IU/Butler/Notre Dame

Very fair. I’m more realistic than I sound. His eight missed games his freshman year will make it tough to get the record. I honestly think the move was more about jerry Hoover and their history than scoring possibility. His dad knew he would score but not like this

Sorry ...I am really high on the kid ...didn’t mean to get carried away

When someone recognizes my particularly high level of fandom and in turn ( and in jest ) says “ Luke ...is this you posting ?” And I respond with “ god I wish I was “ .....I would hope you would be able to parse out the relatively obvious level of facetiousness attached in said comment. Even if you didn’t find the comment funny, as was the intent, I would hope you could at least say “ man that guy was attempting to be funny he just sucks at it “. As much as I DO wish I had the talent and dedication he does I would actually not prefer to go back and be a 16 year old ( most of the time at least). Anytime I’m answering one of your questions I’ll be super serious and not lead you to believe I actually want to be him. Will that help ? And also would you rather I not pump him up or give an evaluation ? I was under the impression this was a Luke brown forum ....should I not discuss him ?

That is AWESOME. I think you, ray and his brother, and the frankton coach have had the most accurate impression of this kid.

See above post

1. What is spamming ? 2. The change of forum didn’t help you develop a sense of humor I see ..... 3. I’m a Blackford resident and huge fan of Blackford sports ....I know their family and the Hoover’s but I would say more acquaintance than friend ......I don’t vacation with them or anything.

This year he is doing Indiana Elite 2021 class on the platinum team

I won’t have as many opportunity to get to those this summer so I’d love your feedback on anything you are able to catch. I think that is correct on using an evaluation but I think that’s only one piece of the puzzle. There were a couple games this year that were worthy of evaluation ( meaning potential college level opponents) and a healthy amount of games against solid teams were you could appropriately evaluate Luke. I just think it’s too early to use them ....seeing how he physically develops is important so I don’t think you’ll see in-season coach appearances until early next year assuming he puts on another 10lbs and keeps improving ( which I can safely assume ). Next years northwestern game will be worthwhile with tayson Parker vs Luke...two birds one stone. In season tourney where we could match up with Barr Reeve would be a nice addition also. Delta this Friday will be a great measuring stick as well.

Blackford: 123 rpi and 158 sagrin ....not gangbusters ....but upper third. If they would switch the three games I suggested they would probably be in the 50-100 range in those which would be extremely respectable at 2A size

Amen

I was referencing their rating not their schedule strength

Correct ...and I love the kid maybe more than anyone but I wouldn’t offer him right now either ...I’d wait to see start of junior season to monitor physical growth and make sure he stays injury free. Also gives a chance to follow his summer schedule even though I don’t put quite the same emphasis on that that everyone else does.

None as of last week ...at his size I wouldn’t expect any till next year unless Purdue slips one in early ( if you can stomach thinking of them as high major )

And you aren’t wrong about their schedule ...3 or 4 of the games are really iffy ....but Top to bottom it’s not as bad as it’s made out to be.

It’s a shame you won’t get to see him. It’s not the same as in person because the quality isn’t great but they do stream the Blackford game on the Blackford sports network on YouTube. I agree as far as seeing him play with more skilled kids ( both with and against ) but I’m not always convinced that’s accomplished in the summer leagues. They seem, especially recently, to have trended into more of an nba all-star game type of showcase. Kids try and dominate the ball and showcase offensive skill more than they try to win or play team oriented basketball. If he would have stayed in Brownsburg he’d be scoring less points per game sharing with Thomas but he’d be doing it more efficiently from getting actual open shots not being triple teamed and he would probably double his assists if not more.

If that’s the way it came across I completely apologize but that is definitely out of context. The statement I made was that when it comes to measurables Lander (in my opinion) doesn’t do anything basketball related better than Brown other than jumping/explosive leaping. Lander and Luke being comparable in other areas ( you know I’m super high on Brown obviously ) is a compliment to Lander in and of itself coming from me. I’m not saying he doesn’t deserve the attention he’s getting ...in fact he could be the next yogi. That being said, I then pointed out that from my observation, the kids that get early attention and have tons of big programs fighting over them seem to get where they are going and perhaps not appreciate it as much or lay out Max effort as compared to the kids who scrap to get their scholarship. I never said Lander is entitled , I never said he isn’t a high effort kid, I said his situation tends to produce more of that type than not. Using Lander’s situation as a comparison certainly not attacking him in any way.

He’s off to a great start recruiting the state I agree. The relation is 5th cousins so it’s not incredibly close but I get your point. I strongly encourage you to get to a game in person. What part of the state are you in ? I think if you’re able to make one you’ll become a pretty big fan and it will have entertainment value. Would also love your feedback if you’re able to observe in person. As far as the schedule, I’m a personal advocate for Blackford switching out four to five games on it’s schedule. That being said, the statement that they have one of the worst schedules in the state is misleading. Their sagrin has actually been between 100 and 150 most of the year which puts them in the upper third of the entire state. Blackford is reclassifying to 2A next year and has been among the five smallest 3A schools in the state the last 5 years. Their current schedule is actually decently strong for their size they just have 3 games against incredibly overmatched 1A programs who are either annually bad or stuck in a current rut that those very few REALLY bad games kind of create a negative connotation on the remainder of the schedule. If Blackford traded 3 of their 1A schools for Delta, Hamilton heights, and new castle they would have actually had one of the strongest schedules of any team 2A sized. Instead of 17-5 they’d be 16-7 against a strong schedule and it would be almost totally attributable to Browns play.

I think you must have greatly misunderstood any point I made. I never said anything remotely negative about Lander...not a single thing. And you’re correct, the reason is perceived athleticism. Which is why I’m suggesting more diligence is necessary in evaluation. I haven’t ever, nor would I ever, bash a kid.

Oh and also I think that’s why they should just be sending people to some games to show presence and use the next nine months to make sure he stays injury free and how much weight he puts on or if he adds any height to start his junior year. If he packs on ten pounds and/or grows an inch I would offer him to start the junior season.

I probably worded it poorly. I don’t know anything about Khristian Landers personality so please let me emphasize that wasn’t an indictment. I was using a generalization of ALL players we have to beg to come or compete heavily with other top schools for their allegiance. While not ALWAYS the case ( always exceptions) it just appears from my own observations that the kids we really have to fight to get or persuade to come here don’t always have the same passion or pride as the kids who have to fight their tails off to get IUs attention. Lander could be that exception for all I know but I was only making the comparison because he was offered by iu and Purdue very early in his sophomore year and I have no doubt he will receive other big time offers. Right now the ONLY thing he can do meausably better than Luke is jump higher. I think it’s human nature that when you get that kind of attention early and have multiple people fighting over you...you tend to get used to it and expect it. The kids that don’t maybe develop a chip on their shoulder and work harder. Again, not always the case, but I think it is more often than not so not painting Lander the person into any kind of box because I don’t know him but merely using the situation as a comparable example.

I haven’t heard ...and if he continues to develop he may be an absolute stud that we need ...but as it currently sits I honestly don’t think he does anything better than brown other than jump and it’s kind of a repeat of what we currently have on our roster...a super athletic kid that we have to beg to sign with us then he spends 1-3 years acting like he’s done us a favor and is entitled. I’m not saying we have no one on our roster who gives effort but we mostly have guys who give an 8 or 9 the majority of the games but rarely dial it up to a 10.

I don’t disagree with you but they already offered Caleb Furst and khristian Lander from the same class so I think that makes Luke a gamble if both accept because that doesn’t even address the our if state prospects

It would be a gamble but I think a safe one ...id at least get into next year to make sure he is injury free through the summer season this year

I agree ...Jerry tells lots of stories but I haven’t caught him exaggerating any ...when he says this kid is the hardest worker he has had he means at ANY level and that’s pretty high praise

And that part I agree with also ...it’s probably too early to make a formal offer ...I just would like them to send an ambassador once in a while to let the kid know they notice what he’s doing. I know what he will do if IU spurns him. The Blackford team has two pretty decent permítete defenders. Quick kids who aren’t great all around but they hustle and can guard. Very rarely one of them will knock a ball away from Luke or out of his hands and they told me he takes it INSANELY personally and will spend the rest of the practice scoring on them or driving past them. He will be a chip on the shoulder guy.