(2021) G Luke Brown to Ball State

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

On 12/14/2018 at 9:24 PM, ccgeneral said:

Easy work tonight against Elwood.

@BlackfordBruins: 4 minutes to go. All starters now out. 92-25 Bruins. Unofficially...Brown 55. Stroble 25.

Brown was one of the Indy Star's top performers of the week - 

The 6-1 sophomore guard scored 55 points with eight rebounds, six assists and six steals in a 98-34 win over Elwood on Friday. Brown was 21-for-25 from the field, including 7-for-8 from the 3-point line. On the season, he is averaging 39.3 points and 8.0 assists and is 50-for-51 from the free-throw line.

[WayneFleekHoosier]

Brown was one of the Indy Star's top performers of the week - 
The 6-1 sophomore guard scored 55 points with eight rebounds, six assists and six steals in a 98-34 win over Elwood on Friday. Brown was 21-for-25 from the field, including 7-for-8 from the 3-point line. On the season, he is averaging 39.3 points and 8.0 assists and is 50-for-51 from the free-throw line.

Wow. That FT shooting is remarkable. As are the other stats.


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[coonhounds]

To me i would offer this kid right now. Just me but i like good free throw shooters let alone his shooting ability

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[Walking Boot of Doom]

6 steals in a game? Are these teams he’s playing downright awful? The scoring and efficiency numbers are getting hard to ignore.


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[MoyeNeeded]

My question is the defense. Both his and what he faces. Big fish in a small pond right now. Can't ignore his numbers though. Plus, the examples on video of his ball handling and passing skills. Hope that we keep a close eye out for this one.

[ap2345]

My question is the defense. Both his and what he faces. Big fish in a small pond right now. Can't ignore his numbers though. Plus, the examples on video of his ball handling and passing skills. Hope that we keep a close eye out for this one.

I’ve stated this multiple times he doesn’t play defense. I’m not sure if it’s because he doesn’t want to or if it’s because his coach doesn’t want him to so he doesn’t get into foul trouble. As for who he plays against well they do play some solid small school teams that play solid defense even though he might only play against a couple of D1 kids throughout the season.


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[Bigred3588]

A little tidbit you guys might be interested in. My cousin's husband was a runner up for Mr. Basketball back in the day and played for a B1G school. He currently coaches in the Indy area and does individual workouts as well as camps during the summer. I asked him about Brown last year and he said he knew him pretty well and had worked him out on multiple occasions prior to him leaving for Blackford. He had nothing but good things to say and that Brown was the hardest working kid at that age that he had ever seen. Specifically, he talked about how they'd bring Brown in and put him through an intensive workout for 2-3 hours at which point Brown would pack up and head off to his next trainer for the day.

I haven't seen him play so I can't really speak on the reason for his defensive liabilities, but based on the description I received I would say he'll bust his rear end developing that part of his game the second a college coach tells him it's an area of concern in his recruitment.

[MikeRoberts]

A little tidbit you guys might be interested in. My cousin's husband was a runner up for Mr. Basketball back in the day and played for a B1G school. He currently coaches in the Indy area and does individual workouts as well as camps during the summer. I asked him about Brown last year and he said he knew him pretty well and had worked him out on multiple occasions prior to him leaving for Blackford. He had nothing but good things to say and that Brown was the hardest working kid at that age that he had ever seen. Specifically, he talked about how they'd bring Brown in and put him through an intensive workout for 2-3 hours at which point Brown would pack up and head off to his next trainer for the day.
I haven't seen him play so I can't really speak on the reason for his defensive liabilities, but based on the description I received I would say he'll bust his rear end developing that part of his game the second a college coach tells him it's an area of concern in his recruitment.

Seems like a kid that at worst is a solid practice player and a good guy to have at the end of your bench.

He might be a lot more than that but don’t see the harm in having a guy like him on a 13 man roster. Not everyone has to be Romeo


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[HoosierCoop]

I saw him play against Bluffton this season (albeit Bluffton is atrocious this year) and he was nailing 30ft shots like it was nothing.  He definitely know how to score and win.  Definitely a role player for IU but a starter for some others.

[ray]

8 hours ago, MikeRoberts said:

Seems like a kid that at worst is a solid practice player and a good guy to have at the end of your bench.

He might be a lot more than that but don’t see the harm in having a guy like him on a 13 man roster. Not everyone has to be Romeo


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It was always nice to have a guy like Matt Roth who could come in for 3 or 4 minutes and score 12 points (from half court).  We all know what his limitations were, but I was always confident that when he let it fly it would go through the net.  

If nothing else, put this kid in during the final seconds of a close game and make him control the ball...he seems dead-on with free-throw shooting...and maybe he can teach the others a thing or two about form and follow through from the line.

Problem is, I don't believe he will want to own a Matt Roth role.  So, hopefully his defense is better than we are hearing or he can improve immensely.  

I still haven't made a game, but with the holidays fast approaching I haven't had time.  I will check him out live soon.

 

MikeRoberts puts his "at worst" into perspective, but what if we look at an "at best" and the kid becomes a Tom Coverdale type of player...a hustling, hard-working, scoring machine who gets everyone involved?  There is still time for him to improve any area of his game he needs to.  The worst case scenario I keep envisioning is he ends up at Purdue with an improved all-round game and he devastates us twice a year.

Edited December 19, 2018 by ray

[Stuhoo]

25 minutes ago, ray said:

MikeRoberts puts his "at worst" into perspective, but what if we look at an "at best" and the kid becomes a Tom Coverdale type of player...a hustling, hard-working, scoring machine who gets everyone involved?  There is still time for him to improve any area of his game he needs to.  The worst case scenario I keep envisioning is he ends up at Purdue with an improved all-round game and he devastates us twice a year.

 

Tom Coverdale was a badass, and was incredibly strong for his size. 

Player comparisons aren't always wrong, but Coverdale is not the best case comparative scenario here. Maaaaybe Jordy Hulls if young Mr. Brown substantially steps up his intensity and athleticism.

 

[Baltimore Hoosier]

Indiana needs shooters so bad. Why would they not offer this dude? 21-23 from the field? If he's a hard worker, why let him go to Butler or Fort Wayne, just to come back and torch us for 40 in a non-conference game?

[SlamaJamaSisley]

9 minutes ago, Baltimore Hoosier said:

Indiana needs shooters so bad. Why would they not offer this dude? 21-23 from the field? If he's a hard worker, why let him go to Butler or Fort Wayne, just to come back and torch us for 40 in a non-conference game?

#InArchWeTrust!

[schoosier]

On 1/27/2018 at 11:57 PM, TheWatShot said:

Part of that is how Jay County plays. They're only giving up 39 a game.

 

Hearing very unofficially that Brown broke his ankle. Hoping it's not true.

That’s how Jay County played over 30 years ago. Some things never change lol.

 

As far as Brown, he definitely has skills and passes at an elite level. Locking down the borders also includes elite shooters that can help win championships. I sure wouldn’t mind adding a couple just like him. Indiana has always been know for shooting; I will trust Archie on who gets the schollies.

[ray]

2 hours ago, Stuhoo said:

 

Tom Coverdale was a badass, and was incredibly strong for his size. 

Player comparisons aren't always wrong, but Coverdale is not the best case comparative scenario here. Maaaaybe Jordy Hulls if young Mr. Brown substantially steps up his intensity and athleticism.

 

Fair enough.

[HoosierTrav]

I can’t wait to see what this kid does against significantly better competition during the spring and summer months. If he plays well on the national stage, I’m all in. His numbers are becoming impossible to overlook at this point. 

[Bigred3588]

8 hours ago, HoosierTrav said:

I can’t wait to see what this kid does against significantly better competition during the spring and summer months. If he plays well on the national stage, I’m all in. His numbers are becoming impossible to overlook at this point. 

I think he will be better than what i'm reading from a lot of posters in this thread, but i'm going to play devil's advocate here. What you're saying could be a double edged sword. With this kid's skill set, AAU ball could potentially put him in the "overrated" category. The two things that are undeniable about Brown are that he can shoot the lights out and he has God given court vision. That's a combination that could lead to gaudy numbers in run-n-gun basketball, especially if he has some talent around him.

[Bigred3588]

Alright, I've been reading the comments and the stat lines but hadn't previously seen him in a game. Blackford posts entire games on Youtube so I decided to binge watch a few and do an analysis through the eyes of a former point guard. My final conclusion: We want this kid. Period. My observations are below.

1. The stats you're seeing? He's doing it against two and sometimes three defenders.

2. The shot, vision, and ball handling skills are as good as advertised. I was also impressed with the way he navigates the court. This is the first thing I look at when I evaluate a PG because it tends to be an area of weakness for young players. I was big on Phinisee because he was excellent in this regard as a senior, and Brown is well ahead of schedule. He's still a little impatient but that will come. I really wish he'd transfer to a team with some talent because he isn't getting to show off his entire skill set.

2. He has no problem embracing his role as the leader, even as a sophomore. He is noticeably vocal throughout the game and communicates well with teammates. To put that into perspective, our previous coach had to make huge flash cards to remind his 22 year olds to talk to each other. He does force shots, but he really doesn't have much choice. His teammates look lost.

3. When I read the comments about athleticism and lack of defense, I expected to see a player that was physically incapable. This is not the case. He has ample foot speed to play the position, consistently beats his defender off the dribble, and doesn't struggle getting where he wants. The only times I saw his opponent control his movement, they needed two players to do it. He does, however, need to put on some muscle. He doesn't handle contact well.

4. I think the criticism of his defense is exaggerated. When Blackford plays man, Brown moves well and keeps the ball in front of him. The Hulls comparisons are way off with regards to defense because Hulls simply didn't have the foot speed to stay in front of most PGs. Brown has the foot speed. He does occasionally slack off in man, but only when the ball is on the opposite side of the court. This gives the appearance that he's out of place but he's capable of closing the distance if the ball is thrown cross-court. He does look bad in zone but it's difficult to look good when your teammates are out of position and don't switch properly. Brown was routinely stuck defending both wings and the top of the key. The main area of concern I had with his defense is something that's easily fixed. He gets overzealous and has a habit of jumping passing lanes. It's great when he gets the steal; not so much when he doesn't. 

 

FWIW, I occasionally go on record here and/or GBI with projections that I know most people will laugh at. My last three: Phinisee will make the B1G All-Freshman team (Preseason projection), Anunoby would be drafted (Projection made during his senior year in high school), and Oladipo would be drafted (Also projected when he was a senior in high school). I would like to go on record as saying Brown will be the starting PG for the next IU team to win a NC.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

5 hours ago, Bigred3588 said:

I would like to go on record as saying Brown will be the starting PG for the next IU team to win a NC.

Now that's BOLD!     Really great post and appreciate the time you devoted to watching his games.   It's easy to get caught up in the "well, he's playing at a small school against other small schools" much like a lot of the commentary following Jack Kiser from Pioneer being named Mr. Football over David Bell.  At this point, I don't think we've ever gotten an indication that the staff has actually watched him practice or play in person.  He's only a sophomore but it just seems we'd have some evidence that we do have an interest in him.

[Stuhoo]

6 hours ago, Bigred3588 said:

FWIW, I occasionally go on record here and/or GBI with projections that I know most people will laugh at. My last three: Phinisee will make the B1G All-Freshman team (Preseason projection), Anunoby would be drafted (Projection made during his senior year in high school), and Oladipo would be drafted (Also projected when he was a senior in high school). I would like to go on record as saying Brown will be the starting PG for the next IU team to win a NC.

 

Rob Phinisee disagrees.