- Indiana
STATE CHAMPS! SCOUT TEAM: Indiana basketball recruiting notebook — Hatton, Sisley and Jacobi connect with colleges
Stretching the truth isn’t that hard these days in Hoosierland’s high school hardwood community.
Two of the top “stretch 4s” in the Hoosier State found homes at the next level last week when North Harrison senior Langdon “L.T.” Hatton committed to William & Mary and Heritage Hills senior Blake Sisley committed to Evansville. These two are definitely the truth — as in their games don’t lie — and can stretch defenses with the best around in the state’s frontcourt recruiting crop.
The 6-foot-10 Hatton and the 6-foot-9 Sisley can both play in the middle and loosen up zones by stepping outside and canning shots from the perimeter. Hatton averaged 18 points and eight boards a game last year for a 18-6 North Harrison club. Sisley went for 19 points and nine rebounds per night in 2020 on a 22-3 Heritage Hills squad.
——————————
Rocketing to the next level
The Toledo Rockets scored a commitment from Silver Creek senior guard Kooper Jacobi, one of the more underrated prospects in the state’s Class of 2021. The fire-and-ice, 6-6 forward pumped in 17 points and corralled eight rebounds per contests last season, playing alongside frontcourt mate and Mr. Basketball frontrunner Trey Kaufman on a 25-2 Dragons club that had their repeat state-title hopes derailed by the pandemic. He chose Toledo over Miami (Ohio) and Towson in Maryland. Jacobi is a heart-and-soul special on the hardwood, the kind of kid that has the perfect mix of precision, pep and persistence to his game and gives defenders headaches with his consistency and grit.
——————————
The Five and Dime Drop
Silver Creek four-star senior forward Trey Kaufman, one of the frontrunners for Mr. Basketball in 2021, sliced his scholarship list down to a Final 5.
Here’s who left in the TK sweepstakes: Indiana, Purdue, North Carolina, Virginia and Indiana State. Kaufman took his SC Dragons to a state championship as a sophomore in 2019. He recorded 26 points and 10 rebounds an outing last year.
——————————
Pointing The Way To Bloomington
Indiana offered McCutcheon sophomore point guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn a scholarship last weekend. Gibbs-Lawhorn is a 6-0 freak of nature in the open court. As a freshman last winter, he logged 22 points a game and wowed the scouts with his motor and move to the rack.
