Two teams, both 6-2 were at the Doghouse tonight in New Albany as the host Bulldogs faced off against the Seymour Owls. The Owls came in 2-0 in the HHC looking to control their destiny for a conference title after beating Jeffersonville and Jennings County. On the other hand, the Dogs haven't lost to the Owls since the 2005 sectional and are currently on a 25 game winning streak against Seymour. The game lived up to hype with neither team leading by more than 5 the entire game. The game went back and forth including a 3 pointer at the halftime buzzer to put NA up 3. That would not be the only buzzer beat tonight as senior Dog Ben Seigel controlled an offensive rebound and putback for the 69- 67 win in overtime. The Owls had a 5 point lead with just under a minute left in regulation but could not hold on. With the talent that is coming up through the New Albany pipeline this looked like the Owls best chance to beat New Albany for rhe foreseeable future.
● 5'10 sophomore guard Tremayne Washington was the Dogs top scorer on the night with 21. Tre gets downhill and uses his smaller stature to his advantage blowing by defenders. He is also very good at drawing fouls and getting to the line where he scored alot of his points. Tre also showed the ability to shoot the 3 ball. NA has a plethora of guards on this roster but for tonight, Tre was their #1 option. A prospect to watch for the next 2 and a half years.
● 6'4 junior guard Rylan Schrink got it going later in the game but is a good size for a guard. Schrink is best in the open floor getting to the basket or spotting up for an open 3. Rylan is someone to watch going forward for New Albany. His size and shooting ability make him possible player at the next level.
● 6'5 junior Chris Lampkins had a quiet night by his standards but still managed 9 points and a thunderous breakaway dunk in the opening quarter. Chris is one of Southern Indiana's hidden gems. The definition of an athlete, Chris is just now bringing it all together on the hardwood. His shot and handles have improved vastly over the last year. The next progression is to be consistent with it. There's not many with better potential in the entire state than Chris.
● 6'0 junior guard Jordan Treat is another New Albany guard that can handle the rock and get buckets. Treat put up 12 pts tonight but is capable of hitting 20 on a given night. That's what makes this Bulldog team different to deal with. 4 guys can give u 20 on a given night. Treat likes to use his speed and ball handling to get to the basket.
● 6'3 junior Jaylan Johnson for Seymour really opened my eyes. The kid is a pure athlete that plays with alot of heart and grit. He has to do alot of the dirty work inside for Seymour but you can tell he is just scratching the surface of what he can be. Jaylan isn't going to beat you from the outside but he's also very hard to stop on the inside despite being undersized. He has crazy athletic ability and will either blow past you, or jump over you for a shot. Jaylan finished tied for a game high 21 pts. He is a kid you need to keep an eye on.
New Albany moves to 7-2 while Seymour drops to 6-3. Next up for the Dogs, Jeffersonville will come to town on Friday January 5 for a HUGE game at the Doghouse. The Owls will play at Martinsville on Saturday night.
The Jeff Red Devils faced off against the Marauders of Mt. Vernon (Fortville) in the semi finals of the Kokomo holiday tournament this afternoon. Jeff came in as a slight favorite after knocking off a good Warren Central team yesterday. The Devils have been playing better as of late after losing 2 of their first 3 games on the season. Mt. Vernon was once again without their 2026 Indiana all star candidate Luke Ertl. Jeff has their own Indiana all star candidate in 2025 6'8 Tre Singleton and numerous good pieces surrounding him. This group of 2025 Red Devils have been together since grade school and have been building with this class for a while. Tre, PJ Douglas, Michael Cooper, Shawn Boyd, and Ray Laird make up 2025 group for the Red Devils who all see significant playing time. After clinging to a small lead the entire game Jeff took control in the 3rd quarter to hang on to a 58-52 win.
● 6'8 Tre Singleton was a co-leader in scoring for the Devils with 16 pts and 8 rbs. Tre has grown by leaps and bounds from when I first coached against him in 7th grade. He handles the ball well enough for his size and I've seen him step out and hit perimeter jumpers. At this point he's nearly unstoppable once he gets the ball inside with good position. I'm not sure Tre knows how dominant he could be in terms of being more aggressive and taking over games. Once he realizes that he could very well lead the Devils on a nice long run come March. Tre is a willing passer and can find the open cutter or outside shooter when doubled. There is still another level up Singleton can go to and I expect it to happen within the next year and a half.
● 6'4 junior point/ wing/ stretch 4 PJ Douglas is a little bit of everything in one player. He can break you off the dribble, he can use his body to back down low, he can distribute and find the open guy. He is really as tough a mismatch you will find at the high school level. The 5-6 foot push shot is his go-to right now as is his 8-10 foot jumper. Douglas finishes with both hands at a high clip so there's nothing you can take-away when guarding him. His next progression is a more consistent 3 pt shot that when allowed, he will for sure master. Crossroad coaches need to be on the phone to Coach Wilkerson about Douglas asap. He co-led the Devils with 16 pts
● 6'4 junior Michael Cooper may end up become the best next level prospect for the Devils. While Tre and PJ deservedly get alot of love, Coop is a legit 6'3 (6'4 with the hair) and is a natural 2 guard that can play some point. He shoots from outside at a high clip and when aggressive gets to the basket and finishes. As the season moves along and into next year, the confidence level should go up for Cooper and that's when College coaches should start taking notice. He is a diamond that could be the key to this Red Devil team. When Cooper gives Jeff 14- 15 points, they suddenly become a different level team. When all 3 are scoring and confident at a high rate, they are a top 10 team in the state and will make a run at semi state down south. Michael could score 20+ a game but with PJ and Tre, he defers for better shots, but he is capable.
● 6'0 sophomore guard Julien Smith scored at a high rate for rhe Marauders today. In fact, he almost led them to a comeback win. Smith looks like a future college prospect despite only standing 6'0. He led MV with a game high 19 pts. Smith shoots very well from the perimeter and is quick and strong enough to finish at the rim. Smith also was very smart and patient with Jeff's zone defense throughout the game. He doesnt get sped up and plays at his own pace. MV has a very strong sophomore class and will make a strong case as being the 2026 state title favorites. We are still 2 years away from that, but they are very good now. They should contend with Greenfield Central, Anderson, and Richmond in a brutal sectional. Smith and 6'5 classmate R'mani Wells are big reasons why they want to compete for titles now rather than later.
Jeffersonville faces off against top 10 Kokomo tonight in their building for the title. 6'8 Tre Singleton v. 6'9 Mr. Basketball Favorite and Kansas-signee should be worth the price of admission. This is a chance for both teams to send a message throughout the state that they should be mentioned among the top teams in the state.
A battle of 2 ranked undefeateds took place Friday afternoon in Madison to kick off the JCIT. Christian Acadmey of Indiana came in 7-0 and ranked in the top 10 of 1A while the Rebels of Southwestern boasted a 7-0 for themselves. Something had to give and it was the bigger and deeper Rebels proving too much for the Warriors. Southwestern never trailed in this game moving on to a 70-42 win further proving that they are the real deal. Oakland City, Huntington, and St. Francis coaches were all in the house checking out some players as well. The Rebels put 4 in double figures to CAI's just 1. Southwestern not only have a good senior group, (Jamison Lewis, Peyton Cloud, Adam Traylor, and Jackson Taylor) they also have a strong group of underclassmen (Landon Kidwell 2025, Brady Cook 2026, Caleb Goode 2026, Braxton Lewis 2026). The Rebels look to be in the mix for the foreseeable future with strong middle school groups as well.
● 6'0 senior Rebel guard Peyton Cloud has been on a run of late scoring the ball and looking every bit of a small college prospect. Coming off a career high 37 point game in 3 quarters against Batesville just 2 weeks ago, Cloud continued to show the ability to get hot from the outside. He guards well for his size and pulled down 9 rebounds to go with his 19 points and 4 assists.
● Jamison Lewis is a 6'4 Southwestern guard that seems like he could get to the basket at will. At this level Lewis is most of the time playing against small guards that he can shoot over and take to the rim. Jamison is really a underrated basketball prospect in this part of the state. He is a college baseball prospect as well but could easily play college basketball at a small school and the right fit. He finished the game with 10 pts, 8 rbs, and 3 assists.
● 6'2 sophomore Brady Cook had a really nice game for the Rebels (as did most of the team). Cook is a good prospect for the '26 class down south, especially if he can hit 6'4. Cook's strength for the moment is his shooting from the outside. He has shown the ability to get to the basket but that would be the next progression of his game moving forward, creating and going to get his own. He finished with 13 pts and 2 assists.
● 6'5 junior big Landon Kidwell had 2 really solid games on the day (the other being later on that evening assists Carroll County Kentucky). Kidwell continues to develop and get better and better. He has good instincts defensively and doesn't go for pump fakes which enables him to get at least a couple blocks a game. Landon also has really good footwork down low finishing with both the right and left. Landon finished with 10 pts in both games for the day.
● 6'1 guard Joshua Renfro was the Warriros lone bright spot today. Renfro put up 16 pts from behind the arc, mid range, and getting to the basket. His dribble step back jump shot is one of the best in southern Indiana. Renfro also showed he is a willing passer when the defense was focused on him. Renfro had a previous outing of 45 and 43 pts. so defenses know to pay attention to him. Even the getting the ball is hard work and SW had a face guarding gameplan against Renfro. Even Joshua was effective when getting space and rare open looks.
The game of the night up north in the Region was the 3-1 Merrillville Pirates visited a hot 4-3 East Chicago Cardinals team. Both teams like to go up and down and put points on the board. They did not disappoint with each team exchanging leads throughout the game. I'm convinced if these teams played 10 times they'd split 5 a piece. That's how even I think they are and match up well against each other. When East Chicago gets a 2nd scorer to go along with Jr. Dominique Murphy they are very tough to beat. Tonight it was 6'6 junior classmate Yamauree Wallace who played the best game I've personally seen him play scoring 17 and I imagine double figures rebounds. Merrillville Pirates leading scorers were the senior trio of Preston Saia (18), Jaeden Williams (17) and KeyShawn Mitchell (15). ECC took the W by a score of 80- 73 moving their record to 5-3 with 3 consecutive impressive wins and Merrillville dropping to 3-2.
● 6'6 East Chicago junior Yamauree Wallace was impressive looking like a legit college prospect that the state is sleeping on. Wallace is long and athletic. He plays on the interior for thr Cardinals but showed he can also handle the rock. Wallace hit a LONG 3 at rhe end of the 3rd quarter buzzer as well as driving and beating his man off the dribble. I guess you could say he did a little bit of everything for EC tonight. College coaches throughout the state would be wise to keep an eye on him moving forward.
● 6'6 junior wing Dominique Murphy did what I've come to expect Dominique Murphy to do. And that's fill it up from inside, mid range, and outside. Murphy is a flat out bucket getter who finsished with a game high 27. He took a few questionable shots in the 2nd quarter but settled down and from then on took what the defense gave him. He's almost impossible to stop down low on most teams at this level because of his strength. I personally think he will end up on someone's D1 roster when its all said and done. He just flat out gets the job done and puts points on the board.
● 5'11 senior Cardinal guard Jemeil Rich Jr. was HUGE down the stretch scoring 9 of his 16 in the 4th quarter. Rich is an excellent free throw shooter and ball handler which helps maintain a lead late. Rich is lightning quick and anticipates passes well. Jemeil will find open shooters and works best in a transition offense where there's one speed; Go.
● 6'7 senior stretch 4 Preston Saia got off to a slow start but by the 4th quarter looked like the best prospect on the floor. A former Bosco prep kid Prestom played with alot of confidence and once he saw his mid range shots start to fall, he continued taking and hitting them. He is one of the Pirates leading 3 pt % makers. When this kid gets hot, he's hard for players at this level to stop. Saia has very good size to be a wing or stretch 4 at the next level.
● Jaeden Williams is a 5'10 senior guard for Merrillville that really does a little bit of everything. Williams can get to the rim and knock down the 3 ball. He hit big shot after big shot tonight. What he lacks in size he makes up for quickness and toughness. Williams scored 17 tonight in a variety of ways.
The visiting Batesville Bulldogs came into Versailles last night to go up against the previously 5-1 South Ripley Raiders. Both teams started out hot offensively but it was the Raiders who cooled off after the 1st quarter. The Bulldogs zone gave the Raiders trouble all night as South Ripley only hit 1shot behind the arc all game. Junior Bulldog Kade Kaiser was a mismatch problem all night for South Ripley driving inside for baskets and hitting over small defenders. In the end it was Batesville pulling out the minor upset, 52-42. South Ripley senior forward Ethan Johnson finished with 11 and Batesville senior Sam Johnson led the Bulldogs with 18 connecting on four 3s. Batesville looked like a different team than I saw 2 weeks ago lose to Southwestern Hanover. If Coach Garret can get the Bulldogs to continue improving look for them to be a contender in a competitive Greensburg sectional. The host Raiders do host their sectional but this game gave me pause whether they should be heavily favored on their home floor come March with Hauser and Switzerland County also in the mix.
● 6'5 Batesville junior Cade Kaiser is one of the better players in Southeastern Indiana you may not have heard about. At 6'5 he can shoot over smaller defenders and is quick enough to blow by taller guys. Kaiser finished with 13 but distributed at will and continuously beat his man off the dribble. When aggressive Kaiser.is tough to stop.
● 6'7 junior Cole Henry led the Raiders with a game high 21 pts but left numerous points on the board. Henry had to be close to double figures in rebounding going to get alot of his own misses for putbacks. Henry will thrive at the next level being 6'7, long, and athletic. He is a natural 3 but plays on the interior for South Ripley. He has shown the ability to hit from the perimeter with consistency and his length will allow him to defend players at the next level. Once he puts some real strength on him amd realize how good he can be, he will be one of Southern Indiana's best players.
South Ripley is back in action against the host Southridge in their holiday tourney on Dec. 29 and Batesville will host their own holiday tournament on Dec. 28 against Columbus North.
The 6- 1 Evansville Christian Eagles faced off against the 4-0 Paoli Rams to kick off the N. Daviess Bobcat Classic. Each team came into the game ranked in their respective classes. The game was back and forth throughout with the Eagles having the size advantage. Senior Indiana all star candidate led the Eagles with 25 points while Kaden Naab had 9 and Andrew Lynn finished with 11. The Eagles pushed ahead in the last 2 minutes to take the victory 53- 46. The Rams were led in scoring by 6'0 junior Fletcher Cole with 24, senior Wilson Windhorst added 13.
● 5'10 senior guard Josiah Dunham was all that's been advertised for the Eagles. He was getting to the rim as well as hitting three outside shots. Dunham has some small college offers for the next level but is a legit Indiana all star prospect. Dunham has a quick shot and he can get off against taller defenders. Although Josiah scores alot of points he can control the game as a smart point guard.
● 6'0 junior point guard Fletcher Cole is a legit junior all star candidate for the Rams. Cole is best driving the basket, especially to his left finishing with either hand. He also is money with the 7-8 foot jump shot. Fletcher is another coach on the floor and settles the Rams down when sped up. There's not many true point guards that are better in the class of 2025 than Fletcher Cole. He should start to get some serious looks from small college coaches at the next level this summer from anyone needing a pg. When Cole gets going consistently from 3, watch out.
I was very impressed with Warsaw in this one. I’ve seen Luke Bricker, Carson Gould, and Luke Yeager (which have all gotten better), but the emergence of Brandt Martin and Robbie Finlinson give Warsaw a lot of scoring options that they haven’t had in years past. This was a high powered offensive game from the start. Jaxon Pardon and Cannen Houser did their thing for Carroll all night. Luke Bricker was tremendous in the 2nd half for Warsaw scoring 18 of his 21. Luke Yeager started the game with 2 dunks and was a man amongst boys inside. Robbie Finlinson hit 4 big 3’s and Brandt Martin did it from inside and outside. Carson Gould ran the show and finished with unofficially 10 assists. If Warsaw can play for each other and have this many players contribute, they are going to be hard to beat in a tough sectional 4. We know what Carroll can do offensively with Pardon, Houser, and Jaiyre Sampson leading the charge, but if they want to accomplish their goals this year they are going to have to sit down and play defense.
* 2025 guard Luke Bricker continues to impress. I had him as a 2025 breakout player this year, and he’s had a couple 20 point games and a 30 point game this year. He had 21 in this one. He’s always been able to shoot the ball, but he has gotten taller and has great length that allows him to make plays at the basket as well. HIGH basketball IQ. Looks like he is still growing into his body and getting stronger. I can see him being a nice SG at the NAIA level in the Crossroads.
*Luke Yeager 2024 Olivet Nazarene commit was huge in this one for Warsaw. He’s gotten noticeably more athletic. As I stated earlier, he started the game with 2 dunks in the paint that I’m not sure he could have done last year. Warsaw surrounds him with shooters/scorers on the perimeter, but Yeager can step out and shoot as well. I saw him knock down 5 3’s vs Kokomo last season in their scrimmage. He hit a big 3 late in the 4th quarter in this one. He finished with 18.
* Juniors Robbie Finlinson and Brandt Martin have provided Warsaw with some nice balance in their starting five. Both guys look like they can score it from inside and outside but Finlinson hit 4 3’s in this one and I’m not sure any of them touched the rim. Martin hit a 3 early and did most of his damage in the paint. He’s strong in the paint and has nice footwork. Two really important pieces for Warsaw because they can throw 5 guys out there that can get 20+ any given night. They have not had that type of scoring depth in awhile. Martin ended with 13. Finlinson ended with 12.
The 3-4 Blackhawks hosted the 2-5 Rebels from South Spencer. The Rebels jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead but it was short lived as the Hawks raced out to a 17- 12 lead after 1 that extended to 42-24 by halftime. Valley used a balanced scoring attack tonight and were 1 Jaheim Hamilton point away from putting 5 kids in double figures. The senior ended with 9 while sophomore Keyton Jones finished with 10, junior James Walls with 14, junior Deion Edwards with 19, and senior Konner Chase leading the Hawks with 20 in a 82-72 win for Valley. South Spencer junior Ty Brown led the Rebels with a game high 21 points. The Hawks next travel to Henryville for their holiday tournament on December 28.
● 5'10 senior point guard Konner Chase is aggressive at getting to the basket for Valley. He is a capable outside shooter that showed he can hit the outside shot. Chase is best when getting downhill in transition as is most of this Valley team. Chase is averaging 17.3 ppg in the year.
● 6'4 junior wing Deion Edwards was limited in the 1st half due to rolling his ankle but came out in the 2nd scoring 15 of his 19 points. Edwards best ability that I saw was his vision and distributing the ball to cutters. Edwards is big enough to score a variety of ways inside and out but showed guard-like ability with his handling and passing the ball. Deion has good basketball instincts and is a natural athlete. When his outside shot is consistent there's nothing stopping him from scoring 30 on a given night. He thrives in transition when going downhill to the basket. Edwards averages 21 pts and 8 rbs per game and plays with the EG10 aau program out of Indianapolis. With the right coach in the right system he could play at the next level if given the chance.
● 6'0 guard Ty Brown caught fire for the Rebels in this game scoring 21 pts to lead all scorers. Brown is a quarterback on the football team but showed really nice range and shooting ability tonight on the basketball court. He is long and active which allows him to finish through contact and in transition. If South Spencer can play like they did in the 4th quarter they could surprise some teams. They are not afraid to shoot the 3.
Despite getting varsity experience last year as a sophomore, Julius Gizzi was still more of a complimentary perimeter, playing alongside a lot of experience. Those seniors graduating pushing the 6'3" junior into bigger role. He's responded. In his two games this past week:
Congratulations to Julius Gizzi on being Courtside Indiana's Player of the Week for the week of December 11-16
Others Considered:
Others Nominated:
Sophomores and Freshmen Nominated:
Caught 4 games over the weekend and saw some solid players. Below are some of my top weekend warriors.
6'4 Soph - Nick Shrewsberry - St Joe
6'1 Senior - Manny Hill - Riley
6'3 Junior - Robbie Finlinson - Warsaw
6'6 Junior - Gavin Betten - Manchester
6'9 Junior - Kellen Pickett - Blackhawk
5'10 Senior - Aiden Muldoon - Blackhawk
Honorable Mention (Guys to keep an eye on)