Recruiting

[atkins]

Is there a feeling that McCall would be a realistic get for Valpo?

[FWalum]

I know that he and our freshman guard Reggie Tharp visited Valpo and supposedly DJ liked what he saw. He has been a little bit of a late maturer, started for CLHS last year and showed a lot of potential, but has grown and really developed this year to be the leader in almost all offensive categories. His outside shot needs some work getting his left hand out of the release so he sometimes develops a sideways rotation and becomes a streaky shooter. If he performs at state this weekend like he did last Saturday I expect his stock will increase dramatically.  He has a decent build with good shoulders and should be able to get stronger over the summer and into next year further developing what is already pretty decent athleticism. He is a good student and very articulate.

I think we have a decent shot if we go after him hard now before the bigger programs show too much interest.

[bbtds]

I had the wrong website for watching the live stream of the IHSAA state championship games. Here is the correct website address:

http://www.ihigh.com/ihsaachampionsnetwork/broadcast_283771.html?silverlight=1

[bbtds]

Clay Yeo's Triton Trojans lose the 1A state championship by 5, 55-50. Yeo did everything he could in the 4th quarter to bring Triton the win but because of Borden's sharp shooting at the end of the game the Braves from Borden were able to pull out the win.

It took Yeo 3 quarters to finally get his game going but when he finally did score it came in bunches. The halftime score was 18-9 in favor of Borden. So you know Triton had to score a bunch of points in the 3rd & 4th quarters to get 41 points in the 2nd half. Actually the Trojans scored 2 points in the 2nd quarter, 10 points in the 3rd quarter and 31 points in the 4th quarter. Yeo was taking the ball straight to the basket, going through sometimes 2, 3 or 4 opposing players, in the 4th quarter and he must have gotten 2 or 3 three point plays by getting fouled. He also hit several outside 3 point shots and made a couple of great passes to his teammates for scores. Clay sure put on a show in that 4th quarter but unfortunately it was just not enough as Borden also canned several three pointers in that 4th quarter to seal the victory.

If Yeo had gotten his scoring going earlier in the game I think Triton could have won the state championship rather easily. Yeo was held down by Borden due to a lot of double teaming and good man-to-man defense.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

MARCH SADNESS®:  been that kind of a week.

Saturday 

--Clay Yeo had a game-high 26 points to go along with 6 rebounds, but 20-6 Triton lost a tough one in the annual Bunch O Skinny White Dudes Parade (aka the 1A State Final) today to Borden, which allegedly is an actual high school, like in Indiana, and everything.  Who knew.

Despite managing just 9 points at half (just 2 by Yeo), as bbtds described, an aggressive 1-3-1 zone got them back into the game in the 3rd quarter--and then cost them the game in the 4th as Borden figured out how to take--and more importantly, make--the open jumpers its seams affords, going 4-5 from TreyLand.  Clay came 6 points shy of his team goal--and 8 points shy of a remarkable individual statistic: 2000 points.

Triton 50, Borden 55

"I just got more aggressive and tried to create and make plays for us," said Yeo of his amazing fourth-quarter performance, which included two threes of his own and 5-5 free throws. "Credit them. Those threes they hit were incredibly deflating."

Borden used an 8-2 run in the opening period to lead 13-7 after the first quarter.  The second stanza saw Borden outscore the Trojans 5-2, with Yeo's basket at the 5:57 mark Triton's only points of the period.

The Trojans trailed 18-9 at halftime as they shot just 4-16 in the opening half. Borden hit 8-21 in the first half with Lynch scoring six points.

"Credit their defense in the first half," said Yeo, who was 1-6 from the field in the opening half. "They knew where I was at all times and did a very good job defensively."

now i am a sad panda. me too. and before this year i never would have cared about the Triton Trojans.  go figure.

at least that article has a video. yeah.  nice press conference.  good kid.  but wait, there's more.

indy-star writeup

"We kept saying at timeouts, 'It's going to Yeo, it's going to Yeo, it's going to Yeo,' " [Borden HC] Nash said. "Give him credit, man."

nice encomium about the star

The game marked the end of the brilliant prep career for Triton star Clay Yeo. The 6-6 guard made sure to go out in record-setting fashion despite the loss. Yeo poured in 19 of his game-high  26 points in the fourth quarter to lead a furious final rally.

Yeo's 26 points give him 1,992 for his illustrious high school career in Bourbon. That total is the highest ever in Marshall County boys basketball history as he passed former Plymouth star Kyle Benge's previous high water mark. Benge, who graduated in 2005, scored 1,979 points.

Yeo, a lock for the Indiana All-Star team and a Valparaiso University recruit, just missed becoming the 42nd player in state history to score 2,000 career points.

"Of my four years, this is probably been my most enjoyable one," said Yeo, who had a game-high 19 points in 2011 when the Trojans lost to Indianapolis Metropolitan in the Class 1-A finale. "It was just extremely fun to be with these guys. We're friends not only on the court, but off of it. It was a great ride we had."

A great ride indeed.
...
"It's been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to coach a player like Clay," Groves said in his post game press conference Saturday. "The thing is that I'm going to miss him in every possible way, not just as a basketball player. He's really matured the last four years.

"I'm not sure you can replace a guy like Clay and what he has meant to our program."
...
"The kid is good," said Nash, understating the obvious about Yeo. "He's the best we've played. Give him credit."

Next: Dude is gonna be an Indiana All-Star, his school's first.  Pop it and lock it.

After those games...well, it'll be Michigan 1991 all over again.  Williams/Davidson/Yeo/Peters/Adekoya vs. Carter/Dority/Coleman/Chadwick/Capo.  Let the education begin.

Speaking of voting: Give the kid a few votes.  He's comfortably second, but still behind someone with the given name of Bryson Scott.
http://www.indystar.com/interactive/article/20130312/SPORTS02/303120073
(it won't make them win the state title on a do-over, but it's still nice.)

Toward that end, consoling twitter conversation of the day (don't ask what HYFR means though):


next year gonna be a good one too.  don't you doubt now.

[atkins]

I've mentioned a few times on this Board that Yeo is the real deal.  He just proved it again.  The State Champion team's entire defense was centered on throwing multiple defenders at Yeo all game long (which was the same game plan for just about every other team that played Triton this year).  Bordon did a great job on Yeo during the first half, but he sliced through the multi-player defense in the second half like it was butter.  When he gets some weight on him and a couple of years of college experience, look out. 

[SanityLost17]

I asked this a long time ago, but I figure it is about time to bring it up again.  Does this incoming class have any players in it who will redshirt?  Perhaps a person that needs to build muscle, or who is unlikely to see much playing time? 

Personally, I would like to see the weakest link of this class, whoever that might be, sit for a year and be around an extra year.  I mean, even with all the graduation, I don't see much playing time for 1 of the 5 freshman coming in.     

[Smj]

Totally agree...  Watched yeo and i think he should have a great career in the HL.    (fab 5 at valpo?)

[valpopal]

I have seen the "Bryce 'Shot' - Astronaut" commercial by AXE at least once in every NCAA game I've watched thus far.

I wonder if anyone could figure the monetary value to VU in so much free attention to an audience of millions all tournament long. VU certainly couldn't afford such advertising! I also wonder if this will help a little bit to put Valpo in the mind of future recruits.

Finally, I have to believe the fact that Bryce is being so closely tied to the university in front of the nation game after game for a few weeks once again might make it more difficult, or at least more awkward, for him to walk away at this time to another job

[chef]

You could see on the open court finishes late in the game, that Yeo is more athletic than you might think. His game is most similar to Ron Howard.

[truth219]

Looks like he needs to eat some cheeseburgers...super scrawnny. He also looks like a young jason vorhees

[valpopal]

And now a Lowe's commercial focused on Bryce's shot and Valpo during the Indiana game! I learned that 30-second commercials in the NCAA tournament begin at $100,000 during the opening rounds and escalate quickly until about $750,000 for elite eight games and $1.5 million during the championship game. Valpo is certainly receiving a windfall of free promotion in front of a national audience. I hope someone in marketing has an idea about how to exploit this opportunity.

I have seen the "Bryce 'Shot' - Astronaut" commercial by AXE at least once in every NCAA game I've watched thus far.

I wonder if anyone could figure the monetary value to VU in so much free attention to an audience of millions all tournament long. VU certainly couldn't afford such advertising! I also wonder if this will help a little bit to put Valpo in the mind of future recruits.

Finally, I have to believe the fact that Bryce is being so closely tied to the university in front of the nation game after game for a few weeks once again might make it more difficult, or at least more awkward, for him to walk away at this time to another job

[okinawatyphoon]

valpopal, have you seen this Lowe's commercial online anywhere? I'm interested to see it.
It has been amazing to get all this free publicity. Currently the AXE commercial has 132,000 views on YouTube and I'm sure countless more on live TV.

[bbtds]

valpopal, have you seen this Lowe's commercial online anywhere? I'm interested to see it.
It has been amazing to get all this free publicity. Currently the AXE commercial has 132,000 views on YouTube and I'm sure countless more on live TV.

I'm also very curious about a Lowe's Home Improvement TV commercial that features Bryce's shot. I have not seen this commercial during the NCAA tournament and I tend to watch most of the commercials because so many are fairly entertaining. When did you see it? What was the storyline of the Lowe's commercial?

[Smj]

Aau ball...   I might try to catch some summer ball for our recruits.   Anyone know how to find out when they might be playing?

[vu72]

Aau ball...   I might try to catch some summer ball for our recruits.   Anyone know how to find out when they might be playing?

If by recruits, you mean the kids that will be freshman, they won't be playing aau ball.  Now, underclassman who will be Juniors or seniors, will be playing.

[HC]

valpopal, have you seen this Lowe's commercial online anywhere? I'm interested to see it. It has been amazing to get all this free publicity. Currently the AXE commercial has 132,000 views on YouTube and I'm sure countless more on live TV.

I'm also very curious about a Lowe's Home Improvement TV commercial that features Bryce's shot. I have not seen this commercial during the NCAA tournament and I tend to watch most of the commercials because so many are fairly entertaining. When did you see it? What was the storyline of the Lowe's commercial?

I saw this one today, I think it was during the game before IU's ugly win over Temple.

[Smj]

So no aau....   How about all-star tournaments?  Any playing in one of them?

[valpopal]

valpopal, have you seen this Lowe's commercial online anywhere? I'm interested to see it. It has been amazing to get all this free publicity. Currently the AXE commercial has 132,000 views on YouTube and I'm sure countless more on live TV.

I'm also very curious about a Lowe's Home Improvement TV commercial that features Bryce's shot. I have not seen this commercial during the NCAA tournament and I tend to watch most of the commercials because so many are fairly entertaining. When did you see it? What was the storyline of the Lowe's commercial?

I saw this one today, I think it was during the game before IU's ugly win over Temple.

I saw the commercial during the Indiana-Temple game. It showed the whole "Pacer" play while a narrator explained the situation and hailed it as an example of when the NCAA tournament creates "heroes."

[okinawatyphoon]

The commercial  must  be very new. I did a pretty extensive Google/YouTube search and couldn't find it. If someone does, please post it!

[vu72]

So no aau....   How about all-star tournaments?  Any playing in one of them?

The Indiana All Star team (Yeo a lock, Davidson a possibility) play the Kentucky All Stars twice.  Not sure about Illinois kids.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

So no aau....   How about all-star tournaments?  Any playing in one of them?

if clay yeo isn't an indiana all-star, then there is no justice in the world.  not sure what illinois does.  but it's probably lame.

although:  anybody on this board at the IN vs IL all-star game at Viking Gym in '94?  Bonzi Wells and Mr. Basketball Bryce led Indiana to a thrashing of Illinois who was led by Mr. Basketball Jerry Gee (whoops on that) and Antoine Walker...

that was quite a night.

[chef]

I broadcasted the game. Didn't Brad Miller play on the Indiana team? I believe Antoine Walker scored 40+.

[FWalum]

Went to the State Fianls this weekend and unfortunately both of the two teams I was rooting for cam up empty.  I am not sure that I have seen a long distance shooting display in high school like Borden put on Triton and when I say long I am talking LONG. Clay Yeo played well in the 4th quarter but I think it will be interesting to see how he plays in the All Star games against much better talent.

Greensburg has two really good players in Bryant McIntosh and Sean Sellers.  Both are Juniors with McIntosh already committed to Indiana State and Sellers starting to get some interest from major programs.  The Butler board has a 25 page thread on this kid.  He is a complete player who can go inside and out, shooting almost 44% from 3.  Unfortunately I think the Refs played too big a role in this game (yes I know that I am biased) calling an inconsistent game especially when it came to fouls. McCall only played about 6 minutes of the first half and Concordia's center Brian Gremaux also was hampered with fouls for most of the game.  Sellers and Gremaux both fouled out in the fourth quarter with McCall doing the same in the overtime.  Concordia led the entire game until Greensburg tied the game in the last minute of regulation with Greensgurg's first lead coming with 2:20 to go in overtime.  Take a look at the dunk by McCall when Greensburg gets the one point lead. http://www.ihigh.com/ihsaachampionsnetwork/broadcast_283773.html?silverlight=1 You will find it about 1:48 (1 hr and 48 minutes) into the video with 2:20 remaining in overtime.  The boy can really get up and I expect that his athleticism will only improve over the next year.

[IndyValpo]

The Indiana All Star team (Yeo a lock, Davidson a possibility) play the Kentucky All Stars twice.

if clay yeo isn't an indiana all-star, then there is no justice in the world.

Every year deserving kids do not make the All-Star team becuase they do not necessarily pick the 13 best players.  There is an attempt to get someone from all corners of the state plus it is very political as I do not think an IU recruit has ever not made the team.  Here is the list the Indianapolis Star's High School writer suggested:

• Zak Irvin, Hamilton Southeastern: The 6-7 Michigan recruit is a sure-fire choice after posting 24.6 points and 9.0 rebounds  as a senior and finishing with 1,239 career points.
• Demetrius Jackson, Mishawaka Marian: The 6-1 Notre Dame recruit is also a lock, it would seem. He averaged 26.8 points as a senior and finished his career with 1,934 points.
• Darius Latham, North Central: The 6-5 Latham, an Indiana football recruit, was a four-year starter at North Central and would give this team an interior presence.
• Mike Crawford, Tipton: The 6-5 St. Louis recruit scored another 40 points in a semistate loss to Gary Bowman on Saturday to close his career with 2,104 points.
• Collin Hartman, Cathedral: The 6-6 Indiana recruit brings versatility as a player who can hit outside shots and get rebounds. Has more than 1,000 career points.
• Darryl Baker, Jeffersonville: The 6-3 Baker led his team to a Class 4A semistate appearance, averaging 23.5 points per game .
• Zavier Turner, Pike: The 5-9 Ball State recruit averaged 16.7 points and 4.4 assists as a senior and was a key player for four years. Pike made the 4A final with Turner last year.
• Blake Simmons, Castle: The Evansville recruit averaged 23.5 points and 9.1 rebounds as a senior. Brings versatility at 6-6 as well as another Southern Indiana representative.
• Basil Smotherman, Lawrence North: The 6-7 Purdue recruit averaged 16 points and eight rebounds as a senior and was named first-team All-Marion County.
• Devin Davis, Warren Central: The 6-6 Indiana recruit gives the team a willing rebounder and interior presence. He started for four years.
• Bryson Scott, Fort Wayne Northrop: The 6-2 Purdue recruit won three sectional titles and averaged 23.8 points and 6.8 rebounds as a senior. He finished his career with 2,042 points.
• V.J. Beachem, New Haven: The 6-7 Notre Dame recruit scored more than 1,500 points in his high school career and led New Haven to the regional championship  as a senior.

That's 12. One spot remaining. My choice would likely be Carmel guard Michael Volovic, who helped the Greyhounds to the 4A title last year and is back again this week. He is averaging 15.0 points and 4.6 assists.

Other choices: Tony Wills of Ben Davis; Clay Yeo of Triton; Jaylon Brown of Fishers; Michael Schlotman of Munster; Nick Davidson of Andrean; Jordan Pickett of Pike; Brenton Scott of Fort Wayne Northrop; and Lane Mahurin of Rockville, among others.




The 6-8 kid from Linton probably played his way into the discussion the last two weeks. 

I hope Yeo makes it, he is worthy, but he is not a lock.