DeSeaun Thomas is gone from Luers....who is the 2A champ gonna be? I think North Judson could be a dark horse....thoughts?

Professor Wantz 2A pre-season rankings which includes previous seasons record, key returning players, returning ppg average and overall power rating.

1.---Tipton 19-4 6 58 157
2.---Westview 15-7 5 57 152
3.---Hanover Central 17-5 5 56 151
4.---Forest Park 19-8 7 44 145
5.---Churubusco 10-11 8 64 138
6.---Providence 13-8 7 57 138
7.---North Judson 15-7 5 46 135
8.---Ft. Wayne Luers 14-10 5 41 135
9.---Eastern (Pekin) 16-7 3 38+ 132
10.--Guerin Catholic 15-11 7 43 129

I think Westview will be real tough. I heard they beat Munster at a shootout this summer and Munster had all of their studs. Yeah I know it's just summer but still. Westview is a 2A school that doesn't have football, which I find strange. All the kids want to do there is play basketball.

Obviously with Thomas gone, Tipton feels like this is their best chance to win State. Returning 10 of our top 12 with 3 double digit scorers lead by 4 year starter Greg Dickey at pg. First things first though and that is to get back at Guerin in Sectionals.

mLtwo4, on Jul 7 2010, 09:50 AM, said:

Luers returns 12 of 14 varsity members plus the number 4-6 ranked freshman in the country, depending on the site, James Blackmon JR.(one of the top shooters in the country according to John Lucas), and 6'4 shooter Dwight Richards that Hoop Scoop has ranked #20 at his position.

Blackmon broke both Deshaun Thomas and Rapheal Davis' Fort Wayne middle school scoring records midway through his 8th grade year.

Good story:
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/...tory?id=5355956

By the way, rankings are rankings, but is a lot cooler to be on them than to not be listed/recognized. You captured someones attention with your talents.

3PTer, on Jul 7 2010, 11:19 PM, said:

That's scary...

Monster Preps thinks Richards is headed to Concordia

http://www.monsterpreps.com/high-schools/i...ht-richards.htm

He went to Concordia last year. Don't know the ins and outs of everything or why, but I just learned the other day that he enrolled at Luers a month or so ago for next school year.

Contrary to public comments, our first transfer!!!!

Quote

Actually, they'd like to play football but the school board won't let them.

panamabob, on Jul 12 2010, 07:40 PM, said:

Football is too violent of a game for the large Amish community that supports Westview.

Bowl cuts aren't ideal for football helmets. Clearly.

Howe Academy, on Jul 6 2010, 11:30 PM, said:

What about Inpls Park Tudor? I know their record wasn't great in the regular season but they went all the way to the state finals and took a very good Wheeler team down to the wire and have their stud in Yogi Ferrell back and heard they have a big kid coming in from Sweden. I would think they would be one of the top teams in 2A in the upcoming season.

NCRANGER, on Jul 18 2010, 10:12 AM, said:

Park Tudor was listed #11 in Wantz' 2A pre-season rankings.

The Panthers previous seasons record, number of key returning players, returning ppg average and overall power rating: Park Tudor 15-11 4 41 127

The incoming prospect from Sweden is not considered among the criteria analyzed in his formula.

Interesting that nobody has mentioned Bluffton. Our front line will be one of the tallest in 2A going 6'10", 6'8", 6'6". We also return a 6'4" guard and shooting ace Chandler Okey. Granted everyone will be talking about our strength of schedule but with the addition of Jay County and keeping Snider on the schedule hopefully it will improve. With the departure of Mr. Thomas from Luers maybe we can finally make it out of the Sectional. Time will tell.

Watch for Northwestern and Carroll(flora) to surprise teams this year.

Does anyone know anything about Hammond Noll? I have heard some rumblings but have never seen them.

cutlerballer, on 30 August 2010 - 03:06 AM, said:

Northwestern is 3A in basketball and I don't know how Carroll would be a surprise team. They will probably win their Sectional again and get crushed in Regionals.

3PTer, on 31 August 2010 - 12:36 PM, said:

Hammond Noll played well at the Indiana Wesleyan team shootout in June. Adonis Filer has transfered from Mt. Carmel, Illinois to Bishop Noll. Adonis Filer is a smooth and athletic 6'3" shooting guard.

Hammond Noll played Carmel in the championship game and lost by only one point. Bishop Noll is going to be tough in class 2A.

Luers has become a perrenial favorite up North, Youve got to consider them a threat. Tipton has alot coming back and Id say has a good chance of breaking through the 2A door to get to Park Tudor, who has Yogi, a solid movie in from Cathedral, and 2 stud freshman. The real question is who in 2A south can compete with them?

TitanKnight, on 01 September 2010 - 08:32 AM, said:

Forest Park is absolutely loaded with talent. They don't have the big guy in the middle like their two championship teams did, but in terms of depth of talent they are really strong.

TitanKnight, on 01 September 2010 - 08:32 AM, said:

Luers will still be solid but losing Thomas and with Mullen not playing will hurt quite a bit.. I still expect them to be tough though with the Blackmons, Sorg, and Knapke. Park Tudor will probably roll to state in the South but the North will be a battle with Luers, Tipton, Guerin, Bluffton, and Noll all being really good.

bballfan15, on 01 September 2010 - 01:07 PM, said:

Dwight Richards will be a huge scoring threat and Rogers, Smith, and Kendrick Mullen, a true point guard and Kenny's younger brother, have been members of national AAU championship teams. Kameron Mack was impressive at college exposure camps and has been getting offers outside of D1 schools.

Look for James Blackmon to verbal before the season starts and Evan Blackmon will be at a mid D1 school next season.

This team will have better balance with all the needed ingredients and not so many straight catch and shoot guys around Thomas..

3PTer, on 01 September 2010 - 07:50 PM, said:

Who is Richards? Did he play JV last year? I forgot about Mack, he's not a bad player. James Blackmon the freshman is going to verbal somewhere before his freshman season? Who does Evan have offers from?

bballfan15, on 01 September 2010 - 09:40 PM, said:

He is a 6'4" shooter with a great basketball IQ. He went to Catholic schools through his 7th grade year, and was a starter on Blackmon's National AAU team along with James Jr, the Northrop twins, and Canterbury's Hatch. A Concordia coach then offerered to have his schooling completely paid for if he were to go to Holy Cross (Lutheran - 8th grade), then Concordia Lutheran (9-12th). He wanted to go to Luers but Concordia was paid for so that is where he went. Conflict because he continued to play on a top national traveling AAU team instead of playing in a local Concordia Cadet Cagerz basketball program.

Mack had a breakout summer exposure camp where everything just fell into place and he has been playing with a lot of confidence since. Going head to head against Deshaun everyday for 3 years can kind of wear on you confidence wise. Now he is reaping the rewards of that competition and has offers. How much bigger they get will depend on his senior season.

James Blackmon, 9th, will be giving a verbal to an elite and storied D1 school soon. HOT commodity to say the least. Could graduate with Mount like field goal shooting percentages!
No kidding.

Evan's offers from SWAC schools, IPFW, and gaining momentum with other schools wanting to watch senior season after some strong AAU performances. He will surprise many this year as he no longer has to play 2nd and 3rd or 4th option. Thomas was obviously fantastic scoring 3,018 points (29.9 ppg) on only a career average of 21.79 shots per game. What people don't realize is that Lawrence Barnett and Evan scores over 1,000 points also. 5,000+ points out of 3 players on the same team has probably never been done before in Indiana.

Defensively Luers should be faster overall and really get after it defensively. It will be fun.

True last 3 years they have got crushed but they have never had a 6'7 three man 6'9" skilled center and a player transfer to their school who is 6'4" with outside and inside ability plus the other 2 guards are returning starters the 2 guard shooting 45 % from three last year and the point guard shooting 64% from the field but they will probably not make any noise again.

bballfan15, on 31 August 2010 - 08:19 PM, said:

cutlerballer, on 02 September 2010 - 04:26 PM, said:

The Miller kid is 6'7 now? hmm. Who is the transfer? I do think they'll have a solid year and probably win Sectionals but I don't think they can compete with a Luers, Tipton or Guerin.

Southwood should win their sectional....Lewis Cass will be tough. Wont comment on Regionals cause I dont know squat about any teams but my own.