Ben Davis was impressive in the sectional. They beat Avon, Indianapolis Tech, and Pike to win the championship. David Quarles, 6’5” junior, looked really good in the two games I saw. A good athlete that has a skill set to match. Greg Garrett, 6’5” senior, played well for the Giants as well. Garrett does most of his damage in the paint, but is also a good athlete and showed the ability to handle the ball on the perimeter against Tech.
Isaac Mack,6’1” senior shooting guard for Tech, can flat out shoot the ball. He shoots well coming off screens as well as being a great set-shooter. The lefty is a pretty good defender, strong, solid quickness. Mack had 26 points against Ben Davis on 6-9 from three point range by my stats. I am concerned that he might not be able to handle the ball. I have seen him play 3 games this year and I’m not sure he has brought the ball up the court yet or even dribble in the half court set at all.
Ben Davis has a number of freshmen and sophomores that contributed to their sectional championship. Harry Wills is a 6’3” sophomore point guard that was a big reason why Marquis Teague struggled in the title game. His defensive game is ahead of his offensive game but he has the ability to get into the lane against most defenders. Terrance Winfrey is a 6’6 sophomore post player that had a big game against Pike. The wide body 10th grader showed some very skilled interior moves in order to score. Winfrey is a talented basketball player but if he isn’t playing football than he is wasting talent in my eyes. BD had three freshmen listed on their sectional and I know that two received solid minutes. Tony Wills and TaiShaun Johnson played a good amount of minutes even in the championship game. All of the players listed here will be players to watch in the next couple of years.
Not to be outdone, Pike had Zavier Turner. Turner is a 5’8 freshmen point guard. He handled pressure well, showed great quickness, very good court vision, and toughness that is outstanding for a freshmen point guard against very good competition. Pike returns most of their roster next year. They will lose Khristian Smith, who will be missed greatly, and Ricky Smith. With Turner and Teague, the Red Devils will be able to apply a lot of pressure defensively and offensively.
Khristian Smith had a huge game against Ben Davis. I had Smith unofficially for 30 points on the evening including 8-11 from two point range. Smith is a great athlete and a very good shooter. I think he is the type of wing most mid-majors are looking for. He is athletic, but yet he is skilled. I’m surprised at the fact he doesn’t have more offers on the table.
Marquis Teague really struggled in the two games I saw. I had him down for 1-6 from the field against Manual although that one was a vicious dunk over Jason Smith. Then I had him 6-16 against Ben Davis in the championship with most of his 14 points coming in the last minute or two of the game. The talent is there, but it just hasn’t all clicked together yet for him.
We all know the special talent Chrishawn Hopkins is and I won’t waste time raving about his talent and how he will be a great player at Butler. Manual had one other player that caught my attention. Jason Smith, a 6’4” sophomore, is a really good athlete. If Hopkins wasn’t doing ridiculous dunks every game then Smith’s athleticism would stand out even more. Smith is more than just a leaper though. He finished well in the lane, hit a floater on the run and also hit a tough turnaround jumper. He will need to continue to develop his perimeter skills though. He needs to become a wing man. Smith doesn’t have the ability to handle the ball for more than 2 dribbles at this point.
Harry Wills is one of my favorite 2012 guys because of his ability to guard, and has to be one of the better rebounding guards around. Granted part of that comes from Ben Davis’s mentality to hit the glass, but he had two double digit rebound games in this sectional.
I think college coaches have been concerned with Khristian Smith’s grades….I’ve been told they are where they need to be, but not 100% on that. He could play at a high major if things get in place, or could be a all-conference type of player at a mid major.
Quarles has really been a surprise. He’s a huge part of Ben Davis’s resurgance. He kind of reminds me of Willie Veasley of Butler. In the games I saw, he could knock down the outside shot, but he’s got room to improve there.
Pike also loses Julian Strickland and Anthony White next year. White’s game dropped off significantly as the season went along, as he either lost confidence or just gave in. Strickland isn’t flashy, but he will be missed more than anyone realizes. Julian does a bit of everything. His mid-range game is in place, and he shot well from outside for 2 seasons.
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