By:  Brandon

Owner/Head Scout

Dear Fans, Players, and Coaches,

I am excited to announce that I have accepted a position at IUPUI as a Men’s Basketball Intern for this summer.  In order to stay away from any trouble with the NCAA I will be discontinuing the Indiana Recruiting Guide scouting service for the time being.

Those of you that know me know that the reasoning behind starting the Indiana Recruiting Guide was so that I could make connections with college coaches in hope of getting into coaching after graduation.  Luckily, my dream has started to take shape as I have made connections with coaches at all levels from all around the country.  When this opportunity presented itself I knew that it was in my long-term best interest to step down from the Indiana Recruiting Guide and begin to pursue my dream.

I will definitely miss my work with the Indiana Recruiting Guide.  It was something that I truly enjoyed doing and allowed me to experience a lot of things that I never would have dreamed of.  I would like to take this time to thank a few people who were instrumental in making the Indiana Recruiting Guide such a success.  First, I would like to say thank you to my “competitors” and friends in the scouting service business.  I remember sending Trevor Andershock of Indiana Basketball Source an email when I was a junior in high school asking him for advice in the field.  His blog was a big reason why I decided to start my own.  Also, thank you to Brandon Bradley of Scouting Indiana and Jim Reamer of Hoosier Hoops Report for helping me along the way, giving me a lot of advice, and giving me some opportunities early on to help get my name out there.  Thanks to Eric Gardner of 247 Sports who has become a friend and somebody I have watched a lot of basketball with.  Thanks to my best friends, Bradley Sigel, Michael Peterson, and Jacob Stewart for inspiring me to begin this journey while we were still in high school.  My first interactions with college coaches came while trying to get Bradley’s name out to some schools.  A big thank you goes out to Rick Schauss, the man who gave me my start in basketball in 2^nd grade when he asked me to be the statistician for the Centerville High School basketball team.  Also, thank you to current Centerville head coach Ryan Chiddister for allowing me to stay on as statistician throughout my years at Centerville and for helping teach me a lot about the game.   Thanks to those of you who have helped by contributing to the Indiana Recruiting Guide, especially Shawn Burcham and Zac Rea who have been big helps with covering games this past season.  Lastly, the biggest thank you of all goes to my parents, Bob and Michelle Ramsey.  Both of them helped me a lot during my time with the Indiana Recruiting Guide and were huge parts in allowing the business to take off.  Not only did they help me financially as I spent years growing the website while bringing in very little revenue; but they also spent many long weekends during the summer with me at AAU tournaments so I didn’t have to travel alone.  My dad also helped me cover games and allowed me to be “in to places at once” many times during the summer.  Thanks a lot to you guys!

I am not sure whether this will be the end of the Indiana Recruiting Guide forever, but the service will at the very least will be suspended for the duration of the summer.  My goal is to get a Graduate Assistant coaching job after I graduate from Hanover College in 2014.  This summer with IUPUI will give me great experience in the coaching field and I am looking forward to working with Coach Todd Howard and his staff.

Again, thank you to all of you who have supported the Indiana Recruiting Guide over the past couple of years.  I hope that you will continue to follow me as I begin my journey to becoming a Division I Head Coach.

By:  Brandon Ramsey

Owner/Head Scout

Congratulations to Zak Irvin on being named this season’s Indiana Recruiting Guide Player of the Year.  The 6’7” Senior Shooting Guard from Hamilton Southeastern H.S. averaged 24.6 points and 9 rebounds per game while leading HSE to a 17-4 record.  Irvin will continue his basketball career at Michigan next season.

Zak is a great all-around player that is very tough to guard because of his mixture of size and skill.  At 6’7” he handles the ball very well and is a great shooter; he knocked down 48 3′s this season and shot over 60% on 2-point field goals.  Also, he can guard multiple positions defensively.  He is athletic enough to guard point guards and his length really bothers ball handlers, and his size allows him to guard anything up to the 3/4 position.  I believe that Zak will make an instant impact for the Wolverines next season and will most likely go on to a solid NBA career.

Once again, congratulations to Zak Irvin of Hamilton Southeastern on being named the 2013 IRG Player of the Year.

By:  Brandon Ramsey

Owner/Head Scout

1st Team

Zak Irvin:  6’7” Shooting Guard, Hamilton Southeastern H.S. (2013)  The Michigan recruit averaged 25 points and 9 rebounds per game this season while leading HSE to a 17-4 record.

Demetrius Jackson:  6’1” Point Guard, Mishawaka Marian H.S. (2013)  Demetrius averaged just under 27 points per game.  The Notre Dame signee was the only Indiana native named to the McDonald’s All-American game this season.

Bryson Scott:  6’1” Point Guard, Fort Wayne Northrop H.S. (2013)  Bryson led Northrop to a Sectional championship this season and eclipsed the 2000 point milestone for his career.  Scott will be suiting up for Purdue next year.

Jaquan Lyle:  6’4” Point Guard, Evansville Bosse H.S. (2014)  Lyle put together a great season statistically, finishing the year with multiple triple-doubles and a 40 point, 20 rebound performance.  He also led Bosse to a 19-6 record and a Sectional crown.

James Blackmon Jr.:  6’2” Shooting Guard, Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (2014)  The Indiana commit averaged around 35 points per game and had many 40+ point performances.

2nd Team

Trey Lyles:  6’10” Power Forward, Arsenal Tech H.S. (2014)  Trey was a dominant force around the basket this season.  He averaged 17.9 points and 12.7 rebounds.

Trevon Bluiett:  6’5” Small Forward, Park Tudor H.S. (2014)  After winning state championships his first two seasons, Trevon had to experience an early exit at the hands of Broad Ripple this year.  Still, he led the Panthers to a 21-3 record while scoring 27.8 points per game.

Darryl Baker:  6’3” Shooting Guard, Jeffersonville H.S. (2013)  Baker had a tremendous season offensively, finishing with an average of over 25 points per game.  Jeffersonville had a great season as a team as well going 24-4 and making a trip to the Semi-State.

Mike Crawford:  6’5” Small Forward, Tipton H.S. (2013)  Mike Crawford did a lot of everything for Tipton this season; including leading them to a Semi-State appearance.  The St. Louis commit averaged around 28 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Clay Yeo:  6’5” Shooting Guard, Triton H.S. (2013)  The Valparaiso commit is still playing as he led Triton to the State-Finals to face Borden.  Clay averages about 28.5 points per game.

3rd Team

P.J. Thompson:  5’9” Point Guard, Brebeuf Jesuit H.S. (2014)  P.J. averaged around 24 points per game.

Bryant McIntosh:  6’3” Point Guard, Greensburg H.S. (2014)  Bryant averages 17.3 points, 4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game for the Pirates.  Greensburg will play Fort Wayne Concordia in the State Finals on Saturday.

Mack Mercer:  6’9” Power Forward, Plymouth H.S. (2014)  Mack led Plymouth to the Regional finals this season while averaging 19 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

V.J. Beachem:  6’7” Small Forward, New Haven H.S. (2013)  The Notre Dame signee put up big numbers while leading New Haven to the Regional final.

Taishaun Johnson:  5’11” Point Guard, Pike H.S. (2014)  He led Pike in scoring at 19.7 points per game and also grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 4 assists per game.  Pike won 23 games before losing in the Regional final.

High-Honorable Mention

Darius Latham:  6’5” Power Forward, North Central H.S. (2013)

Ernie Duncan:  6’3” Point Guard, Evansville Harrison H.S. (2014)

Collin Hartman:  6’6” Small Forward, Cathedral H.S. (2013)

Anthony Johnson:  6’3” Small Forward, Decatur Central H.S. (2013)

Sean Sellers:  6’6” Small Forward, Greensburg H.S. (2014)

Honorable Mention

Jordan Pickett:  5’11” Point Guard, Pike H.S. (2013)

Basil Smotherman:  6’6” Small Forward, Lawrence North H.S. (2013)

Austin Torres:  6’7” Power Forward, Penn H.S. (2013)

Nick Davidson:  6’4” Shooting Guard, Andrean H.S. (2013)

Devin Davis:  6’6” Small Forward, Warren Central H.S. (2013)

By:  Brandon Ramsey

Owner/Head Scout

Frankfort

Liberty Christian (19-5) vs. Union (Modoc) (17-5)

Rockville (25-0) vs. Lafayette Central Catholic (16-8)

My Pick:  Rockville over Liberty Christian

This is the exact same regional field as last season when Rockville defeated Liberty Christian in the title game.

Liberty Christian defeated Union (Modoc) 75-64 during the regular season, so they will be favored here as well.  Sophomore Chris Nunn is a dynamic player in the backcourt, averaging 15 points and 4 assists per game.  The Lions also have Junior Preston Quinn who scores 13.8 points and grabs over 6 rebounds per game.  Modoc will be led by Senior Guard Willie Eviston.  Eviston is probably one of the best players that you have never heard of; he is scoring 18 points per game.  Junior Spencer Shore is another one to watch out for, he scores 11.7 points per game.

Obviously the clear favorite here is #1 ranked Rockville who comes in still sporting a perfect record.  They are led by Senior Lane Mahurin who is averaging 21.8 points and 7 rebounds per game.  Seniors Gary Ulrich and Jordan McFall are both in double digits as well averaging 12.6 and 11.9 points per game respectively.  #6 ranked Lafayette Central Catholic should be able to hang with Rockville in Round 1.  LCC plays a lot of 3A and 4A teams during the season so they certainly are battle tested when the tournament comes around.  They are balanced team offensively, but are led by Senior Andrew Hubertz in the scoring department.

Triton

Gary 21st Century (15-7) vs. Pioneer (20-3)

Triton (17-5) vs. Fort Wayne Canterbury (15-8)

My Pick:  Fort Wayne Canterbury over Pioneer

Gary 21st Century isn’t a team that a lot of people know much about, but they are going to be a tough out in this regional.  They have played a pretty tough schedule and have beaten some good teams through the course of the season.  The Cougars have 4 players that are scoring in double figures, Senior Louis Brown leads the way with about 14 points, while Junior Dantrell Hurt, Senior Mykel Mayes, and Junior Akee Porter each are around 11 or 12 points per game.  Pioneer is currently ranked #4 in the state and had 2 of their 3 losses come at the hands of a 4A team.  Sophomore Carter Skaggs has put together a great season and has been playing at a very high level recently.  Also, Senior Brandon Scruggs is a good player that offers a good 1-2 punch with Skaggs.

Triton comes in on a 9 game winning streak and knocked off a very good Marquette Catholic squad in the Sectional final.  Triton is led by Clay Yeo who is arguably the best 1A player in the state; he is averaging around 25 points per game.  Fort Wayne Canterbury is led by Senior Trent Van Horn.  Van Horn is flanked by sharp-shooting Junior Grant Sinn and Sophomore big man Andrew Kus.  

Loogootee

Orleans (13-10) vs. Borden (20-3)

Barr-Reeve (23-1) vs. Northeast Dubois (12-12)

My Pick:  Barr-Reeve over Borden

Borden defeated Orleans 37-36 win they met during the regular season, so you can expect this to be a hard fought game.  Both of these teams feature good guard play with Trey Bradley and Jarrett Jones of Orleans, and Garret Vick of Borden.  Billy Kirchgessner and big man Cody Bachman are key players for Braves as well.

#3 ranked Barr-Reeve is the clear favorite over .500 Northeast Dubois.  Barr-Reeve features talented Sophomore Addison Wagler who is averaging 14.4 points and about 5 rebounds per game.  Junior Micah Bullock is also in double figures with 12.4 points per game.  Northeast Dubois plays a pretty good schedule which led to their .500 record, however they got through their sectional pretty easily and certainly will not roll over against Barr-Reeve.

Martinsville

Baptist Academy (13-11) vs. University (13-11)

Jac-Cen-Del (8-15) vs. Clay City (15-8)

My Pick:  University over Clay City

University is led by Senior Center Dominic Dixon who averages 14.7 points and about 9 rebounds per game.  Seniors Kevin Bates and Eric Wott are both averaging in double-figures as well.  In my opinion University is the favorite to win this regional.  Baptist Academy handed Waldron their first loss of the season in the Sectional final, so they certainly should come in with plenty of confidence.

Jac-Cen-Del enters Regional action after shocking everyone by winning Sectional 60; they were just 5-15 going into tournament play.  Clay City has the best record in this regional at 15-8 including some impressive wins over Linton-Stockton and Eastern Greene.  Obviously they shouldn’t have a problem with Jac-Cen-Del, but you never know when it comes to tournament time!

By: Brandon Ramsey

Owner/Head Scout

The best time of year is upon us, Indiana High School Basketball Sectionals begin this evening. We have already made our picks on IRG TV, but we will post them here so they are all in one place.

Class 4A

1- Munster

2- Merrillville

3- South Bend Adams

4- Concord

5- Fort Wayne Northrup

6- New Haven

7- Kokomo

8- Hamilton Southeastern

9- New Castle

10- Arsenal Tech

11- Pike

12- Martinsville

13- New Palestine

14- Columbus North

15- Jeffersonville

16- Evansville Harrison

Class 3A

17- Gary Wallace

18- Andrean

19- Plymouth

20- West Lafayette

21- NorthWood

22- Fort Wayne Concordia

23- Norwell

24- Hamilton Heights

25- Lebanon

26- Mt. Vernon (Fortville)

27- Indianapolis Northwest

28- Owen Valley

29- Greensburg

30- Brownstown Central

31- Vincennes Lincoln

32- Evansville Bosse

Class 2A

33- Bowman Academy

34- Boone Grove

35- Westview

36- Fort Wayne Luers

37- Oak Hill

38- Sheridan

39- Tipton

40- Wapahani

41- Centerville

42- Park Tudor

43- Indianapolis Scecina

44- Speedway

45- South Ripley

46- Providence

47- Linton-Stockton

48- Perry Central

Class 1A

49- Kouts

50- Pioneer

51- Marquette Catholic

52- Fort Wayne Canterbury

53- Rockville

54- Lafayette Central Catholic

55- Liberty Christian

56- Union (Modoc)

57- White River Valley

58- Indianapolis Tindley

59- Waldron

60- South Decatur

61- Orleans

62- Borden

63- Barr-Reeve

64- Evansville Day

By:  Brandon Ramsey

Owner/Head Scout

Check us out on YouTube as I break down the Class 4A sectionals.  Be sure to subscribe to IndianaRecruitingGuideTV!

By:  Brandon Ramsey

Owner/Head Scout

Check us out on YouTube as I break down the Class 3A sectionals.  Be sure to subscribe to IndianaRecruitingGuideTV!

By:  Brandon Ramsey

Owner/Head Scout

Check us out on YouTube as I break down the Class 2A  sectionals.  Be sure to subscribe to IndianaRecruitingGuideTV!

By:  Brandon Ramsey

Owner Head Scout

Check us out on YouTube as I break down the Class 1A sectionals.  Be sure to subscribe to IndianaRecrutitingGuideTV!

By:  Brandon Ramsey

Owner/Head Scout

As basketball season begins to wind down, recruiting news has started to pick up.  In the past couple of days there have been many Indiana prospects go off the board.  Here is a quick recap of all the latest news.

• Trey Lyles: 6’10” Power Forward, Arsenal Tech H.S. (2014) cut his list to 6 schools:  Kentucky, UCLA, Florida, Louisville, Duke, and Butler.  The former Indiana recruit is ranked #4 in the country by Scout.com.
• Rashad Richardson: 6’5” Small Forward, Kiski Prep (PA) (2013) will enroll at IPFW.  The 2012 Lafayette Jefferson graduate will redshirt.
• Caleb Oetjen:  6’1” Point Guard, Horizon Christian (2013) has added an offer from Northwest Missouri State (DII).  He also holds offers from Bethel, Marian, and Taylor.  
• Scott Schwieterman:  6’7” Center, Jay County H.S. (2013) and Hunter Rose:  6’2” Shooting Guard, Marion H.S. (2013) visited Anderson University (DIII) on Tuesday.
• Joe Retic:  6’3” Point Guard, Owens Community College, picked up his first Division I offer from Chicago State.  Retic is a 2012 Fishers H.S. graduate.
• Adison Daub:  5’11” Point Guard, DeKalb H.S. (2013) has verbally committed to Indiana University-South Bend (NAIA).
• John Mosser:  6’7” Power Forward, Valparaiso H.S. (2013) has received an offer from Air Force Academy. He will visit Air Force Prep Academy this weekend.
• Jamie Rutherford:  6’6” Small Forward, Pike H.S. (2013) has decided to reclassify to 2014 and will attend prep school next year.  He was recently dismissed from the team at Pike.
• Trey Williams:  6’0” Point Guard, Lawrence North H.S. (2013) has committed to Earlham College (DIII). 
• James Crowley:  6’1” Point Guard, Carmel H.S. (2013) has committed to Marian University (NAIA).