(2018) SG Romeo Langford - INDIANA HOOSIERS

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

COLUMN: Composure beyond his years

By Justin Sokeland on March 9, 2016 in Bedford North Lawrence Boys Basketball

New Albany sophomore Romeo Langford lets his game demand the attention, rather than any self-promotional antics.

New Albany’s Romeo Langford

shines in the state spotlight

with attracting any attention

“True art tries not to attract attention in order to be noticed.”

– Jose Bergamin

Basketball, in today’s “Look at me!” Youtube society, has become the theater for the absurd.

Almost every dunk is followed by fist-pounding the chest with a scream, or a short pose and muscle flex for the camera. Almost every 3-pointer is punctuated by hand gestures and salutes, and now the latest craze is the ridiculous scripted pantomimes on the bench after a teammate’s success. ESPN spent more time during a recent Monmouth broadcast showing the reactions off the floor than it did the action on it.

Attracting attention, somehow going “viral” on any of the social media platforms, seems to be the primary goal. Round and round it goes, where it stops, nobody knows. They just want to reach out and grab ya. Every time you call my name, I heat up like a burning flame.

Yet Indiana’s most viral name is Romeo. And he shuns the selfie spotlight.
New Albany sophomore Romeo Langford is the latest Hoosier phenom, headed for greatness on other levels, destined for instant first-name-only recognition. Oscar. Damon. Romeo. He’s already drawing comparisons to those legends. Time will ultimately tell if he’s worthy of that, but he’s on that trajectory.

 

Romeo Langford is averaging 29.2 points per game this season.

His game is exceptional. His numbers (700 points this season, 1,158 for his 50-game career, a single-game school record of 44 twice this year) are astounding, his abilities are extraordinary. Yet his single greatest characteristic has no measurable statistics. He lacks the desire for attention.

Call it composure, temperament, control or poise. As good as he already is, as great as he could become, Langford doesn’t care about the accolades, doesn’t celebrate an accomplishment, doesn’t accept honor without humility. That is earning him far more respect than his highlight reel.

Where does that come from? In this age, when teens have been buried in an avalanche of self-promotion, how does a 16-year old kid avoid the pitfalls of indulgent propaganda?

“I’d like to take credit for it, but I can’t,” New Albany coach Jim Shannon said. “You have to throw that credit to the parents, but I also think that’s just who he is.

“People who excel in their professions have that X factor, they carry themselves a little different than the average guy. I guess if we knew how you come up with that, we’d bottle it, sell it and make a lot of money. I think a lot of it is God given.”

Crash. Langford has almost ripped the rim off one of the baskets at Seymour’s historic Scott Gymnasium, causing an explosion in the stands. He never even cracked a smile. Swish. Romeo has buried three straight treys, and the opponents are reeling, and he’s already back on defense. Thud. Langford has hit the deck, hard, and simply gathers himself to walk to the free-throw line without a glare or an acknowledgement of pain.

Langford has many dunks on his highlight reel, yet he never shows his emotions following a fantastic play.

“His demeanor on the court is far advanced for his age,” said Bloomington South coach J.R. Holmes, who has coached many great ones and has seen even more during his 45 years on the sidelines. Holmes compares Langford’s demeanor to former Mr. Basketball Jordan Hulls. “He hits threes, he turns and plays defense. He misses a shot, he doesn’t show the emotions. He just plays.

“He doesn’t show the emotion of the game or the badness of basketball, the way kids act now, when a dunk is the greatest thing in the world or they hit a three and act like it was the first time in their life. I’ve never seen him do that.”

Evansville Reitz coach Michael Adams tells the story of a scouting trip earlier this season, when he watched New Albany conquer Evansville Central.

“He went to block a shot, and because of the train wreck, he got undercut and hit the floor hard,” Adams said. “And he actually hit his face. And I was watching because I thought he might have a concussion. A lot of kids would have rolled around and made a big deal about it.

“He quietly gets up – and he always accepts the official’s call – walks to the lane and you never would have known he just fell hard. He didn’t want anyone to see, but he kind of reached up to feel his face and see if it was OK. And then he went on and made about five plays in a row. What that showed me was a sense of toughness you just don’t see in sophomores.”

New Albany’s Romeo Langford scored 458 points as a freshman.

If underclassmen were eligible for the Mr. Basketball award, Langford would be a frontrunner, based on his sheer numbers (29.2 points, 9.1 rebounds) and the grocery cart full of college offers he already possesses from recruiters. But it’s his on-court character that makes him special.

“I’m not so sure he’s not the best player in the state as a sophomore,” Adams said. “I love his composure beyond his years. He allows the game to come to him. He doesn’t look like he’s ever pressing anything. He’s a great teammate, I like his temperament.

“The kid is phenomenal. He impresses you in so many areas. I couldn’t say enough great things about the kid.”

Great teammates share the ball, and Langford has two others (Isaac Hibbard and Josh Jefferson) averaging in double figures. Great teammates deflect the glory to others, and take them on recruiting visits to enjoy that glimpse into an enviable lifestyle. Great teammates diffuse any selfishness.

Romeo Langford

“He’s a joy to coach, and I think he sets the tone for what we’ve got going on right now,” Shannon said. “There’s no jealousy. Sometimes when you have that one kid that gets all the attention, you have to nurture the rest of them. That hasn’t been a problem.”

So what is his ceiling? Damon? Comparisons to the last true Hoosier Hero might be premature. He’s still off Damon’s state-record scoring pace. Bailey had 1,345 through 50 career games, and 1,509 after his sophomore year, and Bailey averaged 27.2 and 31.4 his last two years. Langford would need two fantastic, injury-free years with deep tournament runs to get close. And it’s doubtful 41,000 would show up to watch him play right now.

And he probably doesn’t care about that. His coach certainly doesn’t.

“I’m just glad we’ve got him the rest of this year,” Shannon said, “and a couple of more years.”

[hoosierpap 14,300]

Heard he strongly favors Duke

Mentioned back in Jan in this thread that this may be a bit overblown. Still think it's an uphill battle but IU is in a better spot than I thought, apparently.

[Jam 278]

Mentioned back in Jan in this thread that this may be a bit overblown. Still think it's an uphill battle but IU is in a better spot than I thought, apparently.

That's good to hear. Heard it from a New Albany friend shortly after hearing we tried unsuccessfully to get him to our final game.

[Uspshoosier 44,864]

That's good to hear. Heard it from a New Albany friend shortly after hearing we tried unsuccessfully to get him to our final game.

i wouldnt read too much in iu being unsuccessfully in trying to get him to the final game. Just remember we had been successfully in getting him down for unofficial visits and games earlier in the year

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

At halftime, New Albany leads Bloomington South 31 - 20.  Langford with 12 pts.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

Strong 3rd Q for South and only trail New Albany 43 - 40; don't have a stat for Langford in the 3rd. 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

Radio announcer has specifically identified a 'bald official' who hasn't made a single call that favored New Albany and the same official just assessed a technical against NA.   LOL

 

 

I've listened to a number of New Albany's games on the New Albany High School radio station:  http://wnas.org/

 

There is a young lady that does the actual play by play and she does a really fantastic job.  You can absolutely follow the action in your mind.  And for clarification, it was not this young lady that referred to the bald official, but the man that probably serves as her on-air manager and coordinator for commercial breaks.

[Hovadipo 54,686]

Headed to overtime. Blackwell from South hit a 3 to tie it with :05 left.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

In OT, South apparently decided to force New Albany to win the game from the foul line and repeatedly sent NA to the line.  4 South starters fouled out and the other finished the game with 4.  In the second half, South committed 21 fouls which is so funny because of the comment the New Albany radio announcer made about the 'bald headed' official' earlier making only calls against New Albany.

 

If anyone was actually at the game can they confirm that deliberately putting New Albany on the line was South's plan?

 

Final score New Albany 73 Bloomington South 66.  Langford with 34; hit 17 of 20 from the foul line.

[WayneFleekHoosier 47,768]

We need to get Langford. He is special!

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

By Justin Sokeland

TheHHCSports.com

SEYMOUR – Clutch doesn’t ask for a birth certificate, or a superstar pedigree, or even a starter’s badge. It just asks, when the time arrives and the pressure is suffocating, when the season is at stake, if an athlete can perform under the intensity of the spotlight.

Clutch found more worthy of admission to its privileged society in the opening game of the Class 4-A regional at Seymour on Saturday morning.

Perhaps New Albany sophomore sensation Romeo Langford was already a card-carrying member, perhaps Bloomington South senior Tucker Blackwell has already been inducted. If not, they are now. So too is New Albany’s Rondale Moore, who was cool in the heat of the moment during a tense overtime.

Blackwell buried a long jumper to force the extra session, the highlight of his 32 points, but Langford scored 34 and Moore drilled huge free throws in the final quarter and overtime as No.1 New Albany escaped with a 73-66 victory over the No.10 Panthers.

New Albany advanced to the regional final to face Evansville Reitz, the defending champion and last year’s state runner-up. Reitz stormed back in the second semifinal to deck Franklin Central 81-80.

 

With its postseason fate hanging on every shot and decision, especially after a 13-point lead vanished into oblivion in the third quarter, New Albany needed heroes. Langford always has been one, and he came through again with 14 points (most from foul line) in the final 12 minutes. Moore, only a 64-perccent shooter from the line during the season, was targeted to prove himself and was 8 of 10 there late.

“The kids that have to take a deep breath and go out there are young,” New Albany coach Jim Shannon said. “We made ‘em, didn’t we? We had sophomores going to that line. That’s crazy.”

New Albany (24-1) had to prove itself when the lead – 33-20 after Langford started the third with a rebound of his own miss – disappeared. That magician was Blackwell, who was quiet during the first half but loud and aggressive during South’s stormy charge.

Blackwell drilled two treys and scored 12 third-quarter points as South sliced the lead to 43-40. After New Albany opened the fourth with a Langford slam, South took advantage of Josh Jefferson’s fourth and fifth fouls (the latter on a technical) for a five-point possession with 6:04 left to draw even.

 

From that point, nothing was safe.

“I thought we controlled the game for the most part, until we had a couple of calls not go our way and one of our kids lost his mind,” Shannon said. “All of a sudden, it’s a game. Pressure gets to some kids.”

Pressure didn’t faze Blackwell. As his teammates kept fouling out, he kept popping jumpers, including a bomb with 12.5 seconds left for the 55-55 deadlock after regulation.

“Blackwell was special today,” Shannon said. “We could have run two players at him like they did Romeo. Is he that good? He was that good today. He was making some tough shots.”

New Albany reclaimed the upper hand in the overtime. Michael Maxwell’s layup (New Albany’s only field goal in the extra four minutes), and free throws by Adrian Pratt-Thomas and Langford gave the Bulldogs a 62-57 lead with 1:50 left.

That started a trade-buckets-for-fouls parade. South kept sending Moore up there, and he kept delivering. So did Langford, who was 8-for-10 in the overtime. New Albany was 16 of 20 in the extra period, a whopping 37 of 49 overall.

“You can’t guard Romeo at the free-throw line,” South coach J.R. Holmes said. “You can’t guard him anywhere, so I know we can’t guard him at the line. I don’t know what else we could do.”

 

South (21-5) became so dependent on Blackwell for its offense, and he had 27 of South’s 46 in the second half, including the gutsy shot that seniors are expected to take and make. Chance Coyle, one of four Panthers to foul out, totaled 10 points.

“We showed a lot of toughness in the second half,” Holmes said. “If they are 1, we were 1-A today. I thought we battled them really hard.”

Jefferson had 11 points, including three 3-pointers, before his departure. Moore had all 9 of his at the line. Langford did most of the rest, including 8 rebounds. He had 26 points, and missed only two shots, in the second half.

“Romeo is as cool as a cucumber,” Shannon said. “It’s the tournament and we’re still young. We’re gaining experience as we go.

“That was definitely a challenge. We’re just blessed to survive and move on. That’s all you can do, get to the next one and see what happens.”

In the second semifinal, No.7 Reitz (22-4) rallied from a 58-33 deficit in the third quarter to stun Franklin Central (18-7). Blake Ruckman had 29 points and Dru Smith added 18 for the Panthers. Marcus Burk had 8 treys and 36 points for the Flashes, but his last-second shot rimmed off.

That set up a rematch with the Bulldogs. Reitz had a similar rally against New Albany in last year’s regional semifinal, battling back for a 64-59 win. New Albany conquered Reitz 72-53 during the regular-season clash on Dec. 30 at New Albany.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

At the half, New Albany leads Ev. Reitz  41 - 31.  Langford with 17 pts.; 15 of them in the 2nd Q.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

New Albany defeats Ev. Reitz 84 - 70   Langford with 37 pts. and 14 reb.

 

New Albany faces Southport next Saturday in a semi-state game.

Edited March 13, 2016 by Class of '66 Old Fart

[WayneFleekHoosier 47,768]

New Albany defeats Ev. Reitz 84 - 70 Langford with 37 pts. and 14 reb.

New Albany faces Southport next Saturday in a semi-state game.

special!

[biteoftheapple 4,115]

I hope they televise it.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

Full account of the regional championship game:  http://www.newsandtribune.com/sports/class-a-seymour-regional-bulldogs-win-first-regional-title-since/article_68fda80a-e8e9-11e5-8121-bbe3fb3ae9ed.html

 

Key paragraphs:

Langford shot 14-of-26 from the field, including 4-of-10 from 3-point range, and 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, distributed four assists and had two steals.

“Langford is as good as advertised. He’s phenomenal,” Reitz head coach Michael Adams said. “We didn’t do a very good job on him. He’s really good, but we just didn’t get a body on him and we let him have free runs to the basket. He killed us on the boards obviously. He’s special and we just didn’t have an answer for him.”

For the day, Langford combined to score 71 points. He poured in a game-high 34 in the Bulldogs triumph over Bloomington South. Langford passed current Bulldog assistant coach and former standout guard Derick Hobbs for fourth place on the school’s all-time scoring.

Langford now has 1,229 career points. He needs eight points to overtake former Bulldog center Donnie Hale for third. Hale had 1,236 points during his New Albany career from 2006-10.

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,510]

‘Total package’ Romeo Langford drawing comparisons to Damon Bailey  

Kyle Neddenriep, kyle.neddenriep@indystar.com 5:51 p.m. EDT March 16, 2016

NEW ALBANY – Terry Fleshman has been watching high school basketball here since the 1950s. He graduated from New Albany in 1959 and taught history at the school until his retirement in 2000.

Fleshman has seen great players. Great teams. New Albany’s long history of basketball has produced plenty of both, including 15 IndyStar Indiana All-Stars and a state title in 1973. But Fleshman contends that this Southern Indiana city has never seen anything like the quiet 16-year-old currently rewriting the program’s record books.

“A lot of older fans think he’s the best player we’ve ever had,” Fleshman said. “Even as a sophomore. He might be the best player we’ve ever had as a sophomore.”

The “Romeo Show” is in full bloom in New Albany, where the Bulldogs are 25-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. Romeo Langford, a 6-4 sophomore guard, is perhaps the best player in the state regardless of class. He’s not perfect, coach Jim Shannon says. But there’s startlingly little that he can’t do.

New Albany has never had an IndyStar Mr. Basketball. That streak seems likely to end in two years.

“There’s always been a lot of fan interest here,” said Shannon, in his 18th season at New Albany. “But a lot of people come out just to see Romeo play. Some aren’t even New Albany fans. I’ve seen kids from the opposing school lined up after the game to get an autograph and picture with him. I’ve never seen that before.”

There are parallels made from Langford to Damon Bailey, who triggered a phenomenon as a high schooler at Bedford North Lawrence that was capped with a state title victory in front of more than 41,000 fans at the Hoosier Dome in 1990.

Bailey still holds the state’s boys career scoring record with 3,134 points. If there’s anyone who could track him down, it might be Langford. Going into Saturday’s Class 4A semistate against Southport at Richmond, Langford has 1,229 career points in 52 games.

“A lot of people compare him to Damon,” Fleshman said. “As a sophomore, he’s better. But maybe that’s New Albany prejudice saying that.”

* * *

New Albany's Romeo Langford drives around Evansville North's Tanner Turpin on Friday. New Albany's Romeo Langford (right) drives around Evansville North's Tanner Turpin (left) on Friday at New Albany High School.  David Hartlage/Special to the Co

Part of the appeal of Langford is his undeniable talent. He can soar for alley-oop dunks, knock down long-range 3-point shots and swoop into passing lanes for steals that look great on highlight clips.

According to the 247sports composite rankings, Langford is the No. 24-ranked prospect nationally in the sophomore class. His offer list is already impressive: Indiana, Purdue, IUPUI, Louisville, UCLA and Vanderbilt. It will continue to grow, probably significantly.

But there’s another part of Langford’s makeup that New Albany faithful seem to appreciate even more – he’s unshakeable. Or at least he appears to be. There’s no amount of physical play or a call from an official that ever appears to throw him for a loop.

His father, Tim, preached this attitude to Romeo at a young age. Junior teammate Isaac Hibbard said it’s Langford’s “greatest attribute.”

“I don’t boast or show it off that I’m getting any of these accolades or anything,” Langford said. “I don’t like to show it like that. Some kids my age don’t know how to handle it or get a big head and think they are too good. Then they stop working hard. That’s not me.”

Even as a freshman, there was a different air about Langford. He led New Albany to a 23-3 record and into the regional, where it lost to eventual state runner-up Evansville Reitz. Langford averaged 17.6 points and 6.1 rebounds.

“I’ve never seen him get rattled,” Shannon said. “I have to get on him here and there – that’s what I’m here for – but he doesn’t walk around with his head down. He never does that. I think that starts at home. I can’t take credit for that. But when I do talk to him, his eyes are on me. He’s different, man. When you are that talented and are humble, the sky is the limit.”

 

Shannon has known Langford since the sophomore was in the third grade. His talent was obvious even then. By the time Langford was in middle school, Shannon fretted he would lose him to some other school.

“I wanted him to stay where he belonged,” Shannon said. “I was worried about that for a long time. I didn’t sleep very well when he was in seventh and eighth grade. But his family said all along he was going to be a Bulldog. We fought hard to make that a fact. We wanted to keep him here.”

Like most high-profile recruits, there have been rumors of Langford going to some prep school. He shakes off such talk. He wants to “win state multiple times.” And possibly win Mr. Basketball. New Albany can offer him a route to those goals. A prep school cannot.

“It’s all I expected,” Langford said of his high school experience. “The crowds and the atmosphere of playing on Friday nights and Saturday nights is great.”

* * *

The numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they are impressive nonetheless. Langford is averaging 29.7 points a game this year in addition to 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 blocked shots and 1.7 steals. He is shooting 59 percent overall from the field and 39 percent (62-for-161) from the 3-point line.

On Saturday, in front of a packed house at the 8,110-seat gym in Seymour, he led New Albany to victories in the regional over Bloomington South (73-66 in overtime) and Evansville Reitz (84-70). He called it the highlight of his high school career so far.

Hibbard said the “sky is the limit” to where Langford can go from here.

“Freshman year coming in, he was crazy good,” Hibbard said. “He’s just getting better and better. He’s a great player because he makes everybody else better.”

 

Langford’s recruiting process is still in the early stages. Coaches can’t even call him directly until June. But it has already opened some doors for the New Albany program to get to college games or practices it otherwise wouldn’t. Shannon jokes that the list of contacts in his cellphone is far more impressive than it was two years ago.

Langford said his father handles most of the recruiting as of now.

“It’s not that crazy,” he said. “I don’t put that first. I really focus on my team. It’s not a big deal to me during the high school season.”

But it will get crazy, Shannon expects. Probably beginning this summer and into next year.

“Next year will be nuts,” Shannon said. “That’s when the heavies will start to figure out how to try to get him.”

Meanwhile, Langford is focused on bringing a state title back home to New Albany.

Damon did it as a senior. Romeo, as they’ll remind you around here, is still a sophomore.

“One of the two or three best I’ve ever seen,” Fleshman said. “He’s the total package.”

[Bobman1 2,909]

‘Total package’ Romeo Langford drawing comparisons to Damon Bailey
Kyle Neddenriep, kyle.neddenriep@indystar.com 5:51 p.m. EDT March 16, 2016


NEW ALBANY – Terry Fleshman has been watching high school basketball here since the 1950s. He graduated from New Albany in 1959 and taught history at the school until his retirement in 2000.
Fleshman has seen great players. Great teams. New Albany’s long history of basketball has produced plenty of both, including 15 IndyStar Indiana All-Stars and a state title in 1973. But Fleshman contends that this Southern Indiana city has never seen anything like the quiet 16-year-old currently rewriting the program’s record books.
“A lot of older fans think he’s the best player we’ve ever had,” Fleshman said. “Even as a sophomore. He might be the best player we’ve ever had as a sophomore.”
The “Romeo Show” is in full bloom in New Albany, where the Bulldogs are 25-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class 4A. Romeo Langford, a 6-4 sophomore guard, is perhaps the best player in the state regardless of class. He’s not perfect, coach Jim Shannon says. But there’s startlingly little that he can’t do.
New Albany has never had an IndyStar Mr. Basketball. That streak seems likely to end in two years.
“There’s always been a lot of fan interest here,” said Shannon, in his 18th season at New Albany. “But a lot of people come out just to see Romeo play. Some aren’t even New Albany fans. I’ve seen kids from the opposing school lined up after the game to get an autograph and picture with him. I’ve never seen that before.”
There are parallels made from Langford to Damon Bailey, who triggered a phenomenon as a high schooler at Bedford North Lawrence that was capped with a state title victory in front of more than 41,000 fans at the Hoosier Dome in 1990.
Bailey still holds the state’s boys career scoring record with 3,134 points. If there’s anyone who could track him down, it might be Langford. Going into Saturday’s Class 4A semistate against Southport at Richmond, Langford has 1,229 career points in 52 games.
“A lot of people compare him to Damon,” Fleshman said. “As a sophomore, he’s better. But maybe that’s New Albany prejudice saying that.”
* * *
New Albany's Romeo Langford drives around Evansville North's Tanner Turpin on Friday. New Albany's Romeo Langford (right) drives around Evansville North's Tanner Turpin (left) on Friday at New Albany High School. David Hartlage/Special to the Co
Part of the appeal of Langford is his undeniable talent. He can soar for alley-oop dunks, knock down long-range 3-point shots and swoop into passing lanes for steals that look great on highlight clips.
According to the 247sports composite rankings, Langford is the No. 24-ranked prospect nationally in the sophomore class. His offer list is already impressive: Indiana, Purdue, IUPUI, Louisville, UCLA and Vanderbilt. It will continue to grow, probably significantly.
But there’s another part of Langford’s makeup that New Albany faithful seem to appreciate even more – he’s unshakeable. Or at least he appears to be. There’s no amount of physical play or a call from an official that ever appears to throw him for a loop.
His father, Tim, preached this attitude to Romeo at a young age. Junior teammate Isaac Hibbard said it’s Langford’s “greatest attribute.”
“I don’t boast or show it off that I’m getting any of these accolades or anything,” Langford said. “I don’t like to show it like that. Some kids my age don’t know how to handle it or get a big head and think they are too good. Then they stop working hard. That’s not me.”
Even as a freshman, there was a different air about Langford. He led New Albany to a 23-3 record and into the regional, where it lost to eventual state runner-up Evansville Reitz. Langford averaged 17.6 points and 6.1 rebounds.
“I’ve never seen him get rattled,” Shannon said. “I have to get on him here and there – that’s what I’m here for – but he doesn’t walk around with his head down. He never does that. I think that starts at home. I can’t take credit for that. But when I do talk to him, his eyes are on me. He’s different, man. When you are that talented and are humble, the sky is the limit.”

Shannon has known Langford since the sophomore was in the third grade. His talent was obvious even then. By the time Langford was in middle school, Shannon fretted he would lose him to some other school.
“I wanted him to stay where he belonged,” Shannon said. “I was worried about that for a long time. I didn’t sleep very well when he was in seventh and eighth grade. But his family said all along he was going to be a Bulldog. We fought hard to make that a fact. We wanted to keep him here.”
Like most high-profile recruits, there have been rumors of Langford going to some prep school. He shakes off such talk. He wants to “win state multiple times.” And possibly win Mr. Basketball. New Albany can offer him a route to those goals. A prep school cannot.
“It’s all I expected,” Langford said of his high school experience. “The crowds and the atmosphere of playing on Friday nights and Saturday nights is great.”
* * *
The numbers don’t tell the whole story, but they are impressive nonetheless. Langford is averaging 29.7 points a game this year in addition to 9.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 blocked shots and 1.7 steals. He is shooting 59 percent overall from the field and 39 percent (62-for-161) from the 3-point line.
On Saturday, in front of a packed house at the 8,110-seat gym in Seymour, he led New Albany to victories in the regional over Bloomington South (73-66 in overtime) and Evansville Reitz (84-70). He called it the highlight of his high school career so far.
Hibbard said the “sky is the limit” to where Langford can go from here.
“Freshman year coming in, he was crazy good,” Hibbard said. “He’s just getting better and better. He’s a great player because he makes everybody else better.”

Langford’s recruiting process is still in the early stages. Coaches can’t even call him directly until June. But it has already opened some doors for the New Albany program to get to college games or practices it otherwise wouldn’t. Shannon jokes that the list of contacts in his cellphone is far more impressive than it was two years ago.
Langford said his father handles most of the recruiting as of now.
“It’s not that crazy,” he said. “I don’t put that first. I really focus on my team. It’s not a big deal to me during the high school season.”
But it will get crazy, Shannon expects. Probably beginning this summer and into next year.
“Next year will be nuts,” Shannon said. “That’s when the heavies will start to figure out how to try to get him.”
Meanwhile, Langford is focused on bringing a state title back home to New Albany.
Damon did it as a senior. Romeo, as they’ll remind you around here, is still a sophomore.
“One of the two or three best I’ve ever seen,” Fleshman said. “He’s the total package.”

I'll do whatever it takes to get this kid in Bloomington.

[HoosierAloha 30,024]

I'll do whatever it takes to get this kid in Bloomington.

 

After getting the top 2017 instate players... That would be a sick team built with homegrown players.

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,253]

What's our chances, pap?