Top 100 Girls in Class of 2014

ProspectsNation.com just expanded their rankings for 2014 class in girls high school basketball. Even though she has been off the court since the end of December, 2012, Sydney is listed #82 in the class of 2014 and is #24 at her position. Syd is one of nine players on the list from the state of Ohio.

 

Evan Gordon Coming to IU

With all the news recently of players leaving Indiana, it is nice to see a player coming in. Several sources have reported through social media that Evan Gordon, younger brother to Eric Gordon, will finish up his college eligibility at Indiana.

IndyStar.com had this to say about the transfer:

Former North Central guard and Arizona State transfer Evan Gordon committed to Indiana on Wednesday morning.

Evan Gordon committed to Indiana on Wednesday. The Arizona State transfer will have one year to play.

The 6-3 Gordon, who has graduated from Arizona State, will be eligible to play right away at Indiana. He averaged 10.1 points for the Sun Devils as a junior after transferring from Liberty.

Gordon’s older brother, Eric, played at IU in 2007-08 and is now in the NBA with New Orleans. Evan Gordon said he will enroll in the sports administration Masters program at IU.

“There’s nothing like an Indiana kid playing for IU,” Gordon said. “Coach (Tom) Crean has that program rocking and rolling.”

Gordon visited Butler on Tuesday and said he strongly considered the Bulldogs. When he first considered transferring from Arizona State to get closer to home, he said Butler was actually his first thought.

“It seemed like a great opportunity at Butler and it would be a great opportunity,” he said. “They have a Masters program where I could have earned my teaching license and it’s obviously a winning program that is going into the Big East. That made it a tough decision.”

Gordon transferred to Hargrave Military Academy (Va.) after his junior year at North Central. He averaged 12.0 points as a freshman at Liberty and 14.1 points as a sophomore before transferring to Arizona State.

“It’s kind of crazy how I ended up back here (at Indiana),” he said. “When I left Liberty the reason was to play on a bigger stage and it was a better opportunity to do that. This chance at IU just kind of came about and was hard to turn down.”

Gordon said he is headed back to Arizona for a couple of days before returning home on Friday. He’ll start summer classes on June 10 in Bloomington.

On his visit to Indiana on Saturday, Gordon said Crean talked about him providing a scoring punch.

“They have a lack of guards coming back and need somebody with experience who can make an impact this coming season,” he said. “He talked about me being a scorer and also being a combo guard who can help out Yogi (Ferrell).”

Evan’s younger brother Eron will be a sophomore at North Central this season. He averaged more than 19 points a game as a freshman and has offers from Indiana, Purdue, Nebraska and Arizona State.

 

Massie Girls Highlight Video

The Clinton-Massie girls had a great season this year. This week was the year-end banquet and this video was shown. It’s a great compilation of an exciting season. Go Falcons!

 

Creek Not Returning to IU

Indiana is losing several players to graduation (including Watford and Hulls) and entrance to the NBA draft (Zeller and Oladipo). Just today I saw on Inside the Hall that Maurice Creek will be graduating and not returning to play ball at Indiana. He will look for another school where he can complete his eligibility. Since he is going to grad school, he can start playing next season.

While this is quite an exit of talent from IU, it will also mean a very young roster. According to the article, only two of the scholarship players are upperclassmen. I know Indiana has some good talent staying and coming in. It will be interesting to see how their lack of experience will affect them.

 

Angels at USJN Windy City

The Cincinnati Angels have started the AAU season and competed in their second tournament last weekend in Chicago. While Syd is still sidelined with the ACL injury, she stays as involved with them as she can.

Blue Star Media had a recap article on the Chicago tourney, highlighting the 17u bracket of the weekend. They had a nice write-up on the Angels as they integrate new players onto the team.

The Cincinnati Angels’ 17 Blue squad has three players back from last season, mixed in with seven newcomers.

Don’t feel bad for coach Dante Harlan, though. His roster is as talented as they come, featuring one player who is committed to Louisville and four others rated in the top 50 of their respective classes.

So, while Harlan searches for the right mix and most effective chemistry among all of those moving parts, he has a nice trump card that any coach would envy: playing time.

Harlan has the luxury of switching out one talented player for another if he doesn’t like what he’s seeing.

“I always preach that we’re going to defend, we’re going to rebound and we’re going to take care of the ball,” he said. “You don’t have to be the most athletic kid or the fastest kid to do those things. That’s what I base (playing time) on. It’s the little things that make the difference in winning games. That’s what separates the playing time and they know that.”

A good example was evident in Saturday’s final game, a dandy encounter between the Angels and Wisconsin Playground Elite 16. The Playground Elite won 71-70 in overtime as Harlan stuck with primarily a seven-player rotation through the final 10 minutes of regulation and overtime.

On his bench at the time were three highly rated players.

“They know that basketball changes based on matchups,” Harlan said. “If there’s a five I find (that) I’m comfortable with and they’re doing the things we need to do, that five is going to stay in. And that five changes from game to game.”

The Angels finished 1-2 Saturday, but don’t look for them to suffer many losing tournaments hereafter. The roster includes sophomore Tierra Floyd (Toledo, Ohio), No. 5 in the Class of 2015; junior Alyssa Rice (Reynoldsburg, Ohio), No. 22 in the Class of 2014; along with Naomi Davenport (Cincinnati, No. 26 sophomore) and Emily Thomas (Pickerington, Ohio, No. 48 junior). Junior Sydney Brackemyre has committed to Louisville.

 

Louisville Women Preseason #8

I saw on Facebook today that ESPN has released their early preseason rankings for 2013-2014 women’s basketball season. Louisville is ranked #8. Hopefully they can ride the wave of this year’s run to the Final Four and keep it going next season.

You can read the entire article on ESPN’s website, but here’s what they wrote about the Cardinals.

8. Louisville: Jeff Walz proved just how talented a coach he is during the NCAA tournament and Shoni Schimmel demonstrated that she can play under control and lead. Antonita Slaughter and Sara Hammond could really break out if the confidence they displayed the past four weeks carries over. Playing in the new American Athletic Conference won’t be nearly as tough as the old Big East or the ACC, the Cardinals’ destination in 2015.

 

New Angels Basketball Website

Syd is in her third year with the Cincinnati Angels AAU team and we are just so grateful for the opportunities that have opened up to her through this great organization. Recently they updated their website and have had added more info about the organization, the teams, the coaches and other information. They also have a Commitments page that shows the former and current Angels that are playing basketball at the next level.

Great website. Great organization. Check it out.

 

Sad Week for IU Fans

IU started out as a preseason #1 and won the regular season Big Ten title, even spending time at #1 during the season. They were a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but got knocked after making it to the Sweet Sixteen. It was an exciting season to be sure and confirmed Indiana’s return to relevance in college basketball.

This week is sad for many IU fans. Victor Oladipo had a monster season and put himself in the running for player of the year. It was obvious he could play at the next level. A few days ago, he made the announcement. He is going to the NBA.

Today, Cody Zeller made the same announcement. I, along with a host of Hoosier fans I’m sure, had hoped he would stick around for another year. I could say it was because I wanted him to get better. Selfishly, I wanted to see him in the Crimson and Cream for at least one more season to help IU continue to get better.

Here’s a copy of his announcement that was posted on Inside the Hall:

Cody Zeller confirms that he will make himself eligible for the 2013 NBA Draft: “Two years ago, I made one of the best decisions of my life to attend and play basketball at Indiana University. My experience here at IU has been unforgettable and has surpassed my expectations, making me even more confident that I made the best college decision. Attending and playing basketball for IU not only fulfilled my collegiate dreams, but it also has provided me with the opportunity to fulfill my lifelong goal of playing in the NBA. While I will continue to pursue my degree in the future, I believe it is in my best interest to pursue my professional basketball career in the NBA next season.”

 

Kid President’s Bracket

If you like Kid President, you’ll love this video. If you don’t like Kid President, watch anyway. Pretty funny. My guess is he will do about as well as just about everyone else.

 

Cincinnati Angels Harlem Shake

Last week the Cincinnati Angels did their own version of the Harlem Shake. I know not all the girls who play with the Angels were a part of it, but it is good to see them having fun together.