Class of '66 Old Fart

Samad Hines on Sheppard's performance at last weekend's Adidas event - One of the biggest stock risers during his time in Birmingham, Alabama was without a doubt Reed Sheppard of Midwest Basketball Club (OH). Not really as much recognition nationally coming into the weekend but that certainly changed quick for the 6-foot-3 guard. Reed is a scoring combo guard with an excellent feel for the game. He is able to score from all levels of the floor, a rangy three-point shot maker, an elite guard on the wing, and was also able to make plays for others dishing out a few assists. Sheppard had multiple 20-points or more games during his time in Birmingham which included a game where he finished with 23 points while shooting 9-16 from the field, 5-10 from three and 6 assists. Kentucky assistants were court side for that one and decided to offer the rising junior guard. What is also impressive is that he is playing up a division and helped Midwest Basketball Club (OH) go 6-0 this past weekend. A prospect that could rise in the national rankings by the end of the summer.

Samad Hines on Johnson's performance at last weekend's Adidas event - Caught a couple 16U games and London Johnson went to work in both games I caught him in. The 6-foot-3+ point guard combined for 33 points while shooting 53% from the field, 15 assists, and with only 2 turnovers. 16.5 PPG and 7.5 APG in two games I witnessed London play in, both wins. He has been rolling in offers since the beginning of June and his play on the floor speak for itself. He has been evolving right in front of our eyes. Johnson is becoming one of the best prospects out of the South. He holds a unique balance of facilitating and scoring the ball, showed his shot creation off the dribble, finished plays at the rim, created for others, and plays at a very well pace. The rising junior rarely turned the ball over and made nice reads running the offense. A big time eye-opening junior season is in store for London as he will run the show at Georgia powerhouse Norcross High School in Atlanta.

INBasketballSource - Indiana-bound guard CJ Gunn performed well in his Peach Jam debut. He tallied ten points, five rebounds, and four assists. It could have been even more as he had two outside shots behind the high school three-point line but inside the college line that the EYBL uses. Gunn also just missed a colossal tip dunk. Nevertheless, it was a strong showing for the Lawrence North product.

Jon Blau - More pitching on the way for IU. Jack Perkins, a Kokomo native, threw 16 innings for Louisville last season with a 7.31 ERA. He missed the 2020 season to injury.

Commentary from Alec Lasley on Hood-Schifino, Banks and Sheppard - https://indiana.rivals.com/news/multiple-iu-targets-standout-during-first-july-live-evaluation-period?fbclid=IwAR27Y5o5qRwrfrcGzq3J_RsQHBFP8PxzLWvrIIMNgKWxboWlIRuYmXmRaRA

Stockrisers after Day 1 of the Peach Jam. Really don't think there's a great deal of contact taking place with Reed but FWIW. If anyone bolstered their stock, even more, yesterday, I believe it was Mokan Elite’s Tarris Reed Jr. viewed as a Top-100 prospect by remotely every outlet, I believe he had the biggest matchup to fall thru in on day one as he faced off with North Carolina’s newest pledge Jalen Washington and Nike EYBL Meanstreets. Reed Jr. would end up finishing this game on the losing end but his performance and his ability to win his matchup were evident. On the defensive end, he held his ground against the super talented Washington, giving up nearly no points and then showing his mobile ability and his capability of being an effective defender around the perimeter. I watched him beat over a screen and instantly block a three-pointer. Offensively, he was just an absolute menace around the rim. He hit 8/14 shots from the field, many of which came around the rim. But, he also had the chance to show off his mid-range game and his ability to be more than just a paint-dominant forward. He will be such a highly sought-after recruit based on his motor, energy, skill, and ability to use his body is major. Where his recruitment stands, he’s got Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa, Mizzou, are amongst the potential suitors. Reed Jr. hasn’t formally dropped a final list which I think was the smartest move all due to the fact I think he’s bound to have a breakout month at Peach Jam.

From Jon Blau - IU lost a lot of pitching in the draft, so here is some help in that regard. Bradley Brehmer, a third-year righty from Wright State, is transferring to IU. The Decatur Central grad had 85 Ks in 76 2/3 innings last year, posting an 8-4 record. IU is adding a catcher from in-conference. It's a need with Collin Hopkins graduating. Peter Serruto started 29 games for Rutgers last season. Add an infielder from Youngstown State to the list. Phillip Glasser batted .321 with 12 doubles last season

Rosters for the EYBL event show Hood-Schifino is playing for Team Thad. I did not find Avery Brown or Vince Iwuchukwu listed on any EYBL team roster.

https://iuhoosiers.com/news/2021/7/13/mens-soccer-high-expectations-loom-again-for-indiana-mens-soccer.aspx

Nike's EYBL event started this morning and its games are being streamed FREE. Today's schedule can be found at: https://www.theseasonticket.com/news_article/show/1173856 There's audio but no play-by-play. I can't guarantee the players and their affiliated teams below are 100% accurate but it's the best info I have. Jeremy Fears and Kaleb Glenn - Bradley Beal Jalen Hood-Schifino #3 - Team Thad Brice Sensabaugh - E1T1 Alex Karaban - Expressions Elite Coen Carr and Mari Jordan. - Georgia Stars. Both are '23s and I don't know if they're playing 'up' on the 17U team or on the 16U team. C. J. Gunn #21 - Indy Heat Vince Iwuchukwu - JL3 Elite Kyle Filipowski - NY Rens Avery Brown and Zion Cruz - PSA Cardinals Masai Troutman - Team Takeover Purely because of the IU connection, Kyle Thomas (Daryl's son) plays on Mac Irvin Fire.

Well, it can't get much more disappointing and I have no idea if it will get any better. Below are the very few detailed stats that have been published from the Adidas event. Currently, we do not have any outstanding offers to any '22 kids that participate on the Under Armour circuit. Favour Aire '22 ( C ) - New World Has IU Offer Date W / L Pts. FGM FGA 3PM 3PA FTM FTA Reb Assts. TO's Blks. Stls. 7/08 W 16 6 11 0 0 4 8 12 2 6 2 4 7/9 Midwest L 8 4 11 0 0 0 1 8 0 3 0 1 Avg 12.0 45% #DIV/0! 44% 10 1 5 1 3 HS '20-'21 6 16.8 14.0 1.0 2.3 4.3 2.0 HS '19-20 N.A. 14.4 14.0 3.4 Kaleb Banks '22 (PF) - Atlanta Celtics Has IU Offer Date W / L Pts. FGM FGA 3PM 3PA FTM FTA Reb Assts. TO's Blks. Stls. 7/08 Tm VA W 19 8 18 1 3 2 3 11 3 4 2 2 Avg 19.0 44% 33% 67% 11 3 4 2 2 HS '20-'21 29 23.5 63% 38% 70% 8.5 1.8 2.7 0.5 1.2 HS '19-'20 28 20.6 n.a. n.a. n.a. 7.4 n.a n.a 1.2 2.0 HS '18-'19 24 10.5 35% 36% 50% 1.0 0.4 0.6 0.0 n.a. Gabe Cupps '23 (PG) - Midwest Basketball Club Has IU Offer - Playing UP Date W / L Pts. FGM FGA 3PM 3PA FTM FTA Reb Assts. TO's Blks. Stls. 7/08 Utah W 27 10 14 3 4 4 4 1 1 1 0 2 7/9 New World W 4 1 5 0 3 2 2 3 7 2 0 0 7/10 AR Hawks W 6 2 6 0 1 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 Avg 12.3 52% 38% 100% 3 4 1 0 1 HS '20-'21 15.2 35% 82% 4.9 1.7 Reed Sheppard '23 (SG) - Midwest Basketball Club Has IU Offer - Playing Up Date W / L Pts. FGM FGA 3PM 3PA FTM FTA Reb Assts. TO's Blks. Stls. 7/08 Utah W 15 5 12 1 6 4 6 5 4 4 0 3 7/9 New World W 26 10 19 6 12 0 0 8 9 3 1 3 7/10 AR Hawks W 9 2 12 1 3 4 4 3 2 1 0 3 Avg 16.7 40% 38% 80% 5 5 3 0 3 HS 20-21 35.0 43% HS 19-20 20.6

Reported on Saturday by Samad Hines - 2023 PG London Johnson (@londonejohnson) has combined for 33 points 53% FG, 15 assists, and only 2 TO’s in two games I have watched in Birmingham #3SSB. Makes nice reads, creates for others, and scoring from all levels.

A great honor and wish him the absolute best.

Update from Dushawn London with sadly no mention of IU. https://247sports.com/Article/Basketball-recruiting-Michigan-Duke-Iowa-Ohio-State-167662651/

Woody and 2 assistants watched Jalen Hood-Schifino today.

6'4" PG who will attend Norcross HS in Norcross, GA. He previously lived in Charlotte, NC. Unranked on 247 but a 4-star on Rivals and ranked #44 nationally by Rivals. Plays AAU for Game Elite on the AAU circuit. Has a personal relationship with Jalen Hood-Schifino going back to 3rd grade and playing on same AAU team so if we were to land Hood-Schifino............. 247 Rivals Hudl April '21 article

Grand Park Premier 2023 UA Rise picked up a BIG win over Team Sizzle at @UAassociation Session 1 in Georgia! Joey Hart dropped 44 on 9 treys.

Thus far a disappointing weekend. Limited box score data for the Adidas and UA events dribbled in late Friday and early Saturday but there have been no further updates in the last 24 hours. Teams in both events played a single game on Thursday, 2 on Friday and 2 on Saturday. Stats for almost all of the Thursday games have been made available but very few for Friday's games and none for yesterday's. In the past, each circuit provided game stats on its own website. This year, TheSeasonTicket has taken over as a clearinghouse and the new system simply isn't working. Don't know if the circuits aren't getting their info to TST or it's TST that's not getting the stats posted. Frustrating to say the least. Both events wrap up today so we'll see what happens. Worst case scenario, I'll post whatever limited data I do have on Monday.

Parker Stewart @_PSTEW Excited to launch my own official brand! Pre-orders are now available in two different designs with more merchandise on the way. Website is http://officialbrandofstew.com and link is also in my bio, thanks for the support!

Samad Hines - 2023 PG London Johnson (@londonejohnson) has combined for 33 points 53% FG, 15 assists, and only 2 TO’s in two games I have watched in Birmingham #3SSB. Makes nice reads, creates for others, and scoring from all levels.

As there is no specifc EYBL event this weekend, those teams are scattered at other events around the country. C. J. Gunn was the leading scorer for Indy Heat with 23 pts. in a 91 - 54 win over the Mid Ohio Pumas Gold squad. He had 19 of his 23 in the first half.

100% agree. https://247sports.com/Article/Basketball-recruiting-Virginia-Tech-LSU-Xavier-Maryland-Tyrell-Ward-167623212/

Travis Branham on yesterday's Xavier Booker vs Owen Freeeman matchup. Two 2023 prospects who have been picking up steam coming into July are Xavier Booker out of Indianapolis (Ind.) Cathedral and Owen Freeman out of Bradley (Ill.) Bourbonnais. Today, both started the morning in a showdown at Best of the South with a handful of college coaches in attendance and both had their fair share of impressive moments. On Booker, his size, length, athleticism and budding skillset immediately stood out. He stands around 6-foot-9 with long arms and a thin, lanky frame. He is mobile and bouncy in the open space, has good ball skills, hit a couple of mid-range jumpers and was effective scoring around the rim. Booker has a nice combination of talent and upside. He has plenty of maturing to do and his skillset has plenty of developing to still do, while still having the foundation as a capable slasher and versatile defender. On Freeman, he impressed with his skillset, hands and touch for a big man prospect. He scored with a variety of moves in the post and showed a developed face-up game, scoring multiple times off the bounce, connecting off of spin backs and push shots in the lane. Booker has recently landed offers from Xavier, Indiana, Notre Dame, Iowa, Louisville and Purdue amongst others. Freeman has recently landed offers from Indiana, Wisconsin, Marquette, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Wake Forest and Iowa.

Will announce his committment on the 12th at 3:00 ET.

We also watched Kaleb Banks' late Friday night game in addition to his early afternoon game. We had staff watching the Indiana Elite 2022 squad vs. Southeast Elite in last night's late game although Ernest Udeh is ill and will not play this weekend for Southeast. Scott Burgess of Prep Hoops IL - Georgia Stars 2023 SG Coen Carr is out of this world athletic! Rangy guard throws down alley-oop. Major factor in transition!