Inside the Hall hit the road on Saturday for the Bill Hensley Memorial Spiece Run ‘N Slam Classic in Ft. Wayne. We spent Saturday morning and afternoon at the Spiece Fieldhouse watching Indiana Elite Team Indiana, Spiece Indy Heat and Eric Gordon All-Stars 15′s. Our Saturday notebook follows:

– 2014 guard Jaquan Lyle (pictured) continues to show why he’s considered one of the best freshman both in the state and also nationally. The 6-foot-4, 187-pound Lyle is a brilliant passer and when he’s not facilitating for teammates, can also score off the dribble and from the perimeter. Many of his passes lead to turnovers because his teammates are simply not ready for his delivery of the ball. Lyle’s court vision for a kid that just turned 15 is remarkable. The Evansville Bosse freshman is still at four offers — Illinois, Indiana, Purdue and Xavier — and will likely add an offer from Ohio State in the near future.

– In a high-profile pool play game, Indiana Elite Team Indiana narrowly escaped the Illinois Wolves and it was Kevin “Yogi” Ferrell that set up Kierran Woods for the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired. The Park Tudor point guard finished with 14 points in the win and had 15 points in an earlier pool play win. Ferrell is striking the perfect balance of setting up teammates to succeed while still looking for his own shot. His jump shot continues to improve and his ball handling in traffic is an aspect Ferrell says he’s trying to improve upon.

– Ron Patterson is still underrated nationally, but the Broad Ripple guard consistently plays defense and that will make him an instant factor upon his arrival in Bloomington. Patterson struggled a bit from the perimeter in the two pool play games on Saturday, but the elevation and form on his jump shot looked solid. One area Patterson is continuing to work on is ball handling and he played the point for a few stretches as Ferrell moved off the ball.

– Indiana’s most athletic recruit, Hanner Perea, stood strong in a meeting with Illinois Wolves forward and Purdue commit Jay Simpson. Perea stepped out and knocked down a few perimeter shots on the afternoon, which is an area of his game that’s still developing, and also finished with authority at the rim several times.

– Jeremy Hollowell was not in attendance for Elite’s first two games on Saturday, but did arrive in Fort Wayne for Elite’s first tournament game. The Lawrence Central forward did not play in the tournament opener.

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Inside the Hall hit the road on Friday for the Bill Hensley Memorial Spiece Run ‘N Slam Classic in Ft. Wayne. We spent Friday night at Northrop High School checking out Spiece Indy Heat, Eric Gordon All-Stars and the Illinois Wolves. A few notes from the opening evening:

– 2014 commit Trey Lyles suited up with the Spiece Indy Heat 16′s and finished with four points in a 58-44 win over the Michigan Warriors. It certainly wasn’t the best night for Lyles from the field, but he showed a few flashes of the high level play that earned him the Maxpreps.com national freshman of the year. Lyles needs to become more assertive at times in demanding the ball in the post, but his unselfishness is part of what makes him a great teammate. Inside the Hall spoke with Lyles after his pool play win and we’ll have a transcript of that conversation on the site in the coming days.

– James Blackmon Jr. also struggled to find his touch from the perimeter, but showed off a nice arsenal of moves off the dribble and finished with 10 points in Spiece Indy Heat’s win. It’s hard not to be excited about Blackmon Jr.’s ability to put up scoring numbers in a hurry from the two-guard spot.

– Despite questions about his position at the next level, Devin Davis Jr. continues to produce big time efforts this spring. Friday was no different as the Warren Central wing poured in a team-high 18 points as the Eric Gordon All-Stars beat St. Louis Team Swish, 69-54. Davis Jr. is relentless on the glass and after loose balls and the stress fracture that limited his play during the high school season appears to be in the rearview mirror. His ball handling continues to improve as he had several sequences where he grabbed the rebound and immediately drove the ball down the court without hesitation.

– After missing last weekend’s Eric Gordon All-Star Classic in Merrillville due to prom, Collin Hartman returned to the Eric Gordon 16′s team with Davis Jr. and scored 10 points in their win. The Cathedral sophomore took over for a stretch in the second half, scoring seven straight points that put some distance between the Gordon team and St. Louis Team Swish in what was an extremely competitive game.

– The final game of the opening evening featured a total mismatch between the Illinois Wolves and Indy EBC Red. The Wolves are led by Purdue commit Kendell Stephens and point guard Jalen James, who is beginning to receive interest from Indiana. Wolves coach Mike Mullins confirmed that Indiana assistant coach Tim Buckley has inquired about James and added that most of the Big Ten is now recruiting the sophomore. James’ playing time was limited as the Wolves cruised, but his court vision and ability to distribute the ball were both impressive.

We’ll have more from the Run ‘N Slam Classic, including video and Q & A’s, in the coming days on Inside the Hall.

The spring AAU circuit continues in Indiana this weekend with the Bill Hensley Memorial Run ‘N Slam All-Star Classic in Ft. Wayne.

Spiece’s premier event of the spring begins on Friday evening and runs through Sunday at venues throughout the city. Admission is $5 on Friday, $20 on Saturday and $5 on Sunday.

Here is a look at some of the players to keep an eye on (All times listed are Eastern Standard Time and are pool play games):

Indiana Elite Team Indiana (17-and-under)
Who: Hanner Perea, Jeremy Hollowell (injured), Ron Patterson and Yogi Ferrell
When and Where: Friday at 7:30 PM vs. Club Ohio at Spiece Fieldhouse Court #2, Saturday at 8:00 AM vs. ICP Portland at Spiece Fieldhouse Court #1 and Saturday at 12:30 PM vs. Illinois Wolves at Spiece Fieldhouse Court #3.

Spiece Indy Heat (16-and-under)
Who: James Blackmon Jr., P.J. Thompson, Trevon Bluiett, Trey Lyles
When and Where: Friday at 7:30 PM vs. Michigan Warriors at Northrop Court #14, Saturday at 9:30 AM vs. Waterloo Wildhawks at Spiece Fieldhouse Court #3, Saturday at 2:00 PM vs. The Family at Spiece Fieldhouse Court #1.

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