilities are pretty weak IMO.

Really appreciate the time you put into the review and overall fair shake you’ve given the kid but I do respectfully disagree with one assessment/observation.  Your statement that Parker was Browns responsibility the entire game isn’t quite fair.  Blackford inexplicably started the game in a strange match-up type zone ( presumably to keep Parker and their taller player from owning the paint as Blackford isn’t a big team ) which lead to a 25-7 start to the game and Parker racking up 19 of his 41 in the first quarter.  Once the bruises switched to man to man brown actually did an admirable job ( I felt Parker was bored in the second quarter thinking it was a run away but he picked it up when it got tight down the stretch).  Rewatch the game after the switch to man to man and then subtract the free throws at the end of the game when Blackford was forced to foul and I think you’ll find brown held him to about 11-14 points over the three quarters of man which is as good as anyone has done against Parker all year.

[ray 1,559]

4 minutes ago, IU/Butler/Notre Dame said:

Great assessment by you AND your brother and great pick up on the way he handled the personal milestone.  If you had any opportunities to observe this kid in non-game situations and off the court you’d be even more sold I promise.

Thanks, and welcome to Btownbanners!