3 days ago
- Business
- Indianapolis Star
Pike 7-foot rising junior lands fresh batch of offers, has 'good relationship' with Purdue
FISHERS – The name of the event is the Indiana All-Stars Futures Game, so it makes sense high school basketball players with bright futures participated in the third annual event Monday night at Fishers High School.
But one player, based on his potential as a college (and possibly NBA) prospect, stood out in particular: Pike's Isaiah Hill, who is listed at 6-10 on the roster but says — and looks like — he is all of 7-foot.
Hill finished with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting with six rebounds and two blocked shots in 25 minutes as his North team defeated the South 123-113.
'It was a good, competitive game,' Hill said. 'I had to do my thing to help my teammates get the win.'
Pike doubled its win total last season to 12-10 in Jeff Teague's second year as coach. The Red Devils should be poised to make another jump this season with Hill (10.3 ppg, 7.3 rebounds, 3.6 blocked shots), and junior guard Jahari Miller (15.6 ppg, 4.1 rebounds) leading the returners.
'I feel like we have a good team,' said Hill, who is ranked as the No. 74 player in the country by 247Sports for the 2027 class. 'I feel like we have a team that can go to state and win it. I feel like I could have done a little better my sophomore year but I'm putting the work in.'
On the recruiting trail this spring, Hill has made an impression on college coaches with his Indy Heat team. He is leading the EYBL Nike circuit in blocked shots for a team that is 8-0. In May, he picked up offers from Georgetown, TCU and Syracuse. Oklahoma is also among the schools showing serious interest.
It is easy to see what they like: a rim protector who can run the floor and finish.
The school that has been on him the most consistently — and offered him first, last August — is Purdue. Assistant coach P.J. Thompson has played a lead role in building that bond.
'It's a good relationship,' Hill said. 'They like me very much, like how I play and how I'm respectful. They just like what I do. My favorite player on their team is Trey (Kaufman-Renn). He's a good big man. Strong. He does a lot of good things for them.'
Hill has visited Purdue several times, including just last month. He will be on campus again at the Purdue team camp in June, along with team camps at Indiana and Xavier.
∎ I wrote fairly extensively about Blackford rising sophomore Amarian Leggett, a 6-4 point guard who was named MVP with 24 points, nine rebounds, three steals and two assists. It was eye-opening to see how well he played (10-for-13 from floor, including 4-for-6 from 3-point line), especially against such quality competition. Will be fun to see how he progresses.
∎ I know Cooper Zachary does not like to lose. The Fishers' rising junior guard played well, finishing with 15 points, eight assists and four rebounds on 5-for-10 shooting from 3. Though he was on the receiving end of a 123-113 loss, he was his normal efficient self (no turnovers).
∎ Fort Wayne Snider's Trell Hogue really got cooking in the second half, scoring 12 of his 14 points for the North. The 6-1 Hogue played hard, finished with four assists and really attacked in transition.
∎ Mack Welker of Homestead, a 6-6 junior-to-be, finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the North in the win. Welker is coming off a strong sophomore season that saw him average 16.4 points for a Homestead team that went 22-6 and won the regional.
∎ Like Hogue, Merrillville's Charles Hardiman got comfortable and heated up in the second half, scoring 15 of his 18 points for the North. Hardiman was 4-for-5 from the 3-point line. He led Merrillville in scoring as a freshman, averaging 15.5 points.
∎ McCutcheon guard Brody Baker was efficient in his 15 minutes for the North, finishing with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting (2-for-4 from 3) with four rebounds and one assist.
∎ After a quiet first half, Guerin Catholic rising junior Jake Grissom scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half to lead the South. He was 6-for-11 from the field after halftime and finished 3-for-6 from 3.
∎ Plainfield's Harper Baker-Lands, a 6-2 rising junior guard, went for 16 points, four assists and three steals for the South. Baker-Lands looks stronger and played like it.
∎ J.J. Craig, a rising junior who has transferred from Warren Central to Lawrence Central, did not shoot it great (7-for-18 and 1-for-8 from 3), but was productive with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists.
∎ Silver Creek guard Brandon Hunter is a true point guard with terrific vision. The 6-1 Hunter nearly had a triple-double in his 27 minutes, finishing with eight points, nine assists and nine rebounds.
∎ Jamar Thomas, a key contributor to Lawrence North's semistate team last season, has enrolled at Mt. Vernon. Thomas, who will be a senior, averaged 7.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game as a junior. Under the new IHSAA transfer rule that went into effect Sunday, Thomas will likely have to sit out the first 30 days of the season.
∎ In addition to Craig, Lawrence Central has added a pair of transfers from North Central: senior-to-be Gavin Petty and junior-to-be Jeremiah Bellamy. Petty averaged 10.3 points and 2.7 rebounds as a junior and Bellamy averaged 7.7 points and 4.8 rebounds as a sophomore.
