FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The 20th annual Bill Hensley Memorial Run-N-Slam Classic tipped off Friday night at Spiece Fieldhouse and Inside the Hall was there to get a look at several prospects, including 2014 commit James Blackmon Jr., Trevon Bluiett, JaQuan Lyle, Eron Gordon, Vijay Blackmon, Caleb Swanigan and Carlton Bragg.
Here are our notes and observations from the first night of Spiece:
Spiece Indy Heat 17′s coast: Based on the teams this group has faced over the past two weekends in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, tonight’s opener for Blackmon Jr., Lyle, Bluiett, Trey Lyles and company probably felt like a scrimmage.
Led by 20 points from Bluiett, Spiece crushed the Michigan Titans, 91-45. Lyle added 18 and Blackmon Jr., who looks noticeable stronger in his upper body and more explosive in transition, had 13.
Lyle said postgame that he plans to take all five official visits and make a decision this fall and Bluiett also mentioned the possibility of five officials, but also noted that he’s been so busy, he hasn’t had time to talk much about recruiting with his father and AAU coach, Reynardo.
With the return of Lyles, Spiece Indy Heat looks like a serious contender to win July’s Peach Jam.
Bragg talks about Indiana offer: Cleveland Villa Angela St Joseph (Oh.) forward Carlton Bragg (pictured) received an Indiana offer on Thursday night and the No. 24 player in the 2015 class according to ESPN.com was productive on Friday, scoring 21 points in a comfortable win for the Ohio Basketball Club 16-and-under team.
Afterward, Bragg talked about his latest offer and what the IU staff likes about his game
“I was very excited,” he said. “They like my style of play, how I run back on defense and my motor.”
Bragg also has offers from Cincinnati, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio State, Texas and others. He said he’s looking to show off his versatility this spring and summer, among other things.
“My shooting, dribbling, my defense and guarding guys that are smaller than me. Just playing defense, mostly.”
2016 big man emerging: Caleb Swanigan, a 6-foot-8, 265-pound forward who played both basketball and football at Homestead in Fort Wayne, looks like a legitimate high major post prospect.
Swanigan played with both the 15-and-under and 17-and-under Spiece Indy Heat teams on Friday and was impressive with his ability to make tough catches around the rim and finish plays. Swanigan said the interest he’s received thus far from Indiana has been in the form of questionnaires and also mentioned Purdue, Michigan State, Ohio State and Georgetown. He’s also being recruited as a football prospect by Alabama, Auburn and LSU.
Indiana began keeping an eye on 2015 Cleveland Villa Angela-Saint Joseph (Oh.) forward Carlton Bragg last fall and the Hoosiers have extended a scholarship offer to the rising junior, 
At last month’s Derby Festival Basketball Classic in Louisville, 2013 Germantown (Wis.) forward and Indiana signee Luke Fischer said he wasn’t concerned about where he fell in the national rankings.
Indiana was the first school to visit 2014 combo guard Ahmed Hill at Aquinas high school in Augusta, Ga. last September, and the coaching staff has developed a good relationship with Hill ever since then.
